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The 2022 Mustang gets major technology enhancements as part of Ford'due south mid-life refresh. The EcoBoost (turbocharged) four-cylinder engine has more horsepower than the V6, then the V6 is a goner. The 2022 V8 will be more than powerful than the electric current ane. Transmission choices are a ten-speed automatic and, for traditionalists who don't mind slower dispatch and lower mpg, a six-speed manual. The instrument console can exist a 12-inch LCD. At that place are more driver assists.

This is a large change for the Mustang, an American-traditional sporty car for most of its get-go half-century. It was only in 2022 that Mustang got an independent rear intermission. At present Ford's pony auto tin can compete with many of Europe's finest on everything except high price. You're hard-pressed to spend much over $45K even on a V8 Mustang GT (unless it's a Shelby variant).

2018 Ford Mustang V8 GT with Performance Package in Orange Fury

Big changes for a refresh

This is the mid-life refresh for the sixth-generation Mustang, which debuted as a 2022 model. The 2022 car ships in the fall. By tweaking the EcoBoost four, it gets at least 310 hp, tops the current V6's 300 hp, and returns about iii mpg meliorate mileage, and so the V6 was axed. The V6 is currently nigh 20% of the production mix, Ford says, with the other fourscore% split pretty evenly between the four and V8. The V8 will top the current Mustang GT's 435 hp, Ford promises.

The automated transmission is bumped from six to 10 speeds and includes paddle shifters. Both transmissions are offered on both engines. Without citing numbers until closer to launch time, Ford says the automatic will crush the manual on both 0-lx times and fuel economy.

The Mustang will offer MagneRide, a magnetorheological damper system with magnetically charged particles in the daze absorber fluid that tin instantly vary the stiffness of the shock. It was previously bachelor on super-Mustangs such the 2022 Shelby GT350. Mustang competitor Chevrolet Camaro already offers MagneRide shocks. It volition exist role of a Mustang Operation Package.

2018 Ford Mustang 12-inch LCD digital instrument cluster in Normal View

2018 Ford Mustang 12-inch LCD digital musical instrument cluster in Normal View (above)

Instrument cluster in Sport View

Musical instrument cluster in Sport View

Instrument cluster in Track View

Musical instrument cluster in Track View

Customization: 12-inch digital instrument panel

2018 Ford Mustang digital instrument clusterFord will offer a digital instrument panel option, a 12-inch color LCD, with iii views — normal, sport, and track — that can be color-customized using a feature chosen Mustang MyColor.

Similarly, Mustang MyMode lets the commuter customize and relieve drive settings including break and steering preferences.

The Mustang even offers the choice of a new active valve frazzle on the Mustang GT (V8) with, Ford says, "a fully variable soundtrack to match the entire acceleration range." It can audio a throatier (read: louder) annotation on the open road or be gentler near home or late at dark.

2018 Ford Mustang Interior

Commuter assists for when y'all're not at the rails

The 2022 Mustang steps up the assists available for everyday driving. Ford says they include pre-standoff braking, pedestrian detection, distance alarm, lane-departure warning / lane-keeping assist, and Driver Alert Arrangement (lane keeping and drowsiness detection). Ford has already offered adaptive prowl control on Mustang.

New volition be Ford Sync Connect (telematics) with FordPass, a smartphone app that can first, lock, unlock and locate the car.

The exterior is new from the firewall forrard with a lower hood. All Mustangs go all-LED lighting: low and loftier beams, taillamps, exterior accent lighting, and the optional fog lamps.

2018 Ford Mustang - Jan 2022

Did Ford snub the Detroit auto bear witness?

The determination to withhold the Mustang from press days at January's 2 big machine shows, in Las Vegas (CES 2022) and Detroit (North American International Machine Show), brought howls of protest from the Detroit media, who accused Ford of cheating the home town."Somewhere out there [in Detroit], a mom or dad is explaining to Mustang-loving children they didn't get to see the new model considering Ford was playing 'I've Got A Hugger-mugger' when the family spent its fourth dimension and money on a day at the show" before Tuesday, the Detroit Costless Press lamented.

Translation: Detroit senses CES the week before has seized the technology bending, while the Los Angeles Auto Show in November is pulling in many of the blueprint-paradigm unveilings. Detroit is jealous that the February Chicago show is in a nicer building (McCormick Place) and the March/April New York show is home to so many journalists. Information technology'due south likewise upset that Bentley, Fiat-Chrysler, Lamborghini, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, and Tesla skipped Detroit. Foreign-flag automakers have softer sales in heartland Michigan than on the coasts and Detroit has become an optional testify. Detroit did inaugurate a tech showcase, AutoMobili-D, during printing days this year.

What Ford did was roll out the 2022 Mustang to the media in 3 cities with insufficiently low key events: in Detroit at the auto show (a week after press days) with a white Mustang, in Los Angeles with a Orange Fury Mustang (main photo, top) and in New York with Racing Red (photo to a higher place). In LA, Dwayne The Rock Johnson did the unveiling along with Army veteran and Purple Center recipient Marlene Rodriguez. Johnson then announced Rodriguez would exist receiving one of the first product Mustangs in the fall.

Going into the redesign, Mustang continues to be the leader amongst the so-called pony cars in a soft market. Ford sold 106,000 Mustangs last yr (down 13%), while Camaro had 73,000 sales (down half-dozen%) and a half-year backlog of Camaros on dealer lots (two months is the ideal), while Dodge Challenger had 64,000 2022 sales (down 3%).

At present read: The summit 10 tech cars of the 2022 Detroit Auto Show