Aside from the clear LED headlight clusters and choice of three new colours; Kona Blue, Orange Fury and Royal Crimson, the Euro market Mustang differs little from its Stateside cousin aesthetically, with the same applying to the layout of interior.
It does however receive upgraded materials, leather trimmed heated and cooled seats across the range, and for right-hand drive markets, Recaro sport seats finished in Ebony Black leather for the first time.
In response to the Mustang's poor performance in the the recent Euro NCAP crash tests, which saw it achieving only two stars and later three, Ford has dramatically improved the list of driver assistance systems, which now includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Assist.
Underneath its updated skin, the Mustang also gets improved dynamics with stiffer rear suspension axis, recalibrated shock absorbers, thicker anti-roll bars, optional MagneRide Dampers and two modes; Drag Strip and My Mode in addition to standard Normal, Sport, Snow/Wet and Track settings.
A somewhat bizarre addition to the V8 model is a new Active Valve Performance exhaust system, which aside from being adjusted to suit driver preference, comes equipped with a new mode dubbed Good Neighbour. In short, this automatically dims the exhaust's note to avoid disturbing neighbours when the engine is fired up.
Like its US cousin, all European Mustang are now outfitted with Launch Control and Electronic Line-Lock as standard. Body styles will again consist of a two-door Fastback coupe and a two-door Cabriolet.
Matters have also changed underneath the bonnet where the 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine has been downgraded from 233 kW to 213 kW, although Ford claims performance has remained unchanged. The 5.0-litre V8 has however gone the other way with power jumping from 302 kW to 331 kW. No torque or performance were revealed.
As before, the Mustang again offers a choice of two transmissions; a six-speed manual now with a twin-disc clutch and dual-mass flywheel as standard, or the new General Motors co-developed 10-speed automatic in place of the old six-speed unit.
Although pricing in the US starts at $26 485 (R342 497) for the EcoBoost manual and tops out at $46 095 (R596 089) for the V8 Cabriolet automatic, no sticker prices for Europe have yet been announced. Similarly, Ford Motor Company South Africa has so far remained mum on a local launch date or prices.
