Ford Australia confirms MY20 Mustang update

FORD Australia has confirmed a minor MY20 update for its best-selling Mustang, with the upgrade to usher in new heritage colours and an optional Black Shadow Pack that adds even more menace to the sixth-generation muscle car.

In showrooms from November, the MY20 Mustang is headlined by the availability of the $1000 Black Shadow Pack, which is exclusive to the GT Fastback V8 coupe variants.

Specifically, it bundles in a black finish for the Mustang GT Fastback’s ‘Pony’ grille badge, ‘5.0L’ guard badging and roof, while black bonnet and side strips are also included alongside a set of dark-finish 19-inch alloy wheels with a unique 10-spoke design.

For those Mustang GT Fastback buyers that also opt for the $750 High-Rise rear spoiler, it too will have a black finish.

“The Black Shadow Pack takes the Mustang GT Fastback to another level,” said Ford Motor Company Mustang chief program engineer Carl Widmann.

“It gives the classic Mustang lines a sinister flavour that really adds a raciness and competition look to it and harks back to some of the graphic and decal packages that we’ve had in the past.”

Meanwhile, four new paintwork options will also enter the fray, with heritage-inspired Grabber Lime the headline act. The last Grabber hue to be offered in Australia was Grabber Blue on the MY16 Mustang.

However, the Grabber lineage stretches as far back as the early 1970s in the US, serving as inspiration for the creation of Grabber Lime.

“It’s lime green on steroids,” said Ford Motor Company colour and materials manager Barb Whalen. “This colour traces back to a Mustang heritage colour while bringing it forward with more modern, dynamic pigments and bold new energy.”

Another colour steeped in history, Twister Orange, will be available with the MY20 Mustang, as will Iconic Silver and Red Hot.

“These bright, vibrant retro colours are trending in design – in home furnishings, sportswear and even appliances,” Ms Whalen said.

“Aspirational and confident, they are fun, youthful colours that make a statement of how you want the world to see you and who you want to be. And your car is an extension of that.”

According to Ford Australia, pricing and full specification for the MY20 Mustang will be announced closer to its on-sale date.

For reference, the current line-up opens with the manual EcoBoost Fastback from $49,990 plus on-road costs and tops out with the $74,728 automatic GT Convertible.

“The Mustang is an icon, and Australian customers have been asking for more ways to customise and individualise their particular vehicle, so we’re pleased to offer more ways of doing just that,” said Ford Australia president and chief executive Kay Hart.

As reported, EcoBoost versions are motivated by a 2.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine that produces 224kW of power at 5700rpm and 441Nm of torque at 3000rpm.

Alternatively, GT variants up the performance ante with a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 that develops 339kW at 7000rpm and 556Nm at 4600rpm.

Either way, drive is exclusively sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or a 10-speed torque-converter automatic.

Sales of Mustang have cooled off this year, with 2442 examples sold to the end of June – a 16.4 per cent decrease over the 2920 deliveries made during the same period in 2018.

Nonetheless, Mustang remains the best-selling sportscar in Australia – a title it has held for 30 consecutive months. The closest model, Mercedes-Benz’s two-door C-Class, is from the segment above and has only managed about half of that volume.