Ford Mustang 2023 REVEALED! Manual and V8 with new interior, novel electric drift brake

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Here it is, the seventh-generation Ford Mustang in all its rear-wheel drive V8 glory, but it isn’t the hybrid Mustang we were hoping for. 

The new seventh-generation Mustang, internally codenamed the ‘S650’, will retain both its turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder and aspirated 5.0-litre V8 powertrains, but will score a revised exterior and a fully revamped interior with new technologies. 

The Mustang won’t be going hybrid for its new generation, however it will still be available with a six-speed manual transmission for self-shifting enthusiasts – alongside the option of a ten-speed torque converter automatic transmission. 

All Mustangs will continue to be rear-wheel drive. A rumoured all-wheel drive (AWD) Mustang did not come to fruition – but the door has not been closed on either AWD or hybrid tech in future.

Ford says that the new Mustang will go on sale in Australia late in 2023 and will be built in Flat Rock, Michigan in the United States. 

What’s new for the Mustang in 2023?

Ford says it has added a new jet-inspired digital cockpit for the driver that features two curved displays that can be fully customised. 

The digital instrument cluster now runs Unreal Engine 3D software – the same platform used for popular video games, with its processing power used here to drive faster response times, higher display resolution, and more immersive graphics.

Multiple different screen designs can be selected for the 13-inch instrument cluster, from classic Mustang gauges from the past right through to a “calm screen where only minimal details are displayed”.

A central 12.3-inch touchscreen has been integrated towards the driver that runs Ford’s Sync 4 software. 

Drivers will immediately notice the new flat-bottomed steering wheel, along with an optional B&O sound system if the V8 noise is not always to your liking. 

The Mustang will look different on the outside too, depending on which model is selected. The V8 GT is differentiated from the Ecoboost models thanks to larger grille openings to allow for greater air flow, along with new hood vents and a redesigned front splitter. 

Ford says the Mustang is generally “more chiseled and edgier, leaning into Mustang’s classic brawniness and timelessness”. 

Turbo four-cylinder and V8 engines retained

Both the 5.0-litre V8 engine and the 2.3-litre Ecoboost turbocharged four-cylinder engine will remain for the new Mustang. 

Ford says that both engines have been fine-tuned with the available drive mode functions, however new outputs for these powertrains are yet to be announced. 

Owners can decide to shift themselves with the option of a six-speed manual transmission that is available with rev-match capability for the V8 engine. 

Drive modes include normal, sport, slippery, drag, track and an individual setting that can have six different profiles. Ford says that at each change of drive mode, the graphics in the instrument cluster “bring the mode to life like a video game”.

The new Ford Mustang will feature an electric handbrake lever for sideways action, however Ford Australia has not confirmed this feature for our local market. 

Appearing like a traditional physical handbrake, the lever is fully electronic. When the Mustang’s track driving mode is selected, pulling the lever locks the rear wheels to a varying extent, allowing drivers to induce drifts more easily. 

Ford says the electric drift brake was developed in partnership with Vaughn Gittin Junior, a professional American drifter, 

Will there be speciality Mustangs built such as the Mach 1, GT350 and GT500?

For the United States, it’s very likely that variants such as the Mustang GT350 or the GT500 could be built, as they’ve done so before. 

This seventh-generation Mustang is likely to be Ford’s last opportunity to send off the ICE Mustang in style before it goes hybrid or electric for the eighth-generation somewhere around 2030. 

Australian-delivered Ford Mustangs could get special editions in the near future, much like the Bullitt edition and the Mach 1 that have gone before. 

We should find out more about the Mustang’s future in the coming days.