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2018 Ford Mustang facelift revealed

Details of the European 2018 Ford Mustang have been revealed at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, including horsepower figures, cabin enhancements, tech improvements and suspension additions.

We had to wait 50 years for a UK-friendly Ford Mustang and now we are looking at a facelifted version for 2018, which boasts a plethora of additions that should make it even better.

The 2018 Ford Mustang still comes in 5.0-litre V8 (awesome) and 2.3-litre V6 Ecoboost (meh) flavours, except this time the output is 443bhp (up from 412bhp) for the former and 286bhp (down from 313bhp) for the latter.

Yes, you read that right. The EcoBoost – already frownerd upon by a lot of petrolheads – is even less powerful, but Ford argues it is more responsive under acceleration.

Without performance figures, it is difficult to say what effect it has had on the V6 but Ford was kind enough to say the V8 should manage 0-60mph (not 0-62mph) in ‘less than four seconds’, which is good going for what is hardly the daintiest of cars.

A new 10-speed automatic gearbox can be had if you prefer the American way, but the preferable six-speed manual is still available albeit in an updated form.

There is also a new optional MagneRide Damping System, which can adjust to road conditions to improve the ride, and two new drive modes called ‘Drag Strip Mode’ and a customisable ‘My Mode’, adding to the existing Normal, Sport, Track and Snow/Wet.

Another new feature is the Active Valve Performance Exhaust, which can upset the neighbours when you want it to or, if you use the ‘Good Neighbour Mode’, keep them from making you enemy number one.

Safety was one area where the Mustang really fell down (two stars NCAP rating, anyone?), so Ford has added lots of clever systems to help the cause such as Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Adaptive Cruise Control, Distance Alert, Lane Keeping Aid and Lane Departure Warning.

Sync 3, meanwhile, provides superior infotainment system goodness (in conjunction with an eight-inch touchscreen display) that plays nice with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the outgoing Mustang’s analogue dials have been replaced by a 12-inch LCD instrument cluster.

External changes are less dramatic, but a keen-eye should notice a more angular front bumper, slimmer air intake, revised headlights, new rear spoiler (if you spec the Performance Pack) and a slightly lower bonnet line.

“Typically, when you shift gears, you give up time. The Mustang’s new 10-speed transmission enables the engine to deliver peak power and torque while up-shifting, for faster acceleration and seamless performance. We expect the result to be our fastest accelerating Ford Mustang yet,” said Chief Mustang engineer, Matthias Tonn.

Early 2018 is likely to be when the new Ford Mustang goes on sale at an undisclosed price. A current Ford Mustang starts from £38,095 for the V8 GT so expect it to be around that figure. You can read our glowing review for a better idea of what to expect.

2018 Ford Mustang pictures

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