Just the Facts:

The Mustang GT is now rated at 420 horsepower.
Mustang GT is now offered with SelectShift automatic.
New Track Pack adds additional equipment on top of the current Brembo brake package.


LOS ANGELES — Ford rolled out several new upgrades for the 2013 Ford Mustang GT ahead of the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show this week. In addition to a few minor cosmetic updates, all GT models are now rated at 420 horsepower and available with a SelectShift automatic transmission.

A new Track Pack upgrades the previously available Brembo brake package with the addition of an engine oil cooler, upgraded radiator, performance brake pads, 3.73 rear-end gears and the same Torsen limited-slip differential found on the Boss 302. Ford also changed the Boss 302's graphics package. It's now similar to the design used in 1970. The 2012 Boss 302 wears a C-stripe like the 1969 model.

Styling changes include a revised grille, more prominent front splitter and body-colored side sills. In back, the panel between the taillights is now painted black, while the lights themselves feature smoked lenses. All GTs and V6 also get upgraded to standard HID headlights and LED marker lights front and rear. Finishing off the exterior changes are revised wheel designs and optional "pony projection lamps" that project the Mustang emblem onto the ground from the side mirrors when the doors are unlocked.

All GTs and V6 models also add Recaro seats as an available option for 2013. Also new is a 4.2-inch dashboard screen that features various vehicle functions, and a new Track Apps feature. It's able to show 0-60-mph times, quarter-mile times and g-force measurements. The Shaker and Shaker Pro audio systems have also been upgraded for 2013.

Inside Line says: The styling changes are barely noticeable, but the optional Track Pack and onboard computer are a couple of interesting upgrades for 2013.

The Ford Mustang Boss 302 is all about performance, and a nod to heritage comes standard with new paint options and design details for 2013.

A new hockey stick graphic featuring reflective stripes is added to the new Boss, calling back the 1970 Boss 302. 2013 Boss 302 and Boss Laguna Seca models feature new School Bus Yellow paint, honoring Parnelli Jones’ 1970 Trans-Am championship car prepared by Bud Moore.

“Everything we did for 2013 is consistent with and links directly back to our 1970 heritage. The reflective stripes and hockey stick graphic in particular mean something to Mustang enthusiasts,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer. “Last year, we proved the car had what it takes to perform, and this year we focused on enhancing its eye-catching looks and celebrating its history.”

The reflective stripes on Boss come to life when lights hit them, similar to how they did in 1970 on the Mustang Boss 302. The new stripe follows the classic hockey stick motif by going over the fender and extending down the body panel.

Boss Laguna Seca has new Sterling Gray accents and will be available in vintage School Bus Yellow and black paint offerings, complemented by hockey stick stripes and gray interior rear cross-brace. Gray also sets off the front grille, mirror caps and rear pedestal spoiler, while Laguna Seca rear badging and unique two-tone gray and silver wheels round out the exterior accents. Unlike the previous model, the roof will not feature colored accents.

Similar to the redesigned base Mustang lineup, the front end offers a more powerful design with a more prominent grille. A more powerful splitter and functional hood extractors add to that look. Boss Mustang has new signature lighting, with standard HID headlamps and LED-surround taillamps.

The 2013 Boss also offers a unique functional design feature in the grille with removable covers where fog lamps would be. For improved cooling on track days, the covers can be easily removed with a screwdriver.

Additionally, the rear end features a high-gloss black panel that connects the taillamps. The taillamps deliver a smoked appearance that matches up with the sinister look up front.

The new Mustang Boss includes Ford SYNC®, the voice-activated in-car connectivity system, as a standard feature. With the base SYNC package, customers enjoy the core hands-free features and services that have quickly established SYNC as a must-have technology, with more than 76 percent of current SYNC users saying they would recommend the system to others.

Some features of SYNC include:

Hands-free, voice-activated calling via a Bluetooth®-connected mobile phone and control of a USB-connected digital music player
911 Assist™, the automated emergency calling service that is free for the life of the vehicle Vehicle Health Report, the on-demand diagnostic and maintenance information service

Revved up and ready

The powerful Boss engine yields 444 horsepower and 380 lb.-ft. of torque, while still offering a smooth idle and low-end torque for comfortable around-town driving. A race-inspired clutch with upgraded friction materials transmits power, while a short-throw, close-ratio six-speed manual handles gear change duties.

Power is delivered to a 3.73-ratio rear axle using carbon fiber plates in the limited-slip differential to improve handling and longevity. For those who want even more precise control over power delivery, a torque-sensing (Torsen) limited-slip differential is available, coupled with Recaro® front seats.

In keeping with the Boss mandate to provide the best-handling Mustang ever, the already strong Mustang GT suspension system has been further refined. Higher-rate coil springs on all four corners, stiffer suspension bushings and a larger-diameter rear stabilizer bar all contribute to the road racing mission, and Boss models are lowered by 11 millimeters in front and 1 millimeter at the rear versus Mustang GT. But the real key to handling is in the adjustable shocks and struts, standard on all Boss Mustangs.

Working in concert with the suspension upgrades, Boss 302 receives unique, lightweight 19-inch black alloy racing wheels in staggered widths: 9 inches in front, 9.5 inches in the rear. The Pirelli PZero summer tires are sized specifically for each end of the car, with the front wheels receiving 255/40ZR-19 tires while the rear stays planted thanks to 285/35ZR-19 rubber.

Boss braking is also up to the challenge, using Brembo four-piston calipers acting on 14-inch vented rotors up front. In back, standard Mustang GT brakes are upgraded with a Boss-specific high-performance pad compound. The combination of vented brake shields and unique Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) tuning gives Boss drivers maximum control and rapid, repeatable fade-free stops in road and race situations alike.

Ford’s next-generation Mustang will reportedly ditch its retro-styling in favor of a new design inspired by the all-new Fusion sedan. The new Mustang is expected to debut in 2014 as a 2015 model.

Ford successfully emulated the styling of the 1964 Mustang when it redesigned the iconic pony car for 2005, but buyers have since cooled on the Mustang’s retro look. Ford sold 166,530 units of the Mustang in 2006, but just 70,438 Mustangs found new homes in 2011. As such Ford has decided to give the Mustang a fresh look for the 2015 model year.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the next Mustang will adopt many of the styling cues found on the new Fusion in a bid to attract younger buyers. Those that have seen the 2015 Mustang say it looks nearly identical to the Evos concept and has a distinct Aston Martin flair to it.

Although the Mustang is in line for a major overhaul, it will retain a few of its current design cues. Those in-the-know say the car new will keep its shark-nosed grille and round headlights.

No word on what engines might power the 2015 Mustang, but we’ve heard both turbocharged four and six-cylinder engines could be on tap.

DEARBORN, Michigan — As the venerable Mustang approaches its 50th anniversary in April 2014, Ford is preparing an edgy new design that borrows familiar styling cues, but should make the sports compact more appealing in global markets.

The next-generation Mustang is expected to hit the market in mid-2014 as a 2015 model.

A Ford insider who spoke Monday on background with Inside Line said the new Mustang will feature an exterior design that is "more technical, more modern."

"The only thing 'retro' about it are the proportions — long hood, short deck," the Ford insider said.

The 2015 Mustang will retain some historical design cues, such as round headlamps and triple-lens taillamps, but otherwise will get a much fresher appearance, drawing inspiration from such concepts as the Ford Evos from last fall's 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show.

"It will still look like a Mustang," the Ford insider emphasized.

A story last fall in Automotive News quoted Ford design boss J Mays as saying, "The challenge or the opportunity for 2014 with a 50th-anniversary car is to not just look back over your shoulder, but to try to win all of the Mustang faithful, yet bring the brand forward as well." An earlier piece in Britain's Auto Express speculated that the 2015 Mustang would be the "most European-friendly version of the coupe ever."

The two drivers behind this dramatic reversal are Ford's quest to reach younger buyers — the average age of the current Mustang owner is more than 50 years old — and CEO Alan Mulally's "One Ford" mission to build more of the company's products on common global platforms.

The 2015 Mustang will carry over the current model's rear-wheel-drive configuration, but is expected to get independent rear suspension in place of a live rear axle.

The top-of-the-line Mustangs are likely to continue offering V8 engines, both normally aspirated and blown, with six-speed manual and automatic transmissions on tap. There is also talk of offering a larger-displacement version of the twin-turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, perhaps around 2.5 liters with output of around 300 horsepower.

The Shelby subbrand will continue as well. According to the MustangsDaily.com Web site, Shelby American President John Luft said his company's Mustang contract with Ford "has been extended through 2015 and beyond."

Mustang sales in 2011 dropped to just over 70,000 units, less than half of the 166,530 Mustangs sold in 2006. Rivals Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger recently have been outselling Ford's neo-pony car.