Ride, Sally Ride

Scrapping the nineties
The last generation Mustang interior was dominated by free flowing, curving lines and shapes that either intersected with one another, or were juxtaposed to create some sort of subtle, perhaps even “futuristic,” tension. At a glance, space was not always clearly defined, particularly in the doors where the lever, pocket, and speaker grille all hovered in the bottom front corner. These components visually interacted with one another, but the correspondence was unclear, and may have existed simply because of proximity.

The former dash suffered as well, as the U-shaped center console morphed into the instrument cluster and passenger-side panel. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this design, the placement of rectangular vents, especially the single one on the passenger side, polluted the interior with afterthoughts. Space was not only vague, but it also was used somewhat poorly. Finally, the choice of materials left a lot to be desired, as gray and black plastic signaled poor quality or tackiness and, for the emotional, automotive enthusiast crowd, dreariness.

Extensive reworking of the ’05 interior has yielded a much cleaner and more refined style. Interestingly, Ford turned to a previous design to create this modern look – the inside of the new Pony car is based on the layout of the old 67-68 Mustangs. In constructing the cabin, however, design engineers assured a contemporary look (as well as cost savings) by borrowing several pieces from the new F150.