2018 Ford Mustang facelift to be unveiled at KLIMS

The 2018 Ford Mustang facelift is set to make its Malaysian debut very soon – Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC) has announced that the mid-cycle action (MCA) refresh of the sixth-generation S550 will be showcased at the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) next week, with the Orange Fury tri-coat metallic 5.0L GT fastback you see in the photos the display vehicle, specially flown in for the show.

No mention of when the updated pony car will officially go on sale here, but we do know its coming, in both 5.0L GT and 2.3L EcoBoost fastback variant forms as was the case previously. According to SDAC, bookings for the car will begin at KLIMS, and although pricing has not yet been indicated, it shouldn’t veer far from that of the pre-facelift versions.

Announced in January last year, the facelifted S550 features a number of exterior revisions as part of its update – the grille, bumper and front fenders have been restyled, as has the bonnet, which now features repositioned hood vents.

The facelift now features all-LED front lighting as standard, complete with a three-bar daytime running light array. There’s also a new front LED turn signal and foglamp cluster. As for the back, changes include a new tri-bar LED tail lamp design, new bumper, a new black diffuser and a revised exhaust tip configuration – the EcoBoost gets dual tips, while the GT is fitted with a quad layout.

The interior, meanwhile, gets improved touch points and material for a more premium look and feel. The centre console adds a new hand-stitched wrap with contrast stitching and padded knee bolsters, while door handles, rings and bezels are now finished in aluminium.

Aside from the 8.0 inch display for the Sync 3 infotainment system, the Mustang now comes with a 12-inch digital LCD instrument cluster, which offers display customisation for Normal, Sport and Track modes as well as colour and gauge layout settings. There’s a MyMode function, which allows drive settings, including suspension and steering preferences, to be stored. A new key fob is also part of the update.

No change to the engine line-up, the 2.3 litre EcoBoost and 5.0 litre Coyote V8 being retained, although both power and torque outputs on the Coyote have been increased, the improvements largely coming about from the application of dual-fuel, high-pressure direct injection and low-pressure port fuel injection, which is new to the V8.

In the North American version of the car, the mill puts out 460 hp and 569 Nm, a slight increase over the 435 hp and 542 Nm on the pre-facelift, but the Malaysian-spec car is likely to have the 454 hp and 556 Nm as seen on the Australian version.

As for the 2.3 litre EcoBoost, the unit makes the same amount of power as before (310 hp), but torque has been bumped up from the 434 Nm previously to 475 Nm. This is less on the Australian-spec car, at 441 Nm.

The big change comes in the form of the partnering transmission. The old ZF-based 6R80 SelectShift six-speed unit has been replaced by the Ford 10R80, a 10-speed unit also seen on the Ranger Raptor. The automaker says that the new 10-speeder offers quicker shift times, better low-speed tip-in response and significantly reduced friction losses.

New too is a Drag Strip mode, which eliminates time lost while shifting, and this joins Normal, Sport+, Track and Snow/Wet on the available drive mode list.

Mechanical improvements come in the form of upgrades to the chassis for improved ride and handling – changes include new shock absorbers that offer better ride control and a new cross-axis joint in the rear suspension to increase lateral stiffness. There’s also an active valve exhaust system, standard on the GT, which allows the exhaust note to be adjusted.

The KLIMS 2018 showcar – which was still in a bonded warehouse location when these shots were taken, so you’ll have to excuse the protective wraps – is a 5.0L GT in its Premium level trim, as denoted by the inclusion of the four-gang toggle switch pack for drive modes on the centre console.

The show car also features a GT Performance package, as sighted by a number of elements, though it looks like it might not be the complete package but cherry-picked items from the basket.

Items that find their way on include 19-inch Ebony Black painted wheels as seen previously, now wrapped with 255/40 front and 275/40 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres (the pre-facelift GT was originally shod with Pirelli P Zeros), and Brembo six-piston front brake calipers, also seen on the pre-facelift here. Other cues from the GT Performance pack that make their way on include a front air splitter and an interestingly named Engine Spun aluminium intrument panel trim.

Omissions that suggest that this is not the pack in its entirety include a painted black roof and a silver strut brace, and the tail on this one is completely devoid of a wing – while this was a deleted item on the pre-facelift’s Performance pack, it is now included in the new group specification, with a performance rear unit meant for the fastback.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.