S650 Ford Mustang: Expected Specs, Price, Engines, Design

S650 Ford Mustang Overview

The S650 Mustang will be the seventh-generation of the legendary Ford Mustang nameplate due for the 2024 model year. While COVID, semiconductor and supply chain shortages may have had the S650 Mustang originally as a 2023 model year product, Ford has confirmed that the seventh-generation Mustang will debut at the 2022 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on September 14. The S650 generation is expected to be the last Mustang that will be powered by an internal combustion engine, as whatever is expected after it will likely be a purely electric vehicle. The following is confirmed information on the 2024 S650 Ford Mustang.

S650 Mustang Reveal

The 2024 S650 Ford Mustang debuted at the 2022 Detroit Auto Show on the evening of September 14th. Original speculation was in Spring of 2023, matching the 60th birthday of the iconic nameplate. Ford commemorated the 2024 Mustang reveal with an event known as The Stampede, which will be a Mustang-only parade that starts at the company’s global headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, and finished at Hart Plaza, where the S650 reveal took place. Over 1,000 Ford Mustangs were registered.

S650 2024 Ford Mustang GT Fourth Generation Coyote V8 Dual Throttle Bodies — Image via Ford Motor Company

Engines

Ford Motor Company has officially confirmed both a new 2.3L EcoBoost turbo four and an updated 5.0L Coyote V8 engine for the S650 Mustang. The Coyote now has dual throttle bodies and twin air filters. Power is expected to be at least 480 hp in the Mustang GT, and 500 hp or more in the first-ever Ford Mustang Dark Hors muscle car. Other engines like the 5.2L VooDoo V8 from the Shelbny GT350 or the supercharged Predator V8 in the Shelby GT500 are unconfirmed at this time. Perhaps later.

A rumored 6.8L V8 that will be built in Ontario was rumored by Canadian union president Jerry Dias for the S650 Mustang, but Ford has not confirmed this. The high-displacement 7.3L Godzilla engine would also be a welcome addition to the Mustang family, however its weight as a cast-iron block and oversized intake manifold makes this pushrod V8 a poor fit for the S650 Mustang.

Design

The design of the seventh-generation Ford Mustang is a gradual evolution from the S550 generation we currently see today. For the first time, the Mustang GT and Mustang EcoBoost have distinct front fascias to tell the two apart more easily, while the rear end maintains its signature triple vertical tail lights. The new Mustang Design Studio package offers bronzed exterior accents for the first time, including the wheels and the iconic Pony logo.

The S650 Ford Mustang continues to carry on a traditional 2+2 layout. This means it will continue to be a rakish coupe, with two front seats, and two small rear seats for children or cargo.

2024 Ford Mustang S650 Performance Pack — Image via Ford.

S650 Platform

The S650 Mustang will utilize an updated version of the S550 platform, meaning it would be a more gradual evolution of the muscle car compared to years prior. Ford Motor Company executives have once described to MC&T that the automaker intends to “sweat the asset” of existing ICE platforms and engines for as long as they can. The S650 program falls under the Ford Blue division, which oversees all engine-powered vehicles, propulsion systems, and platforms. Original plans to use the Ford CD6 platform that the current Ford Explorer is based on have been canceled. All-wheel-drive and hybrid variants of the new Mustang have also been shelved, suggesting that Ford was not willing to invest more than it had to into the S650 program.

Therefore, the S650 platform maintains ample room for large V8 engines, an integrated independent rear suspension, a long hood, and a tapered roofline towards the rear. The latest magnetic ride control technology is could find itself on higher-end S650 Mustangs, while a new electrical architecture is also present, allowing for over-the-air updates. It’s unclear if the ECU and/or TCU will be encrypted for cybersecurity purposes, which would lock out would-be tuners out from modifying any calibrations without a workaround system like an interceptor or piggyback controller.

Technology

New technology in the S650 Mustang can be confirmed based on Ford Motor Company patents. The highlight of which is a remote-controlled engine revving system, which made its debut on the day of the vehicle’s reveal. A retractable exhaust system is also patented, which could change the pitch of how the S650 Mustang engine would sound. It’s unclear if this feature will reach production. Ford also went ahead and evolved the electronic parking brake into an available handbrake. Still electronically controlled, this “drift stick” is able to throw the new Mustang sideways, Formula D style, as the feature was calibrated with the assistance of none other than retired drifting champion Vaughn Gittin Jr.

The interior of the S650 Mustang also features split infotainment screens, with a full configurable digital instrument panel screen. There’s even a special “Fox Body” Mustang display setting for the instrument cluster, as well as a green-glowing night mode for it. The high resolution graphics are made possible by the Unreal Engine system, which blur the lines between real and virtual.

S650 Ford Mustang Price

Pricing on the seventh-generation Ford Mustang is far from official, but it’s likely to see an increase in base MSRP compared to today’s sixth-generation S550 Mustang due to inflation, supply constraints, and emission compliance technology costs. The base 2024 Ford Mustang EcoBoost will likely see the smallest jump in MSRP, but expect customers to pay bigger premiums for the V8-powered Mustang GT.

Following market trends, expect the S650 Mustang to have more options, technology and packages at higher trim levels, which would in turn push pricing up even higher. Despite this, the 2024 Ford Mustang will continue to be marketed as a “value” because of its performance capabilities, relative to how much customers would have to pay for a more expensive imported vehicle with similar capabilities.

S650 Ford Mustang Production

The 2024 Ford Mustang will be built at Flat Rock Assembly, in Michigan, made possible by a recent $250 million renovation. The current S550 Mustang is currently built there. Production of the next-generation Ford Mustang is expected to be less than 100,000 units per year.

An Automotive News report suggests that the S650 Ford Mustang will have up to an eight-year life cycle, with a refresh around 2025. This would bump the S650 Mustang up with the next decade, which forecasters expect the Mustang to go completely electric as early as 2028.

S650 Variants

Mustang EcoBoost Coupe/Convertible

Mustang GT Coupe/Convertible

Mustang Dark Horse

Mustang Dark Horse S

Mustang Dark Horse R

Mustang GT3

S650 Ford Mustang GT 2024 — Image via Ford.

S650 Mustang Model Years

2024 Mustang

S650 Mustang Sales

S650 Mustang sales will begin to be recorded once Ford Motor Company begins producing and shipping units to dealers. As mentioned, production for the new Mustang will begin in the summer of 2023. This makes the final model year of the S550 Mustang a short one, as 2022 model year vehicles are still being produced at the time of the S650 reveal. In addition, the Flat Rock Assembly plant will likely have to be down for a few weeks for retooling ahead of official production of the seventh-generation Mustang.