Ranking the Ford Mustang by generation #blogpost

The Ford mustang is one of the most iconic cars in American History, the Mustang was (is) a low cost high performance car that has stuck around and stood the test of time. The Ford mustang is also one of the only two currently produced American high performance cars that hasn’t been canceled (The other being the Corvette) for any duration since it’s introduction back in the day.

But which generation of Mustang is best overall? For the purposes of this list I will be considering the legacy, impact (upon release), performance (at the time), look (by today’s standards), and any other various topics. I will not be considering special editions, although I will mention significant editions that added to the generation. Generations will start with the 1964.5 through 1970 (I will call this G1), to 1971-1973 (for the purposes of this list Bunkie’s big baby will be considered a 2nd generation), 1974-1978 (The Mustang II), 1979-1993 (the Fox body), 1994-1998 (SN-95), 1999-2004 (New Edge), 2005-2014 (S197), and 2015- (S550). This makes (for this list) 8 total generations.

#8. The Mustang II (1974-1978)

Cliche? Yes. Deserving of it’s position? Probably. Considering the times and circumstances, however, it’s hard to be too hard on the Mustang II. What puts the Mustang II here is a combination of detrimental attributes that bring the Mustang II down.

Starting with it’s legacy, I have yet to meet anyone who was at least a teen in the 70’s who actually (And I mean actually) liked the Mustang II. Even today the Mustang II is looked at sideways as not being very “Mustang-y”. The Mustang II embodied 70’s Disco flash over substance, with garish sticker packages and an anemic V8 tarnishing the Mustang’s legacy. To it’s credit, modification negates both of those pitfalls. A good paint job, and some serious engine work can make the Mustang II’s innate potential shine, but you’d still have to drive around with people looking at you sideways. It’s like have a PT cruiser rocking a 5.7 Hemi; sure it’s fast, but it’s still a PT cruiser.

The Mustang II might seem like a black sheep now, but at the time of it’s debut it made a fair impact. With the oil crisis and fuel in short supply, it was a minor miracle the Mustang didn’t go the way of the Fairlane and Galaxy. The Mustang of 1973 was a huge pig that weighed almost as much as the new mustang at 3560lbs or 1615kg. The Mustang II was a econo car, designed with clever marketing to make buyers think they were getting their cake (efficiency) and eating it too in terms of performance. But the initial release of the Mustang II brought a 4 cylinder or a 6, hardly pulse revving.

Performance wise, there was no performance. Even when Ford put the V8 5.0 in the Mustang it was so throttled they’d have been better off leaving the engine out. While as mentioned above, user modification can undo most of the emission controls and resurrect performance, the remainder of the car was equally weak. The Mustang II was only slightly better than the Maverick and Pinto it slotted above. As mentioned earlier, the Mustang II has potential to be fast since the V8 is still the legendary 5.0, and it’s lightweight design lends it well to cornering if upgraded properly. However in stock guise it’s pretty sad.

Visually, the Mustang II looked fairly bland but not altogether bad. By my own admission I have a soft spot for understated design, and am not fond of garish flares or large body kits. However, at the time of release the Mustang II was a fairly bland design that blended in well. In order to counter that, Ford released a number of rather bright stick packages to make the car stand out. Of these packages, the worst was the “King Cobra” package designed to mimic the Firebird Screaming Chicken. This special edition is still the worse edition of the mustang to date, barely (and I do mean barely) edging out the Rage.

#7. SN-95 (1994-1998)

When the Fox body was finally retired in 1996 (the first two Sn-95’s still used the Fox chassis and 5.0), Ford created an all new platform and new engine for a new generation of muscle car. I would argue this version of the Mustang divides fans even more than the 1971 Bunkie Mustang did. While that version divided fans, this one positively infuriated them. Instead of the simple and durable 5.0, fans were given the (at the time) finicky 4.6. While time heals all and the 4.6 has since absolved itself, the initial 4.6 (as with most fairly new engines) had problems that fans resistant to change were quick to jump on. The new engine also had much more in terms of electronics, and took more patience to tune.

Fairly simple 5.0

Fairly complex 4.6

Visually, the SN-95 is (and was) considered the most vanilla Mustang in terms of styling. In many ways, vanilla is a true statement of the SN-95’s looks. It’s swooping flowing lines inside and out made it look like every other 90’s plastic car. It’s fairly cheap build quality caused the paint and trim to age rapidly, and the mustang itself had almost been phased out in favor of the Probe.

In terms of impact, the importance of the Sn-95 is often under-valued. Had the Sn-95 not come out, there would have been no Mustang. After the Fox, Ford had planned to release the Sn-95 Mustang as front drive coupe as a joint project with Mazda. Once the general public found out, the backlash was immense and this joint project was renamed the Probe.

In terms of performance, the Sn-95 was exactly what fans would expect. Despite the initial shirking about the 4.6, the motor performed admirably and the mod community has been decidedly more forgiving as time has gone on.

With the SN-95 approaching it’s twentieth anniversary, and their numbers are starting to dwindle (starting, they are still fairly common) fans have slowly started to give the SN-95 it’s due. Because for all the SN-95’s flaws, it’s still better than a Probe!!!

#6. Bunkie's Big Baby (1971-1973)

The second heaviest version of the Mustang to ever exist, I can only imagine what a travesty this vehicle must have been like when it first came out. This variant of the Ford Mustang only lasted 3 measly years, and didn’t sell particularly well in any of them.

In terms of performance, many of the most powerful engines (of the time) Ford put in the Mustang were used in this vehicle. Examples include the Boss 429 7.0 (!) Liter V8, the 302 and the legendary 351. As the president of Ford at the time (Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen) was fond of drag racing, the 71-73 was built to own cars in straight lines.

Visually, the styling was also very divisive and it had visibility problems. The car looks distinctly 70’s, and it only made an impact because of it’s divisive nature among fans. In terms of legacy this car has an ace up it’s metaphorical sleeve; as even though this iteration of the Mustang is one of the less popular, it’s sheet metal is (was?) the underlying foundation for the most adored of the Aussie Muscle cars.

Recognize it? No? How about now?

So, while this Mustang was hardly perfect, it’s solid performance in straight lines and that it is linked to the beautiful Mad Max car, puts it up higher than the other entries.

#5. S550 (2015-)

This entry is positioned here only because it hasn’t really been around long enough to really make an impact and carve it’s legacy. It’s initial impact is impressive as it features IRS straight out off the lot, and it resurrects the SVO style turbo 4 for a balance of efficiency and power. Performance-wise, this car beats all the stock versions of it’s predecessors with the base model V6 making 300 horsepower. Meaning that even the “slow” version of the S550 can beat the “fast” version of many older mustangs. This variant is also the best handling version due to it’s IRS. Visually the S550 is not quite to my liking, I think it looks too much like a Fusion, but it’s not ugly by any means.

Amiright?

In terms of special editions the S550 also resurrects the GT350 with a unique flat plane V8.

#4. New Edge (1999-2004)

While the original Sn-95 is fairly vanilla (in stock guise) and an example of everything that was wrong with American cars in the 90’s, Ford got their act together for this heavy facelift and released a superior product in 1999. Admittedly this version is one of my favorite versions of the Mustang, and if I arranged this list based only on personal preference this generation would be number 2 on the list.

It’s legacy is mixed, as there were far too many special editions (Bullit, Mach 1, Jamboree etc.) released for this vehicle and the vehicle didn’t change very much during it’s run.

Bullit edition

Mach 1

However, this generation also produced one notable special edition worth noting:

The Cobra R, the first Production Mustang to feature IRS, as well as one of the first cars that got me and (later on) my younger sister into cars. The cobra R featured a 5.4L V8 with an Iron Block (yes, the truck motor) and heavier internals to accommodate the supercharger.

Pretty clean for a Factory motor

Performance wise, the stock 4.6 was and is still considered a mixed bag, but overall the New Edge had decent numbers for it’s time and engines. Visually the New Edge was also a mixed bag, as it mixed European design cues with American straight lines. Personally I like the look, as it doesn’t draw attention and blends in fairly well with other cars in stock guise.

Many of the special editions are largely forgettable except the Cobra (And semi-rice R) variant. This was one of the first times that Ford put IRS in it’s Mustangs and coupling the IRS with a supercharger created a Mustang that handled better and drove faster. And as petrolheads know, better handling + better performance = Yes.

#3. Fox Body (1979-1993)

Next to the original Mustang, I would argue that this generation is the most visually iconic. Love or hate the 80’s styling there is no denying that anyone who sees one immediately knows what it is. Personally I’ve always preferred the four eyes Foxes, but I know the facelifted version with the tear drop eyes is much more common and popular.

The initial impact of the Fox body was significant, as Ford not only had to make up ground lost to the Camaro but recover from the Mustang II debacle. This event was made even more significant as the original man behind the Mustang (Lee Iacocca) left Ford to work at Chrysler. Upon debut the Fox received high marks as it was not only lighter than the Mustang II, but faster with better fuel economy. The Fox was also a return to performance (in time) as the 5.0 was beefed up and made more powerful than it’s anemic 70’s version.

Performance wise, the Fox was superior in every way to it’s predecessor. The Foxes were faster, lighter, more efficient, better built, and barely more expensive. While the stock 5.0 was still fairly slow, as many muscle car fans can attest, it’s capable of way more than the stock specs. This would contribute to the Fox’s legacy as the longest produced Mustang variant to date, produced for (technically) over 15 years as the chassis was still used for the first two years of the SN-95.

The only real drawback to the Fox was the divisive looks, as it is distinctly 80’s. This 80’s look is especially evident in it’s 1987 face lift. Again, this is a matter of preference.

Special editions included a limited pace car replica, a Gt350 edition, and the first SVT Cobra.

1979 Pace Car replica

20th Anniversary Gt350

1993 Ford Cobra

#2. G1 (1964.5-1970)

Visually this Mustang is the most iconic, you cannot be a person over 10 and not know that distinct front end, those round headlights and that horse in the middle. Even Camaro fans know the look, especially the distinct three vertical tail lights (I had to), and I have yet to meet a Car fan who doesn’t have at least an inkling of an understanding of just how much the Mustang changed the Auto industry.

In terms of industry impact only a few cars have come close to having the same impact as the original Mustang, the Mustang was available as one the first fast cars to cost less than a dollar a pound. The mastermind behind the Mustang (Lee Iacocca) sent out surveys to ask young adults what made the ideal car. Lee and his group then designed a car to combine all the attributes into a cheap, sporty, yet practical car for the masses. The result was the 1964 (and a half!) Mustang.

Performance wise, the original mustang motors was fairly potent for the time. It featured the 289 V8 which might be laughable now at 300 hp, but it was impressive at the time. It’d be like buying a Hyundai Accent today at $15,000 and having it crank out 500hp.

The G1 would go through three distinct variants in it’s life (not counting the ‘71 redesign)

starting with the 1965

To a wider redesign in '67

To the final design in 1970 (and my least favorite version of the G1)

As for special editions, this Ford mustang has the grand-daddy of all Mustang special editions: the GT350.

Designed and created by Carroll Shelby, the GT350 is the measuring stick that all other modded Mustang’s are compared. Every special edition of the Mustang is inspiried in some measure of the Gt350, whether the guise is “Cobra”, Boss, Mach 1, GT, or shudder Rage

The legacy of the G1 is still felt today, as the S550 and S197 are both visually heavily inspired by this version of the Mustang. Also, the G1 kicked off the Pony Car era that featured the Barracuda, Charger, Chevelle, Challanger, Firebird, Olds 442, Cougar, Roadrunner, Duster, Javelin, GTO, and last and least the Superbird and Camaro. For the record I have nothing against Camaro’s it’s just way to fun to tease. I really do dislike the Stupidbird though, it’s just so tacky I don’t even care how fast it is…

#1. S197 (2005-2014)

The S197 is far and away the greatest generation of the Ford Mustang. Not only was the S197 fast, it was cheap, it’s common, it has a mod community beaten only by G1, it’s impact cannot possibly be understated, and for once Ford managed to mix Euro and American design perfectly to create a modern car with throwback looks.

First to understand how important the S197 is, we need to understand the time. The pony car era had ended, there was only the Mustang left. The Recession hit and gas prices rose, and the American automotive industry was about to get bailed out. Out of this dark time, Ford released a nostalgic grab in the S197. And it’s release, the first year S197 production (and likely sales) was over 160,000 despite all the economic shortcomings at the time.

The S197 did so well that Chevrolet and Dodge got back into the muscle car business with their Camaro/GTO and Charger/300/Challenger respectively. This 2nd Pony Car era is still going on today with the ZL1, Hellcat, and GT350 rounding out the top tiers of the Detroit 3’s respective brands. The impact of the S197 is that is rejuvenated the Muscle car as a whole, and brought back the 5.0 in the Coyote.

In terms of legacy, the S197 hasn’t been out of the loop long enough for many people to really look back and smile. But like the Fox in 80’s, the S197 brought the Mustang back into the spotlight. The S197 resurrected the pony car era during a time when muscle cars were in danger of being phased out again.

In terms of performance the S197 delivers, with engines that can be tuned far beyond their stock figures, and a modular nature that makes creating a unique Mustang fair easy. Not only was the S197 fast, but could stop well thanks to it’s 4 wheel disc brakes. One major factor in the S197 being the greatest Mustang is the range of modification possibilities. Almost every component on the S197 can be modified and/or replaced to create a near super car level of performance for a fraction of the price.

While the special editions were standard with the Cobra, and GT etc. The S197 is also responsible for the one of the worst and one of the best Mustang special editions.

First the worst, Ford decided to cash in on the tuner culture that was booming at the time by releasing the Rage edition.

Just. No

On the upside, the S197 also had the Super Snake. Which is still one of the fastest mustangs ever, with a 850hp engine.

Mmm-hmm

Visually the S197 is a near masterpiece of design, blending modern cues with classic Mustang looks. For the first time since the 70’s, the Mustang actually looked like a Mustang. This modern retro design would inspire it’s rivals in their redesigns.

That’s it, thanks for reading. I know that many believe G1 should be the best, so feel free to create a blog post with G1 as #1. I’d love to see it, and see how others think of the titular pony car.

End sources:

“The Complete Book of Mustang” by Mike Mueller

Edmund

http://www.mustangheaven.com/Production%20Numbers/s197Mustang.htm
https://blog.cjponyparts.com/2014/03/mustang-sales-throughout-years/

starting with the 1965

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