Discover the Ford Mini Bronco: The Compact SUV You Never Knew You Needed

The two-door four-seater off-roader presents an exciting (yet spacious) format for the Bronco. Designed by Naoto Kobayashi, the Ford Mini Bronco also comes with a grid of square-shaped headlights on the front and taillights at the back that dynamically light up to create new patterns (sort of like the taillights on the Hyundai IONIQ 5). The Mini Bronco is perfect for a group of two (or maybe three) people looking to hit the dirt road and live off the grid for a while. It’s a compact EV that captures the thrill of an SUV without the fuel-guzzling large in-your-face persona of Ford’s other heavy-duty cars. The Ford Mini Bronco, unfortunately, doesn’t exist… but it absolutely needs to.

Designer: Naoto Kobayashi

Designed by Mexico-based Kobayashi, the Ford Mini Bronco offers a glimpse into the year 2030, a time period this car is envisioned for. Diverging from its larger counterpart, its design blends modern elements with a sense of purpose and seeks to redefine the compact off-road segment, offering a unique take on what’s possible. The Ford Mini Bronco’s charm lies in its compact, two-door configuration, rather reminiscent of the Suzuki Jimny. With a short wheelbase and minimal front and rear overhangs, it promises enhanced off-road capabilities for navigating various terrains. Kobayashi also imagined the Mini Bronco fitted with mud-terrain tires and retro-modern wheels, combining style with practicality.

The visual story continues with the front and rear facades. An illuminated Ford emblem and LED lights in place of traditional headlights offer a distinctive look. LED daytime running lights and a sturdy skid plate enhance its utilitarian appeal. The rear follows suit with LED lights and a functional skid plate.

Inside, the cabin reflects a forward-looking approach. A single display houses the digital instrument cluster and infotainment system. The steering wheel features a flat top and bottom, along with tactile buttons, switches, and dials, maintaining a balance between modernity and familiarity. Clearly made for excursions and outdoor trips, the seats also come wit the ability to recline 180° into beds, offering a place for all four passengers to comfortably sleep. The two front seats join together, with the intermediary compartment sliding away. Moreover, the roof of the Mini Bronco still possesses the ability to hold a camper, should you want to opt for a more traditional camping experience.

Although clearly conceptual, the Ford Mini Bronco really emphasizes the need for a compact version of a ‘big car’. Time will tell if this concept or even its format becomes a reality, potentially marking a new chapter in compact off-road exploration.

The post Discover the Ford Mini Bronco: The Compact SUV You Never Knew You Needed first appeared on Yanko Design.

2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum Black Edition Hands-on: When Luxe Meets Electric Power

If you thought the Ford F-150 Lightning had peaked, Ford springs a sizzling surprise with its Platinum Black Edition. This isn’t merely a truck, folks; it’s automotive eloquence on four wheels. Allow us to take you through the design intricacies that make this edition exceptionally spellbinding.

Designer: Ford

Enchanting From Every Angle

Behold the Lightning Platinum Black edition’s alluring exterior. This isn’t your typical paint job. Ford’s custom matte black wrap is an artwork of sorts. It’s multi-faceted, transforming under varied lighting conditions—under studio lights, it flaunts subtle undertones, and under direct sun, it cloaks itself in an enigmatic shade. It’s a chameleon on the road, bound to make heads turn no matter the hour.

Taking this dramatic aesthetic up a notch, Ford introduces exclusive blacked-out accents. From the grille to the mysterious “smoked” light bars, and surprisingly, even the iconic blue Ford emblem is swathed in this shadowy hue. This gives the truck a menacing allure, guaranteeing a double take wherever it roams.

The pièce de résistance? The glossy black roof brandishes “LIGHTNING” across the panoramic sunroof. And let’s not overlook the standard black soft tonneau cover that crowns the Platinum Edition.

Wheels as Statement Pieces

Move over, standard wheels. The Platinum Black strides ahead with bespoke 22-inch black wheels, complete with matte black lug nuts. These aren’t mere aesthetic choices; these wheels are wind tunnel champions, beautifully melding aesthetics, and aerodynamics.

A Symphony of Luxury Inside

Inside this beast, luxury reigns supreme. Seats swathed in top-tier black Nirvana leather with contrast stitching scream opulence. The door jamb even boasts a special-edition series plate—talk about exclusivity.

The already-impressive 15.5-inch touchscreen seems more regal within the Platinum Black’s plush environs. And for those with a keen eye, the tweaked user interface hints at the truck’s upscale stature.

Tech That’s A Step Ahead

Ford is not one to rest on its laurels. The 2024 Platinum Black edition brings advanced features such as an upgraded BlueCruise 1.2 hands-free driving and an intuitive walk away-auto-lock mechanism. And the intelligent tech doesn’t stop there: if multiple phones are paired, the truck identifies the one used to unlock the driver’s door.

Worried about starting up to access the onboard generator? With the Lightning Platinum Black, the optional ProPower generator springs to life as you unlock. Plus, those with the 2022 and 2023 models are included, courtesy of an over-the-air update.

Performance-wise, expect the same robustness with the standard Extended Range battery pack and a 580-hp dual-motor powertrain, ensuring the Platinum stays consistent with its 300-mile range.

The Verdict: Electrifying Elegance

Ford’s F-150 Lightning Platinum Black edition is more than a truck—it’s a symphony of design and innovation. From its underlayer Agate Black paint to its finely curated interiors, there’s an attention to detail that’s simply unmatched. It’s a recalibration of luxury within the electric truck realm.

Starting at $99,000, it does command a slight premium over its predecessor. But it’s more than justified for the sheer artistry, performance, and ready-to-go package. In the bustling world of EVs, the Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum Black stands as a paragon of design brilliance and tech-forward prowess.

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2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Review

PROS:


  • Long range

  • Quick acceleration

  • Big-truck practicality

CONS:


  • Gigantic proportions

  • Busy interior

  • Cost

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The F-150 Lightning is a superb truck and a wildly versatile EV. I only wish it were smaller.

Ford sold over 650,000 F-150s in the U.S. in 2022, 653,957 to be exact. That’s a remarkable number of vehicles of any sort — Toyota only sold less than half that many Camrys. It’s that volume that made the release of the F-150 Lightning in early 2022 so significant. This truck truly has the potential to be a game-changer, taking millions of the most environmentally unfriendly vehicles off the road and replacing them with emissions-free successors.

That was the promise, and with a sub-$40,000 initial asking price the Lightning was a very tempting release. Now, though, the scales have changed dramatically. As of this writing, the cheapest Lightning, the Pro, starts at $59,974 — $63,474 if you want anything other than the stripped, fleet special. The truck you see here, meanwhile, cost just over $100,000. Given that, is the Lightning still the world-changing uber-truck that it was supposed to be?

It is, but the financial equation is sadly a lot more complicated than before.

Exterior Design

The design of the F-150 Lightning doesn’t offer much in the way of nuance or progressive thinking. This thing looks, very much, just a truck. A big one at that. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as buyers in this segment don’t tend to want anything radical, but you’d certainly be forgiven for not picking a Lightning out of a crowd of F-Series trucks in a parking lot.

In motion it’s a little easier to spot thanks to the distinctive running lights front and back, which span up around the headlights on the nose and between the tail lights at the rear. Those details are far and away the biggest visual differentiator between Lightning and a more pedestrian F-Series. But, look a little closer and you can spot some other cues.

Where the grille should be is just a wide swath of black plastic. Instead of a fuel filler cap on the rear fender, there’s a charging port on the front fender, and a few Lightning badges are scattered here and there.

For every nuance that’s subtly different in the Lightning there are a dozen elements carried over wholesale from the regular F-150. The mirrors still stand out wide and proud, each with roughly the same aerodynamic finesse as a shoe box. Body and bed are still split by the same, vertical, inch-wide gap and there’s even the same number pad on the B-pillar for keyless entry of the old-school variety.

Most significantly: the F-150 Lightning is huge, just like a regular F-150. Trucks in this category have been putting on weight for generations now and this current implementation is positively obese. At 231.7 inches, the Lightning is a whopping 33 inches longer than a Tesla Model X SUV, 45 inches longer than the Mustang Mach-E. It’s 96 inches wide and 78.3-inches tall — too tall even to fit into my garage, as it turns out.

It’s hard to argue with the outright capabilities, and it makes sense for Ford to come out of the gate with a top-shelf electric truck instead of something a little smaller and more manageable (more expensive cars have higher profit margins, after all), but I can’t help wishing this were a little more Maverick and a lot less massive.

Interior Design

That size does create a truck with an expansive interior. Five adults, even those of a generous girth, will fit comfortably here with adequate headroom and shoulder room and every other kind of room, too. Rear-seating isn’t exactly luxurious, but it is perfectly acceptable, with heating, a pair of USB ports (one A and one C) plus a 12-volt outlet and even a straight-up, three-prong 120V outlet.

In the Platinum trim, the two seats up front add on ventilation plus the usual power adjustments including lumbar. The giant arm-rest flips up to reveal a chasm big enough to store a couple six packs of your favorite beverage. Or, you can fold out the cushioning on top to create a perfectly serviceable workspace. Another pair of storage cubbies cut in on the sides of what would be the transmission tunnel if this thing had a transmission, plus another compartment ahead of the shifter with wireless charging and a pair of USB ports.

The doors are similarly riddled with storage space and there’s not one but two glove boxes. Plenty of places to lose plenty of things, but also a generous place for working. The USB-C ports in the center will keep your laptop charged while you work if you forgot your adapter, and the truck’s integrated WiFi will ensure your kids in the back can keep on streaming on the way to school.

In terms of visual appeal, there’s a lot going on in the interior, contrasting and clashing patterns and subtly different dark shades. White wouldn’t be my first upholstery color for a work truck, but it does provide a bit of nice contrast when entering the Lightning.

Once seated, you’re confronted with a sea of black plastics, some gloss, some textured, some knurled, some embossed with a fake leather pattern, some with a faux brushed metal appearance, and some wrapped with pseudo woodgrain. This mix of materials is a bit jarring and a bit disappointing in any vehicle costing this much.

Technology

The best part of the interior is the massive, 15.5-inch, vertically oriented display sitting right in the middle of the dash. This gives plenty of real estate for everything from climate controls on the bottom to quick access to settings along the top, with numerous tiles slotting in through the middle depending on what you’re doing.

That said, I do wish it had a few of the more subtle tricks from the Mach-E’s implementation of SYNC, like a persistent button on the top for quickly getting back to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, both of which work wirelessly here and both also serve turn instructions to the gauge cluster.

That cluster is 12 inches, massive compared to that on the Mach-E and is configurable, displaying everything from charge status to pitch and roll for off-roading. The 360 cameras are also useful when you’re hitting the trail, but they’re far more helpful when trying to slot this thing into a parking spot. That can be a bit of a challenge, but with self-parking the Lightning is happy to handle that for you – if you’re not in a hurry.

Other active features include adaptive cruise, lane-keep assist, and automatic emergency braking with evasion. The hallmark here, though, is BlueCruise. This is Ford’s hands-off driver assistance system, capable of handling steering and speed on highways. It’s only available on certain, mapped and divided roads. When you get to one, there’s nothing to do but let go of the wheel.

BlueCruise will do two things: pilot the Lightning and watch you. An infra-red camera built into the dashboard is always studying your eyes to ensure that you’re paying attention, because even if your hands are off the wheel you’re still responsible for taking over. Let those eyes wander too long on a curious roadside sign or a particularly cute dog frollicking in someone’s front yard and the truck will chime at you. Do it again and it’ll chime again, more insistently. Eventually, the system will disable itself and you’ll be on your own.

BlueCruise works well, but the one in the F-150 Lightning isn’t the most advanced flavor of this technology, unable to perform automated lane changes. You’ll still need to handle that yourself.

But the truck can handle itself in a number of other ways, like the recently released Dynamic Hitch Assist system. Just back the car up somewhere near the hitch on your trailer and the Lightning will use the rear-view camera to automatically identify where the ball on your hitch needs to be, then line back itself up perfectly.

Ride and Dynamics

The F-150 Lightning has a traditional look and that very definitely continues to the traditional feel. This thing drives like a truck through and through, but a very comfortable and compliant one. The Lightning is still built on the same ladder-frame design as the normal F-150, but with independent suspension here instead of the traditional live-axle.

That surely helps to increase the ride quality and comfort. The Lightning is compliant on broken roads and surfaces, soaking up railroad crossings and separation joints without complaint. That said, body control is a bit lacking, the big rig having a tendency to float and bob a few moments longer than you might like after a major compression.

Steering is relaxed but acceleration is not. This dual-motor Lightning with the Extended Battery gets to 60 mph in less than 4.0 seconds, which is quicker than many sports cars. It scrabbles off the line with only a bit of a whir and a massive amount of thrust. More importantly, it can tow up to 10,000 pounds in XLS or Lariat trim, which isn’t too far from the maximum 14,000 on a regular F-150. That said, payload is down from 3,325 to 1,952 if you get the larger battery, 2,235 without.

To test that, I loaded the truck up with a couple cubic yards of mulch, just short of the maximum payload, and the truck was still extremely easy to drive, accelerating strongly and braking just as well.

In terms of range, the F-150 Lightning with the larger battery pack is rated for an impressive 320 miles. This Platinum truck, with the bigger wheels and extra goodies, still rates 300 miles per the EPA.

Perhaps more importantly, the Lightning will serve up that battery capacity in many different ways, from the onboard USB-C ports to keep your laptop juiced to outlets in the bed and even more integrated in the frunk for charging tool batteries. Opt for the bidirectional Ford Charge Station Pro, and Ford estimates the Lightning can power an average home for three days.

Whether you use the Lightning as an emergency backup or a jobsite generator, the practicality is real. The one shame is charging. The Lightning tops out at 150 kW charging rate, which is undeniably slow considering the massive, 131 kWh battery pack here. That’s significantly slower than many other EVs that cost less and have far smaller packs.

Pricing and Options

The F-150 Lightning you see here is the top-shelf Platinum trim, outfitted with 22-inch wheels, $495 for the Rapid Red Metallic paint, and $595 for the spray-in bed liner. However, a few things were deleted due to supply constraints, like the onboard scale, which knocked the price down by $650.

Total price, after a $1,895 destination charge is $100,609. That is one expensive truck.

All those price hikes since the Lightning’s initial release are a shame. The Lightning was simply a compelling option for anybody looking to buy a truck. Now, buyers will have to do some math. For contractors, being able to power a job site without a generator rental will surely be compelling. For homeowners, using the truck as a whole-home power source helps make the price sting a little less.

And then of course there are the fuel savings over a traditional truck, which could be substantial.

The math is a little more complicated than before, but that doesn’t change the final result. The F-150 Lightning is a superb truck and a wildly versatile EV. I only wish it were smaller.

The post 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Review first appeared on Yanko Design.

2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E Review

PROS:


  • Aggressive style

  • Roomy interior

  • Solid range

CONS:


  • Harsh ride quality

  • Sluggish infotainment

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Even though Ford's electric Mustang is no longer the new kid in the stable, it's still a strong runner in an increasingly competitive pack.

The EV market is rocketing forward faster than even we who track these sorts of things could have expected. Global interest in all-electric cars is spiking, leaving manufacturers scrambling to get their battery-powered machines to market. It’s a time reminiscent of the early days of the smartphone boom, when the hottest products were quickly overshadowed by what came next, and those next products never came soon enough.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is no longer one of those next products, now on the market long enough for Ford to get over most of its early production teething pains, long enough for us to get past the debates of whether this thing deserves to be called a Mustang, and long enough even to start the inevitable special editions like the high-horse Mach-E GT. This, though, isn’t one of those, it’s a Mach-E Premium, the trim that most people will at least consider, in all-wheel drive shape and without much in the way of options. How does it hold up to the latest EVs just hitting the market?

Remarkably well.

Design

The Mach-E is EV through-and-through, designed from the ground up to be battery-powered. And that’s where it starts, with the battery, which other than the wheels and tires is the part of the car closest to the ground.

The positioning of that battery pack helped to dictate the styling of this machine, which really does share the overall silhouette of a Mustang. Those pronounced fender flares front and rear, the purposeful squint of the headlights, the angular side windows, it’s all quite familiar.

But it’s the taillights where things are most obvious. The three vertical bars are a Mustang trademark and they’re put to good effect here. Also good: the Cyber Orange color. It has a subtle metallic element that brings out the yellow more than the orange on a sunny day. On a cloudy day you might be inclined to say it’s pale, but come back when the sun’s out and you’ll be smitten.

So, this is very much a four-door Mustang with a hatch, styling literally elevated a few inches to make room for that battery. This one has the larger, 91 kWh battery pack, an $8,600 option, but there is a 70 kWh version for those who don’t need to go as far. That powers either one or two motors depending on whether you want all-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive, giving a range of ranges from 224 on the low-end (for the dual-motor, small-battery edition) up to 314 miles (for the larger-battery, small-wheel, RWD edition).

This car here is on the higher end of the spectrum, offering an official EPA-rated 290 miles on a charge. 346 horsepower and a healthy 428 pound-feet of torque come from the combined forces of two electric motors, positioned down between the wheels to ensure a flat floor inside the car, a generous 29.7 cubic foot trunk, and even a perfectly usable 4.7 cubic foot frunk.

Interior and tech

Though slightly shorter than the Mustang coupe, the Mach-E is remarkably roomy on the inside, glass roof not only making everything look bigger but genuinely helping with headroom front and rear. Sadly there is no shade, though the tint seems to keep the glare at bay.

Where the exterior goes out of its way to show its pony car heritage, the interior design does little to draw the mind back to the stable — except for the horses dancing across the various displays on start-up. Though everything is functional and well laid out it’s all a bit busy. On the door cards, one embossed leather pattern clashes with a tight triangular mesh surrounding the controls, contrasting again with a woven mesh over the B&O speakers. The dashboard has the same woven highlights and leatherette pattern, plus a generous amount of fake carbon fiber. Finally, on the steering wheel there’s a different leather pattern that contrasts with yet another clashing texture covering the airbag, buttons surrounded by sparkly plastic of a different color than anything else on the interior.

It’s all ostensibly black yet none of it goes together well. The materials, at least, are reasonably fine, soft-touch most places you’ll want to touch.

At the rear there’s seating for three on a 60:40 split folding rear bench. No seat heaters or climate controls back here, but there is at least a pair of small HVAC vents and a couple of USB ports, one -A and one -C. Two more USB ports up front for the driver and passenger, plus wireless charging, which more people will probably go for given the wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Front seats are basic but comfortable, power adjustable in the usual ways plus lumbar support, and three memory settings on the driver’s side. These settings can be saved to a driver profile system accessible via the prominent, 15.5-inch central touchscreen, so the car will identify you via your key fob or smartphone and get your seat where you want it before you occupy it.

Ford’s Sync 4A infotainment system fills that display well. The main interface is a bit overwhelming with all the menus, heavily derivative of the Model S. It’s effective enough but I wish I didn’t have to bring up a menu to pop the trunk or frunk.

The navigation experience is simple but comprehensive, serving up lists of local chargers plus details on all the junk food available on the next highway exit. When you do hit the charger, you can fire up YouTube on the main screen or play any of a half-dozen games, titles that seem to exist to prove a point rather than to provide long-lasting entertainment.

My only real problem here is the sluggishness. When cycling the HVAC temperature or toggling the seat heaters, there’s just short of a full second’s delay between your tap and the car’s response. Worse, when you move from one screen to the next, you’re often greeted with a pop of static through the speakers.

That can be painful given how powerful the sound system is, this Premium model having the 10-speaker B&O sound system. It certainly delivers a lot of sound with a real tendency towards bass, but is painfully lacking on the top-end.

That’s a bit like the motors, as it turns out.

Performance

If you purely look at the power numbers here you’d be forgiven for believing this is a sports car of a true Mustang nature. After all, 428 lb-ft of torque is more than a Mustang GT. But, there is of course another number you need to consider, and that is weight. This Mach-E, with its dual motors and larger battery, weighs 4,838 pounds. That’s about 1,000 more than said coupe GT.

When it comes to hard acceleration, you feel that mass. Yes, the Mach-E scoots forward from a stop sign or light with enthusiasm, but before you’ve hit 30 the power begins to fade. That’s even if you go to the car’s sportiest mode, evocatively named Unbridle. This is not a slow car — 4.8 seconds to 60 is far from humble — but a Tesla Model Y, even the plain Long Range model, feels quicker.

The Mach-E, though, is way more engaging in the corners. The Mustang turns sharply and, though the steering doesn’t have much in the way of feedback, the chassis is quite communicative through your seat, giving you a good idea of what’s going on. Low-rolling-resistance Michelin Primacy tires will also speak, squealing loud and proud whenever you get anywhere near the limit. Impressively, it was almost always the rear tires that spoke first, the Mach-E showing its roots by constantly spinning up the back when accelerating hard out of corners. Even with the traction control well and truly enabled this Mustang likes to shake its tail.

That engaging drive through the corners comes at a real ride quality penalty. On the 19-inch wheels and tires the car is harsh over bumps and can feel more than a little unsettled when cornering on poor surfaces. Looking for a little more comfort? Try and spec the smaller, 18-inch wheel and tire package if you can.

On the safety side, Ford has recently rolled out an update to its hands-off BlueCruise system, and the car I tested was one of the first to receive this update. Similar to General Motors’ Super Cruise, BlueCruise uses infra-red cameras to monitor driver attention and, on approved roads, allows fully hands-off driving. With the new version, the car will also handle automated lane changes (though the driver needs to prompt them with the turn signal stalk), and will even hug one side of the lane or the other to provide more room when passing cars.

I spent multiple hours using this system and it proved completely reliable and confidence-inspiring. It doesn’t seem to quite have as many highways cleared for use as Super Cruise, but I drove for well over 100 miles in one go with my hands off the wheel, only briefly taking over when going through toll booths. Whenever my eyes wandered — either when scrolling through media in YouTube Music for too long or pondering an upcoming fast food joint — the car was quick to prompt me to pay attention to the road ahead. That’s a very good thing.

Beyond that, the Mach-E has Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 active safety suite, including adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping, automatic emergency braking, and automatic high-beams.

Pricing and Options

The lowest-spec Mustang Mach-E, the Select, starts at $45,995. The car you see here is the higher-shelf Premium trim, with its starting price of $57,765. Add on $795 for the Cyber Orange paint and $8,600 for the extended range battery, plus a $1,300 delivery charge, and you have a final price of $68,370.

While it’s a little less responsive in a straight line than a Model Y, it’s still overall a better driver, offering more visual style and personality to boot. The market is moving forward, but even though Ford’s electric Mustang is no longer the new kid in the stable, it’s still a strong runner in an increasingly competitive pack.

The post 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E Review first appeared on Yanko Design.

Tech-infused 2024 Ford Mustang is more powerful, can be revved remotely for bragging rights

Seventh-generation Mustang is here for hardcore enthusiasts who get goosebumps just by the mild growl of the Pony Car. The 2024 Ford mustang is here with a toned muscular look (the four-wheeler has been working out it seems) and tech-infused interiors.

Ever since the first Ford Mustang rolled out six decades earlier. The Stag has been the love of purists who appreciate the raw muscle power in cars. This will most likely be the last gasoline-powered Mustang and I can’t have enough gratitude.

Designer: Ford

The bodywork is now edgier and loses some of the contours, confirming its appeal to the new generation. Of course, the 2024 Mustang retains the attractive proportions of its predecessors, and that’s a big relief. The front end is inspired by the original Mustang with a more squarish aesthetic. That’s contrasted by the headlights with tri-bar LED elements and the three-bar taillights which are even more prominent now. The rear overhang is now shorter and the hips are slightly wider for that sex appeal.

The interiors are where Ford has taken the 2024 Mustang to the next level with a more driver-centric layout highlighted by the digital displays. The top-end trims get a chunky 12.4-inch gauge cluster and a 13.2-inch touchscreen. Clearly, Ford wants to attract generation-Z who have seen a lot of modern interiors in high-end games. That’s because the Forza Motorsport-inspired animations and user interface are pretty obvious. The driver can toggle between instrument panel designs with the option to get that nostalgic retro dials on the  ’87–’93 Fox-body Mustangs.

The physical materials on the Mustang have also been bumped up with doors and dash wrapped in a leather-like material and inclusions like the sporty carbon-weave pattern for the trims. The plastic material here is laser etched so it’s superior in its own rights.

The 2024 Mustang will come in the coupe and convertible options – both available in EcoBoost turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-four or a Coyote 5.0-liter V-8 engine variants. The V8-powered GT versions are more powerful with the big front-end grille and intakes. The EcoBoost engine brings revamped fuel-delivery and ignition systems for better efficiency, higher compression ratio, updated turbocharger and other improvements.

The Coyote engine is one the most powerful on a Mustang yet as the V8 should be able to churn out 480 horses and 420 pound-feet of torque. The engine comes with a six-speed manual transmission mated to a robust dual-mass flywheel. One interesting feature of the seventh-generation muscle car is the ability to remotely rev the engine with the key fob for bragging rights!

Ford has not let a word out on how much the 2024 Mustang will cost when finally rolled out in 2023, but it should be more akin to the outgoing versions. The current base EcoBoost model is priced at $29,000 and the top-end trim goes for $57,000.

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This modernized Ford dune buggy is equally swift on city roads

Ford is known for its robust trucks like the F-150 Raptor and they have a few upbeat concept buggy designs in the pipeline too. That makes complete sense as the future shouts out loud for compact off-roading vehicles that are good for city commutes too instead of hoarding multiple vehicles. This Ford concept off-roading buggy is in line with the future-forward vision the Michigan-based automotive giant could adopt in the coming years.

Having a well-balanced mix of racing, off-roading and city commute aesthetics – the two-seater electric vehicle has a sci-fi element to it. A balanced body frame design with a good ground clearance gives the riders assurance of taking uneven trails with confidence. The low-slung, crawling position of this Ford makes it glued to the tarmac with the smooth aerodynamic form promising optimum drag reduction for the preferred range on the battery.

Designer: Keyu Deng

Dubbed the Fordzilla Hypervan, this dune buggy derives its overall inspiration from the reptilians. The matte black color it’s draped in is a tell-tale sign of its Godzilla design influence. If you see that typical Batmobile influence, you are not alone! The occurrence of matte orange hues on the outside and inside highlight the sharp character of the ride. The battery on the rear indicates its rear-wheel-drive origins, and therefore, a better balance and handling.

The Hypervan gets all glass doors that are gull-winged, and look absolutely gorgeous. These doors are an extension of the windshield and panoramic glass roof which adds a sense of airiness to the four-wheeler. The rear of the vehicle is raised up higher than the front to get maximum downforce which is helpful in keeping it glued to the tarmac at high speeds.

Overall, this is a beach buggy concept with space for a spare tire on the rear and evokes a sense of speed and dynamism without getting too cheeky. The driver and passenger seating looks ultra-comfy which is another good feature for laid-back travel for extended driving stints.

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Behold the electric Mustang that Ford should have built

When Ford debuted the Mustang Mach-E, I couldn’t help but wonder why they steered away into a radically new design aesthetic. The original gasoline-guzzling Mustang was an icon in itself, and Ford’s choice to steer away from that very iconic aesthetic seemed odd at first, but the company justified its choice by rightfully pointing out that the Mach-E wasn’t the same as the original muscle car. It was entirely different on the inside, hence the difference on the outside. The justification made sense, but it didn’t provide any closure. However, this electric Mustang by Charge Cars is rather wonderfully filling that void. Debuted at the beginning of 2022 but only unveiled officially to the public at this year’s Salon Privé Concours, the Charge Mustang is everything you want an electric Mustang to be. It retains the original car’s raw, muscular persona, albeit with a ‘new drivetrain who dis’ appeal.

Designer: Charge Cars

Easily one of the most visually impressive electric cars that money can buy, the Charge Mustang bases its design off the iconic 1967 Fastback. If its body looks almost too similar to Ford’s own ’67 Mustang, it’s because Charge Cars uses a bodyshell that’s officially licensed by Ford. Underneath this shell, however, sits Charge’s electric platform, with floor-mounted batteries that make the Mustang an electric little pony.

The electric platform that the Mustang sits on is the result of a strategic partnership with Arrival, the UK-based automotive startup that’s working with Uber to create their bespoke electric taxi-cabs. The one sitting under the Charge Mustang has permanent magnet e-motors on all four wheels, and a 63 kWh battery between them under the rider, giving the car a range of 200 miles on a full charge. This revised electric Mustang has a few other impressive specs, like the ability to go from 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds, and a motor torque of 1520Nm.

The Charge Mustang’s design, however, remains its most beloved feature. With an aesthetic that has major The Batman energy (after all the Batmobile used in the 2022 film is a muscle car too), the Charge Mustang comes in a black exterior, with carbon fiber paneling and a radiator grille on the front, even though the car has an electric powertrain on the inside. Notably, the Mustang’s iconic horse symbol on the radiator gets replaced with Charge’s logo, a strange minimalist crucifix. The headlights and taillights have an unmistakable beauty to them too, opting for a lighter, more minimal outline design rather than solid lights.

The electric Mustang also has a few other tricks up its sleeve, in the form of Traffic Sign Detection and an Automatic Emergency Brake. It also has Level 1 autonomy in the form of Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning (we’re still ways off from an autonomous Mustang).

The electric platform under the Charge Mustang was thanks to a hardware and software partnership with Arrival. The car’s dashboard and interiors get an overhaul too, with a more modern design and the presence of dynamic screens behind the steering wheel as well as the center of the car’s dashboard.

A UK-based startup, Charge only plans to make 499 units of this electric Mustang. Clearly designed as a premium limited-edition vehicle, the Charge Mustang starts at £350,000, with extra modifications to the car’s performance or its interiors adding to its overall cost. While it obviously means a majority of us will never really get to own this beauty, I guess there’s vicarious pleasure to be had in seeing someone actually revive the classic muscular car as an electric beast!

The post Behold the electric Mustang that Ford should have built first appeared on Yanko Design.

Solar panel loaded Ford Transit campervan is a spacious + practical option for outdoor enthusiasts

The Ford Transit Custom PHEV is the midsize van well suited for camper conversions – as Dethleffs and Wellhouse Leisure have shown in the past. Now Campervan Co, known for its hybrid camper vans, gives outdoorsy people enough reason to explore their world with Ford Transit PHEV Eco Evolution.

While on the outside the camper van looks like any the Ford Transit, on the inside it has all that’s required for a comfy life on the road. The customized camper gets powerful solar panels installed on the roof, generating around 1,000 watts of zero-emission power on a good sunny day. The fold-out solar panels can charge the Eco Evolution’s 3,000-watt Clayton Power leisure battery while it’s rolling on the road. This onboard battery is employed to power the modular kitchen, lighting system, and induction stovetop for living comfortably off the grid.

Designer: Campervan Co

On top of this, the well-illuminated interiors will not make you feel bogged up at any time – especially during extended camping or road trips. To shed a little weight off the camper, a lightweight folding bed is used as the replacement. The removable kitchen modules give the occupants option to save space and improve the mileage when the Ford Transit will be used for daily commuting.

For more customizable options, a couple of extra seats can be installed to get a six-seater configuration. The Ford Transit PHEV Eco Evolution will sleep four people courtesy of the folding bench-bed and the additional pop-up roof bed. Since you’ll be away from home for quite some days, the camper has a cabinet and a full-size rear console for clothes, storing gear, and other accessories. Other than that, the camper gets a side kitchenette and folding bench floor plan.

To ensure campers get everything they desire for their adventure trips, Campervan Co is also working on a zero-emission heating system capable of putting the waste heat to use. This will come in handy for heating up the cabin in the colder locations without burning up fuel. This system will function in tandem with the boosted insulation package for better heat efficiency.

For now, the Campervan Co Ford camper is in the latter prototype stage and is soon expected to sell at a starting price tag of approximately $101,900. There will be more option accessories coming in the consumer-oriented version – including hot water facility, microwave, coffeemaker, Wi-Fi and even an Omni-slide indoor/outdoor cooking system.

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Ford Bronco’s minimal redesign is perfect for people who are dealing with Cybertruck FOMO

Hey. Listen. Look at me. The Cybertruck’s just not into you, man. If it wanted you as bad as you wanted it, it would be here already. So how about you just accept that it isn’t meant to be and move on? How about a little rebound on something like this Ford Bronco concept from the mind of Shanghai-based designer Haoyue Jia.

Jia’s Ford Bronco redesign offers a minimal hybrid between the Bronco’s existing language and the Cybertruck’s nude metallic otherworldly style. I call it a best of both worlds because it’s clearly pickup truck-like (it doesn’t look like a polygon on wheels) and has a level of softness that seems personable yet muscular. Perfectly proportioned curves make it look reliable and robust without looking stocky or rotund. Besides… it takes a great level of detailing to make a car that looks good even without a coat of paint… and the concept pickup does all this while still not looking overtly traditional, like your run-of-the-mill Ford, Chevy, or GMC.

The redesigned Ford Bronco targets the wanderer, instead of your average pickup truck user. It seats two in the front, with a truck-bed at the back that’s spacious enough for whatever cargo you need to lug, although the Bronco clearly isn’t styled to carry timber from your nearby Home Depot. The slick design caters to the intersectional audience who finds the idea of a pickup truck appealing and likes owning an automobile as powerful as a truck is… so pretty much all of the Cybertruck’s core audience. Given the way it’s designed, the Bronco concept is clearly powered by an electric drivetrain too, putting it square in electric pickup territory… although perhaps my favorite little feature remains the car’s roof, which pops open to reveal a tiny two-person tent for those weekend getaways! Away from the world, the internet, and the news of Tesla moving the Cybertruck production to 2023. *sadface*

Designer: Haoyue Jia

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Ford GT90-inspired futuristic racecar concept comes with a bubble-cockpit and has a serious Cyberpunk vibe





Here’s a fleeting glimpse of the future of the automotive industry with this sharply designed Ford concept that’s inspired by the brand’s rarest concept cars, with an incredibly alluring sci-fi aesthetic.

Automotive companies experiment with a lot of concept designs to have a better vision of what’s going to shape the future on wheels in coming years or even coming decades. Likewise, Ford has also had its share of concept cars over the span of many years in the past. When a concept car draws inspiration from the visionary concept cars of the past it is bound to be something special. That’s what the Ford Dystopia is – a futuristic vehicle with a cyberpunk vibe that’s a tribute to the one-off Ford GT90 Concept and inspired by the equally rare Ford Indigo.

All these great iterations by Ford were built in the 90s and this concept by Antoine Crobe is a living image of the no-limit thinking of the second largest American auto manufacturer founded more than a century ago by Henry Ford. Ford Dystopia is a sweet blend of the mecha sci-fi and robotic influences. The latter attributed to Ford’s keen investment in the Esports video game division. Essentially, this car is indeed the rightful machine to dominate a dystopian future where the sky is the limit for experiencing the adrenaline rush of driving four-wheelers.

It has an open-wheel set up to keep the center of gravity very low and the Indigo influence is rather obvious with the wheel arches and nose section. The overall shape is a true testament to the GT90 Concept’s design that was ahead of its time. According to Antoine, the car acknowledges the pure automotive spirit with an overwhelming feeling of strength brought to the fore by “hard surface and technical details.” The electric powertrain sits on the rear of the Dystopia and the overall design does indeed reflect a sense of solid metal that is impregnable.

The geometric design language of the concept is highlighted by the array of LED headlights running all the way from one end to the other, while the rear has a signature supercar look. The front end is so open, it seems like a crawling crab with its claws open to catch its prey. Performance-wise this machine should make the riders stick back to their seats with break-neck speeds since it will be aerodynamically tuned for cutting through the air drag. The cabin on this one is nothing short of futuristic with the similar ambiance of the projector lights carried inside for the cockpit’s dashboard elements.

Designer: Antoine Crobe