Too Similar?

"Patrick George" (pgeorge)
12/05/2013 at 09:15 • Filed to: 2015 Ford Mustang, Ford Mustang

I know people have been saying this for months. But after spending all day yesterday staring at pics of the new Mustang, I happened upon a Fusion after work and was really struck by how similar they are.

The hood strakes and lower front fascias/fog lamp housings look almost identical to me, and the shapes of the grilles and headlamps are awfully similar too.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, necessarily. The Fusion is a very attractive car. I just worry that the new Mustang doesn't have quite enough identity. As one commenter here said, it looks too "safe." What do you think?

DISCUSSION (15)

Victorious Secret > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:19

I want to live in whatever world that person lives in if they think the Mustang looks too safe.

Maybe grown up?

We don't need fins and rocket launchers and Countach angles anymore.

Its a testament to how decent the Fusion looks (but damn does that car have a sad rear end) whereas the Mustang pulls off a much more coherent design.

Its got a family resemblance as if it was a Fusion Coupe though, if anything I'd compare it more to the Taurus just because of the inverted near Superman style grille.

duurtlang > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:19

In pictures they really are too similar and the Mustang does look a bit 'safe', I'll have to see it in real life to form a definitive opinion though.

RacecaR > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:20

I, myself, have never seen the Mustang as a daring car anyway. So to say it looks "safe" can pretty much be said for the last 30 years worth of Mustang designs. It is not saying it is a bad thing, that's just how I see it.

I have always looked at the Mustang as a car that some people want if they want power, but do not want to get too crazy. And I understand there are people who build the hell out of Mustangs, and make them out right beasts of cars. But it has always seemed they are the sports car for the masses.

PRBot II > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:21

They should just call it the Fusion Coupe, and offer it with the Fusion AWD system and the turbo 4 and V6 options. And let the Mustang continue to be distinctly American, rather than try to globalize it.

I am conflicted though. Because hot damn that is one good looking Mustang.

William Byrd > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:21

Nope. I own a 2003 GT ( that I found on Oppo! ) and previously owned a 2011 GT, 2010 GT, another 2003, and a Fox 1993. So basically I think I qualify as a "Mustang guy" even though I'm sure there are folks who have had several times that many.

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I love the 2015, but then again I love the Fusion. I think the Fusion is the best looking "everyday" car on the road and the Mustang has the best bits from it on its new front end.

The whole "world car" thing matters, and this blends retro and current better than anything else I've seen. The Camaro isn't pretty, the Challenger is pretty much a 135% scale version of the original (a good thing generally but it appeals to a smaller audience) so this IMO is the best of the lot. Of course I said that about the last Mustang so I'm probably biased.

Cliffs Notes version, Mustang purist likes it.

The Transporter > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:21

Like the C7 taillights, I'm going to keep from forming a final opinion until I can see it in person.

Nonster > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:24

I agree they are very similiar, but I think the mustang looks like a mustang. Just looking at the front end, the headlights are lower relative to the grille and set back a bit more. Also the grille on the fusion is more hexagonal while the mustang retains a more wide trapezoidal shape. They're subtle differences but thats what makes the difference

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:25

It looks sporty and dynamic, a lot more than the previous generation model if you ask me. But it does suffer a bit from the third generation ill in the sense that the familiar looks may drive away some people wishing for a car looking like nothing else on the streets.

Tom McParland > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:25

It's called design language...and it helps unite a a brand. Audi gets a lot of shit for having cars that look too similar, but just because the RS5 has the "corporate" grill of the A4 doesn't make the RS5 any less of a gorgeous coupe.

Kinja'd!!!

I'm gonna don a flame-suit and say I'm a little ambivalent to the new Mustang, is it cool? yes. Is it an American icon? yes. Will they sell a crap-load? absolutely Did they play it too safe? I don't think so, but then again, I'm not super hot on modern pony cars. However, from a brand perspective I think it is a smart move to have "similar" styling cues. The Mustang will bring folks into the dealership, and many will buy them, but for the dad that really wants one but can't justify having a two door, V8, coupe to drive around the wife and kids...he may, on some subconscious level, be satisfied with with the Fusion due to the physical connection between the two.

Or I am totally full of crap.

pauljones > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:27

Well, if the Mustang was the stereotypical all-American tall blonde bombshell, I'd stick it in her and move it all around.

I was fully prepared to go into this absolutely, positively hating the new Mustang. I like the retro designs a lot. They were unique, they were different, and, for the first time in decades, the Mustang's aesthetics didn't look like they were designed by committee as an afterthought. I liked them from 2005-2009. Then the 2010-2012 came out, and I loved them. They crapped out a little bit for the 2013-2014 Mustangs, but whatever. I still like them.

Thus, when it was said that they were going to ditch retro styling in favor of a more "global" design language, I withdrew in disgust. If you want an inexpensive, "globally designed" sport coupe, go get an FR-S or a Genesis. I want the last little bit of Americana that's left these days. I was afraid that the new Mustang might abandon that altogether, and maybe, to a certain extent, it has.

But I still like it. A lot.

I also don't think that it's too similar to the Fusion. There are so many differences, both micro and macro, that while you can tell they're related, they aren't anywhere close to the same.

Hoccy > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:29

I don't see what the fuzz is all about. The new Ford Mustang is a great looking car, while keeping the identity of the brand in the design. People see that it's a Ford, while it's more muscular and extreme than the regular Fords. What about in the 70's, 80's and 90's, the Mustang had the same design language as the rest of the ford Family back then as well? .

It's like criticizing the Audi R8 or A5 for looking too much like all the other Audis. It's their brand. If you don't like the brand, go buy something else.

Velocity- Peuguette Connoisseur > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 09:43

I just think it's ugly. The fusion is pretty, but the new stang just looks bleh. The side profile looks good but anywhere else and I don't approve.

HiramJahoovafatJr > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 11:27

Meh.

JHouston750 > Patrick George
12/05/2013 at 17:02

It's hard not to love this new Mustang from ever angle. Ford did a great job. That being said, the front ends of these cars are ridiculously alike.... or does a semi-compressed Mustang really resemble an Aston-Martin!?

photosbyjohnwiley > Patrick George
12/06/2013 at 20:47

Did you see?

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