2020 Aviator D6 platform analysis: next up for the ~2025/6 Mustang? (updated!)
What this all-new platform could mean for an all-new Mustang
An all-new platform owing absolutely nothing to the past. How rare that is for the Ford Motor Company! This is the all-new D6 platform used by the 2020 Aviator and 2020 Explorer… and if the information that has been suggested remains true, an all-new ~2025/6-timeframe Mustang.
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**Update 2** Apparently the next generation Mustang code name is now S750 instead of S650. A recent Reddit "interview" with a Ford engineer has revealed that, along with the claim that the existence of the Mach-E program has "saved" a next-gen ICE Mustang coupe - whatever that means (S750?). And today, 4 Feb, there was discussion of S650 coming out in 2022 for the 2023 model year. Stay tuned as Ford's fast-moving plans gel (and get discovered by us!).
**UPDATE**: Right after we first published this analysis, word came that Ford has moved the plan for a new Mustang out past the 2026 time frame... we accept that and in fact it is even more logical than changing the Mustang immediately. Why? Two things:
(1) The current Mustang is outselling its competitors by a wide margin: the Camaro has sunk so low that the ancient Challenger has reached the point where it can actually outsell the Camaro (this is what Chevrolet gets for styling a car with so poor ergonomics and sightlines that few people can live with on a daily basis). And Ford was very smart in designing the current Mustang for world-wide export - the numbers there have quickly taken it to the top worldwide (it's impossible to conceive of the Camaro or Challenger selling well in Europe and beyond - even if they were designed for export - which they were not - they are far too large and crude for those markets).
Furthermore, the GT500 - delayed for years after a tortuous development with numerous course changes along the way - is finally about to go on the market and will service as a halo to attract buyers to cheaper Mustangs. Total Mustang sales will hold or grow further.
(2) The emissions and fuel economy regulatory situation from the U.S. Federal Government is up in the air. Will Trump's EPA allow the current regulations to stand, where fuel economy and emissions will continue to improve (as mandated and scheduled by Congress many years ago) or will he put a halt of a few years on them (which will actually make US automakers LESS competitive than their worldwide competitors)? And will California then sue the Federal Government to maintain its own even stricter standards? The current Mustang was already on a path to improve in both areas since plans were made years ago, before any regulatory discussion of the current administration, as well as much tighter international standards. Furthermore, the new 10-speed transmission also enables a hybrid powertrain, and a small battery mounted in the trunk (as in the Fusion), could power a mild hybrid (look to the new explorer to supply the 10-speed for the hybrid). And the Flat Rock assembly line for the Mustang is paid for... although the rest of the plant will be given over to brand-new electric vehicles in the coming years (watch the plans for that as they develop, at some tipping point the Mustang will switch to the D6 platform and move to the Explorer/Aviator plant).
Therefore, the current S550 Mustang is "good enough" to last a few years more.
We'd also like to put to rest an unfounded rumor that came out of the original discovery about the D6 platform. 1 or 2 writers seem to think that it will result in a larger Mustang, even Challenger-sized. Yikes... and dead wrong. Modern platforms are designed for both increases and decreases in length and width (look at the new platform designed for the Civic as an example, which is used for both the Civic and Accord as well as for SUVs, or at Ford's own Focus/Escape/Corsair/(unnamed sub-Bronco). The first user of D6, Explorer and Aviator, are sized to meet the requirements of their target markets (and dropped significant weight compared to the current Explorer). The future Mustang will be the same size as it is now, and will certainly lose a couple of hundred pounds as well. D6 is heavily aluminum-intensive, with all the major crossmembers and suspension parts in aluminum. The front shock towers and some surrounding structure are also aluminum, which also has major benefits in weight savings. Platform sharing provides multiple benefits. So put this ridiculous rumor to rest.
Let's get back to the story!
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With platform consolidation rapidly taking place across Ford, and with the current Mustang riding on an "orphan" platform (not used by any other product: thus not sharing development costs, increasing overhead and slowing time to market), there is a strong possibility that the 2025/6 Mustang will move to a new platform. That platform could be the D6 platform, which was originally designed for a cancelled Lincoln car. And like all modern platforms, it was architected to grow or shrink within limits for broad use with cars or SUVs as needed. Therefore it's a strong possibility for the new Mustang. It's also been announced that a hybrid Mustang is coming in this time frame, which again suggests that the D6 will underpin the new Mustang since the new Explorer and Aviator could share their already-announced hybrid technology.
So let's assume for the sake of this argument that the Mustang will move to D6, will be built alongside the Explorer and Aviator, and will share engines, mechanical, and electricals. The bleak alternative is either a dumbed-down D6 or another update to the current platform - both compromises.
Note that this discussion does not apply to the all-electric 4-door sporting high sedan-like vehicle that has been presented as a "4-door Mustang" and a "cross between an Explorer and a Mustang". That's a different animal altogether and is entirely unrelated to the our 2-door Mustang internal combustion-powered Mustang coupe.
D6 Aviator front suspension (versus Explorer strut)!
D6 Aviator drivetrain
So what do we know about D6? The above images from Lincoln’s Aviator press launch show us:
- An optional air bladder front and rear suspension for Lincoln (over standard coil springs).
- V-6 engine located behind the front axle centerline (great weight balance; V-8 and 4-cylinder would be slightly ahead of the centerline). Note that the shock tower (Aviator) and strut tower (Explorer) are an aluminum casting - important for weight savings.
- True dual exhaust (efficiency)
- Minimal front overhang (no wasted space or weight)
- Hybrid model with battery and gas tank located on either side of the driveline (very unusual).
Furthermore it was revealed at the press launch that the front shock towers are aluminum, suggesting even further weight savings.
D6 Aviator full suspension: Beautiful!
So there it is: Ford spent the money for a state-of-the-art aluminum-intensive platform and suspension. Further, thanks to a smart spy photographer at the original unveiling of the prototype of the Aviator, we’ve already seen the rear suspension and know that it is very similar to the state-of-the-art design as used in the current Mustang, Fusion, and Edge. Excellent geometry, highly aluminum intensive for weight savings.
One point of mystery... the Aviator (per the images above) has separate upper and lower control arms, and the Explorer (as we've seen in person) uses a cheap strut. At two different price points this can be done. Hopefully the better suspension will be used for the 2025/6 Mustang. With a better front suspension (the separate upper and lower arm design provides much better camber curve geometry and maintains it thru the full travel better than ye-olde strut-type suspension, even with the split lower arm adopted in 2015), essentially the same rear suspension as we have today, attention paid to engine placement, and heavy use of advanced materials (special steel in critical areas, aluminum-centric suspension, crossmembers and some of the front structure) to keep weight down.
Of course we may not see the full D6 platform under the next Mustang: there is still time to dumb it down just as the 2005 Mustang was dumbed-down from the state-of-the-art DEW-98 platform (loosing its independent rear suspension and double A-arm front suspension). The Mustang has a bad history of dumbing-down, starting with the MN-12 based Mustang planned for the 1992 time frame. Yes, this was based on the then-current T-Bird and would have featured world-class suspension all around, including that elusive double A-Arm front suspension and an independent rear suspension (shortened Thunderbirds spotted around Dearborn were the mules – the idea was so effective that Kenny Brown later built a few shortened Thunderbirds). Look under a T-Bird or Mark-VIII Lincoln next time you are out and you’ll see what we could had if it wasn’t for cost-cutting by Ford and Lincoln. Then look underneath a Lincoln LS (or platform-mate Thunderbird or Jaguar S-Type) and you’ll see another state-of-the-art platform… which at one point was also the plan for the Mustang but which again was cancelled when all-things-Nasser were purged (including an updated LS and a smaller Lincoln based on the same platform: the DEW-98 platform was Ford’s own GM Alpha or Nissan FM platform). Alas, cost-cutting and the self-defeating “good enough” view. A mule Lincoln LS with a strut-type front suspension spotted in Ford’s dead mule parking lot next to TGI Fridays in Dearborn (where the engineers hang out) confirmed early on that Ford was dumbing down the platform for the Mustang. And while some heroes at SVT designed a heavier duty IRS for that car, it too was cut in cost savings and we were stuck with an embarrassing sold axle for 10 more years.
And there is the competition to consider: the Camaro. It shares the GM Alpha platform with the Cadillac ATS and CTS (soon to be updated as CT4 and CT5). GM has found tremendous cost savings here, while providing all three vehicles with a very strong and lightweight platform, much more architecturally advanced than that of the current Mustang. A dedicated shared platform without compromise and with shared assembly costs: this is what Ford does not have at the moment, but would with D6. The Challenger/Charger are built this way too (albeit on an ancient and very heavy Mercedes platform), as is the 370Z/Q50/Q60 (on a nicely state of the art platform, including an SLA front suspension, which enables the 370Z to share components that would otherwise be too expensive to justify for it's price point). And this is the key: providing the Mustang with a state-of-the-art components that it would be unable to justify otherwise.
Another reason we see the full D6 used for the Mustang? Manufacturing flexibility. The Mustang would now be built on the same assembly line as the Aviator and Explorer (we know that Flat Rock is going to build an all-electric vehicle so the Mustang would be moving). But the best reason of all is that Ford can now afford to build a world-class Mustang… because Ford took the very smart move of selling the current Mustang all around the world – significantly increasing sales and guaranteeing a much larger profit for the Mustang. With increased profit comes investment. So hopefully we won’t get stuck with a dumbed-down platform for the 2025/6 Mustang.
About the Aviator's twin-turbo 3 liter V-6 hybrid drivetrain: with projected power ratings of 450 HP and 600 lb-ft of torque. Yikes! There is no indication that this engine will power the already announced hybrid Mustang (announced over a year ago, but without any details whatsoever except a ~2021 timeframe) … there is also the Explorer Hybrid 3.3 liter V-6, and perhaps even the 2.3 turbo hybrid motor allegedly being developed for the next Focus RS. But if the Aviator's twin-turbo 3 liter hybrid drivetrain could be offered in the Mustang, then the additional 160 lb-ft of torque over the Mustang GT’s 5 liter V-8 will be an interesting option... to say the least!
There is also the Explorer/Aviator optional AWD drivetrain… this would provide the basic hardware for an AWD model of the Mustang. Is there a market for this? The AWD Dodge Charger is able to offer this because the platform is shared with other Chrysler and Dodge products. And this is the key to the financial model for the next Mustang: instead of being on an “orphan” platform, shared with no other product lines, the Mustang will now be built on a shared platform with the high costs of the suspension and drivetrains as well as environment and safety systems shared with the Explorer and Lincoln. And we can still expect the 5-liter engine to be offered, with further improvements paid for by the F-150 budget as always (a strategy that goes back to the '80s).
When will we know about a new Mustang? Watch the web… we should certainly be seeing mules running around in the winter of 2024/5 and covered prototypes in late 2025 timeframe.
Finally, as to the all-new Aviator… we love it. We’ve wanted an Aviator for years (the original short-run of Aviators featured far better seats than the Explorer, with a better engine but much worse gas mileage). We like the classy design, we like the electronics, and we especially like the 30-way seat option. We probably won’t like the price… at this early point without pricing announced we’d probably guess a full-tilt turbo hybrid would price around $85k. It’s big brother Navigator can go over 100k now with full options. So, again, look down to the 2020 Explorer… and hope for better seats and some excitement in the Explorer ST model.
D6 Aviator concept
D6 Aviator Production
D6 Aviator Production
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The Aviator is truly handsome. Best looking CUV in any class, I'd say.
We've put off replacing my wife's 2014 Navigator until we get a chance to test the new Aviator. We were going to get the new Navigator until we started seeing press on the Aviator.