2013 Ford Mustang

A new volume knob on the radio represents big news to Mustang loyalists, and so we are preparing for a virtual meltdown in the online Mustang community. Ford is debuting the 2013 model at the Los Angeles auto show this week before the car hits dealerships in early 2012, and it has undergone some significant changes.

Most important for aesthetes, the Mustang gets a nose job. There's a more-prominent grille, an aggressive front splitter, new headlights with outboard LED light pipes, and a new hood with functional heat extractors. The rocker panels are now body color, and out back, the signature sequential taillamps also are ringed in LED light "ropes," with the lenses themselves tinted. A gloss-black panel spans the width of the rear and encircles both taillights. Also look for new wheel designs in 17-, 18-, and 19-inch sizes, including mean-looking gloss-black 19s only available on the GT. Two new paint colors join the lineup for 2013: Deep Impact Blue and Gotta Have It Green, and those with the itch for kitsch will be thrilled with the inclusion of "pony projection lights" that cast the Mustang logo on the ground below the mirrors when the doors are unlocked.

Proper Priorities: Recaros and Track Apps, but No MyFord Touch

Inside, the Recaro front seats currently found inside the GT500 and the Boss 302 are available on the rest of the lineup, too, with either cloth or leather upholstery. Thankfully-and unlike most recently refreshed Ford products-the Mustang does not adopt Ford's maligned MyFord Touch controls. Its infotainment system does incorporate a version of Ford's Sync system, however, which is operated via steering-wheel controls and spoken commands. Two new sound-system upgrades also are available for 2013.

Even bigger news is the addition of a new Track Apps option for versions of the V-6, GT, and Boss 302 that are equipped with the Premium package. Like the Performance pages offered on Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep SRT8s but with richer presentation, Track Apps shows various performance data on a digital display tucked in the IP. Specific screens present acceleration times, lateral-acceleration information, and braking performance.

And of Course, More Power

Ford claims that lessons learned during the development of the Boss 302 allowed engineers to squeeze a few more ponies out of the GT's 5.0-liter V-8. The new total: 420, up from 412. Buyers who option their Mustangs with automatic transmissions can now shift gears manually, but we don't know why they would. Shifts are actuated with a button on the shifter, rather than by slapping the shifter around or pulling on paddles behind the steering wheel. In manual mode, the automatic won't upshift at redline, but we hardly care, given that the manumatic function as a whole seems utterly unsatisfying.