Forza Horizon 4: Why the sad face, Mustang?

Forza Horizon 4 gave players a chance to drive the facelifted Ford Mustang GT in the game, making this the first time a minor change of the now-global Ford Mustang made it in the game and despite wearing its "sad face look" that most enthusiasts feared, it still works like every other Mustang should.



Why the sad face, you may ask? To be honest, it's the Ford designers' fault why the Mustang's minor change sported a sad face that looks rather disappointing compared to the pre-facelifted model but despite its sad face look, the mechanical stuff has been revised to make it more competitive than today's sportscars. For this V8-powered GT model seen here, it now sports a 10-speed automatic gearbox from a Ford F-150 Raptor while the 5.0L V8 engine that powers it now churns out 460 HP of power and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. Dynamics wise, the minor change gets a MagneRide Damping System inherited from the Ford Performance lineup.





Despite having a disappointing front face, I can hardly agree that most of the mechanical upgrades made the Mustang's minor change a much fiercer thoroughbred compared to the pre-facelifted model everybody likes more than this car and in the spirit of the Mustang, it really works like how its predecessors should despite the more sophisticated gearbox that can give its Camaro rival a run for their money. It still has the right to retain its muscle car crown and for once, you can't really put a joke into it.

Speaking of which, that loud grumble of the Mustang's V8 engine gave me an idea and because it has the charisma of a rock star like every good muscle car should, although not happy about the minor change's "sad face look", this calls for a makeover.







I can really take back about not putting a joke into it but with a dash of "Hanazono Electric Guitar!!!" into its Mustang playbook, looks like this car's ready to experience the sad story I made but sadly, Little Miss Hanazono doesn't want the little story I made for her because she wants to do some guitar solo performance in the middle of the Cotswolds against resident muscle car enthusiasts everywhere. Okay, girl, see if we care.



I call that a standing ovation but let's call it a day because this muscle car's done a pretty good job wowing the crowd like a rock star despite the expression.



Having spent a day with the facelifted Mustang on British roads, it's hard to define why there a re some people dislike this design because it's way too sad for a muscle car like this but despite its disappointing facial expression, I had a lot of fun getting to know this minor change better just by driving it and with a dab of rock'n roll, it really shows its true self and I am very happy to be part of this Mustang experience.  Guess who's sad now?