Even though it's more or less S550 under the skin, the S650 is very different in a few notable areas. One such area is the Performance Electronic Parking Brake – henceforth referred to as PEPB – included in the Performance Package. It's available in combination with both the 2.3-liter EcoBoost and 5.0-liter Coyote mills.
This fellow is pretty much what you think it is: an emergency brake optimized for kicking the tail out. Unlike a traditional e-brake, the PEPB overrides the anti-lock braking system and stability control to lock the rear brakes hydraulically rather than by means of a cable. Think of it as the series-production variant of the Ford Performance Drift Stick for the Ford Focus RS.
The PEPB is also designed to bounce back the moment you let go of it, a functionality inspired by the hydraulic handbrakes of purpose-built drift cars. Speaking of which, Vaughn Gittin Jr. was crowned Formula Drift champion twice in a Mustang. The self-thought drifter from Maryland is much obliged to demonstrate how easy the 2024 Ford Mustang's PEPB makes drifting with the help of none other than his mother Dawn, who seems to be a lovely old lady with a great sense of humor.
Dawn smoked those rear tires remarkably well in a 2.3-liter EcoBoost, which – let's be frank here – is easier to control in this particular scenario. Had the drifting been done solely from the steering wheel and gas pedal, the 5.0-liter Coyote would have been more appropriate.
As far as promo videos go, this Mother's Day-flavored promo of the 2024 Ford Mustang is as wholesome as it gets in the automotive industry. Also wholesome is Ford coming up with a brand-new Mustang as General Motors and Chrysler gave up on the Camaro and Challenger due to abysmal sales and fuel economy/emission regulations. The Camaro may come back as an electric sedan, whereas the Challenger will be indirectly replaced by the all-electric Charger.
According to a roadmap that Ford has yet to confirm or deny, the S650 will be discontinued in 2029. The next-generation Mustang is – according to AutoForecast Solutions – an electric coupe built around the GE2 platform of the second-generation Mustang Mach-E.
Until the inevitable comes our way, the S650 lineup will welcome at least two more variants. Instead of a Shelby GT350 revival, the high-performance 'Stang above the Dark Horse may come in the form of a Mustang GT3-inspired thriller. At least that's what big kahuna Jim Farley suggested on Twitter back in March 2023 when Ford published a clip of the GT3 at Sebring Raceway.
Higher still, the Shelby GT500 is expected to return with a more powerful and torquier 5.2-liter supercharged V8. The most obvious changes over the previous-gen GT500 should be dual throttle bodies. Oh, and by the way, a convertible GT500 is also in the works. The final entry in the S650 stable may be an off-road variant – or two – under the Raptor and Raptor R handles. Car & Drive broke the news in April 2023, but nevertheless, take it with a grain of salt until pics of a prototype testing in the wild surface on the Internet.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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