You didn’t think that Ford and GM would sit back and let Dodge have the all-wheel drive muscle car market for itself did you? When we first drove the Challenger GT back in 2017 Dodge was out to shake up the established order with the notion of a true four seasons muscle car. The GT has since proven to be a success for the performance focused brand and it appears that Dodge’s domestic rivals are starting to take notice. 
This is according to an interview that our friends at FordAuthority had with Mustang brand manager Jim Owens. During the interview Owens revealed that the idea of an all-wheel drive Mustang is still alive in Dearborn. As expected Owens did not dive into specifics on any crucial details but his statement should be a tantalizing preview of what a potential model could look like.
“Well as you know, the Challenger has AWD. We’re always looking at different kinds of performance, but we have nothing to announce at the moment,” Owens revealed to FMA.
So if an all-wheel drive model is indeed coming when and how could we see it. We suspect that it will not be on the current generation platform which was not designed to accommodate the additional hardware needed to make it work and is a pure RWD focused creation. Instead we suspect that it could make its appearance on the next generation Mustang. Dubbed the S560 this next chapter of the muscle car is slated to potentially appear in either 2022 or 2023. Unlike the current car, this next generation of Mustang will most likely be a far better fit in Ford’s long term game plan especially in regards to increasing its profile in electrification technology.
That could mean the Mustang will have some form of green technology including electrification capability. If you exclude the controversial Mustang Mach-E from the equation it would be the first time that electrification will be offered in the muscle car segment. Along with that possibility the new platform will also renew hopes for an all-wheel drive version. However don’t count on the V8 getting it instead, we suspect that this model could go down the same route as the Challenger and appear either as a V6 or with an EcoBoost four cylinder engine.
This move would undoubtedly make Mustang diehards very upset but just like how Dodge marketed the Challenger GT, Ford would not target the model towards them anyway. Instead, this model (if produced) would be marketed towards buyers that want to have the look of a muscle car but either want something more practical or even less expensive than a comparable rear-wheel drive V8 variant.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.