Poor Fuel Quality the Reason Behind the Detuned Ford Mustang for SA

It could be worse, Ford South Africa could have thrown in the towel with the seventh-generation Mustang but to the joy of local petrolheads, it has arrived at the cost of being detuned – here is why.MustangLooking for a new or used Ford? Find it here with CARmag. 

The Dark Horse was recently sampled in the mountainous state of Lesotho and despite the sub 3 000-metre altitude paired with a detuned motor, the Pony car still delivered on the winding roads. Geographical limitations aside, which at Johannesburg’s altitude of 1 700 metres above sea level can sap just under 20% of power in a naturally aspirated motor, the Mustang is also significantly down on power in comparison to iterations found in other parts of the world.

Related: Ford Mustang Dark Horse in SA: 2024 Allocation Already Spoken For

Manufactured at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan, each Mustang starts its life with a document that determines its end market (as is the case in almost all manufacturing facilities globally). This can go down to details as minute as the stickers affixed on the inside of the fuel cap according to Neale Hill, President of Ford Africa. In terms of power output, Ford engineers have endowed the local Mustang Dark Horse with 334 kW, which isn’t paltry but is around 10% down on the 373 kW found in iterations that find their way to the rest of the world. This 39 kW difference from the 5.0-litre V8 is significant and is a disappointing result of local and deteriorating fuel quality.

The news isn’t ideal but it still reaffirms Ford South Africa’s commitment to bring its Pony car to the limited market base in the country. The decision to bring it in with detuned outputs comes amidst widespread reports of inferior and inadequate fuels causing new vehicles to misfire, refuse to start or even in some isolated cases, fail completely. This is not a struggle experienced by Ford alone, a few weeks ago, CAR Magazine reported that the deteriorating fuel quality is likely the reason behind the delayed Golf GTI’s arrival in the country. This aside, other OEMs in South Africa have also mentioned customer reports of engine issues caused by fuel issues.

Related: Fuel for Thought – SA’s Poor Fuel Quality the Reason Behind Delayed Golf GTI?

This trend has become far more prevalent in the past few years, and some tested hypotheses by technicians and mechanics have shown that spark plugs and the internal combustion chambers have been coated in harmful additives that are used to increase the octane rating (to make it meet 93 or 95 grades in order to be sold). With all OEMs in South Africa, the manufacturer’s warranty does not cover mechanical issues caused by inferior fuel. Hill implored that if any vehicle begins to misbehave after refuelling, it is stopped and taken to the dealership workshop as soon as possible as this could mitigate serious damage.

As it stands, Ford South Africa has run comprehensive testing and has confirmed that until the fuel quality improves, the Mustang in its GT and Dark Horse iteration will not receive more power.

Browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag!

The post Poor Fuel Quality the Reason Behind the Detuned Ford Mustang for SA appeared first on CAR Magazine.


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