Ford improves top design on its 2015 Mustang convertible

Ford revealed details on its forthcoming 2015 Mustang convertible, whose top features several highly welcome improvements over the outgoing model’s, making it quieter, more compact and easier to operate.

Though Ford continues to call the cloth top a two-layer design, it now sports a 10-mm thick cushion between the twill covering and the headliner layer, serving as both insulation and sound deadening. Ford says with the top up, the cabin is almost as quiet as the coupe’s on the road.

Engineers also added an extra bow, or support structure, to the top; where the current model’s top features four metal bows stretching from side to side, the 2015 car boasts five, which not only allows for a more compact z-folding stack when open, but goes a long way toward making the skeletal structure virtually invisible with the top in its closed position. Gone are the obvious series of “bones,” leaving instead a taut, smooth look that gives the car more of a notchback profile instead of the coupe’s fastback shape. And fully deployed, the folded stack sits 6.7 inches lower on the 2015 car, improving visibility while giving the car a sleeker open-air look.

The manual latching mechanism has also been revamped. Ford replaced the separate handle latches right and left, instead going with a single twisting handle that sits right above the rearview mirror. The latch points themselves are of a cleaner design, too, recessed within the flat upper face of the header when the top is open. The current design sees its latch points jutting out rearward from the header.

And thanks largely to swapping out its hydraulic motor in favor of an electromechanical drive system, power operation of the top takes just half the time as on the current car, requiring just 7 to 10 seconds to retract fully where the current model needs 14 to 15 seconds to open. (The ranges refer to factors such as whether the engine is running.) Yet unlike so many other convertibles on the market today that can deploy their tops at speeds sometimes approaching 25 mph, the Mustang convertible must be as a standstill in order to operate the top.

Trunk space sees significant improvement, too, with the more compact stacked top intruding less into the cargo space. Trunk volume increases 19 percent, to 11.4 cubic feet, which Ford claims is big enough to secure two large golf bags. We also noted the trunk’s liftover height lowers by about 2 inches, while the overall aperture is larger than on the current car.

When the 2015 Ford Mustang convertible goes on sale this fall, Ford will offer the top solely in black, and says it has no plans to broaden the color choices. For a car that not only represents 18 percent of Mustang sales but is also slated to be sold worldwide -- not to mention is the only convertible in the entire Ford stable -- even those opting for open-air motoring in warmer climes will have to settle for a black top, even if it’s been vastly improved in other ways.

By Natalie Neff