The Ford Mustang is now in its 60s and among the country’s oldest continuously manufactured vehicles. But its heyday is long gone and it’s only getting worse for the iconic muscle car.

Annual sales for the so-called Pony Car haven’t reached six figures since 2016 and the 2024 campaign marked among its worst. The Mustang’s seventh generation debuted in the summer of 2023 and by the end of last year, annual sales dropped 26 percent from 2023 to less than 38,000. The Mustang had sales of nearly 167,000 in 2006.

Available in five trims, the 2024 Ford Mustang ranges from the base EcoBoost (MSRP, $32,515.00) to the Dark Horse (MSRP, $60,865.00).

With its loud exhaust growl and aggressive appearance, the new Mustang sounds and looks like a performance car should. It accelerates accordingly, completing the 0-60 miles per hour plateau in 4.5 seconds. Gas mileage averages are 21 miles per gallon in city driving, 29 mpg on the highway. The MSRP is $36,445.00 with options and the destination fee pushing the price on the reviewed EcoBoost Premium trim to $51,935.00.

Like all Ford Mustangs, the new edition is all about driver involvement. Yes, it’s a muscle car, with a wide stance, a long snout, big tires and attitude while powering down the road. It features nothing subtle.

Some remembrances of yesteryear remain, notably vast Mustang badging throughout the car. The Mustang logo is featured in a projection light format on the ground outside both doors for safety at night.

But modernization reigns, dominated by the 12.4-inch digital instrument panel that extends to a 13.2-inch infotainment screen. Combined, all prompts originate on the horizontal monitors. Cloth upholstery is standard, with vinyl, contrasting stitching and leather seat inserts available as upgrades.

Safety features are extensive. The new Mustang, in all trim levels, includes the Ford Co-Pilot360 system as standard equipment. It features automatic emergency with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, forward collision warning, lane-centering assistance, rear automatic emergency braking and rear cross-traffic warning. Adaptive cruise control and speed sign recognition are available.

An active suspension feature, available on some models, is worthy. It mitigates potholes, with the vehicle minimizing how much the tires drop when negotiating road obstacles.

Comfort and convenience features include six-way power lumber seating for the driver and a four-way setting for the passenger. Ambient lighting, automatic climate control, heated and cooled seating, a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel and two smart charging USB ports add to the well-stocked vehicle’s offerings. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility and Wi-Fi hotspot are also in the mix.

Equipment also includes push button and remote starts, nearly a half-dozen driving modes, a rearview camera, a universal garage door opener and a wireless charging pad. The Bang & Olufsen sound system has nine speakers.

The EcoBoost trim features a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine with 315 horsepower and 350 lb-ft. of torque matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission. A manual transmission isn’t available. All Mustangs are rear-wheel-drive.

The Premium trim has more than a dozen upgrades, multi-color ambient lighting to synthetic leather upholstery and heated steering and a leather-wrapped steering wheel to remote start. The muscle car image gets a boost with the Premium trim’s 18-inch wheels.

Like its predecessors, the seventh-generation 2024 Ford Mustang powers down the freeway. It growls and grumbles and is unapologetically rough. Some drivers like it that way. Its early competition, the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Barracuda, Pontiac Firebird and Mercury Cougar, are all gone.

Three model years into its tenure, the Ford Mustang reached 607,568 in yearly sales. The 2024 tally was about six percent of once industry-dominating coupe’s best year. Ford pridefully may never stop making the Mustang, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if it soon joined the automotive graveyard. Muscle cars are increasingly in a smaller niche demand. And sometimes automotive icons just fade away.