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2015 Mustang joins Need for Speed Rivals as free download

You can't drive Ford's next Mustang until 2014, but you can at least take it for a spin in Need for Speed Rivals, starting today.

Tim Stevens Former editor at large for CNET Cars
Tim Stevens got his start writing professionally while still in school in the mid '90s, and since then has covered topics ranging from business process management to video game development to automotive technology.
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2015 Mustang in Need for Speed Rivals
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Getting a little bored with the chase-or-be-chased gameplay in Need for Speed Rivals? Maybe a little pony power is all it will take to get you back on the streets of Redview County.

The 2015 Ford Mustang, unveiled with no shortage of pomp just last week, today joins the ranks of playable cars. A patch hitting all platforms sometime before the day is through will add the car to the game. Also included will be a series of liveries, some created by the devs, others voted on by the fans.

2015 Ford Mustang in Need for Speed Rivals

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We had a chance to take the car for a spin ahead of its release. Sadly, the physics engine in Need for Speed is too limited to really enable this car to feel significantly different from the other Mustangs already in the game, so don't expect to get a feel for that independent rear suspension. Also, the unfortunate lack of an interior view means all the hard work Ford put inside the new car goes for naught here. But, you can finally get a close look at that shapely new exterior -- and have fun smashing it to bits if you so desire.

The 2015 Mustang GT joins the 2014 GT and GT500 already in the game and, best of all, will be a free download. Yes, new content for a game that you won't have to pay for. Consider it a Christmas miracle.

Watch this: We take the 2015 Ford Mustang for a spin in Need for Speed Rivals