Synchronized digital screens on the 2024 Ford Mustang.

The 2024 Ford Mustang will not feature a new platform, but what's inside will be very different. The Mustang will graduate from the Sync 3 to the Sync 4 infotainment system, and every model will have a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.2-inch touchscreen.

On Monday, Motor Authority visited Farmington Hills, Michigan, to check out the new system and its features. Bottom line, the system puts the Mustang at the top of its class in terms of connectivity, controls performance features old and new, and its video game graphics should please tech fans.

Sync4 is already used in other Ford products, but this is the first time it will be used in the Mustang, adding its own skin and some of the performance features mentioned above. It has twice the processing power of Sync 3, can be updated wirelessly and automatically or on a schedule, and uses Unreal Engine computer graphics popularized by first-person shooter video games. The software allows for multiple graphic animations to accompany modes and other features, at least one of which can be controlled via touch screen.

The Sync 4 system affects both instrument cluster and touchscreen graphics. Here is how it works.

Five graphic themes are available for the instrument cluster (IP): [The Normal theme is used in Slipper Drive mode and the Track theme is used in Drag Strip Drive mode.

The IP also has a center display with a digital tachometer and speedometer and 10 different information views, nine of which can be displayed in the touchscreen settings. The driver assistance screen is always visible, but the driver can also select basic information such as trip meter, fuel consumption, and meter display.

The Sync 4 system eliminates most of the hard buttons, leaving only a row of six buttons under a pair of vents below the center screen. One of these is a star button that can be programmed to activate launch control. Other buttons include a stoplight auto-hold feature, exhaust settings, a rev-match feature for six-speed manual transmission vehicles, and a Calm IP screen. The only climate control button is the windshield defroster. The remaining climate control settings are always located along the lower edge of the touchscreen, even when Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is in use.

Another hard button is the Mustang pony icon that automatically activates the MyMustang screen, which itself is home to the following control adjustments:

Drive mode is selected on the left side of the steering wheel. When using the center screen to set a custom drive mode, it first asks the driver to select the mode on which to base the setting. From there, the driver can make the following adjustments:

Depending on the drive mode on which the custom setting is based, individual settings may not be available.

MyMustang also has 9 Track Apps. They are

The screens are connected under a single sheet of glass in the higher-end models and separate in the lower-end models, but are the same size. They also offer the same processors and features, but the lower models lack the magnetic dampers and other controls found in the higher models.

All Mustangs also come with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; even with CarPlay or Android Auto active, one-third of the center screen can be devoted to native controls, but but that area only displays the current radio station and does not provide a way for the driver to change stations.

The 2024 Ford Mustang will offer a state-of-the-art digital experience, especially among many aging pony cars. It will feature the performance goodies owners have grown accustomed to, such as launch control and line lock, and will add cool new features such as drift brakes and digital gauges.

The Mustang's new digital environment is still under development but seems to be working well.