Is the EcoBoost Better Than the Coyote?

By Cameron Vanderhorst - May 4, 2024

The short answer is “no, of course not.” So why did I fall in love and buy myself an EcoBoost Mustang anyway?

I’ve been Mustang-obsessed since I can remember. When I was a kid, I read every Mustang-related book, magazine, and newspaper article I could get my hands on.

Eventually, I learned about the ’84-’86 Mustang SVO, a star-crossed attempt to make the throaty, fire-breathing Mustang into a European-style sports car.

The effort was largely successful, but at a high cost. The end result was a raucous four-cylinder turbo car that had a host of suspension goodies. Unfortunately, the SVO cost about the same as a base V8 car. Most buyers chose the latter, relegating the SVO to an obscure historical footnote. I always assumed, as a kid, that I would have made the “right” choice back in ’86.

Still, I was fascinated, and when the 2.3 liter EcoBoost was announced for the 2015 Mustang, I secretly hoped that the SVO would make a comeback. It did – sort of – in 2020, with the release of the EcoBoost High Performance Package.

An EcoBoost Match Made in Heaven

The EcoBoost HPP combined the beefier suspension and brakes of the Mustang GT with a more exotic, Focus RS-sourced 2.3 liter EcoBoost. Like the SVO, it was birthed in secret by a small team of Mustang fanatics who loved turbo fours just as much as burly V8s. In other words, my kind of people.

On paper, the HPP was only good for 20 more horsepower than the standard model. However, in practice, it’s a very different animal, with a far wider, far more useful powerband (that still doesn’t rev as high as the Coyote). So, how did I end up with one?

Back in 2021, I found myself shopping for a new car, and I was determined to buy a proper sports car. I had canceled orders on a MINI Cooper S and a Subaru WRX, and even seriously considered a Miata. Moving freely between European sports cars and American muscle is a family tradition – back in the late ’60s, my Dad owned a Chevy Impala SS and an MGB GT at the same time. I take after my Dad a lot – we have the same eyes, the same crooked smile, and the same eclectic taste in cars.

After the MINI order got botched, I found myself at a Ford dealership, thinking about ordering a base Mustang GT. This was the height of the COVID car shortage, so they only had four new cars on the lot. One of them was the Grabber Yellow EcoBoost HPP seen here.

I’d like to say that I fell in love immediately, but that’s simply not true. I test drove it, and for lack of a better word, I was confused. It looked like a Mustang. It felt like a Mustang. But it sounded like, well, a turbocharged four-cylinder sports car – and it drove like one, too.

The Odd Couple

Big brakes and a small engine up front made it feel agile and balanced. It didn’t rumble – it growled and hissed and popped. It got under my skin in a big way and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, even as I tried to source a base GT.

I remembered that childhood promise to myself, and about a week later, I owned an EcoBoost Mustang that cost within a grand or two of a GT. So why did I do it?

Most EcoBoost owners will do their best to cope by claiming better fuel economy or cheaper insurance. I can say with near certainty that neither of those makes enough of a difference to matter. Real-world highway fuel economy – and insurance rates – are pretty similar in practice, especially as you get older.

All I can say for myself is that it felt like the right car for me. When I started car shopping, I wanted a tuner car – something high-strung, turbocharged, and with big Brembo brakes and a limited-slip differential. Bonus points if it came in a wacky color. So what if it ended up being a Mustang?

My Favorite Things

I like the sounds it makes. When I’m out in public and a Coyote-powered Mustang idles by in traffic, I’ll definitely break my neck to check it out. That said, the angry rumble of the EcoBoost has its own charm, especially when accompanied by the whooshing of a turbo and off-throttle exhaust pops that would make any Mossberg jealous.

I like the way it handles. With big brakes and a lighter engine, I don’t experience as much brake fade during autocross events as some of the GT guys, and when I start tracking the car this year with NASA, I’m eager to see how that plays out on longer runs at higher speeds.

What about straight-line performance? It’s faster than the 5.7 Hemi Challengers and Chargers thanks to a superior power-to-weight ratio, and it can kinda-sorta hang with a stock 6.1 car if the driver sucks. I get a perverse thrill out of beating up on those guys with less than half the displacement. Maybe I’ll go E85 someday.

I also like owning rare Mustangs. I have a Canadian Export 1996 Mystic Cobra and an Aztec Gold ’97 Mustang, the second-rarest SN95 color. Every EcoBoost HPP has a numbered plaque on the dash, and I hardly see any others out in public. It’ll be interesting to see something like this at a car show in 30 years, if I can keep it nice for that long.

None of these are good reasons to pick the EcoBoost – even the HPP – over a similarly-priced Coyote-powered Mustang. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it’s “just as good” or “secretly better.” I’m not going to tell you to “dare to be different” or some other trite BS you see repeated endlessly in all of the EcoBoost social media groups.

In the words of Luis Guzman in Boogie Nights, “wear what you dig.”

I’m still happy with my car. There’s just something about it, and I don’t blame anyone for not “getting it.” Sometimes, I don’t get it either – but a quick run on some twisty backroads is usually enough to remind me. Especially if there’s a tunnel and I can make the exhaust go “BANG.”

Photos: Cam VanDerHorst