America May Be Getting The Four-Cylinder Turbo 2015 Ford Mustang After All
03-09-2013, 09:06 AM
#1
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America May Be Getting The Four-Cylinder Turbo 2015 Ford Mustang After All
Remember this week when reports surfaced that the next Ford Mustang will have an available 2.3-liter four-cylinder turbo engine, but only in Europe? That may not be the case after all. Fans of the Mustang SVO, rejoice!
Road & Track says that they have confirmed that the U.S. will get a turbo four-banger Mustang featuring a larger version of the engine from the Ford Focus ST. That engine should have at least 300 horsepower, making it something of a modern-day successor to the coveted Mustang SVO from the Fox era.
Interestingly, R&T reports that this Ecoboost four won't be the base engine:
Ford precedent shows that in other cars and crossovers offering an EcoBoost mill, it's positioned as a premium upgrade, whether you're talking about the Fusion, the Escape. the Explorer, and so on. And with that in mind, the speculation can get fun. Bet on the base 305-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 sticking around as the lowest-cost entry point for Mustang buyers. That means the EcoBoost is likely to come in at over 300 horsepower, as it's unlikely Ford could otherwise sell Americans on a less powerful four-banger as an "upgrade," despite the attendant benefits related to fuel economy. The V8 will remain the range-topper in the GT, as well it should.
So now we have Edmunds and other outlets saying we won't get the four-banger, and R&T saying we will. Frankly, I'm inclined to go with the latter -- it fits better with the global "One Ford" strategy, and if Ford really does have a potent engine on their hands with this turbo four, why wouldn't they sell it in the Mustang's home country? Last time, many of you said it's V8 or bust when it comes to the 'Stang. Does this change your mind at all? I'm not saying it's the one I would buy if I were in the market for one, but a light, powerful, tuner-friendly Mustang sounds like it could be a lot of fun to me.
Photo credit Sean Sweeney
03-09-2013, 05:55 PM
#4
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 308
Interesting... what I had read is that the V8 won't be an option in Europe. Close but not quite the same as the 4T being the only one. Unless, those will be the only 2 options, i.e., v6 replaced by the turbo. Since they output about the same HP, could be.
03-09-2013, 06:00 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 180
Eventually days of the v8 will be gone, that much is inevitable. It would be crazy to see more of a tuner look, and have a 4 banger in the new stang. It would be nice to see it smoke the competion though. That said, I draw the line at sedan or fwd on future gen mustangs.
03-10-2013, 10:26 AM
#7
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 308
03-11-2013, 04:07 PM
#8
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Posts: 628
Remember this week when reports surfaced that the next Ford Mustang will have an available 2.3-liter four-cylinder turbo engine, but only in Europe? That may not be the case after all. Fans of the Mustang SVO, rejoice!
Road & Track says that they have confirmed that the U.S. will get a turbo four-banger Mustang featuring a larger version of the engine from the Ford Focus ST. That engine should have at least 300 horsepower, making it something of a modern-day successor to the coveted Mustang SVO from the Fox era.
Interestingly, R&T reports that this Ecoboost four won't be the base engine:
Ford precedent shows that in other cars and crossovers offering an EcoBoost mill, it's positioned as a premium upgrade, whether you're talking about the Fusion, the Escape. the Explorer, and so on. And with that in mind, the speculation can get fun. Bet on the base 305-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 sticking around as the lowest-cost entry point for Mustang buyers. That means the EcoBoost is likely to come in at over 300 horsepower, as it's unlikely Ford could otherwise sell Americans on a less powerful four-banger as an "upgrade," despite the attendant benefits related to fuel economy. The V8 will remain the range-topper in the GT, as well it should.
So now we have Edmunds and other outlets saying we won't get the four-banger, and R&T saying we will. Frankly, I'm inclined to go with the latter -- it fits better with the global "One Ford" strategy, and if Ford really does have a potent engine on their hands with this turbo four, why wouldn't they sell it in the Mustang's home country? Last time, many of you said it's V8 or bust when it comes to the 'Stang. Does this change your mind at all? I'm not saying it's the one I would buy if I were in the market for one, but a light, powerful, tuner-friendly Mustang sounds like it could be a lot of fun to me.
Photo credit Sean Sweeney
Last edited by potman; 03-11-2013 at 04:09 PM.
03-11-2013, 08:58 PM
#9
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: New York
Posts: 272
I personally wouldn't want an i4 Mustang. Mainly because there isn't going to be much of a fuel economy advantage unless you're off boost (and what's the point in going off boost). Just stick a V8 that has cylinder deactivation and a 7 speed manual to get the economy better, or even better, have an eco mode that does that and shuts the engine off at rest. Or even better, get that pneumatic actuated valve system and do away with camshafts...
