powerband

Sounds like the V8 will be low-volume producers for a small group of niche cars only.
This makes sense, as the overall auto industry is moving toward fuel efficient, hybrid and electric cars.

frankmarino

From MSN Autos:

Lower end Engines:

Honda Accord:
Base MSRP: $20,360
HP: 190 @ 7000 RPM
TQ: 162 @ 4400 RPM

Ford Mustang:
Base MSRP: $19,490
HP: 210 @ 5300 RPM
TQ: 240 @ 3500 RPM

Higher end engines:

Honda Accord V6:
Base MSRP: $25,960
HP: 268 @ 6200 RPM
TQ: 248 @ 5000 RPM

Ford Mustang GT:
Base MSRP: $26,080
HP: 300 @ 5750 RPM
TQ: 320 @ 4500 RPM

So lets not blaspheme here. The Accord is a great car for what it is, but a Mustang it is not. Obviously comparing the $26k Accord with the $20k Stang is a pretty silly thing to do. And even so, the torque numbers are not much better on the expensive Accord engine. I maintain my stance that Ford has it right. If you go with the 3.5 for your lower-priced option, thats a much more expensive engine and its gonna bump up the price at least 3 grand. Then you need to bump up the GT's engine by a significant amount so you don't cannibalize it (since we're only looking at a 30hp difference now from the GT, and hp numbers do sell cars like the famous quote says), which would cause the GT Deluxe to have a base MSRP of around $30k. Now everything is skewed and you're talking about entry level luxury car money for a GT Deluxe. Even more for a Premium. And pushing $40k for a GT Premium Vert. Thats not the price range you want a Mustang to be in, at all.

Thats the fatal mistake Dodge is making with the Charger...You're trying to sell a fun muscle car with a price tag that hits mostly older men that make bigger money and would probably prefer a BMW or Mercedes. You need something the younger generation can afford. If you put that Charger out with a lower model that could rival the Mustang 6er in both price and performance, I believe they'd grab a HUGE market share. Right now Ford is at that happy medium with the V6...its got enough power to be fun, and its as affordable as almost any other car out there. And I believe the sales numbers for the V6 back me up on that.

skippy1969

Hp rating isn't everything.I have a buddy that has a 2005 Dodge Magnum R/T. He has a Hemi,CAI,headers,Borla exhaust,a power commander and I can hang with him.He figures he is pushing 375-385 HP. (345hp is stock) My 2006 pony pkg manual trans totally stock can hang with him for a while.

davesyo

Let's see..... 3.5 v6 270 hp , same price as an 07 or 08, 0-60 in under 6 secs. , and 30 mpg hwy ..... wouldn't that be nice !

phunnyguy

u all keep forgetting one very very important thing with comparing the mustang to the accord of any version.....the mustang is sexier than the accord....

powerband

phunnyguy, I have not forgotten. And I totally agree.

GidyupGo

Ford knows we bought the car for it's looks. Those of us that upgraded to the GT or higher up on the food chain got it for looks and power increase. Ford knows if the V6 crowd wants more power, they will just upgrade. They ain't changing nothing in the near future.

05nightrider

would it be that hard to tweak the intake system a bit and put on a more aggressive tune right from the factory? that seems like a good way to boost up the hp/tq numbers a bit without a significant increase in price... maybe bumping up to 230? then im sure there are other factors that ford could do to make the sixes a bit faster in the 1/4... weight loss? our cars are really heavy

powerband

A small bump in HP is nothing we can't do ourselves, but it would be nice if the factory does this in order to keep the power difference between the V6 and V8 reasonable. The article implies that the new GTs will have at least the same amount of HP the current Bullitt does. This potential boost in HP/torque for the new GT should also be accommodated by a boost in HP/torque for the V6.

As for weight loss: Dump the back seats, noise reduction, trunk monkey and the fat pig you call your Better Half. (Ok, just kidding... your Worse Half.)

8cd03gro

ford isn't looking to spend more money guys. The sole reason the v6 mustangs sell so well is because they have great bang for buck. The duratec is much more expensive to build than the 4.0 which would either
A. raise the cost of the mustang for the consumer, more than most people think a couple extra ponies is worth.
B. give ford less profit per vehicle.

Most people don't look at the v6 mustangs for power. What is the average consumer going to want? The cruiser who will probably step on it once every couple months and doesn't know the difference between a cam and a spark plug. They aren't going to want to pay 23k for 260hp vs 19k for 210hp. Hell no. Ford is doing what will make them the most money and that is EXACTLY what they should be doing. Nothing can touch the bang for buck of the v6 as it sits, but as soon as you move up in the price range by using more expensive components you get this-

well 260hp at 23k isn't too bad, but hey this car has IRS, the mustang should have IRS too!

now the v6 costs 24k, has 260hp and has IRS, but hey the new v6 camaro has better handling. Let's work on that.

So now the v6 costs 25k, has 260hp, IRS, a nice interior etc. Nice car huh? Until you realize a gt costs barely any more.

The mustang thrives on simplicity. You drop a cheap to make truck drivetrain in a nice looking body with ancient technology, but its a farily big motor so it still makes decent power. That is the 100% exact reason the camaro is taking so long to come out. Chevy is trying to do exactly what you guys want, because let's face it gm is better to their enthusiasts when it comes to performance potential etc. So now the projected price on their v6 model is up around 24-25k and the camaro WILL fail if it is released at that price, just like the mustang would. Japan can produce the same thing as us for cheaper, and they go about it a a different way. If we try to do it their way we will lose due to labor costs, material costs, etc. We just cant do it, so we have to do it our way and if ford is smart they will keep doing it this way.