Mustang Performance Pack launched with 330hp
New uprated Ecoboost engine is claimed as the most powerful yet produced by a US manufacturer
Ford has created a more sporting version of its 2.3-litre Mustang with the addition of a Performance Package that unlocks more power and adds higher performance parts to the Ecoboost model. Confirmed for America and – we hope – potentially headed to Europe at a later date, the uprated car produces 330hp, an improvement of 20hp, which closes the gap somewhat to the headlining V8 and creates the most potent four-cylinder car made by an American manufacturer (although, to put that into context, it falls well short of the output of Porsche’s 366hp flat-four 718 GTS).
But Ford says that the engine’s increased elasticity, not the growth in peak output, is the most significant improvement. Maximum torque remains 350lb ft, but it’s now available from 2,500rpm to 5,300rpm, which is 40 per cent longer than before. Peak horsepower is also now produced right up to the 6,500rpm redline, so while no exact straight-line performance figures have been provided (Ford says 0-60mph takes around 4.5 seconds), the revamped 2.3 should offer far more rewarding performance. It’s available with the six-speed manual or 10-speed auto, as before.
The Performance Package upgrade also brings chassis changes, including strut brace and anti-roll bars, four-pot brake calipers and the retuned stability control system of the V8 Mustang GT. The rear wheels drive through a limited-slip differential and the car also rides on 19-inch alloys wrapped in 255-width boots. The chassis can be upgraded further with the optional Handling Package, which brings magnetically-controlled damping, Torsen LSD and 265-width Pirelli P-Zero Corsas. There’s also a thicker rear anti-roll bar to further tighten up the back end.
To signal its enhancements, the exterior gets a few additions, including a larger front splitter, a bonnet intake and a new rear spoiler. But by and large, the main changes are reserved for what lies beneath, which is fine by us. So while it won’t make all the lovely noises of the V8 model, the lighter EcoBoost should go as good as it looks. Here’s hoping the bosses give it the green light for Europe…
Old US autos often had 2 speeds, manuals 3.
Then 4 speed manuals became the norm, 3 for auto.
5 speed manuals then became the thing, with maybe 4 for auto.
Now the manual has 6, the auto 10.
Would I buy a 4-pot Mustang? Hell no, I'd need the V8
Counting the multitude of A-class body styles as one car and the same for the Volvo as S60/v60.. I can think of the following 4-cylinder cars that are more powerful, and I think they're all 2.0.
Mercedes A45
Volvo V60 polestar
Ford Focus RS mk3 (but it's the same manufacturer!)
Mitsubishi FQ360-and-up
Porsche Boxster as per article...
It all gets a bit "Rain Man " in here "Mustangs Must have a V8".
Best go and buy some old woofer with a 140 bhp Rover V8 on instead.
Best go and buy some old woofer with a 140 bhp Rover V8 on instead.
It will still be a decent enough car but it's missing something... A V8.
Personally it doesn't appeal to me very much, in my mind a muscle is just that with a V8. Whether historically one had a 2.3 in or not, it's what most of us have come to accept for a Mustang.
I'm intrigued it's as quick as claimed considering there are 500bhp albeit it older V8 cars that do 0-60 in similar times.
We were talking about a 2.3 so the wife could use it as a daily but when it came to it, even she fell in love with the V8 noise and power. The one I bought has active exhaust as well so the noise can be tuned to what the situation requires.
I tried justifying the Ecoboost to myself, "European engine for a European mustang" "still 300Bhp" but it still never shook the whole feeling that the mustang would not be proper without the V8. 70% of UK Mustang buyers agree. And still being able to get 32mpg out of the V8 on a long run blows the whole fuel costs argument out of the water.
If I was offered the 2.3 performance or V8, it would still be V8 for me.
Personally it doesn't appeal to me very much, in my mind a muscle is just that with a V8. Whether historically one had a 2.3 in or not, it's what most of us have come to accept for a Mustang.
I'm intrigued it's as quick as claimed considering there are 500bhp albeit it older V8 cars that do 0-60 in similar times.
It all gets a bit "Rain Man " in here "Mustangs Must have a V8".
Best go and buy some old woofer with a 140 bhp Rover V8 on instead.
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