YAHOO AUTOS
At long last we now have the hard data points for the power and peformance of the 2015 Ford Mustang, the 21st-century update of the blue oval's iconic sports car.
In time-honored form, the V-8 Mustang GT gets a raise in power to 430 hp, readying for street battle with the Chevy Camaro SS. It's the more everyday editions — including the new, four-cylinder Ecoboost turbo model — where the data gets interesting.
Mustang fans may remember a flurry of anonymously sourced articles last year claiming that the 2015 Mustang would be significantly lighter than the previous model. Ford never confirmed that, and in conversations execs never cottoned to the idea.
In reality, the only way the new Mustang will be lighter than the old one is if you take off one of its wheels; both the V-6 and V-8 weigh somewhere between 12 and 87 lbs. more than their predecessors, depending on transmission choices.
(While the base Camaro has a 325-hp V-6, it's also carting around an extra 200 lbs. in curb weight.) Now we really need to drive the Ecoboost and see what kind of new-century plans Ford has made.
In time-honored form, the V-8 Mustang GT gets a raise in power to 430 hp, readying for street battle with the Chevy Camaro SS. It's the more everyday editions — including the new, four-cylinder Ecoboost turbo model — where the data gets interesting.
Mustang fans may remember a flurry of anonymously sourced articles last year claiming that the 2015 Mustang would be significantly lighter than the previous model. Ford never confirmed that, and in conversations execs never cottoned to the idea.
In reality, the only way the new Mustang will be lighter than the old one is if you take off one of its wheels; both the V-6 and V-8 weigh somewhere between 12 and 87 lbs. more than their predecessors, depending on transmission choices.
At 430 hp and 400 lb.-ft. of torque from the Coyote 5-liter V-8, the new 'Stang gains 15 hp, 10 lb.-ft. and more importantly bragging rights over the SS. The 3.7-liter V-6, strangely, loses 5 hp to 300 hp and 270 lb.-ft. of torque, while the new 2.3-liter Ecoboost debuts with 310 hp and 320 lb.-ft. of torque — which requires 93 octane fuel.
Ford has long said the Ecoboost would be a midrange model in the new Mustang, and it should offer some edge over the 3.7, but the decision to dial down the base model and give the Ecoboost more breathing room will strike some pony purists as a step in the wrong direction.
(While the base Camaro has a 325-hp V-6, it's also carting around an extra 200 lbs. in curb weight.) Now we really need to drive the Ecoboost and see what kind of new-century plans Ford has made.
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