JonathonK

Point: The EcoBoost trumps the V6 and offers 22-city and 31-highway with the manual trans, but there's no data on the auto version. And here comes my same gripe that I ranted a bit with the horsepower. Why has Ford kept the V6? The EcoBoost has better horsepower, better torque, better fuel economy, is lighter, and will probably be a better car in general. There is no point for Ford to keep building a less-than-optimal car. It might cost a bit less, but really, is that the only reason?

Manuel Carrillo III's (@ManuelCarrillo3) counterpoint: Ford has kept the V6 because in the previous decade the automaker invested a lot of money into the Duratec powertrain. The 3.7, or "Duratec 37", and its closely related 3.5L Cyclone brother, the "Duratec 35", are still used in other Ford products. Continuing to use the V6 in the Mustang amortizes Duratec development costs more broadly. While the EcoBoost I4 is superior, the V6 engine was funded for a particular life cycle -- probably six years -- so there are two model years left in it. Additionally, as you point out, there are still plenty of people who will equip their Mustangs with this mill, so as to avoid the EcoBoost's extra up-front cost. To have the six-banger in the S550 engine lineup for two more years, or until the end of the 2016 model year, makes decent business sense.

What do you all think?

Read the rest on the Mustang Source homepage.

dmhines

Rental and Fleet need the V6.

White2010

So after all the hype from Ford about the great mpg of their precious ecoboost Mustang it turns out that its going to get the exact same mpg as my 2014 V6. Fail!! And what a surprise, the 2015 V6 suddenly experiences a drop in mpg. Fail again!! I knew something was wrong when Ford leaked the hp numbers but not the mpg numbers a couple of months ago. Now we have the mpg numbers but we still have no real performance numbers for a car that is going to be on the dealership lots in a couple of weeks. Are you seriously trying to tell me that Ford didn't have any production model ecoboosts that could be turned over to the media for testing this late in the game? I see another red flag.

I have a feeling when it's all said and done this ecoboost Mustang is going to deliver no or almost no discernible performance margin above the current V6. We now know that it will not deliver the better fuel economy that was promised and touted. Basically what customers will get is the same performance level and same mpg that they would have had in the 3.7 V6 only the ecoboost will cost them more just for honor of driving a 4 banger turbo Mustang. Between this and the decidedly unattractive front end of the 2015 this new Mustang is shaping up to be a real loser.

tom281

Oh boy....

Astenax

Maybe Ford is phasing out the V6! Europe doesn't want it so Americans are screwed out! I get the feeling that Ford is more interested in its "Global sales" and doesn't care about what Americans want. After all, America will probably buy less of this new Mustang than the rest of the world combined so why give a chit about what Americans want anymore? The V6 should have had a substantial boost in power and mpg!

=HYPERDRIVE=

rentals, and if they remove the v6, the ecoboost would have to replace its position, not only as option, but most likely in its price range.
Meaning the ecoboost would have to start at the same price the V6 starts, they could still keep the same price tag as it has now, but they would not be "competitive" in the price range as other cars like the challenger,camaro with the basic V6 option.
That way they can still make some extra money on the ecoboost, while still providing V6 engine that is cheaper to produce, and to sell for a cheaper price.

Twin Turbo

Who says Europe doesn't want it?

Besides, I believe sales outside the US in total is expected to be around the 20,000 mark.............so US sales are still where it's at (something like 90,000 Mustang sold in the US, last year)

Know how many we're getting a year in the UK? 2000. Yep TWO THOUSAND. So, it's still an American car built for the (changing) American market

Ford is investing in Ecoboost technology, so perhaps we'll see a 2.7 Ecoboost V6 in the Mustang, one day.

spqr

Man, a 2.7EB would be awesome!

Hyperdrive, you make a great point on the pricing. Somethign to back it up is the several engine options offered in teh 60s and ford offereing a slew of upgrades people could choose for their cars.

White2010, i think you're dismissing the torque too easily. 40 torque or so over the v6, plus a relatively flat torque curve due to the twin scroll should make the EB faster. The fuel economy numbers are upsetting, but they also want this to be faster than the v6.

I don't know what the gearing will look like, but the added weight will certainly hurt some of the fuel eco. Plus, if they offer the 8speed auto, I doubt the top gear will be similar to the 6 speed manual's top gear.

Mustang_Jon

I've gotten 31 highway in my sixxer...

White2010

There's just been too much about this 2015 that just isn't impressing me at all. When Ford leaked the hp numbers but not the mpg numbers I knew then that reason was going to be because the mpg of the ecoboost was not going to be that impressive. Low and behold, it's not that impressive. Do you really think Ford hasn't known for a long time now what the actual mpg of this car was going to be? Do you really believe that when the hp numbers were leaked that it wasn't Ford doing the leaking?

So now we have a car that is literally about to hit the lots in the next couple of weeks and yet not one of them has managed to end up in the hands of the likes of MotorTrend or Car and Driver for some actual performance testing? The most Ford would do is take some media guys on a ride along but not let them actually test the cars. Once again something doesn't sound right about this. I suspect that the something in question is that the ecoboost model is not going to offer all that much of a performance advantage over the current V6. I'm well aware of the torque differences between the two motors, but lets see some real world driving because a torque spec is one thing but actual performance is another.

Astenax

1 -Ford only sold 65,000 Mustangs here last year "not 90k" 2 -Europe shut down Ford order banks in just 30min after it was opened "WOW". 3 -No one knows exactly how many units will be sold over seas because its the first time the Mustang will sell Globally. Deep down inside all Euros want to be American so it will do very well over there ;-) I project a shortage of Apple pie in Europe after the new right hand drive Stang hits the cobble stone over there!

Cornezy

I truly feel indifferent.........I sold my PP2012 yellow blaze recently in prep for the 2015ECO to find out that this year they under rated the MPGs and HP of the 2011-2014 generation only to release the same MPG for a TT4 banger............. NOT TO MENTION THIS CAR NEEDS PREMIUM GAS!!!!!!!!this car will almost feel the same based off of these specs and for a price that is not worth it.................. WOW...........at least I know im not getting a 2015 NOW! Maybe they will do like they did with the 2010-2011 and make a change that pisses off early adopters that will work in my favor

David Young

My 2011 v6 Mustang (21,000 miles) with an automatic transmission is showing 19.4 mpg on the display gauge. This is with 93 octane gas.

wannabe

I've not paid enough attention to even know which EcoBoost engine they're talking about for the Mustang... but we had an Escape with the smaller of the two available in that model. It never delivered anything near the advertised fuel economy. And by 'not near' I mean 4-5mpg less. It did seem to have plenty of power though.

wannabe

I got better than that in my '12 GT (MT) before I switched to premium gas. I was near 23.

2 Go Snake

It would be foolish for Ford to drop the V6 from the engine choices for the Mustang. There are people who want a sporty looking car with a smooth running dependable engine. The V6 will satisfy that group of buyers. If Ford did not offer the V6 in the Mustang, they would sell fewer Mustangs. Some people just do not have a desire to buy cars with high tech sophisticated engines. If the engine gets reasonable fuel mileage and runs smooth, the V6 engine buyers are pleased with the V6.

cdynaco

cdynaco

bt4

Who cares why Ford chose to continue to offer a V6? Will knowing Ford's rationale solve the Palestinian issue? Perhaps knowing the why will prevent clashes on the Russian-Ukranian border? The mysterious drop in gas mileage in the V6 has been treated as if it was a conspiracy tantamount to the shooter on the grassy knoll. (It could be simply the change in the rear axle ratio--though that just might be too simple. After all, if you swapped out your current stock GT gears for a 4.10 you'd expect to keep the same gas mileage--right? </sarcasm>)

2 Go Snake points out (correctly, in my opinion) that there is a market niche that the V6 will play to, and make buyers quite comfortable with their choice. Some buyers will not feel comfortable with the idea of a turbo-4. By continuing to offer the V6, they preserve those sales that otherwise may have been lost to the competition. (The Camaro V6 is a nice vehicle, and the Challenger with the new Pentastar V6 is not bad.)
In fact, considering the price point, the V6 version of the Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger all offer a much better value than the V8 versions.

The Mustang is now participating in a global market. One major consideration in a global market effort is that different markets tax based on different criteria. Some markets have tax calculations (an automotive tax) for vehicle owners that take into account number of cylinders (hence a turbo 4 might have an advantage over a V6 in those market places). Other markets do not tax by cylinder count but by horsepower (where a V6 with close to the same gas mileage, but less horsepower might be a more attractive choice than a turbo-4 with a higher HP rating).

Speaking of horsepower, Italy is gearing up to levy some serious taxes based on horsepower. http://www.0-60mag.com/news/2012/03/...on-horsepower/

In China there is an automotive tax based on engine size (a 3.7L V6 would be taxed at a higher rate than a 2.3L four based on engine size.) It should be easier to market and sell the 2.3L in China, than the 3.7, even if the HP and fuel economy were identical. Ford might want to sell a few vehicles in what is the single largest market place on the planet, maybe even sell a few Mustangs there.

Of course, Ford probably didn't take any of those things under consideration. I am certain that they made an off-the-cuff, arbitrary decision to keep the V6--one obviously designed to p*ss off a few fans on a Mustang site.

AWmustang

What is the obsession with people saying the V6 is needed for the Rental fleets. I see no reason why the Ecoboost wouldn't work for the rental fleets. They already have tons of ecoboost Fusions and Escapes in the rental fleets.

These ecoboost engines are the fragile turbos of yesterday. They don't need any special cool down prior to shutting the engine down. They are engineered so that the coolant continues to flowing using a natural siphoning action.