2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost HPP Doesn’t Need a V8 to Impress

EcoBoost Mustang’s new High Performance Package combines attractive styling with extra power and less front end weight.

At most car companies, the performance of a halo model often trickles down to the vehicles below it. So you would think that the Ford Mustang’s stats and performance would have an effect on the Focus. But that’s not exactly how it happened. The top-of-the-line Focus model, the RS, influenced the development of the 2020 Mustang EcoBoost model’s new High Performance Package.

According to Ford, “Initially a passion project that began with a Focus RS engine swap, the High Performance Package became a green-lit production program to strengthen Mustang’s entry-level performance offering.” By installing a larger radiator and bigger turbo compressor and tweaking the engine calibration, Ford Performance was able to increase the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine’s output from 310 to 330 horsepower; torque remains the same at 350 lb-ft, but it has a 40-percent wider curve than the base EcoBoost. They coupled that increased power with Mustang GT brakes, performance rubber, and the chassis and aero upgrades from the Mustang GT Performance Package.

A popular YouTuber who goes by the name StangMode and his pal Evan Smith went to the media launch of the EcoBoost HPP in San Francisco. Before they set off on their drive through the winding roads near the Golden Gate Bridge, engineer Mike Del Zio tells them about some of the Mustang’s various drive modes. Del Zio and his colleagues designed the Sport setting to offer rotational ability like that of the Focus RS. Track mode is “really tied down, but its focus is on stability and … progressive slides.”

Smith starts off behind the ferocious four-banger’s tilting and telescoping wheel and proceeds to blast through the picturesque routes that twist and turn across NorCal. All those lefts and rights make Smith get familiar with the HPP’s steering in a hurry. He tells StangMode, “I really like the weight of the steering. And by that I mean the amount of effort I have to physically put in. You don’t want it to be too light.” Smith favors second gear, but he finds that the EcoBoost still has plenty of thrust in third.

Before Smith and StangMode switch seats, they take a moment to point out the HPP’s attractive exterior elements, including its quad-tip exhaust, tri-bar pony emblem, and dark spoiler and wheels. Then it’s StangMode’s turn to burn up the Pacific Coast Highway. It doesn’t take long for him to start enjoying the HPP’s speed and the beautiful views around him.

Somehow StangMode wills himself to stop driving long enough to give us all a peek under the Mustang’s hood. Not only is there a lot of room in the engine bay, but there’s also a lot less weight. StangMode says, “This is actually 200 pounds lighter on the nose than the GT.”

There’s nothing quite like a Mustang GT (especially when it comes to exhaust sound), but the 2020 EcoBoost High Performance Package is proof that Ford keeps finding ways to make its EcoBoost sibling an increasingly appealing alternative.

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.