TURBO 05

Hey anyone know why Ford uses a 4.0 L V6 and makes 210 hp while most Japanese. cars have 3.5 and smaller making 240-270 hp, why is Ford skimping on the V6 for the Mustang?
I think that they should be getting at least 250 hp out of such a large V6.
Any thoughs on this?

future9er24

possibly to not dtract from GT sales. but maybe since its the base engine, they just dont feel like putting the effort or money into making more power out of it. and besides the majority (sorry for generalizing) of V6 buyers aren't as concerned with power output i guess. just my $0.02

dustindu4

what japanese V6 can you get that has a base HP more than 210 for less than $20k

TURBO 05

Here are some cars that have engines that are all smaller then the 4.0 L and make more power or about the same
Acura RSX 4 cyl 2.0L 210 hp
Chevy Cobalt SS 4cyl s/c 2.0L 205 hp
Dodge Neon SRT-4 4cyl s/c 2.4L 220 hp
Mazda 6 v6 3.0L 220 hp
Mitsubishi Eclipse v6 3.0L 210 hp
Nissan Altima v6 3.5L 250 hp
Pontiac G6 v6 3.5L 200 hp
Toyota Camry v6 3.0L 210 hp
Toyota Camry v6 3.3L 225 hp


I just think that the Mustang makes a awsome statement on its looks and i think that the V6 deservers a little more power. This is nothing against any V6 owners this is against ford not giving it enough power in my opinion. I do have to admit though that 10 years ago a GT had the power of what a V6 has today so I am sure there is room for imporvments and we will see them eventually.
I agree thought that for 20k it is a great deal, my point is mainly that with a 4.0 L V6 ford could make more power at no extra cost , that is a huge V6 and it must be easy to get at least 240hp out of it

wild stray

Except for the Altima 'optional' v-6. it looks to be in good company with the competition you listed already. The 4.0 is a beefy engine, if anybody wants to take things a few steps further, they can.

André

Ford considered using the 3.0L duratek engine for this car at first, it's smoother, better on gas, lighter and has about the same HP and torque, but I imagine the beancounters got the last word and they went with the cheaper older 4.0L ranger engine, my guess is that engine will be replaced in a few years, there is already a lot of complaints about it concerning the vibration level...

André

The base V6 Mustang is not a GT, and is not about power (mostly). The typical V6 customer does not mod his car or care much about the HP figures.

tekman13

I think part of your answer may lie in the horsepower and torque curves of the respective engines. I don't have them in front of me at the moment, but Japanese engines have a tendency to have a pointed curve with high slopes meaning that while the peak is higher, it is not sustained for long. Also, lower end torque is probably missing from these other engines.

Take a drive. You will feel the difference.

05GT-O.C.D.

Could it have anything to do w/ torque numbers? I don't understand engines all that well but having driven a few of those cars mentioned, none of them feel like they pull as well as v6 stang. Also, I believe the Colbalt SS has a factory blower on it? Just thoughts.

Edit: Sorry Tekman, you posted while I was typing.

Boomer

-engine has plenty of potential (250-270hp) and isn't NEARLY massaged to the edge like a lot of Japanese. motors.

-won't run into GT power levels right now (but can be expanded in the future if neccessary)

-runs 87 octane

-TORQUE TORQUE TORQUE (HP is no way to measure how much power the car has, look at the big picture. HP, Torque when and where they come in on a dyno is VERY important)

S197Cobra

IMO that is exactly it. People need to quit comparing engines based on their peak horsepower -- it is one single point on an entire curve. Mustang is about torque, which the 4.0L is good at. Drive a 4 cylinder Japaense car and see how much torque it doesn't have.

nynvolt

Don't get me wrong but here's the honest truth.

American car companies have a bad habit of using old technology, they want more hp from a smaller displacement engine they toss a turbo or super charger on it rather than do the R&D to make a more efficient engine. It goes without saying a larger displacement engine will make more torque and most japanese engines are smaller displacement and there fore less torque. But Honda makes a 300hp naturally aspirated V6. They make a 240 hp 2.2ltr 4 banger. To get anything close to that kind of HP/ltr American auto makers have to use forced induction because they refuse to create new engines using new technology.

Ford has made a step in the right direction with the GT's V8, using variable valve timing but still slacking on the V6. They could have squeezed another 30+hp plus better fuel economy had they implemented it in the V6...BUT, you'd have to pay alot more for the car.

Heck the Accord has a 240hp V6, thats what, a 3.4 or something and the base V6 accord is 25 grand. How many V6 mustang owners are willing to put down 25 grand when they could just buy the GT?

So people can bemoan American auto makers all they want but until they are ready to put their money where their mouth is, you can't blame auto makers.

I don't really think Forced induction cars should even count, especially the neon srt 4 and the cobalt. They are old tech iron engines with a turbo, throw a turbo on anything and get the numbers.

racerx

I'd say it's cost driven. To put a complex. DOHC, multi-valve V-6 with Variable valve timing would have pushed the V6 into the mid 20's - directly competing with a base GT.

S197Cobra

HP/Liter is a overused concept in the import world. Since half the equation for horsepower is RPM, all you have to do is spin the motor higher. This is a matter of tuning, not technology. All of the higher "HP/Liter" Japanese engines have abysmal torque, and they need to be spun to the moon just to get them going.

It is a 3.0L making 240 horsepower. Seems comparable to the Lincoln LS, which makes 232 from a 3.0L. I do not see a technology gap here, I see a choice made by Ford and Honda as to what kind of performance they were looking for in that particular car.

I think Ford made the right decision. Mustangs, V6 or GT, are about torque, and both have engines that are tuned to provide just that. Ford has proven that they can produce motors that sacrifice grunt in order to get better peak horsepower, but they have elected to avoid those engines for the Mustang.

Dave

EleanorsMine

v6 here......
I am being honest- I didn't need 300 horses...I wanted good looks over high speed fun so I got the v6. Didn't consider the GT for more than 3 seconds.
And to be even more honest, I am more interested in exterior mods than making it go faster.
However, the v6 is plenty fast for me, it has get up and go, and it sounds great.Just enough power to keep me happy.

RRRoamer

Peak HP means pretty much nothing. Peak HP doesn't get you down the road either. It is the "area under the curve" that matters. What is the average HP an engine is producing at any given rpm? THAT would be a VERY interesting measure and it would definitely change how you look at small, high reving engines.

A peaky, high rpm engine does have a high peak HP reading, but the curve just stinks getting there. Basically, they do not produce much power below peak HP as the larger, "less techy" engines do. So when you are not spinning it at redline, the bigger engine is producing more power and pulling harder and smoother. Of course, when you ARE spinning it up at redline, those small engines can be a LOT of fun!

I think I will keep my techy engines were they belong: motorcycles. And I'll stick with larger, torquey engines for a street car. A lot more fun. The fact they are generally cheaper to make is only icing on the cake.

Eric B

It's a cheap old motor, so they can keep the base price under $20K. That's all there is to it. Mustangs have always been and probably will always be about old technology. It's what maks them different and cool. The American public doesn't want an import like coupe from Ford (they've tried it and failed). They want old school gaz guzzling inefficient torqy live rear axle stuff and that's what they are getting and buying in spades. This is what keeps the Mustang badge alive but also the reason why the car won't do anything in the rest of the world.

SoCalCobra311

i cant believe the HP they get from the Subaru Impreza WRX Sti that is a 4 cyl that has as much HP as our GT

RalphBullit

have you heard of turbochargers?

S197Cobra

Taking into consideration how much boost they are using to get 300 horsepower, I'm actually a little disappointed.