I know it's nearly universal opinion around here that practically any V8 sounds better than any V6. I've owned five high-performance cars, three of them with pushrod V8s. Of all of them, the one whose engine sound and character I loved the most was in my first-generation Taurus SHO. It certainly didn't have as much horsepower or torque as my Corvette but by God I tell you that it was so rev-happy and sounded so good it made me want to hug it. Did it sound like a V8? No. Was it fabulous? Yes! It's possible to love Elvis Presley AND Shania Twain, even though they sound nothing like each other.

 

I'm compelled to agree with you, and with the exhaust I have on my car I do like the way my V6 sounds, but most people would agree that a Mustang sounds best with a V8 under the hood. I'm sure the new V6 will sound great with aftermarket exhaust, but it just isn't in character with the car IMO. If I wanted a nice V6 sports coupe, I think I would buy a G37S. You can't deny the value of the new V6 though.

 

I respectfully disagree about the V6 not being in character with the Mustang. Making the Mustang front-wheel drive, or a four-door, or offering it as an off-road, jacked up four-wheel drive would be out of the Mustang's character. But Mustangs have had six cylinder engines going back to the first generation, haven't they? And for the first time, the Mustang is getting a six that is not an afterthought "good-enough" unit. The new 3.7 is about as close to world-class as any V6 Ford has ever made.

 

I just hope it doesn't sound anything like the Nissan/Infiniti 3.7L. What a horrific sound those things make! Like a swarm of bees trapped in a tin can!

 

No problem with your disagreement. I agree with you on your point that the first Mustangs had 6cylinders. Those were the secretaries' cars. I will say that it is kinda cool that the V6 is no longer an afterthought and that Americans' tastes are changing to see V6 pony cars as actual performance options, but for me, I've always loved and aspired to the V8 cars. And most enthusiasts would agree. I may have been out of line a bit, by saying the V6 is out of character. I haven't driven one yet so I can't say. But since Mustangs have been produced, the 6-cylinder cars have always been underperforming models that make their owners lust for a V8 model. It seems times are changing, and I have no problem with that! I just want a new V8 Mustang in my driveway!

Carry on... . Glad we could have a civil debate. I mostly agree with you anyways, and being a V6 driver now, I hate the performance gap (not to mention how many V8 drivers look down upon V6 drivers). I don't drive a V6 by choice, but I am building it up to be a little Cobra killer...just because!

 

Patrick, I'm planning on buying a 2011 Mustang GT myself, so I'm certainly not opposed to V8's. And you're right that in the past the sixes used in Mustangs were nothing to brag about. But this new engine could be the thing to really open people's eyes if they give it a chance. I know that the EcoBoost V6's (which come from the same engine family as this 3.7) have been reported to be fairly (perhaps too) quiet. But they've only been used in luxury and semi-luxury vehicles so far. I'm assuming that with the Mustang, Ford knows that we want to hear our engines and will have tuned the intake/exhaust so it sounds like a sports car and not a luxury car. If they can make it sound like the SHO sounded, it's going to be delightful.

Three cheers for civil debate.

 

I agree, I hope they channel the spirit of the original SHO in the exhaust note. God knows they didn't channel it in the new "SHO". That car is a disgrace to the name. Fat AWD platform, Auto only, isolated driving dynamics/engine note. etc. And they call it a fricken "SHOW" instead of saying the letters. I think it's a good looking car, nice interior great powertrain. It's just not a true successor to the original SHO. Although, neither was the 3rd Gen SHO, but that's neither here nor there. Ford has said it has plans to drop EcoBoost in to other models and I can't wait!

 

Just wait till a hybrid or all electric engine is available. People will be downloading sound profiles for their car at that point.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/au.../14hybrid.html

 

It would be nice if Ford would have the SVT engineers tweak the new SHO. There's not a lot they can do about the size or weight, but they could tighten up the suspension, give it better brakes, and more motor music. If they could install a proper manual transmission, too, it could be a pretty nice machine. I think Ford has really been on a roll lately and the non-SHO Taurus is really quite a car, but it seems they let the SHO out before they were done.

I think the true spiritual successor to the original SHO would be a high performance version of the Fusion. With a manual transmission, please.

 

Yep. I think they should just call the new Taurus SHO the "Taurus Limited EcoBoost" and get it over with!

 

Actually, that's got me thinking. I think a great "family car" would be for Ford to start with the Fusion but make a wagon version. Give it AWD, the EcoBoost V6, a manual transmission, and a fairly tight suspension. You'd have all weather capability, lots of room for stuff, plenty of punch, and a basic body style that a cop wouldn't look twice at.

 

Been waiting for a Fusion wagon for forever. We won't see it. Just as we won't see the new Mazda 6/Atenza wagon that was just unveiled. Americans love them crossovers. There was a concept Fusion wagon in Car and Driver a few years back. I believe it was photoshopped but it did look cool...I'll see if I can dig up pics.

 

We've gone way off topic but anyways:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...agon-road_test