I dont think it will change much, due to them making a lighter car, id aspect to see 420 at the crank, even with DI, they will just tune it down, any special edition mustang they will boost it up to Boss level power.

I honestly think insurance companys will soon put a cap on HP with the manufacturers, i think that may happen when you can buy a 35k USD car that has 500+HP...

 

Even so, the current MPG ratings are quite high. The Mustang gets better mileage than a 4-cylinder Mazda 3.

 

True. My 2005 Mazda 6 I4 only gets about 27 on the highway and about 17 in the city. The new mazdas aren't that much better I still love them though. They're more of the exception in the MPG world. At least until this fall when skyactive technology comes to the mazda 3.

 

Hell my 08 MazdaSpeed 3 with the 2.3lDISI turbo motor and 6 speed got 25mph all day long.... fun car i might add to.. i kinda miss it, then i get in the mustang and start it up.. that feeling goes away quick..

 

Have they talked about that? I can't remeber?

 

I believe they're trying to change it.

 

That ought to be interesting? For what its worth, when the 4th gen F-bodies rolled out, GM put the weak **** 10 bolt (somewhat equivalent to Ford's 7.5" rear end) to keep from classifying the Camaro and Firebird as a mid or full sized car.

I cant remeber its exact classification but I think like the Mustang it was considered a compact car by dint of its weight. Had they installed a larger rear end such as an 8.8 equivalent the F-body would have been moved out of its compact car (I think thats right) classification into the next larger car class.

 

I believe the Mustang is classified as a compact. I think it's the interior volume, not the weight, that the government uses to classify cars.

 

yup its interior volume, nothing to do with anything mechanical or weight. you could make a fiesta out of granite and it would still be a subcompact

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/info.shtml

trucks are by GVWR

 

I think it will be tuned better a la the Bullit, but essentially the same engine. The biggest difference in performance will be due to the weight reduction, not more liters/HP, IMO

 

I suspect you're right.

 

My guess is that we will get nominal increases in power for the 5.0 and 3.7, maybe up to around 425 and 325, due to DI and general tuning. At the bottom end, expect a turbo 4 of either 2.0 or 2.3 liters with around 225-250 hp for the secretaries and hair stylists.

More significantly will be a trip to the fat farm and gym to trim and tone the body and chassis to make better use of the available power. Figure a liposuctioning of at least 200 lbs of road hugging weight and trading in the Doc Martin live axle for a proper pair of running shoes. Aerodynamics will also be slicked up so as not to confuse the Stang with a tool shed in the wind tunnel.

At least those are my predictions.

 

If you see a V6 you won't see a I4-Turbo..and vice versa.

 

any thoughts on which it will be.....

 

I imagine there's enough room in the lineup for 4, 6, and 8 pot motors, each with about a 100hp step up (including a 100+hp bump for the force feed GT 500). Of course, the 3.7 will cease to be the bottom feeder of the lineup, being replaced in that role by the turbo 4. I would imagine the 3.7 might then focus on reeling in some of the import crowd while the 5.0 will keep the more traditional base happy.

Of course, this profusion of smaller yet still sporty motors means that buyers won't have to opt up to the bigger, thirstier V8s to reap genuine driving pleasure (in stark contrast to the aged, agrarian truck motors that have typically marked sub-V8 Stangs for the most part). That will make for better CAFE numbers and thus, better guarantee the big V8s continued reign.

 

Interior volume it is, wish I could remeber why weight was so important on the 4th gen though that GM slapped it with a weak corprate 10 bolt. It wasn't a purely cost cutting manuever as I recall.

Pffftt... this is the problem with car companies. Better than Bullitt for the next gen base GT would be acceptable, but IMO Ford should really use the Boss as the internal performance standard the next gen GT needs to live up to with a summer tire option. That'd be real progress and if the next car is going global why not sling some mud in BMW and Audi's faces with a run of the mill GT spanking the snot out of the M3 and RS5 (not that the GT is far off the mark now).

 

I expect to see Boss DNA in the Next Gen.

 

There are a number variables to consider when predicting what engine choices and power ratings will be in the next generation Mustang.

First, everyone is talking about a smaller, lighter Mustang, which I think would be great, especially the lighter part, but I'm not convinced this will happen. People are getting bigger in all ways and given that safety standards are getting more stringent every year, very few cars have decreased in weight in the last decade. BMW, among other brands, keeps getting bigger and heavier with each generation, despite employing some weight saving technologies. The new Dodge Charger is heavier than the previous generation by a 200-300 pounds and yet its dimensions are about the same (a little wider but a little shorter too) and it has an aluminum hood. I just don't see the Mustang getting lighter given future safety requirements and its price point.

Second, what will the competition be doing in 2015 and beyond in terms of engines and power? The Challenger probably won't be around in 2015, but the Camaro will. No doubt Ford will want to have a higher power rating than the Camaro, but will it? I agree that if Ford does have an Eco-Boost I4, there will be no naturally aspirated V6. I also don't think there will be a naturally aspirated V8 if there is an Eco-Boost V6. While we may have current engine lineup in 2015, the years after may bring changes as CAFE gets more stringent. I could easily see an Eco-Boost I4 as the base engine and the GT having an Eco-Boost 3.7 V6 with the Shelby version having an Eco-Boost 5.0 V8. It's rumored that in a couple years Dodge will give the Charger R/T a super or turbo charged 3.6 V6 and that only the SRT will get a V8.

As far as what the current engines will produce in 2015, I predict that the 2015 GT will have power closer to the 2012 GT rather than the Boss, as Ford doesn't want to show up their special editions too soon. The 2010 GT had the same torque as the 2009 Bullitt, but four fewer hp. I'm betting the 2015 GT has 425 hp and 400 hp torque at best.

 

I hope so, I'm cautiously optimistic about the car being lighter (more of the mind that it will be mass neutral compared to the current car), but if the next gen car is substantially lighter and provided it has a proper IRS (read biased in favor of handling rather than ride comfort) and the virtual pivot front suspension then my expectations for the next gen car's handling are pretty lofty and I think with a summer tire option, Ford should be using the Boss as the reference car meeting or beating it. Which it should if the 2015 car is lighter with a more advanced front and rear suspension and having the same or better power to weight ratio (a 3300 pound car would have virtually the same P/W with 400hp as a 3600 lbs car would have with 440hp).

 

I'd expect a GT to have an 8 for the foreseable future...even if its smaller and force fed, but still an 8.
Its part of the DNA.