People of all ages love the Ford Mustang, especially the new one, according to Green Car Reports. In the first five months of this year, the Blue Oval sold 56,571 S550s, besting the second-place Chevrolet Camaro (33,982 sold) by more than 20,000 units and the third-place Dodge Challenger (30,166 sold) by more than 26,000 cars.
However, “millennial” buyers – customers through their early 30s – make up 35 percent of Ford’s customer base for the Mustang. They seem to prefer ‘Stangs of the EcoBoost-ed variety for their fuel economy, which can go as high as 32 mpg on the highway. It helps that the Mustang was completely redesigned for the 2015 model year and that the older Chevy and Dodge models don’t offer a four-cylinder option under their hoods.
Starting with the 2016 model year, Chevrolet will, though. The 2.0-liter turbo four will be standard in that vehicle, whereas the 2.3-liter EcoBoost I4 is the mid-range offering in the Mustang.
To all of our forum members – millennial or otherwise – that own an EcoBoost Mustang: Was its fuel economy what drew you to it or did something else? A good deal on it, perhaps?
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.
