Focus RS VS Mustang Eco Boost

[danzo]

OK, so the new Focus RS uses just about the same basic 2.3 liter turbo four as the Mustang, tuned up for more power, turned sideways and packaged for FWD. It makes 40 HP and 30 lb-ft. TQ more than the Mustang. It totes around about 300 less pounds of car (curb weight 3400). According to Car & Driver, it'll do 0-60 in 4.6 and a quarter mile in 13.2. Yes, it can kick butt on a stock Mustang Eco Boost. But, why does it use so damn much gas (EPA 17/23 mpg) in comparison to the heavier Mustang (22/31 mpg). Hell, it's got a worse highway rating than the 3800 lb. 435 HP Mustang GT (EPA 15/25 MPG). I've heard a lot of guys on these forums, who I'd estimate are getting as much or more power out of their tuned Mustang Eco Boost engines than the Focus RS engine, report much better actual gas mileage than that (right guys?). Why so thirsty? :shrug:

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[DanFish]

Maybe because it's awd

 

[EcoSwag1990]

Yea its not fwd. It does have a bigger turbo though right? so a tuned focus rs will still be faster than a tuned mustang EB. As lame as it may look

 

[Busser48]

OK, so the new Focus RS uses just about the same basic 2.3 liter turbo four as the Mustang, tuned up for more power, turned sideways and packaged for FWD. It makes 40 HP and 30 lb-ft. TQ more than the Mustang. It totes around about 300 less pounds of car (curb weight 3400). According to Car & Driver, it'll do 0-60 in 4.6 and a quarter mile in 13.2. Yes, it can kick butt on a stock Mustang Eco Boost. But, why does it use so damn much gas (EPA 17/23 mpg) in comparison to the heavier Mustang (22/31 mpg). Hell, it's got a worse highway rating than the 3800 lb. 435 HP Mustang GT (EPA 15/25 MPG). I've heard a lot of guys on these forums, who I'd estimate are getting as much or more power out of their tuned Mustang Eco Boost engines than the Focus RS engine, report much better actual gas mileage than that (right guys?). Why so thirsty? :shrug:

It has a completely different turbo!

 

[sk8erord]

The website still shows TBD for fuel economy...

 

[danzo]

RS MPG

What I quoted is reported as EPA numbers from Car & Driver's March 2016 issue. Maybe they got them wrong. The C & D article doesn't go into a lot of detail about the engineering of the motor. I'll quote what they wrote about engine changes. "The engine is basically the Mustang EcoBoost's 2.3-liter turned transversely and tweaked to deliver more power. It has a twin-scroll turbocharger, high-tensile cast-iron cylinder liners to deal with higher boost pressures, and a new cylinder head that is cast by Nemak and machined by Ford. The exhaust has no intermediate silencers, just a rear muffler with switchable acoustic flaps."

 

[Busser48]

The internals of the turbo ate different and it's a larger size if I'm not mistaken, as for the mpg's maybe that's drift mode!!! Lol jk

 

[sk8erord]

Ah I haven't seen that article yet.

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[Busser48]

It wasn't an article, I forget where I read it, or I might if even watched a video and saw it. I have burned through so many different things I can't keep up

 

[sk8erord]

It wasn't an article, I forget where I read it, or I might if even watched a video and saw it. I have burned through so many different things I can't keep up

I was referring to the above car & driver reference. ;) I should have quoted for clarification. I've heard the same things as you about the turbo, manifold, and exhaust being different.

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[Busser48]

I was referring to the above car & driver reference. ;) I should have quoted for clarification. I've heard the same things as you about the turbo, manifold, and exhaust being different.

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No I know, I wasn't being patronizing at all.

 

[dragonacc]

The biggest reason is probably the gearing and AWD system.

 

[danzo]

RS motor changes

Here's a question I wish I had Ford's answer to - Why didn't Ford just retune the Mustang engine to get the relatively modest power gains they set for the production RS? Was it so that it could rev higher and maintain power? Did their engine research tell them it was safer to make other modifications rather than go with a more radical tune? It sure would be nice if some engineer from the eco boost engine research section at Ford could chime in on Mustang 6G and help take some of the guess work out of modifying these things....... (Yea, I know, dream on!)
.

 

[ypena02]

Here's a question I wish I had Ford's answer to - Why didn't Ford just retune the Mustang engine to get the relatively modest power gains they set for the production RS? Was it so that it could rev higher and maintain power? Did their engine research tell them it was safer to make other modifications rather than go with a more radical tune? It sure would be nice if some engineer from the eco boost engine research section at Ford could chime in on Mustang 6G and help take some of the guess work out of modifying these things....... (Yea, I know, dream on!)
.

It seems like Ford's focus with the EB Mustang was economy with performance secondary. Ford is marketing the RS as a performance-minded platform.

 

[CompO5.sl0w]

Here's a question I wish I had Ford's answer to - Why didn't Ford just retune the Mustang engine to get the relatively modest power gains they set for the production RS? Was it so that it could rev higher and maintain power? Did their engine research tell them it was safer to make other modifications rather than go with a more radical tune? It sure would be nice if some engineer from the eco boost engine research section at Ford could chime in on Mustang 6G and help take some of the guess work out of modifying these things....... (Yea, I know, dream on!)
.

I think more because they didn't need too. You don't want to put all your bread in one basket type thing. The EcoBoost Mustang the way it is designed right now outperforms its competition and gets relatively good gas mileage.

The RS's competition is the STi in which the Mustang EcoBoost design would not outperform. Not to mention this is a speciality car which they interned to hit the market with a boom.

I'd expect the EcoBoost to have relatively the same numbers as the RS without AWD in a few years.

The reasoning for the lower fuel economy is simply performance>MPG. Average buyers looking to buy the Mustang EB are looking for a balance between power and fuel economy. Where as the RS buyer market want performance/AWD and could care less about MPG.

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