Any V6 fans?

[Horse]

I'm showing my age, but I can remember when Corvettes produced 250 HP.

I live in a congested area, so I can't use 400+ HP even if I had it. I'd very much like the sound of the V8, but the cost to get that sound is too much for me.

For me, reading posts here, I am thinking the hp of the GT of 10 years ago...

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[Horse]

Here is a question concerning fuel economy of V6 vs EB. In what driving situations (if ever) will the V6 delivers better fuel economy than EB?

Just curious. Appreciate your input.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Here is a question concerning fuel economy of V6 vs EB. In what driving situations (if ever) will the V6 delivers better fuel economy than EB?

Just curious. Appreciate your input.

In most situations. The EB will produce far better EPA estimated mileage, because turbocharged engines can be designed in such a way as to game those tests, but in the real world you're likely to get better mileage in the V6 in most situations unless you're keeping the engine under 2,000 rpm.

 

[Brent302]

In most situations. The EB will produce far better EPA estimated mileage, because turbocharged engines can be designed in such a way as to game those tests, but in the real world you're likely to get better mileage in the V6 in most situations unless you're keeping the engine under 2,000 rpm.

I think an EB (Manual) Driven conservatively can net some crazy good MPG.

Just look at my Challenger R/T with 3.92 rear end. EPA is something along 15/24

Average with much spirited driving is 17.9 and if I baby it like Grandma I can get 28.7(Highway). 1st gear at 60 is something like 1600RPM.

I'm sure non-PP EcoBoost(Manual) owners can pull some outstanding numbers.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

I think an EB (Manual) Driven conservatively can net some crazy good MPG.

Just look at my Challenger R/T with 3.92 rear end. EPA is something along 15/24

Average with much spirited driving is 17.9 and if I baby it like Grandma I can get 28.7(Highway). 1st gear at 60 is something like 1600RPM.

I'm sure non-PP EcoBoost(Manual) owners can pull some outstanding numbers.

Under certain circumstances, of course, you can always outdo the EPA numbers. I normally get 20-21 in my V6 Mustang, but on straight highway driving -- like, when I drive from NYC to Miami and back for vacation -- I've seen as high as 35. So yeah, it obviously depends.

 

[Horse]

Thank you both.

Yeah... When the RPM is low, the EB should have an edge over V6. At high rpm when the turbo is seriously working, the EB must drink more gas.

 

[66coupe]

Here is a question concerning fuel economy of V6 vs EB. In what driving situations (if ever) will the V6 delivers better fuel economy than EB?

In most situations. The EB will produce far better EPA estimated mileage, because turbocharged engines can be designed in such a way as to game those tests, but in the real world you're likely to get better mileage in the V6 in most situations unless you're keeping the engine under 2,000 rpm.

I think an EB (Manual) Driven conservatively can net some crazy good MPG.
...
I'm sure non-PP EcoBoost(Manual) owners can pull some outstanding numbers.

I've never owned a turbo, so I'm also curious about what we should expect as far as mileage. If the EB's real world fuel economy numbers are significantly better than the V6, this would be a factor for me. My car will be a daily driver, so it will get a lot of miles.

We might need to wait for some long term reviews, either from magazines or forum members, before we know what to expect.

 

[stangs-R-me]

I love my 2011 3.7L V6 ... MCA Edition w/ Manual, 2.73 gears, & 235/50-18 tires. I drive 400 mi week for work and have averaged 30.39 MPG since new (real calculated MPG's). I've gotten above 32 MPG on 17 tank-fulls, but never broke 33.

Run ethanol-free 91 octane exclusively, have an SCT-Bama tuner (91P tune), Air-Raid CAI, & aluminum driveshaft.

This is my 4th V6 / Manual trans Mustang I've owned since 1994 and it is by far the "biggest & heaviest" but it is also the fastest and gets the best MPG's.

It is even faster in the 1/4 than my 1969 Mustang ... built 351W 4BBL, 4-Speed, 3.50:1 T-Lok ... that only gets 10 MPG average.

My 2011 V6's stock Ford exhaust even sounds decent ... not saying it sounds as good as a V8, but it sounds a lot better than most 6 bangers out there.

I plan on getting a 2016 in the Spring of 2016, and am not real happy that you can't get a "Premium V6", nor the rumor that I read that the 3.7L V6 may be gone in 2016.

I've never owned a 4-cyl car so I'm really hoping that the Ecoboost sounds halfway decent and that it can beat the real-world MPG's I've gotten in my 2011.

They say the nice flat torque curve on the 2.3L EB starts at 1500 RPM ... it certainly does not start that low on a 3.7L V6 ... so this and the possibility of even better MPG's has caught my attention big time !!

Doug

 

[Suddueth13]

With both cars being driven conservatively(keeping the EcoBoost out of boost), the EcoBoost will see better mileage. With both cars being driven aggressively, the V6 will see the better mileage. On the mostly flat highway, the EcoBoost will see higher numbers. If the highway is very hilly or goes through mountains, it's possible the V6 ay see better mileage.

With that said, I do love the 3.7L motor. It's worlds better than the 3.8L and 4.0L motors. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 2011-2014 3.7L. For the S550 though, I'd have to go with the EcoBoost if it were me. Having peak torque under 2000 rpms (300+) is great when driving around town. Plus, it will see bigger initial gains when modifying over the 3.7L.

 

[66coupe]

With both cars being driven conservatively(keeping the EcoBoost out of boost), the EcoBoost will see better mileage. With both cars being driven aggressively, the V6 will see the better mileage. On the mostly flat highway, the EcoBoost will see higher numbers. If the highway is very hilly or goes through mountains, it's possible the V6 ay see better mileage.

With that said, I do love the 3.7L motor. It's worlds better than the 3.8L and 4.0L motors. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 2011-2014 3.7L. For the S550 though, I'd have to go with the EcoBoost if it were me. Having peak torque under 2000 rpms (300+) is great when driving around town. Plus, it will see bigger initial gains when modifying over the 3.7L.

Thanks, that helps a lot. I've never owned a turbo (let alone turbo DI), so I don't have a feel for how it compares to a NA engine in real world conditions.

I can see a lot of reasons to like the EB, but I keep coming back to keeping things simpler and less expensive with the V6.

Hmmm, I can't wait for the road tests to start coming out. And test drives at dealerships.

 

[66coupe]

I love my 2011 3.7L V6 ... MCA Edition w/ Manual, 2.73 gears, & 235/50-18 tires. I drive 400 mi week for work and have averaged 30.39 MPG since new (real calculated MPG's). I've gotten above 32 MPG on 17 tank-fulls, but never broke 33.

That is excellent info. Thanks.

This is my 4th V6 / Manual trans Mustang I've owned since 1994 and it is by far the "biggest & heaviest" but it is also the fastest and gets the best MPG's.

It is even faster in the 1/4 than my 1969 Mustang ... built 351W 4BBL, 4-Speed, 3.50:1 T-Lok ... that only gets 10 MPG average.

The advances in engine technology over the last couple decades is amazing.

My 2011 V6's stock Ford exhaust even sounds decent ... not saying it sounds as good as a V8, but it sounds a lot better than most 6 bangers out there.

I agree, the V6 sounds good. I'd rather have the V8 sound, but the V6 exhaust note is easy to live with.

I plan on getting a 2016 in the Spring of 2016, and am not real happy that you can't get a "Premium V6", nor the rumor that I read that the 3.7L V6 may be gone in 2016.

I agree. I'm sure there is a lot to like about the EB, but the 3.7 seems like a really nice engine and, for now at least, I like it more then the EB. Maybe that'll change after we know more about the EB.

I've never owned a 4-cyl car so I'm really hoping that the Ecoboost sounds halfway decent and that it can beat the real-world MPG's I've gotten in my 2011.

From the test drive videos, the sound inside is really nice. But I think the EB cars use active noise cancellation to get rid of the more unpleasant sounds generated by the 4 cylinder engine. The active noise cancellation works through the speakers, so it helps inside the car. I have not heard the EB from the outside or without the active noise cancellation. All that being said, there are some 4 cylinder engines that sound good, so we'll have to wait to see how good of a job Ford did here.

As for the real world MPGs, that is a big concern of mine as well. Based on what others have been saying, it seems like the EB's mileage is more sensitive to driving conditions than in NA engines. I live in a very hilly part of the country, and I worry that the EB mileage will suffer here.

They say the nice flat torque curve on the 2.3L EB starts at 1500 RPM ... it certainly does not start that low on a 3.7L V6 ... so this and the possibility of even better MPG's has caught my attention big time !!

I'm ready for some road tests and then some long term tests so that we can learn more about it.

 

[stangs-R-me]

How I've achieved the average 30.39 MPG's ...

My weekly 400 mile drive is from N.E. Wisconsin to just north of Chicago (I43 to I94) ... pretty flat driving except Manitowoc & Sheboygan counties near home are a "little" hilly.

I drive 10 over the limit pretty much everywhere so I'm doing either 75 MPH or 65 MPH when on the interstate. In Illinois where it is supposedly 55 MPH I'll also do 75 MPH, but will run with traffic up to 85 MPH.

About 70% of this 400 miles is with the cruise set.
The other 30% I'm either in traffic or on surface streets.

In stop & go traffic, I'll rev it out a bit off the line thru 1st & 2nd, but then get into 5th or 6th as quickly as possible when up to speed (5th @ 30~35 MPH & 6th @ 40~45 MPH).

I'm sure I could get a better MPG's if I went the speed limit everywhere, but that just ain't happening !!

I always do my weekly commute on ONE tank of gas and there is always some left when I get home (typically around 50 MI to E), but not enough to do ALL my weekend errands. I've got other cars to drive, so I don't need to put gas in it more than once a week.

The 2015 V6 will supposedly have 3.15 rear gears (vs. 2.73 in my 2011) and no change to the transmission gearing or tire dia. so I don't see how it will get BETTER MPG's than I'm getting now. The EB with Manual (trans supposedly has same gearing as V6) will come with a 3.31 differential, so I don't see how it will get better real worl MPG's either. EB with Auto trans will come std. with 3.15 differential, so this will likely do better MPG's than the Manual EB.

Can't wait to see what EPA MPG ratings end up being for the whole S550 line up as well as real world MPG's that magazines and owner's get.

Doug

 

[Horse]

How I've achieved the average 30.39 MPG's ...

My weekly 400 mile drive is from N.E. Wisconsin to just north of Chicago (I43 to I94) ... pretty flat driving except Manitowoc & Sheboygan counties near home are a "little" hilly.

I drive 10 over the limit pretty much everywhere so I'm doing either 75 MPH or 65 MPH when on the interstate. In Illinois where it is supposedly 55 MPH I'll also do 75 MPH, but will run with traffic up to 85 MPH.

About 70% of this 400 miles is with the cruise set.
The other 30% I'm either in traffic or on surface streets.

In stop & go traffic, I'll rev it out a bit off the line thru 1st & 2nd, but then get into 5th or 6th as quickly as possible when up to speed (5th @ 30~35 MPH & 6th @ 40~45 MPH).

I'm sure I could get a better MPG's if I went the speed limit everywhere, but that just ain't happening !!

I always do my weekly commute on ONE tank of gas and there is always some left when I get home (typically around 50 MI to E), but not enough to do ALL my weekend errands. I've got other cars to drive, so I don't need to put gas in it more than once a week.

The 2015 V6 will supposedly have 3.15 rear gears (vs. 2.73 in my 2011) and no change to the transmission gearing or tire dia. so I don't see how it will get BETTER MPG's than I'm getting now. The EB with Manual (trans supposedly has same gearing as V6) will come with a 3.31 differential, so I don't see how it will get better real worl MPG's either. EB with Auto trans will come std. with 3.15 differential, so this will likely do better MPG's than the Manual EB.

Can't wait to see what EPA MPG ratings end up being for the whole S550 line up as well as real world MPG's that magazines and owner's get.

Doug

Thanks for sharing.

But...I can not help wondering...how much of your high MPG do you think is because of the ethanol free 91 gas that you are using? Just curious, if you add regular 87 gas (with up to 10% ethanol), what kind of MPG would you expect?

 

[Horse]

The 2015 V6 will supposedly have 3.15 rear gears (vs. 2.73 in my 2011) and no change to the transmission gearing or tire dia. so I don't see how it will get BETTER MPG's than I'm getting now.

Doug

I am curious too. Plus the 2015 V6 will be a bit heavier.

Maybe they somehow have managed to make the engine more efficient? Speaking of this, I do understand that the 2015 V6 is a carry-over engine. Don't they tweak an engine regularly? I have to admit that I don't know anything about automobile manufacturing business.

 

[stangs-R-me]

I am curious too. Plus the 2015 V6 will be a bit heavier.

Maybe they somehow have managed to make the engine more efficient? Speaking of this, I do understand that the 2015 V6 is a carry-over engine. Don't they tweak an engine regularly? I have to admit that I don't know anything about automobile manufacturing business.

2015 V6 should be less than 100 lbs. heavier than 2014 V6 (based on info that has been released by Ford).

I don't think there will be any internal differences between the 2011-14 Mustang 3.7L V6, but it has been stated that it "might be" de-tuned from 305 HP to 300 HP. What ever de-tuning that is done, it will certainly be back able to be tuned via the aftermarket to the same performance levels as the 2011-14.

Also note that the 2011-up 3.7L V6 on the stock Ford programing will also also self-tune for higher octane gas (just like the 5.0L). This was something that was never "officially published", but in various interviews with Ford Engineer's it was stated YES IT WILL thanks to it being equipped with Knock Sensors.

Doug

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