Engine Debate

[Strokerswild]

My '79 Indy Pace Car was a turbo-4 car, the only non-V8 Mustang I've owned. It was a pooch in stock trim, but after I stuffed in a big Crane cam, modded the wastegate, and rejetted the carb it was utterly transformed. It surprised more than a few V8s, and handled very well to boot. Due to the cam, it idled like it had a bad plug wire which added to the sleeper factor.

Once I saw what the EBs are running with just a tune it brought back memories of that car. High 11s are nothing to sneeze at. I have no doubts the aftermarket will have them in the 10s before you know it.

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[Charles147]

When you're only 19 and haven't fully formed your opinions of most things, automotive or otherwise, I think it does. "Will I fit in if I make choice "X" matters to most; at that age I think only a few people are secure enough in their own choices - or stubborn enough as nonconformists - to make them in the absence of outside opinion. Or, as is likely to be the case with this particular topic, in spite of a lot of it.

A neighbor of mine had an early-S197 V6 Mustang on a lease (not sure what year) before I even started the round of car shopping that put my '08 in the driveway. I'd only be kidding myself if I tried to deny that his sixxer influenced my purchase.


Norm

let me know when this thread is actually an engine debate and not about a 19 y.o. kid making a choice on which car to buy...

The ONLY thing we should be influencing this kid to do is to get off his @ss and test drive a MUSTANG.

 

[Sixer]

But... you're Canadian?

actually I'm English/Scottish but . . . CanadAmericanized

 

[Lord Thunder]

As far as I know any mature car enthusiast doesn't care about what exact engine is in the car. It's not like a Mustang is going to be special in any way in whatever shape or form it rolls out of the factory. This IS a mass produced car after all.

If you want to make it special, it's you who has to make it special. And to you it IS special, because there are many Mustangs like it, but the one you own is yours.

Besides that, most of the people making comments on your choice of car are the ones who would never drive it anyway. You know, THAT guy who tells you "That car is crap because it not a V8." and all he drives is a hand-me-down Micra from his mom with a fart can.

I am intending to buy the S550 when it finally gets to Europe, and even my friends are already trying to tell me what I should get in terms of color, engine and trim, while I know they would never-ever buy one because they can't or won't be allowed to buy one. So, should I care about that? No.

Like many said before, choose what you like and can afford after you have driven it.

 

[Norm Peterson]

let me know when this thread is actually an engine debate and not about a 19 y.o. kid making a choice on which car to buy...

I guess the shortness of the title doesn't really describe the point of this thread. What this thread is really about is which engine is going to be the best choice for him (this sort of comes out in post #1, which admittedly takes longer to read than the two-word topic title on the page with the list of topics, never mind the 70 or so posts between that and your own first contribution).

At 19, peer pressure - the opinion of the next guy, to use HotRod's wording - normally does matter, and OP is trying to sort that out along with all the other reasons people have for their engine choices.


Norm

 

[JeffreyDJ]

say, think, Mustang means V8 , anything else is less.

There's a lot of I6 Mustangs from the 60's that would disagree. My dad had a 64 1/2 coupe with the I6 and a 65 Fastback with a 289.

Maybe a Mustang should only be a manual. Or maybe they should all be push-rod's, DOHC be damned. Or Perhaps, they shouldn't have IRS. Maybe a mustang shouldn't have a supercharger and instead only be NA? It's a slippery slope, yes?

There have been many people in this thread that have made the point better than me, but a Mustang means performance at a reasonable cost. No matter the motor one chooses in a modern Mustang, it's not a bad choice - and that hasn't always been true.

As someone that has only had V8's in his Mustangs, I chose an EcoBoost. I'm not afraid of what the future holds - and I know I'd love the V8 in the new one. But, I also love the Turbo in the new Mustang.

Disclaimer: I am a born and bred Mustang Lover, not just someone looking for a V8 to prove a non-existent point

 

[blitzburgh]

Hard to relate to because I really never have given a $%$# what others think. If he's paying for it get what he wants. my 2 cents

 

[Charles147]

I guess the shortness of the title doesn't really describe the point of this thread. What this thread is really about is which engine is going to be the best choice for him (this sort of comes out in post #1, which admittedly takes longer to read than the two-word topic title on the page with the list of topics, never mind the 70 or so posts between that and your own first contribution).

At 19, peer pressure - the opinion of the next guy, to use HotRod's wording - normally does matter, and OP is trying to sort that out along with all the other reasons people have for their engine choices.


Norm

Well my fellow enthusiast who actually takes the time to drive a mustang vice sitting around a computer...I would certainly hope with 7,500+ views and over 250 posts the kid has learned by now that its time to put big boy pants on and take the time to gather his OWN opinion by driving the car so he can gather a true opinion.

Hey if you want to keep defending and enabling future generations to kids that troll the internet...well sir, here's to our future :cheers: and our lovely Fordum.

I mean c'mon...never driven a mustang yet has a Porsche and new ST. You've got to be a fool to defend that he's doing all this for research to help him weed through the peer pressure.

 

[Sixer]

It's a slippery slope, yes?

yes indeed, a never ending collection of opinion.
I wonder if the EcoBoost engines will over take - literally and figuratively the V8
or will Ford have to keep it going ?

 

[Lord Thunder]

yes indeed, a never ending collection of opinion.
I wonder if the EcoBoost engines will over take - literally and figuratively the V8
or will Ford have to keep it going ?

In Europe, I can imagine anyone who wants to use the car as a daily driver will go with the EB. Fuel is $8-$9 a gallon here, so that is a real concern on top of the CO2 emission taxes that make the V8 much more expensive to buy (in our case it'll be about a 20K difference). Still, I think there are quite a few of us who would want a V8 (cuz 'MURICA) so it's hard to tell. I don't think the Mustang is going to be a very high volume car here to begin with.

 

[Sixer]

I don't think the Mustang is going to be a very high volume car here to begin with.

online I saw a UK diesel Ford Escape with a very high mpg, not available over here,
is diesel cheaper than gas in Europe ?

what cars do you think the Mustangs would be competing with ?

 

[Norm Peterson]

Well my fellow enthusiast who actually takes the time to drive a mustang vice sitting around a computer...I would certainly hope with 7,500+ views and over 250 posts the kid has learned by now that its time to put big boy pants on and take the time to gather his OWN opinion by driving the car so he can gather a true opinion.

Hey if you want to keep defending and enabling future generations to kids that troll the internet...well sir, here's to our future :cheers: and our lovely Fordum.

I mean c'mon...never driven a mustang yet has a Porsche and new ST. You've got to be a fool to defend that he's doing all this for research to help him weed through the peer pressure.

I wouldn't call owning a 30 year old 944 or a new FWD car much basis for opinion about the world of muscle/pony cars in general or Mustangs in particular. And since he's barely a couple of years older than my oldest granddaughter, I've got a little bit of current insight concerning opinions at that stage of life. Yes, he needs to get his own, but he's got some sifting-through of all the different opinions around him yet to do. It's part of growing up; those of us on the other side of youthfulness had to go through it.

I can only wonder how things would have turned out had the internet had been available when I was 19. It's too early for beer, but there's still coffee in the pot and a clean cup in the drainer.


Norm

 

[Lord Thunder]

online I saw a UK diesel Ford Escape with a very high mpg, not available over here,
is diesel cheaper than gas in Europe ?

what cars do you think the Mustangs would be competing with ?

Diesel is in some countries taxed less because of the transportation sector (trucks all drive on diesel). I am not sure that is the case in the UK though.

The Ecoboost (at the current guesstimate retail price) will have to compete with cars like the Audi A4/A5 and BMW 4 series. Not the BMW 'M' branded cars, but the coupe with the 'sports line package' on it, should be at a similar price point.
The V8 will probably be competing with cars like the Porsche Cayman.

Both are not a very common sight in the streets.

Not sure about other European countries, because our CO2 Emission taxes are a bit extreme (even for European standards) and are skewing the picture a bit.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

online I saw a UK diesel Ford Escape with a very high mpg, not available over here,
is diesel cheaper than gas in Europe ?

what cars do you think the Mustangs would be competing with ?

Keep in mind that the European fuel economy cycle test is, frankly, ludicrous. You'll NEVER get those kinds of mpg's in real-world applications.

To give an example: Honda Civics with the 1.8 litre engine get a 30 city / 39 highway rating by the EPA. Under the European combined cycle, they get either 47 or 48 mpg, depending on aero trim.

 

[mustang#16]

All else being equal, why wouldn't someone want the V8?

The truth is, all things aren't equal. Compared to the EcoBoost and V6, the V8 costs more to buy, it's not as fuel efficient, and probably costs more to insure. In my opinion, the EcoBoost is a heckuva good value for the money compared to the GT.

For me, it's not an issue of engine size or cylinders. I've driven V-12 BMWs and I've owned an 8.0L V-10 Dodge Ram pickup. Those two vehicles don't begin to compare to the sound of a V8, IMO. To my ears, the V8 has the perfect sound. There are other differences.

My 5.0L V8 loves to wind up to the red line. It pulls hard all the way. The EcoBoost seems to be set up for strong low-end and midrange power but runs out of steam so to speak as it nears the red line based on reviews I've read and dyno charts I've seen.

A Mustang, combined with that wonderful V8 sound and power delivery, is what I want. It's subjective, but the extra costs are worth it -- to me.

As the old saying goes, "different strokes for different folks." I think that's true in this discussion. For some, the V8 is not that big of a deal and not worth the extra cost. For others, they can't afford it or justify the cost. To each his own.

Enjoy this youtube video comparing sounds of a 4-cyl vs V6 vs V8:

[ame="[MEDIA=youtube]lgpAOeO_pL8[/MEDIA]"]

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