GT or EB

[analogman]

"GT or EB?"

Is that a trick question? Or maybe you're looking to generate a lot of impassioned comments just for the fun of it?

The serious answer is, drive both and buy the one you like better. There is (usually...) no 'right' or 'wrong' when it comes to cars. Do whatever floats your boat. Chocolate or vanilla. If you like it, prefer it, and have fun with it, then it's the right choice for you.

BUT, given that....

The 'real' performance-oriented Mustang has always been the V8 (turbo 4 SVO's notwithstanding). The classic recipe for the traditional pony car was a V8 engine. The Mustangs most people remember fondly and lust after, the original Shelby Mustangs (GT350 and 500), the GT390, the Mach 1 (of the 1960's) were all V8 powered. There's nothing 'wrong' with the EB. But those kinds of engines will be around for a while. The Coyote V8, not so much.

The V8's days are numbered, for many reasons. Fuel economy, emissions, cost to manufacture, market demand, all are conspiring to bring the V8's days to an end. The next-generation Mustang will likely be some kind of hybrid, and the all-electric Mach-E abomination is already upon us. If you want the inimitable driving thrill of a classic, naturally-aspirated V8 engine, with that matchless sound and incomparable feel, time is running out. The world is increasingly and quickly going to the ubiquitous 'turbo-4's' and hybrid drivetrains, mostly paired with automatic transmissions. Like it or not (and I personally don't), that's the future. There are maybe a couple of years left to get a naturally-aspirated, unadulterated V8 with a manual transmission. If you don't care about that, then it doesn't matter. But if you do, the time is running out. Once it's gone, it won't be coming back (at least not in an affordable package like the Mustang).

It's last call for the V8.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Good point.
While I think that V8s in general are still going to be with us for quite some time, this may be the last call for a 'clean', pure V8. A couple of luxury brands still offer V8 engines and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future, but those are turbocharged, plagued by abominations like stop&start, or systems that turn off some of the cyllinders when the ECU thinks you don't need them, on the outside they sound like a straight four that's a bit sick, and inside they play fake sound through the speakers. The difference between those and a Coyote is like watching Charlize Theron on television versus having sex with her. There's no replacement for the real thing.
Besides the RS thing I mentioned above, this was another reason why I chose the GT instead of the more rational EB - it could be my last chance.

 

[Mikthehun1]

While the EB is a very, very nice engine, and in my case it would have made a lot more sense than a GT, I just couldn't get over the feeling that I would have been buying a Focus RS in Mustang clothes.
And if I wanted a Focus RS, then I would buy a Focus RS in the first place.
It's silly, I know, but I can't help it. That's how I feel.

That actually makes total sense. The v8 is a big part of the Mustang's identity. But, if they put the RS AWD system in, that'd be really interesting.

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I'm feeling frustrated because I think we aren't linking across some void created by indifference toward certain global aspects of perception. We have tremendous abilities to sense, appreciate, and respond to the universe at large. All those are common. It's the level of significance that discriminates among comprehension and acceptance, and determines subsequent behaviors.

To my way of thinking, there is a serious difference between "feel" and "think". Living by one does not eliminate the influence of the other, or require acknowledgement of the existence or interplay between them.

I enjoyed, even reveled in, the V8 experiences, would not have missed them for anything (almost), but now the EcoBoost™ is most appropriate for my status. I might eventually look back at this interval as a big mistake, but at the moment I'm happy and confident to be where I am.

I'd have to read this a few times to fully digest it. Deep stuff!

Yeah, every time when I look back after I park the car, I'm smiling like an idiot,,, but feel the itch isn't fully scratched partly because mine is a leased stang...

Interesting observation about the "itch" and lease connection. I can see how it wouldn't be the same as owning the car. The feeling is amplified when you own the car outright (no loan!).

Seriously, I'm not trying to disregard other's safety, but wearing a mask is true ***... the virus can get into yr eye, and NY government think they did a good job controlling the virus cause we stayed home w no income and had some stupid mask on even in bed,,,
But wearing a mask at least make others feel better and I still do.
Just wish States can stop saying random craps...

The mask is designed to keep things underneath the mask of the wearer, to protect others from yourself. It's like covering your mouth when you cough. It's not necessarily to keep yourself safe from others. I'm no liberal, but I do respect others around me, so wearing a mask is more about the whole collective, rather than an individual. If someone sneezes or coughs near me, I really hope they are wearing their mask right now.

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I spent a good amount of time test driving a Base manual 2020 GT and it was great fun. I see the appeal. I do. But my driving doesn’t involve drag or track time. And I know I won’t modify my car (other than having the dealer remove the silver hood stripes I didn’t care for.) I wanted something distinctive, fun to drive out of the box. I haven’t seen another HPP on the road. I wonder if it has been a sales success for Ford? Then again not a lot of new cars have been sold lately.

The HPP with the handling package was tailored made for me. I had never driven a turbo before the EB Mustang and it was very responsive to me. I hit the gas and it moves smartly. I mostly enjoy driving the Wasatch canyons where the handling package and manual transmission is so much fun.

I drove an EB convertible rental on the Big Island in Feb 2019 for two weeks and really enjoyed it, even though it was a rental (premium without the 201A). It’s when I got the Mustang virus. Did a ton of research and ordered what I wanted.

Only one person has given me the “Why didn’t you get a V8?” question. She drives a Infiniti Q30.

I can see how the HPP Ecoboost would be an OK consolation to the GT. But, it's still way down on power, so I don't think I could do it - I would always long for the "big dog". My last car was a 300 (crank) hp Mazdaspeed3 that I had for 11 years. It weighed 3,140 lbs with almost a full tank of gas. I don't think I could go up in 500 lbs with only a 30 hp increase and have been satisfied - my Speed3 had a better power to weight ratio than the HPP Ecoboost, and it handled great as-is (it's a sporty Mazda) and esp. for a Hatchback. That car was ahead of its time in 2007, IMO. It was the best hot hatch to come out by that time, and 13 years later would still fit in with the likes of the current or more recent hot hatches.

Plus, regarding the GT, as others have said, the sound and NA powerband of the Gen 3 Coyote is really something that rivals engines costing much, much more, IMO. It sounds pretty exotic, esp at 7000+ rpm! Also, my GT is over 500 crank hp with just a K&N intake. The other day, before I put on the K&N intake, I did a 0-60 run in 3.80 seconds. I love knowing that I have a car that, bone stock, can beat up or hang with Supercars from the 90s that I dreamed of.

That said, I'm not trying to change your mind, that was just my personal thoughts on the matter for myself.

 

[99Zeus99]

Probably better to get the EB if you listen to some here. According to some, my car at 9k miles should explode any day now.

 

[Mikthehun1]

Probably better to get the EB if you listen to some here. According to some, my car at 9k miles should explode any day now.

Here I thought it was the Ecoboost that went Ecoboom.

 

[ice445]

I spent a good amount of time test driving a Base manual 2020 GT and it was great fun. I see the appeal. I do. But my driving doesn’t involve drag or track time. And I know I won’t modify my car (other than having the dealer remove the silver hood stripes I didn’t care for.) I wanted something distinctive, fun to drive out of the box. I haven’t seen another HPP on the road. I wonder if it has been a sales success for Ford? Then again not a lot of new cars have been sold lately.

The HPP with the handling package was tailored made for me. I had never driven a turbo before the EB Mustang and it was very responsive to me. I hit the gas and it moves smartly. I mostly enjoy driving the Wasatch canyons where the handling package and manual transmission is so much fun.

I drove an EB convertible rental on the Big Island in Feb 2019 for two weeks and really enjoyed it, even though it was a rental (premium without the 201A). It’s when I got the Mustang virus. Did a ton of research and ordered what I wanted.

Only one person has given me the “Why didn’t you get a V8?” question. She drives a Infiniti Q30.

Oh I didn't realize you were a Utah local. The V8 loses a bit of power at our altitude whereas the HPP really doesn't lose much at all, so that's another good reason for the choice. I bet it feels really fun in the canyons, I know mine does even though it's heavier.

Also I see now I misstyped "I've" for some reason, not sure what my brain was doing there. I meant that it seems like quite the upgrade over the normal Ecoboost, haha, I wasn't comparing to the GT.

 

[Dave2013M3]

I just want to say the 2.3HiPo motor is so much better than the standard EB. Power under the curve is much better and the car actually doesn't run out of steam at redline like the regular EB. I almost bought one...just hearing 4 cyl. noises (even though the RS sounding Mustang was kind of cool) coming from a Mustang just was weird to me. Ford never should have gotten rid of the 3.7 V6.

 

[Vicr]

Test drive both then mortgage your house and buy a Porsche Carrera 4S.

 

[StealthStang]

My last car was a 300 (crank) hp Mazdaspeed3 that I had for 11 years. It weighed 3,140 lbs with almost a full tank of gas. I don't think I could go up in 500 lbs with only a 30 hp increase and have been satisfied - my Speed3 had a better power to weight ratio than the HPP Ecoboost, and it handled great as-is (it's a sporty Mazda) and esp. for a Hatchback. That car was ahead of its time in 2007, IMO. It was the best hot hatch to come out by that time, and 13 years later would still fit in with the likes of the current or more recent hot hatches.

Sorry if you already know this, but id figure id mention it anyway. Did you know the Ford Ecoboost 2.3L is a derivative of Mazda's 2.3L DISI engine ? Theres a bunch of changes such as upgraded head and more forged components but its very very similar. Always liked those cars and yes they were ahead of their time, they did have a bad habit of blowing a hole through the rear of the block (Just like the Ecoboost Mustang too!) but i think towards the end Mazda mostly sorted out the tuning and they didnt have too many issues if kept stock.
I used to own a Volvo C30 T5 Polestar which shared a lot of the chassis and suspension components with the mazdaspeed 3 except it used Volvos 2.5L Turbo 5, which was also used in the Ford Focus RS Mk2. Also a great engine with huge torque when tuned.

Anyway to answer the OPs question, GT vs Ecoboost, honestly i dont think you can go wrong with either TBH. If money is no object then yeah go for the GT, if you want to go fast cheaply then the Ecoboost is what you want. Having driven them both I can tell you the Ecoboost front end DEFINITELY feels lighter. In the beginning i used to think it was a big advantage and it probably is if you do a lot of tight track driving, but over the years ive started to feel that it feel maybe too light for the way i like to drive.
When i stomp on the gas and the weight shifts to the rear the front feels super light and its difficult to feel whats going on with the steering and its caught me out a couple times where i was to fast with the steering (cause it was so light) and i caused a fish tail. Im not sure if the GT has this problem too under the same conditions but im guessing the extra weight upfront plants it down a bit better.

The torque on the tuned ecoboosts is really nice for daily driving but you lose a lot of power up top which doesn't happen on the GT, but for sure the car feels way more torquey at lower RPM than the prefacelift GT does. Im guessing its due to a combination of similar torque less weight and shorter gearing on the Ecoboost but it really does feel gutsier in the 1800-3000RPM range.
With an NX2 Turbo you can solve the higher RPM power issues and make more power than a GT with less money spent but of course youll open yourself up to warranty issues. Modding wise youll hit a wall at around 450HP on the ecoboost and its going to cost a lot of money and effort to go further than that, so if 500HP is your target go for the GT plus you dont need any block work until you are well into the upper 700s i think.

As for engine sound, Im one of those people who's never cared much about it my cars have always had high end aftermarket audio systems installed so its rarely something i take into consideration since i cant hear it anyway most of the time.

 

[ice445]

Good point.
While I think that V8s in general are still going to be with us for quite some time, this may be the last call for a 'clean', pure V8. A couple of luxury brands still offer V8 engines and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future, but those are turbocharged, plagued by abominations like stop&start, or systems that turn off some of the cyllinders when the ECU thinks you don't need them, on the outside they sound like a straight four that's a bit sick, and inside they play fake sound through the speakers. The difference between those and a Coyote is like watching Charlize Theron on television versus having sex with her. There's no replacement for the real thing.
Besides the RS thing I mentioned above, this was another reason why I chose the GT instead of the more rational EB - it could be my last chance.

Don't forget the best part of the Mustang, no skip shift on the manual. I absolutely abhor that feature.

 

[NickZ]

First I'm hearing about the eye thing. You have a good source on that?

But yeah, government response has been shit across the board.

Well, mine was heard some guys talking as well...

 

[NickZ]

I'd have to read this a few times to fully digest it. Deep stuff!



Interesting observation about the "itch" and lease connection. I can see how it wouldn't be the same as owning the car. The feeling is amplified when you own the car outright (no loan!).



The mask is designed to keep things underneath the mask of the wearer, to protect others from yourself. It's like covering your mouth when you cough. It's not necessarily to keep yourself safe from others. I'm no liberal, but I do respect others around me, so wearing a mask is more about the whole collective, rather than an individual. If someone sneezes or coughs near me, I really hope they are wearing their mask right now.

Totally agree, I will DEFINITELY wear mask as a member in a community should do.
But my point is that these things aren't efficient, and governments (especially the lefts) are never on our side...

 

[NickZ]

Don't forget the best part of the Mustang, no skip shift on the manual. I absolutely abhor that feature.

skip shift? Sorry newb here