Wards: Where's the Eco in Ecoboost?

[Jason Richardson]

I'm definitely more on the 'New Mustang sounds disappointing' camp. Now Im talking strictly V8 because I just havent driven or even heard any of the other models. But they did a horrid job on the stock 5.0 exhaust this go around. Its not just bad, its abysmal in my opinion. And the fact that it was purposely made so for globalization explains it too. Why wouldnt they just put a better American exhaust for our cars? The stock exhausts on the 2005 Mustangs were truly awesome and even the last few years of 5.0s were good. They went in a different direction this time, and it sucks. Big time.

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[JeffreyDJ]

I'm definitely more on the 'New Mustang sounds disappointing' camp. Now Im talking strictly V8 because I just havent driven or even heard any of the other models. But they did a horrid job on the stock 5.0 exhaust this go around. Its not just bad, its abysmal in my opinion. And the fact that it was purposely made so for globalization explains it too. Why wouldnt they just put a better American exhaust for our cars? The stock exhausts on the 2005 Mustangs were truly awesome and even the last few years of 5.0s were good. They went in a different direction this time, and it sucks. Big time.

My guess? Partially because the people that care are very likely to swap exhaust anyway. They figured they could keep costs down, and those that don't like the note would like change it anyway.

Heck, I loved the stock exhaust on my '04 Mach 1. I still swapped it to a borla catback.

 

[Stonehauler]

Driving a turbo 4 328 as a loaner right now while my 550 is in the shop. While it does do fairly well 30-32 ish cruising on the highway, that thing GUZZLES gas when you wind it up. You have to put your foot down to get it moving (my opinion) and you can see the miles to empty just tumble when I do. With my turbo V-8 I don't have to put my foot down nearly as much to get a similar response... If you did moderately spirited driving and drove both cars with the same type of accelerations (meaning similar times/seat of pants feel, and not both full open throttle) I think I would get better overall range in my v-8 just because I have to work the 4 so much more. That said, if I was driving like the average American commuter or a hyper-miler, I know the 4 will stomp all over my 8 in terms of efficiency.

Driving any car in a highly spirited manner will probably result in frequent trips to the pump no matter how many cylinders you have.

 

[Hack]

One thing he missed in the article is that the EcoBoost is friendly to tuners. That's the attraction of turbos to many performance minded people. You can turn up the wick so easily and inexpensively.

And that's a natural match for many Mustang people.

Sounds weak at idle? Engage sleeper mode! Here's a stoplight surprise for you!

 

[15Pony]

Speaking of exhaust, what is the purpose of the large rectangular can in the center of the exhaust of the V6 - 2 pipes go into it, 2 come out of it. Its not a muffler I don't think? It sits right under the drive shaft. Would the sound be better if I replaced that with a crossover pipe - what do they call it, an "H" or "X" pipe? I think the '15 V6 has a much more gutsier sound than the V6 S197 when you step on it.

 

[Toofarfromjune]

Driving a turbo 4 328 as a loaner right now while my 550 is in the shop. While it does do fairly well 30-32 ish cruising on the highway, that thing GUZZLES gas when you wind it up. You have to put your foot down to get it moving (my opinion) and you can see the miles to empty just tumble when I do. With my turbo V-8 I don't have to put my foot down nearly as much to get a similar response... If you did moderately spirited driving and drove both cars with the same type of accelerations (meaning similar times/seat of pants feel, and not both full open throttle) I think I would get better overall range in my v-8 just because I have to work the 4 so much more. That said, if I was driving like the average American commuter or a hyper-miler, I know the 4 will stomp all over my 8 in terms of efficiency.

Driving any car in a highly spirited manner will probably result in frequent trips to the pump no matter how many cylinders you have.

Here's an example of why all the moron prius drivers around me probably get about the same mpg that I get commuting in my truck:

 

[Trackaholic]

I think the article lacks basic common sense in some ways.

The deal with the Ecoboost and other modern turbos is that they can get good mileage when you baby them, but still make lower when you need it. If you always drive the car (or truck) hard, the. You'll always be burning gas.

The other nice thing about the turbos is their ability to make good low-end torque. This makes the car feel faster and if you shift at low RPM it can reduce overall friction which can help mileage somewhat.

The main thing is that you aren't going to be abLE to make lots of power while still getting good mileage. You do get to have one or the other based on you throttle.

I still prefer the normally aspirated motors for their throttle response and sound. I really did like the older WRX sound though. They had a very nice burble to them.

-T

 

[PewterCam]

Yup... wards article was written by a typical Mustang fanboy choosing to ignore that anything other than V8's ever existed in a Mustang. Its a tired argument.

 

[PRG3k]

I'm still on the fence on the Ecoboost. I'm not in the camp that it doesn't belong in a Mustang. I just think it sounds bad for a turbo-4 period. It's the only thing preventing me from pulling the trigger. Even the V6 with an xpipe or axle backs sounds damn good.


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[Apwrx]

I'm still on the fence on the Ecoboost. I'm not in the camp that it doesn't belong in a Mustang. I just think it sounds bad for a turbo-4 period. It's the only thing preventing me from pulling the trigger. Even the V6 with an xpipe or axle backs sounds damn good.


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There will be some good options as time goes on. I think rip sounds good currently.With the option to tune the 4 and get v8 performance the Eco is too good to pass up IMO. Regardless of exhaust options.

 

[mbreinin]

You see, if Ford didn't cut back the premium options from V6, I would be all for the whole "different strokes for different folks" thing.

I'm still curious to see how many people here would actually buy the Ecoboost Premium or even Ecoboost base if Ford sold V6 Premium. Maybe I should start a poll on that. ;)

I would never buy a V-6 Mustang....unless it was an EcoBoost V-6.

I bought the EB because I wanted something different and wanted to mod it to be faster than my previous 2012 GT, which was a solid 11.7-8 car. Plus, I have owned a pile of SVOs, Merkurs and TurboCoupes. I have always liked Ford's turbo 4 offerings.

Mike

 

[dgc333]

I'm still curious to see how many people here would actually buy the Ecoboost Premium or even Ecoboost base if Ford sold V6 Premium. Maybe I should start a poll on that. ;)

I am one that would. In 12 when I was shopping for a new daily driver my choice came done to a v6 Mustang or a Focus ST, I got the ST. It's just as quick and gets better mileage. I just traded the ST for an Ecoboost Mustang for my new daily driver for the same reason; it's quicker and gets better mileage.

I never even looked at the v6 and wasn't even aware that you couldn't get the premium trim.

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