Which engine for 2015 Mustang?

[Mach1]

I know it's hard to imagine a Mustang without a v6 and v8, but I agree with those that say the turbo 4 banger really should just replace the v6. Most people who buy a v6 are looking for a cool looking daily driver to get from point A to B and aren't huge on performance specs. A turbo 4 will be lighter, better handling, and can easily be tuned for more HP than a base v6. MPG savings may be negligible but it sure won't be worse.

The only disadvantage would be price if they decide to price it as an upgrade. If so, I would think it would be tuned comfortably over 300hp stock.

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[zerot]

Some people are not using plain common sense, getting to caught up in the numbers. If you step back and look at it, even if the numbers make sense on paper, Ford knows it will face an identity issue for the Mustang if it doesnt offer a v6 or v8. They learned this with the Probe.

The solution would be to offer more engine options if it wants to sway some buyers away from the bigger engines.

 

[CoyoteMan]

I agree the V6 has to remain.

I'm gonna wait to see if the turbo 4 is a 2.0L or 2.3L.... been hearing conflicting things about that.

Either way I hope Ford takes the 4 banger seriously and not just throwing it out as an Eco option. Give it performance options like a track pack option, recaros, etc. Maybe then people will take it seriously instead of being the butt of jokes.

 

[Unchained]

They will go with the 2.3L or higher. Just dont see the Focus RS getting a higher displacement 4 banger than the Mustang.

I think they'll give it the SVO badge too even if it wont be the powerhouse of the lineup like it was back then. They'll do this because they can sell the Mustang faithful on a 4 banger easier if they give it a familiar badge that reminds people of the good ole retro days.

 

[stangray11]

Some people are not using plain common sense, getting to caught up in the numbers. If you step back and look at it, even if the numbers make sense on paper, Ford knows it will face an identity issue for the Mustang if it doesnt offer a v6 or v8. They learned this with the Probe.

The solution would be to offer more engine options if it wants to sway some buyers away from the bigger engines.

I still think we see different engine options in the US and Europe like they did with the Focus RS.

The benefits of a 4-cyl in terms of U.S. sales is pretty ambiguous to me. First, they have to overcome the stigma of a 4 cyl in a muscle car -- no small feat. Second, gas prices are not as obscene as Europe where they drive purchasing decisions. And it's not like Europe with its taxes, penalties and insurance costs on higher displacements/CO2 emissions.

If they price the v6 as the base, the turbo 4 will be an even harder sell. If they price the 4 as the base, its best selling model is now being undercut. Why risk it?

Makes perfect sense in Europe and wouldn't be shocked to see the V8 not offered there (the hardcore few can still import it), but seems to me like the opposite situation in the U.S.

 

[Krishna]

I agree the V6 has to remain.

I'm gonna wait to see if the turbo 4 is a 2.0L or 2.3L.... been hearing conflicting things about that.

Either way I hope Ford takes the 4 banger seriously and not just throwing it out as an Eco option. Give it performance options like a track pack option, recaros, etc. Maybe then people will take it seriously instead of being the butt of jokes.

+1

Agree. It's the only way they can sell it. Give it at least the same options found in the V6 perf package. 19" wheels, unique front springs and front/rear calipers with perf friction pads. And that thing better come with a traditional foot operated clutch.

 

[shelby1k]

I still think we see different engine options in the US and Europe like they did with the Focus RS.

The benefits of a 4-cyl in terms of U.S. sales is pretty ambiguous to me. First, they have to overcome the stigma of a 4 cyl in a muscle car -- no small feat. Second, gas prices are not as obscene as Europe where they drive purchasing decisions. And it's not like Europe with its taxes, penalties and insurance costs on higher displacements/CO2 emissions.

If they price the v6 as the base, the turbo 4 will be an even harder sell. If they price the 4 as the base, its best selling model is now being undercut. Why risk it?

Makes perfect sense in Europe and wouldn't be shocked to see the V8 not offered there (the hardcore few can still import it), but seems to me like the opposite situation in the U.S.

Even if we see different engines, Ford has a tradition of offering new body styles before new engines. In the U.S. it could make even more sense this time around to wait at least one model year to gauge public reaction to a 4 cylinder offered in Europe.

 

[stangray11]

Yea I never understood why they do this. Pretty soon regular folks will catch on to this trend and just skip the first model year of the new design. No one wants to be the guy who takes the risk of being an early adopter AND feels ripped off the very next year when they come out with new engines.

 

[KZStang]

Ford projects rise in four-cylinder vehicle sales

Ford projects rise in four-cylinder vehicle sales

Automobiles with four-cylinder engines already comprise more than half of U.S. new-vehicle sales, and that number could grow to two-thirds by the end of the decade, according to projections by Ford Motor Co.

The shift to the smaller engines is a result of strict federal fuel-efficiency standards — known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE — and means a growing share of cars, SUVs and trucks will join the four-cylinder fray by 2020.

Ford's estimates are high by some analysts' accounts, but it's not the first time Ford has gone its own way when it comes to powertrains.

"I think it's maybe a stretch. But I don't find it implausible," said Bill Visnic, senior editor at the car research site Edmunds.com, in a telephone interview. "If you look at where things have been going segment by segment, except pickups, you could say that's been the trend."

In 2008, new vehicles with four-cylinders made up 40 percent of the market, according to market researcher R.L. Polk & Co.; today, they are 53 percent of the new-vehicle market.

And Ford anticipates that by 2020, 66 percent of all new vehicles will come equipped with four-cylinders.

Here's how the market currently breaks down: Most small and midsize cars — including hybrid vehicles — come with standard, four-cylinder engines. The same can be said for most compact SUVs.

Pickup trucks, which last year accounted for 13 percent of all new-vehicle sales, come primarily with six- and eight-cylinder engines, as do full-size SUVs.

There are also a growing number of battery-powered vehicles, which could represent 5 percent of new-vehicle sales by the end of the decade, according to some estimates.

Mike Omotoso, senior manager of global powertrain at LMC Automotive, said in an email that in order for vehicles equipped with four-cylinder engines to comprise two-thirds of new vehicle sales, Ford would be "expecting pickups and full-size SUVs to virtually disappear."

Raj Nair, Ford's group vice president of global product development, said recently Ford sees continued four-cylinder engine growth but stopped short of saying large SUVs or pickups could be equipped with the smaller engines.

"It's an increased penetration rate in segments that already have four-cylinder engines," Nair said.

Ford in past years has added four-cylinder motors to vehicles like the Escape compact SUV. The smaller engines, aided by turbocharging and direct injection, now rival the power of past six-cylinder engines, while offering better fuel efficiency.

New 4s more powerful

Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book, said in an email that Ford's projection that two-thirds of vehicles will have four cylinders by the end of the decade "looks reasonable." But they aren't old minicar fours; today's four-cylinders provide comparable performance attributes to old-school V-6s.

"Four-cylinder engines, especially when turbocharged, are often more powerful and always more fuel-efficient than even the best V-6s available on the market just a few short years ago," he said.

General Motors Co. is reluctant to release long-term powertrain forecasts, but said four-cylinder penetration will "remain very significant."

Omotoso said European luxury imports like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Jaguar will still heavily use V-6 and V-8 engines, but they'll up the number of four-cylinder turbocharged gas and diesel powertrains.

Japanese imports, meanwhile, will mostly be powered by four-cylinders, with the exception of Lexus and Infiniti models, which will continue to have a high percentage of V-6s, Omotoso said.

Smaller doesn't mean cheap

Fuel efficiency is the name of the game as automakers strive to meet the federally mandated fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

Smaller engines, however, are not necessarily cheaper, Gutierrez said.

"While a typical naturally aspirated four-cylinder is likely cheaper to produce, the turbocharged engines featuring advanced tech like direct injection likely aren't that much more affordable than a traditional six- or eight-cylinder engine," he said.

Automakers do not sell cars with three-cylinder engines in the U.S., but that will soon change.

Ford this year will offer a 1-liter, three-cylinder version of its EcoBoost engines in the company's Fiesta subcompact car. GM is planning to introduce three-cylinder engines in cars in the U.S. within the next few years.

"I think you're going to see both in the market," said Joe Bakaj, Ford's vice president of powertrain engineering, at a recent presentation at the automaker's Dearborn campus. "It's going to depend on the performance class and how much displacement you need as to whether a vehicle will get a three- or a four-cylinder," he said.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...ord-projects-rise-four-cylinder-vehicle-sales

 

[KZStang]

66% is no joke when such a sizable portion of their sales come from the truck segment. This pretty much dispels any theory of a turbo 4 banger being Europe-only.

 

[StangFX]

I will always have a v8 in my garage but a turbo 4 might be fun also. Personally rather own the 4 than the 6, but that's just me.

I think the 6 is going the way of the dinosaur soon. It's neither here nor there. You can get better MPG, way more power with a tune, and be lighter, better weight proportions AND be more fun to drive. You want power and performance, get a v8. Simple as that.

Can anyone think of one advantage the v6 offers that a turbo 4 wouldn't?

 

[RIParker]

Price, for one. As far as I know, the EcoBoost engines have always been offered as upgrades so far.

 

[JackHoya]

Considering the "TT" is located on the same place as the mass production (MP) numbers you'd think people would've known it referred to something else.

Yes, there has been no credible evidence of a TTV8 in a Mustang. It's been a lot of speculation combined with some wishful thinking, and people trying to figure out the dilemma of what engine goes into the next GT500 given what we know. It's a fair point about weight and balance. Ford has shown a real desire to compete on HP with the GT500, but I believe those days are coming to an end and the new race will the the weight and efficiency one. With the lighter Alpha and stricter regulations forthcoming, the 662HP Trinity may be known as the last iteration of the high displacement monster HP engines for the Mustang.

That said, I think the turbo trend is here to stay. I won't speculate as to which (if any) new engines we will see in the coming years, but it's clear to me that Ford is not going to stop at the 2.3L inline 4.

I wouldn't be so sure the HP race is over just yet. Dodge is expected to introduce a 550hp SC Hemi V8 in '15. Forced induction will get more and more playtime but automakers wont start to really feel the pressure until '16 and beyond.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2015-dodge-challenger-may-get-550-hp-supercharged-hemi-v8.html

2015 Dodge Challenger May Get 550-HP Supercharged Hemi V8

• Chrysler Group is expected to introduce a supercharged Hemi V8 that will pack around 550 horsepower and be offered in the redesigned 2015 Dodge Challenger.
• The engine will make the Challenger more competitive against the Cadillac CTS-V, Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
• The engine is code-named "Hellcat," according to media reports.

 

[1 Alibi]

From what I understand the 5.8 didnt really take that much re engineering. Took the 5.4L, increase bore size, increase compression ratio slightly and top it with a more efficient S/C.

.
The March 2012 issue of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords had a 12 page write-up on the 5.8L motor. There were more changes than you think, the devil is in the details..
The 5.4L motor was a 2 MY run, there is a chance the 5.8L will be the same.

 

[MYs197]

Technically I think you can say the 5.4L motor had a 4 year run so far since the 5.8 is based off of it. I know Ford usually waits a model year to update the engines and I think they will do it with the 2015 too. There's still some major HP to contend with in the '14/15 camaro and challenger offerings and I can't see them putting in a turbo coyote, at least not yet. That and it's just too much all at once to deal with.

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