I'm not a big Eco-Boost fan because they only make power from 2K to 5K and need 93 octane fuel to make the claimed power. On normal pump gas they make less power than the V6 which has a broad flat torque band all the way to redline on regular gas. Better gas kicks the V6 up. And then there's the turbo, a high maintenance cost item. That narrow torque and HP band is why they dropped the 10 speed into the new Eco-Boosts. I tried one and didn't like it. It felt like my daughter's turbo VW EOS; All or Nothing!
The modern Mustangs have 4 different personalities; real sports car, boy racer and drag racer/ grand tourer and Shelby. I'll suggest that a real Mustang is the V6 sports car that they canceled for 2018. No one can afford the Shelby, but it's a totally trick car.
A true sports car is a fine balance between handling and power. Both the V6 and the Eco-Boost have the well balanced chassis that offers good handling since these light motors give a better front to rear weight distribution than the V8 does. The V6 and Eco-Boost have nearly perfect weight distributions. The V8 has a heavy front end which inhibits handling, but it certainly is quicker in a straight line. But the Eco-Boost suffers from the narrow power band. So, which is quicker in real world driving? All Mustangs have the power to pass almost anything like it was standing still. Everyone disses the V6, yet they think that the Subaru BRZ with 200 HP is a wonderful car; Really??? The V6 is actually the best Mustang available since it makes power in a predictable manner all the way up to redline and handles well. However, Ford doesn't love the V6 the way that they push the boy racer Eco-Boost.
Ford Performance offers a set of 9 x 19 wheels for $395 to upgrade the V6 and then you can tweak the suspension from there. This will allow you to build it into the best Mustang ever.
The tranny is another issue. Yea, we all think a manual is the best, but a modern dual clutch tranny is actually quicker than the manual. Lots of upscale cars like Alfa make it standard now; no manual option. My 1962 Jaguar MKII had a nice clutch as did my 07 Rabbit, but the Mustang clutch was stiffer than my 83 GMC diesel truck; ick. The Mustang gearbox shifted nicely, but the clutch??? Horrid. The paddle shifters are wonderful and the tranny locks into every gear and then anticipates every next shift based on what you do. Time to give in and go modern!
These are the reasons that I chose the car I bought and I think that it will still be my favourite 20 years from now. Mustangs were supposed to be sports cars not drag racers like the Camaros and Dodge cars. The V6 bones are good, but it does need to be built.
Bill W
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