Turbocharged 4-cylinder 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost for Europe only

It has been widely rumored that the redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang (riding on the new S550 platform) would feature three basic engines – an entry level V6, a turbocharged 4-cylinder EcoBoost and the powerful 5.0L Coyote V8. It seems that those rumors are in line with reality but those three engines will not serve together as Edmunds has reported that the EcoBoost 4-cylinder Mustang will only be offered in Europe. Should this be true, the rumors of a reincarnation of the Mustang SVO or Turbo GT packages with a high performance turbocharged 4-cylinder engine offering almost as much power as the V8 will not come to volition for American Mustang lovers.

For the European market, the 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost models will pack a 2.3L EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine that will essentially be an enlarged version of the 2.0L EcoBoost mill at work in the Ford Focus ST. Where the Focus ST packs 252 horsepower, the new 2.3L EcoBoost for the S550 Mustang will offer somewhere in the area of 300 horsepower. More importantly, this 2.3L EcoBoost engine should offer vastly improved fuel economy over the 5.0L V8 in the 2015 Mustang GT.

The 2015 Ford Mustang will likely be a fairly low volume vehicle in Europe and the hefty taxes applied to the 420+ horsepower 5.0L V8 will drive up the already high suggested retail price from the manufacturer. However, for those European buyers who want the clout associated with driving the legendary Mustang in their homeland without the high taxes that come with the high performance V8 – the EcoBoost 4-cylinder should offer plenty of fun to drive factor with a lower price out the door. This should help the Mustang’s popularity with those buying on a budget – although we can expect that even the EcoBoosted 2015 Mustang will still carry a considerably larger price tag in Europe than it will in the US.

Since so little is known about the 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost models, it is hard to predict just how powerful or efficient the turbocharged 4-cylinder engine option will be but we can expect that it will be more efficient and have lower emissions than the powerful 5.0L V8. It should be noted that the Coyote V8 will be available for European buyers as well but the 420+ horsepower Mustang GT will likely carry a significantly higher price tag – both before and after those taxes based on the emission levels.

For American buyers, we can expect that the 2015 Ford Mustang will come with some derivative of the 3.7L V6 currently at work in the entry level 2013 Mustang along with a possibly enhanced version of the 5.0L V8 in the Mustang GT. The original turbocharged 4-cylinder Mustangs from the 1980s were very low production models offered for just a short time so perhaps a year or two into the next generation of the fabled Mustang, Ford will find it in their hearts to put together a unique modern SVO or Turbo GT package for American buyers. While this is a disappointing piece of news for American Mustang enthusiasts, the odds are good that it won’t have any negative impact on the US market Mustang sales while improving sales in the European market.

Source: Edmunds