High Performance Package provides entry-level Mustang buyers the first EcoBoost engine powered by Ford Performance to deliver a projected 330 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of torque – the most powerful four-cylinder sports car offered by an American automaker. It’s even more attention grabbing in special colors like Grabber Lime.
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Muscle cars should be V8s. I hear it all the time. I hear the same argument from the truck guys too. I get it. Change is hard, although as I wrote, V8s aren’t going away any time soon anyway. But what if I told you there was a 4-cylinder option that sounded like a V8 and had 330 horsepower? Would you believe me? Well it’s true.
I got to spend a week in a Grabber Lime colored 2.3-liter High Performance 2020 Mustang. Earlier this year I had driven a similar 2.3-liter EcoBoost Mustang, without the Performance Package, so I can speak to the vast improvement it makes and how it completely changes the car.
First, to put all the arguments aside, this Mustang, even with four cylinders, is a muscle car. It is tuned to sound like one and it has all the characteristics of a muscle car. Initially a passion project that began with a Focus RS engine swap, the High Performance Package became a green-lit production program to strengthen Mustang’s entry-level performance offering in under 10 months – just in time for Mustang’s 55th anniversary. When you approach this High Performance Mustang like that, as an intro to Mustang, it’s really even more impressive.
No, this is not a GT350 or a GT500 or a Shelby, but it still proudly wears the Mustang emblem, and deservedly so.
As mentioned, my tester was the Grabber Lime exterior which was met with mixed reactions from friends and family. For sure this color is not for everyone and it will be love or hate. And likely the resell value is less on this special-edition color.
Four new Mustang colors for 2020 include Grabber Lime (as tested), Iconic Silver, Rapid Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat and Twister Orange. New 17-inch sparkle silver-painted aluminum wheels now come standard on the base 2020 Mustang EcoBoost.
Personally, I loved the bold color and thought the Special Edition badging looked especially nice with the lime green background. It all stood out more, including the styling on the hood. The late Gale Halderman, who designed the original Mustang and was a dear friend of mine would’ve loved the look of this car. And with so many of his original styling cues still present on this “starter Mustang” it made me smile thinking Gale was with me in a small way.
High Performance-exclusive features include a large black front splitter and belly pan, plus brake cooling ramps from the Mustang GT Performance Package – add-ons that also work to reduce front-end lift and improve brake cooling. A blacked-out grille with offset Mustang tri-bar pony emblem, 2.3L High Performance Package side badges and magnetic gray side mirrors and raised blade rear spoiler add to the performance look, while a unique metallic gray stripe crosses the hood.
The word EcoBoost is met with derision by those aforementioned V8 old schoolers. There may not be any winning them over. But if they drove this Mustang and even heard it, they may be swayed slightly.
The 2020 Mustang 2.3L High Performance Package is designed to run 0-60 in the mid-four-second range on premium fuel, with top speed increasing to 155 mph, a 10 mph gain over the 2019 EcoBoost Performance Package and 34 mph faster than the base EcoBoost Mustang.
Helping to deliver 143 horsepower per liter, the new 2.3L High Performance Package includes a fully active quad-tip exhaust system with a signature tuned sound.
A Mustang Enthusiast’s Dream Come True
Even with only four cylinders, this Mustang is aimed at enthusiasts. Definitely more so than the standard 2.3-liter EcoBoost Mustang, which was good, but had a soft meow, compared to the loud, noticeable growl of the High Performance version.
The new 2020 2.3L High Performance Package feels sharp and nimble, with an aggressive road-holding stance, near-balanced 53/47 weight distribution and fully independent suspension, plus chassis and aerodynamic upgrades from the Mustang GT and its Performance Package.
For greater steering precision, the team added an alloy strut tower brace to stiffen the chassis at the front. To improve stopping power and fade resistance, the 2.3L High Performance Package adds larger four-piston fixed calipers with 13.9-inch front rotors from Mustang GT. It features a 32-millimeter sway bar up front and a tubular 21.7-millimeter bar at the rear.
New performance calibration tuning is applied to the electronic-controlled power steering, antilock braking, stability control and five driver-selectable drive modes. For improved cornering, a 3.55:1 limited-slip rear axle is included, plus package-specific 19x9-inch machined-face aluminum wheels and 255/40R summer tires.
Increasing lateral acceleration grip and stopping power, the available EcoBoost Handling Package includes semi-metallic brakes, specially calibrated MagneRide dampers and a TORSEN 3.55:1 limited-slip rear axle. Wider 19x9.5-inch premium painted aluminum wheels with 265/40R Pirelli P Zero Corsa4 summer tires provide traction, while a 24-millimeter solid rear sway bar, up from 21.7 millimeters, improves handling balance.
The new EcoBoost Handling Package is available exclusively on the 2020 Mustang EcoBoost fastback coupe with the 2.3L High Performance Package with either 6-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission.
My tester had the 10-speed automatic transmission and it was fantastic, offering ideal, quick shifting.
With switches to go into track mode, drag strip mode and sport mode, the dynamic of this car change with each selection. Both the steering, revving, shifting and even tuned sound changes with the different selections. The rear-wheel drive high-performance Mustang really used every bit of those 330 horses.
Some V8 enthusiast who was admittedly skeptical called the High Performance 2.3-liter Mustang a “wannabe” muscle car. I dismissed that claim altogether. Sure it only has four cylinders, but it’s like that children’s book, “The Little Engine That Could.”
Let me hear your thoughts on this engine, and if you think it's viable as a muscle car. Leave me a comment below.
Base price: $31,685
As tested price: $42,470
Fuel economy: 20 mpg/city 28 mpg/highway
Horsepower: 330 hp
Torque: 350 lb./f.t
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Jimmy Dinsmore has been an automotive journalist for more than a decade and been a writer since the high school. His Driver’s Side column features new car reviews and runs in several newspapers throughout the country. He is also co-author of the book “Mustang by Design” and “Ford Trucks: A Unique Look at the Technical History of America’s Most Popular Truck”. Also, Jimmy works in the social media marketing world for a Canadian automotive training aid manufacturing company. Follow Jimmy on Facebook, Twitter, at his special Ford F-150 coverage on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can read the most of Jimmy's stories by searching Torque News Ford for daily Ford vehicle report.
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I don't see the turbo 4
I don't see the turbo 4 powered Mustang as being a "muscle car", but then again I don't see the GT500 as a muscle car either. Ford has done a great job over the past 30 years at redefining the Mustang. To me, a classic '60s muscle car was taking a smaller, cheaper, 2 door coupe, and stuffing a powerful V8 under the hood, resulting in a cheap car that went quickly in a straight line. It was a performance bargain. But it was also limited with so-so brakes and handling. But quickly the Mustang (and later Camaro) redefined the market by creating the Pony car, which added sportier styling, and better than average handling and braking, to it's affordable V8 coupes. In the last 20 years the target demographics changed, with many younger buyers lusting after Japanese and European sporty compact coupes and sedans, with Turbo 4 cylinder and inline 6 engines. And the V8 Mustang was targeted at BMW, with the recent 4 cyl turbo Mustang also shooting for performance cars from Europe and Japan. I don't agree with Detroit automakers killing off all of their smaller compact and sub compact cars, but without the Focus and Fiesta ST models, the Mustang now has to hold up that "entry" performance car market. Happily the current turbo 4 Mustang offers similar power and performance of V8 Mustangs of not too long ago, but without the premium price, heavier weight, and lower fuel economy of the V8 model.
2.3 is a great engine if you
2.3 is a great engine if you drive one it will change your mind on 4 cyl performance.
A key piece of missing
A key piece of missing information. Muscle car performance was never measured in 0-60 times. It's meaningless. Give us the 1/4 mile times in any mode. Period.
Don, I have no idea where you
Don, I have no idea where you get your information, but ALL performance cars for the past 70 years have had acceleration of 0-60 MPH listed for comparison. 1/4 mile time and speed are also valuable for comparison, but you cannot ignore 0-60 times because they are more useful in comparing cars as they are driven on the street.
0-60 time is important. Not
0-60 time is important. Not sure where you get that info. I even had a C8 Corvette recently that had a 0-60 tracker.
Good luck finding a HPP model
Good luck finding a HPP model with the handling package and stick shift. I searched a 500 mile radius and found one. Good thing I liked the color because I was able to get it for $30k out the door.
Ford knows this package is a hard sell which is why they knocked $8k off the price. You won't get a deal even remotely close to that with the 5.0
Having been a Honda Civic
Having been a Honda Civic owner since 2007 I bought my first Civic which had a mere 140 horsepower then I bought my second Honda Civic LX in 2013, I then had gone over to my local Ford Dealership and took a test drive on a 2021 Ford Mustang Ecoboost 4 Cylinders which has 310 horsepower. After I did the test drive I said to myself why didn't I buy the 2021 Ford Mustang Ecoboost with 4 Cylinders. I hope Ford continues with there Mustang with Ecoboost and 4 Cylinders. One thing I would like to say American Honda Motors AKA Honda SUCKS there Honda Civics can't come close to a Ford Mustang.
When you have money to spend
When you have money to spend or play with, you can dog Honda. That's okay.
When you have a family and a couple of kids, bills, a Middle cClass lifestyle with hopes of a FUTURE **Upper Middle Class,** lifestyle and the economy decides to tank, inflation starts eating away at your finances and you don't want to have to cancel that family trip you wanted to take the family on, the Honda Civic or Honda products in general, are a life saver and keep you from telling your family, "we can't go this year."
The other side of that coin is longevity. You may be rolling in a bed of cash and if you are, that is living the dream, but I got to strech the life of a car for quite a long time to live with a few less bills and **financially survive** the 'storms' of high bills and other responsibilities.
MY POINT:
Based on their history, low gas and low maintenance cost, I and going to stick with Toyota, Honda and Lexus.
They may not be fast cars or even quick but they can help you save $$money$$, stress, time and worry, way down the line/road. (The LONG Money, Dave Ramsey style)
Just a thought in this online world of thoughts.
I have a 2020 2.3 high
I have a 2020 2.3 high performance Mustang with the handling pa mage. This is my seventh Mustang, all but one different V-8 variations. This one would outrun and out perform all of them.
I just bought mine, this
I just bought mine, this package from ford is as exciting as any V-8 I have owned in the past.
“But what if I told you…
“But what if I told you there was a 4-cylinder option that sounded like a V8 and had 330 horsepower? Would you believe me? Well it’s true.”
I own one. It does not sound like a V8. It sounds like a fart in a can. I keep my exhaust in quiet mode for that reason. Everything else about the car is great. It’s a rocket until the intercooler gets heat-soaked and I get 31 miles per gallon on the highway.