Any Mustang fan around long enough to remember the Fox body days of the Mustang SVO will have fond memories of a turbo-four crammed inside a Mustang performance model. The base Mustang today has a 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four under the hood making 310 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, but that engine isn’t performance oriented. Instead, the EcoBoost is more about fuel economy and the lower price to keep the starting MSRP low. Ford changed that with the unveiling of the 2.3L High Performance Package for the entry-level 2020 Ford Mustang coupe and convertible pushing the power output to 330 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque.
The 2.3L High Performance Package has the heart of a Focus ST underhood and, while it sounds a lot like a new-generation Mustang SVO, Ford spokesman Jiyan Cadiz is clear that that’s not what this package is. Cadiz pointed out that with an RS, you get a “full kit” meaning a unique body, interior, and other unique appointments. He goes on to say that the new 2.3L High Performance Package is to “give you the heart of the thing” to keep cost efficiency and bring something sportier to the entry-level side of the Mustang lineup.
The between the lines reading here is a suggestion that there is room for more from the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine that is the heart of the entry-level Mustang and perhaps Ford will give us either a Mustang RS or new-generation Mustang SVO in the future. Our enthusiast hearts would like to see an SVO with the High Output 3.5-liter EcoBoost from the 2019 F-150 Raptor making 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque in any future Mustang SVO. Though tradition says an SVO would need a four-cylinder.
Would it be too much to hope for a Mustang ST packing that High-Output 3.5-liter Raptor EcoBoost and a new SVO Packing a hopped-up EcoBoost inline-four? Pricing for the 2020 Mustang 2.3L High Performance Package will be released later this spring.
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Source: Road & Track
Comments
Although I like the idea of adding factory power to the Ecoboost mustang and making it more performance oriented, I would like to see a 3.0L or even a 3.5L Ecoboost V6 mustang ST and RS package slotting between the Ecoboost and a more powerful GT 5L V8 and make this 330hp Ecoboost the base mustang. A 400hp 3.0L Mustang ST would be pretty cool with parts trickled down from the Performance pack Level-1 Mustang while the RS package would consist of a 450hp 3.5L Ecoboost with certain parts from the GT Performance pack Level-2 mustang and the GT350/GT500 including body upgrades such as wider front and rear fenders, GT350 rear spoiler, a unique front fascia & hood, a unique interior with parts and styling sourced from the Focus RS and ST (ST style Recaro seats, steering wheel) unique wheels and other things. Would also be nice if Ford Performance/Mountune offered upgrades for these two vehicles
would honestly love to see a 3.0L 400hp/415tq mustang ST, a 450hp/510tq Mustang RS and a 495hp 5.0L Mustang GT and a 720hp Cobra. Loose the Shelby GT350 completely, take some of the tech from the GT350 and put in into a Performance pack level-3 GT (Minus the flat crank), give the RS a mixture of some of the parts from the GT350, the GT Performance Pack Level-2 and the Focus RS and give the ST some unique upgrades as well such as the Mustang GT Performance Pack level 1 suspension, GT non-brembo brakes and a few other things. If you price these cars somewhere between the ecoboost and the GT cars, they will sell in volume and also outsell the Camaro and Challenger as they offer power and efficiency at an affordable price. Another thing is Ford Performance and Mountune should offer performance upgrades for both the ST, the RS and the Ecoboost 2.3L Mustang. This would make for one heck of a Mustang lineup.