Ford Boosts Four-Cylinder Mustang With High Performance Package
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Ford is celebrating the Mustang's 55th anniversary with a limited-production High Performance Package for the 2020 model year. Based on the Ecoboost entry-level four-cylinder powertrain, it adds a reworked version of the 2.3 L turbocharged four-cylinder used in the now-defunct Focus RS hot hatch.
While the new engine boasts the same displacement as Mustang's current four-cylinder, the new package is the first Ecoboost Mustang to earn the "powered by Ford Performance" label. Ford says the package also makes Mustang the most powerful North American-made four-cylinder sports car.
With 330 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, the new engine's power figures are not a dramatic departure from either the existing Ecoboost Mustang (310 hp/350 lb-ft) nor the Focus RS (350 hp/350 lb-ft). Ford says the difference is in how the engine makes its power: With the aid of a larger turbo than that used in the Focus RS, the new motor revs higher, with horsepower and torque peaking at 6,500 and 4,500 rpm respectively, up from the standard Ecoboost motor's 5,500- and 3,000-rpm peaks.
Ford says it expects the new motor to move the Mustang from 0-96 km/h (60 mph) in about 4.5 seconds. A top speed of about 250 km/h is a bump of 16 km/h over the Ecoboost's existing performance pack, and 55 km/h better than the standard Ecoboost Mustang.
Other additions to this limited-production Mustang include larger brakes borrowed from the V8-powered GT trim. The High Performance Package also brings a limited slip rear axle with a 3.55:1 ratio, trim-specific 19-inch wheels, a front strut tower brace, front splitter, belly pan and brake cooling ducts from the GT's performance pack. Cosmetic additions include gray side mirrors and a metallic gray hood stripe.
Like other Ecoboost Mustangs, the new High Performance Package model comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission or can be optioned with a 10-speed automatic.
The 2020 Ford Mustang Ecoboost with High Performance Package will arrive in dealerships in the fall. The automaker says it will build as many examples of the car as its customers demand.
