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"Ford's claiming 647 horses and 550 lb-ft of torque from the GT's 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6. As a reminder, the GT uses the same aluminum engine block as the 3.5-liter EcoBoost you can get in the Ford F-150, among other products. All that twin-turbo power motivates a vehicle with a dry curb weight of 3054 lbs. to a top speed of 216 mph."
While Ford still sells V8 Mustangs, their most potent car the GT has V6, twin-turbo'ed. Similar formula to the Nissan GT-R which makes similar HP.
Is this the death of higher cylinder engines in favor of turbo? I think so and it isn't about CAFE and EPA requirements here. It's about performance.
Upcoming Ford Fiesta ST for 2018 features a 3 cylinder Ecoboost instead of the previous 4 cylinder Ecoboost.
With the introduction of the 3.5 Ecoboost in the 2010 Taurus SHO, Ford has been going all-in on the small displacement turbo approach. It appears to be working, since V6 Ecoboost F150s outsell V8s, and pickup truck buyers are the last demographic I would have guessed would embrace smaller forced induction engines.
There's some lingering anti-turbo sentiment out there, but it only takes a few minutes behind the wheel of something like an SHO or 3.5 EB F150 to make a believer out of anyone. When shopping for a moderately priced high performance sedan back in 2011, I initially looked at hemi Chargers, G8 GTs, etc. I wasn't even aware of the SHO, but reluctantly test drove one after doing some research. Short of wide open, the V8s in the Charger and G8 felt anemic compared to the Taurus. The 3.5 Ecoboost is much more torquey, responsive, and flexible. Being forced induction, it also responds to modifications better.
I'm not at all surprised that the GT is using the 3.5 EB. The only thing that surprises me is that it isn't offered in the Mustang, but I suspect the typical Mustang GT buyer isn't ready to give up their V8 just yet. That fact that Ford's flagship car (the GT) is using the 3.5 EB tells me its only a matter of time before in winds up in the Mustang as well.
It's because the Mustang is aimed at the muscle car market that still believes in big engine and displacement. While the rest of the performance market has shifted towards forced induction.
As is now the case, the decision to use V8 or turbo V6 will depend on application. A turbo V6 for some uses can also offer a weight and packaging advantage over a V8. The V8 is not about to die however.
the death knell for the V8 has been sounded a number of times in the past, and has always been proven to be premature at best. it may go away eventually in cars that the average person can afford, but the high end cars re going to have them for sometime to come.
I chuckled when I saw this thread was actually from today. Totally old news. I was one who was skeptical of the V6. Our 2006 Ford GT is a V8 and there was no way I was going to be convinced this motor would compare.
Until the 2016 Lemans when the Ford GT took Places 1, 3 and 4.
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