The countdown is on to the next-generation Ford Mustang, the descendent of the original pony car and standout modern muscle. With production less than a month away, Ford has announced that the Mustang GT will produce 435 hp, up from 420 hp.
The even bigger news is that the turbocharged four-cylinder will crank out 310 horsepower. This 2.3-liter engine generates nearly 135 horsepower per liter, and its true promise is a balance of performance and fuel economy, although mpg figures have not been released.
The base engine will be a V6, again. Output is 300 horses, down five from 2014, likely to make the new four-banger seem more compelling.
The engines will be offered with a choice of a six-speed manual or automatic transmission with paddle shifters. (Learn more about the 2015 Ford Mustang.)
The competition is not sitting still
Dodge unveiled its 2015 Challenger earlier in the year, with cosmetic updates, potent packages, advanced safety technology, and a wide array of powertrains, starting with a 305-hp V6 and 375-hp V8. The Challenger R/T Scat Pack and 392 Hemi Scat Pack each have 485 horsepower, and ultimate bragging rights go to the new SRT Hellcat with 707 tire-shredding horsepower.
Chevrolet got ahead of its rivals with a few updates for 2014, along with high-profile product placement in a fourth Transformers film. Not much changes for 2015, with the base Camaro producing 323 hp and V8 churning out 426 hp. Special high-performance Z/28 and ZL1 models tout 505 hp and 580 hp, respectively. Coincidentally, spy shots of the next Camaro began circulating today, signaling that the muscle car wars are far from over.
No doubt, special-edition Mustangs, including a GT500, will help keep the excitement building and competion raging for years to come.
Mustang production begins August 11th. We look forward to evaluating the latest edition to see how far it is has come in the last 50 years and simply to smoke the tires.
See our original Mustang road test.
—Jeff Bartlett
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