Should you consider a Mustang EcoBoost?
Two days at the track, one Mustang short 4 cylinders, plus a turbo. What's the verdict?
Ford really wants to sell you a Mustang with a turbo four cylinder. If you lived in the US or Canada, you'd have seen them derate the V6 engine in the 2015 S550 compared to the 2011-2014 S197 V6 to make the EcoBoost 2.3 litre more differentiated. Then, they offered a performance pack on the EcoBoost but not on the V6. And in the 2018 refresh, they killed the V6 all together for 2018 and will only sell you a V8 or this EcoBoost. I love a good V8, everyone who knows me knows that. This is a Mustang, which means it needs a V8. If those aren't enough reasons, I always prefer natural aspiration over forced induction. That's three strikes against the EcoBoost-powered Mustang. But I'd be lying if I said the idea never intrigued me.
The EcoBoost Mustang is the lightest version. It has the best weight distribution. It has the same great chassis as the GT. It's very affordable and it has a lot of potential to make more power. Aftermarket? Endless support. There's plenty of good about it. The question is this: if you stop thinking about it as a cut-rate Mustang with the wrong engine and start thinking about it as an entry-level sports car, is it any good?
It turns out, yes, very much so. But let's establish something first. This is NOT meant to be a track car from the factory. Sure, you can get the performance pack and improve it but that is by no means a comprehensive makeover for track duty. Once you get that out of the way and set your expectations straight, disappointment will be a lot less likely.
The Handling
2016 Mustang EcoBoost at Atlantic Motorsport Park - Graham MacNeil ©
For starters, it's a little soft for a serious track car, although it's perfectly fine for a few track days and HPDE's a year (and for what it's worth, my Boss 302 is also relatively soft, especially compared to cars in its performance bracket). That said, it's not ponderous or sloppy, not by a long shot. It's composed and body motions are nicely controlled. The softer suspension made it deal with our old track's asphalt and bumps beautifully.
It's not a light car, weighing approximately 3,600 lb, plus or minus. Nor is it small either, being about as large in exterior dimensions as Ford's midsize Fusion/Mondeo. Driving around the paddock onto pit lane, it feels like a large Grand Tourer. But once pushed, it shrinks around you and feels like there's a bonafide sports car chassis underneath the "business suit" and layer of comfort/isolation
The balance is surprisingly nice for what is ultimately very much a street car, especially considering that this is the base entry level engine. It will obviously default to limit understeer unless provoked, but like I mentioned, if you set your expectations straight, it's nothing you wouldn't expect in a car like this. It's actually better than I thought it would be. The lighter front end is noticeable compared to every V8 Mustang I've driven, even if ultimate grip and handling balance is in favour of the better equipped V8 models.
And perhaps now would be a good time to mention that this car isn't entirely stock. It has wider wheels and tires. The tires were BF Goodrich G-force Sport Comp 2's, measuring 275/40/18 all around, which is a couple of sizes up from even the GT Performance Pack's 255/40/19 (in width, of course, not diameter). Despite all stock suspension otherwise - base, not even performance pack - grip was very good with the bigger tires. We had no problem chasing and keeping up with other cars in our run group, including sports car stalwarts like 335i's and a Mazda RX8 GT.
Turn in was also good and response was prompt. There is also a decent amount of steering feel, combined with good heft. It is not razor sharp, but it is a very stable and confidence inspiring car to drive fast so it's hard to complain. The first day of the weekend was actually quite wet, but the car seems to have been built for those conditions. I and my student quickly picked up pace and speed despite the wet conditions.
The Brakes
2016 Mustang EcoBoost at Atlantic Motorsport Park - Graham MacNeil ©
I think it is an absolutely fantastic car to learn high performance driving in. Like the tires, brakes weren't stock, although they were OEM - they were takeoffs from a Mustang GT (a side note, the owner said they were $400 or $450 for a full set of brakes, including discs, calipers, and pads, and it's what Shelby America does with stock Mustang parts on cars they build). It's a fantastic deal if you're upgrading from a V6 or EcoBoost., and they didn't disappoint.
They were very strong and bite at top of the pedal was top notch. In fact, I felt it might have been a little too sensitive sometimes, but you got used to it after a while and the strong bite was confidence inspiring. Fade? Not a hint of it. Now, we didn't push the car very hard and only stayed on track for about 25 mins at a time, so keep that in mind.
But if you are buying this car to learn high performance driving in, you likely won't run into fade issues for a long time with those brakes. I can't comment on the stock, base brakes but I suspect that at least the EcoBoost performance pack brakes are nearly as good as the base GT takeoffs that were on this one, although it is worth mentioning that I know of a local base GT with those brakes that failed and several on forums in serious track builds so you'll need better brakes at some point if you get serious.
The (turbo) Power
Now here's where it gets interesting... as you'd expect, when it comes to what's under the hood, things get complicated with a 4-cyl turbo Mustang. I'll start with the good. It is a very torquey engine. It is also very tunable and there are a lot of options for getting more power out of it. The owner had the Ford Performance ProCal tune, which comes with very substantial claims:
Peak gains of 25 hp at 5500 rpm and 70 lb.ft. torque at 2200 rpm
40 hp and 60 lb.ft. torque average gain from 2500-5000 rpm
75 hp and 64 lb.ft. average gain from 5500-6800 rpm
100 hp maximum gain at 6000 rpm
In other words, it makes the car a decent amount more powerful at peak, much more powerful midrange, and gets rid of the power drop after peak. The torque hits like a freight train with boost and pulls really strong after that. If you aren't one of those people that likes to wring out an engine, I think you'll LOVE this one. The bad? This incredibly strong torque surge comes with a price. It's not an easy engine to modulate.
Remember how much I loved the grip and stability in the rain? The engine threatens to ruin it all if you aren't careful. A couple of times, boost hit unexpectedly as we were trying to find the car's limits in the rain and the back end quickly came out. This also makes it difficult to smoothly induce rear end slip to correct understeer/increase yaw in the rain. Despite the long rear end (3.31 final drive ratio without the performance pack) and wider tires, the car still was easy to brake traction if you didn't modulate the throttle well and boost hit too soon.
2016 Mustang EcoBoost at Atlantic Motorsport Park - Graham MacNeil ©
If you're a fan of old turbo cars, you'll love this. Porsche actually said (according to Car & Driver article) that they did not try to hide the boost/turbo nature of the 700 hp 911 GT2 RS. Instead, they left it feel like a turbo engine does. But I love an engine with linear power delivery and easy-to-control power output so that was disappointing for me. To extract maximum performance out of this car, you'll have to intimately get to know the response because you likely will have to go on the power earlier than you want to give a chance for the turbo to spool up and get boost when you actually want it.
It's not a laggy engine by any means. Driving around the paddock was a breeze and I suspect daily driving would be smooth as butter. But if you want maximum power on track, you'll have to know how to time it. At least the engine didn't feel like it lost power as the day went along, although as was the case with the brakes, we weren't pushing to the limit, and it wasn't a very hot day so I can't completely rule that out. It doesn't sound half bad either, if a bit muted (although probably for the best...). And while the torque means you don't have to shift a lot, the shifter was pretty good and we never missed a shift. The pedals are arranged well for heel and toe downshifts. And it's really hard to complain with 380 lb-ft torque at 2,500 rpm.
Now, with all of that in mind, the moment of truth: would I buy one? I'm afraid... yes, yes, I would. But the problem I mentioned at first is still there. I still think of it as a cut-rate Mustang. Every time I try to think of this car, I always ask myself if I would get it over the Mustang GT if I had to choose between the two (that's a resounding no, if you're curious) and that is the wrong question to ask and the wrong way to look at the car. Looked at independently, the picture comes into focus.
Verdict?
It's spacious for a 2 door coupe, comfortable, and well priced - you can build one with just the performance pack for $29k (in the US, $33k in Canada). It has a great chassis, very tunable engine, and fantastic aftermarket AND OEM support from Ford Performance. It was good fun to drive and quick. The upgraded (Torsen) differential with the Performance Pack would have solved most of the traction-busting torque surge. The biggest problem with this car, really, has nothing to do with the model itself. It's the fact that it's living in the massive shadow cast by its big sister; the Mustang GT.
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Comments (63)
I rented a eco-boost '16 mustang for a week. The answer if you should consider it is No. I drive an FRS and I got in this mustang thinking "cool time to enjoy some muscle car horse" . This was an AT mustang, and I was very underwhelmed, it barely made me feel like I was going faster in a straight line than my Manual FRS. I was expected a big difference but in reality it is a tiny bit faster IN A STRAIGHT LINE. I took the mustang on some B roads and very quickly the heavy car over heated the brakes so I got to enjoy some cooked brakes smells while reducing brake performance. It wasn't a terrible car but I was sure missing my FRS when it was over. It drove like a boat, and was not that fast.
Now to rant about the AT Mustang for a moment. On those B roads I put in the paddle shifter mode and I would down shift and hold a gear as I powered up a hill around a bend, then the car IN MANUAL mode changes up gears on its own (mind you I was not at redline, I was at least 2k rpm away.) Ok so I thought that was strange so I go back down a gear and continue carving up this road when 5 mins later it changes gear on its own AGAIN! Now Im like WTF, why have a manual mode if it just overrides it every 5 mins. Then I realized the manual mode is only for drag racing I guess and the car starts shifting on its own after about 5 mins.
Bottom line is eco boost sucks, AT is even worse. If you dont get the bigger engine there is no point to a mustang. (This is not a sports car, if you want sports car characteristics be prepared to spend $$$ on everything needed to overcome its inherit large muscle car foundation.)
I agree EcoBoost are rubbish period
Complete agree the Toy/Subie, is a whole lot more fun to drive. Cheaper to make faster on the track.( namely changing out the tires).
The Mustang has a bit of an identity crisis. The problem comes when you start to identify the 4cyl version as a 'good entry level sports car' in my mind, it was never a sports car. From the beginning the Mustang has always been about best bang for buck, blue collar workers, and racing between the lights when cops aren't looking. I really dont think the 4 cyl holds up to those standards.
I completely agree.
They certainly are fantastic bang for the buck and have developed a good reputation for racing between the lights, but that isn't the origin of Mustangs. Mustangs were developed as a good, affordable, American alternative to Euro sports...
Read moregreat article with actual useful information. Thanks.
Previous base models - before IRS - came set up with very thin rear sway bars, so from the factory they would understeer like a common FWD. Also the base model lacked the front brace - and installing aftermarket part seemed to help in making steering better. But this things have IRS and a lighter engine, so maybe you can now live a reasonable good life with the factory setup?
Thanks Alexander, glad you found it useful.
Absolutely. I haven't driven the older solid axle S197 V6 with the performance options so I can't comment on that but I drove one without the performance package and this EcoBoost didn't have...
Read moreEnjoy the V8 when you can. Don’t make a bad choice and regret it after the V8 model is discontinued.
Why would that ever happen? The v8 mustang gt is one of ford's best selling cars and they dont have a lack of economy boosting cars for their lineup, so economic side isnt a problem
No. The Mustang is already engineering a hybrid version and the emission regulations are getting more harsh. One day it would have to end it. Think of the NA V8s of Ferrari or the NA V12s of the Lambo. They are or will be soon extinct.
It would be a better Argument for the Car, if it were stock. Claiming it is worthy track car, when you’re driving a car that is not available from the showroom, isn’t a good track car. I made a 86 D-50. a great track car, by placing a Starion Turbo Motor and a Jaguar Rear end. I would never try to tell people that the Mitsubishi Based small pickup/ute was a good weekend racer.
1. I never claimed it is a worthy track car, even with the modifications. The argument/point of the article isn't that it is a worthy track car. You need a lot of modifications to make it a worthy track car (as is the case for the vast, vast...
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