2024 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Coupe Premium - A 4-cylinder Mustang? Yeah and it's still quick.

 

If there ever was a car that need to go on a diet the '24 Mustang EcoBoost is it. It weighs in at over 3,800 lbs. Compare that to an original '65 Mustang Fastback V8 of around 3,000 lbs. I'm not suggesting the EcoBoost shed 800 lbs. but half of that would be a real boon. But I have to deal with the Mustang as lent to me.

In many ways the test Mustang is just a 5.0 GT with fewer horses, 171 fewer. The EcoBoost makes 315 h.p., and that is nothing to sneeze at. It is darn close to equaling the V8's zero to sixty times (4.5 seconds versus the V8's 4.2). So maybe that is the problem, the EcoBoost might best the V8 if it didn't have all that weight to lug around.

I'm not going to go into all the minutiae of the of the EcoBoost Mustang. Here's the main points - It has a 315 h.p, 350 lb-ft, turbocharged, DOHC 2.3-liter 4-cylinder. The only transmission available is a 10-speed automatic (oh stop your whining, most Mustang buyers don't know how to drive a manual transmission car). 

The test car had the 2.3L High Performance Package. The one thing it doesn't include is more power. From a performance view the most important parts are the huge Brembo brake package; 15.4" front rotors and 14.0" rears, and 255/40R19 summer tires on 19" x 9" wheels. 

Like its V8 big brother you can tune the car to your tastes. But if your tastes go to loud exhaust please don't. The rumble/growl from the V8 in noisy mode is replaced by the sound of a fart in an empty can with the 4-cylinder. 

The area the EcoBoost Mustang outshines it's big brother is in fuel economy. We went on a Sunday road trip of 105 miles and averaged 31.2 mpg. There was some 2-lane and some highway. US EPA rates the '24 Mustang EcoBoost at 29-mpg highway so I easily beat that, around town I did not equal the EPA's 21-mpg though.

Now we come to price. A base 2024 Mustang EcoBoost Premium Fastback starts at $36,445 (ford.com). With options that jumps to $45,160. It's a very nice car.