The 2010 Ford Mustang will have a lighter and smaller engine than its segment competitors, but will give up nothing in horsepower...

By Igor Holas

02.14.2008

For a while, rumors went back and forth on what engine will power the new 2010 Mustang. Finally, sources are agreeing and statements are converging on specifications of a single engine.

Throughout Ford, the V8 lineup is undergoing a significant makeover. With the debut of the 2009 F-150, Ford released a new version of the 5.4l Modular (also called MOD or Triton) V8. This new engine, while sharing many components with earlier models, will sport meaningful improvements in horsepower, torque, and fuel mileage. This update will position the engine’s torque in the neighborhood of much larger V8 engines, such as Toyota’s 5.7l iForce, or GM’s 6.0l Vortec Max. The new 5.4l will see only truck duty, however.

Later this year, Ford will also finally release the BOSS V8 engine, and once again this engine will be truck-only. The engine will be a 6.2l SOHC V8 with an expected 425hp and 450 ft.lbs of torque. The first vehicle with this new engine is to be the 2009 Navigator, the one vehicle in Ford’s lineup that desperately and unquestionably needs the engine. Around the end of 2008, this engine will finally make it to the F-150, and maybe even the Expedition.

The Mustang GT is currently powered by the 4.6l MOD engine, and while this engine received minor tweaks for service in the 2009 F-150, its production life is coming to an end. When the 2010 version of the F-150 debuts, the small V8 currently available in the F-150 will probably be replaced with a truck version of Ford’s ubiquitous Duratec V6 engine. Shortly thereafter, the engine will also disappear from the Explorer and will finally die along with the Panther platform cars in 2010 calendar year.

Given the truck-only designation of the 5.4l MOD and 6.2l BOSS engines, there has been wild speculation about the engine for the Mustang GT. About six months ago some sources have began talking about a new 5.0l V8. Now, finally, details on this engine are much more solidified. This new engine originates from the Modular family, but with many unique parts. The engine will include a new aluminum block and new four-valve-per-cylinder head. The engine will also include direct injection, and variable valve timing.

All in all, this new engine promises to make a respectable 400 – 425 horses, and similar torque. This would position Ford squarely among other similar high-tech V8 engines from Lexus, BMW, or Audi. More importantly, this new engine will allow Ford to compete with the upcoming Camaro and Challenger. However, unlike the large displacement, low-tech, pushrod LS and HEMI engines in the competition, Ford’s engine will rely on more sophisticated technology to squeeze greater power from a smaller engine, promising better fuel economy.

The new Mustang will probably debut in L.A. this fall or in Detroit next winter, and we should know then just how well Ford prepared for the suddenly competitive-again pony-car segment.

 

So a 5.0L 4V? Sweet. Throw a whipple on that beech!

 

The 5.0 is just a sleeved 4.6 so technically the 4.6 won't be dead. Plus, I guarantee that the Boss engine is going into the Mustang since size does matter and since a DOHC version is to be made. Also, I doubt the Ecoboost engines are going to replace the 4.6 in the F-150 though the 3.5/3.7 is due to replace the 4.2. However, we won't know anything until Ford actually tells us what's up.

 

I'll believe it when I see it.....I have a hard time believing ford is going to go from a 300hp engine to a 425hp engine in the basic GT. If ford can keep the weight of the new mustang down they won't need huge HP to compete with 4,000lbs cars. I'd be happy with a 350hp engine and some of the special edition stangs like the mach getting a 400hp engine. That would be sick.

 

I agree, but I also want to see what the price would be as well. They need to keep the price around the same and not jack it up to some ridiculous amount.

 

Like Steeda97 quotes, "throw a whipple on that beech!" lol good stuff

 

i would love to see a 5.0

 

The camaros and challangers are gonna have that power and be in the 40k range...

for wants money.. im sure they will drive up the cost.

if they are pushing 425hp, i would be very suprised if they run a base GT under 35k

My gt gets slower every year.

I NEED A SUPERCHARGER

I bet insurance on all these 400+hp 40k cars is pretty fuggin rediculous

this really is becoming a new era of muscle cars

will be interesting to see if this pans out with all the political pressure on "green"

 

I'm all for the faster cars but **** man. In my city you can't have fun at all, cops are all over you. I got two tickets, one for careless driving, one for failure to stop, and to get 0 points im paying something like 1,000 dollars. WTF? Thats like 1/4 of a supercharger.

 

on a side note...ford will also have a diesel engine in the F-150 by 2010. I googled it and found some interesting info. But this is how I really know, I go to a top end engineering school in Southfield MI. We have alot of guys from Ford, GM, and Chrysler teach there. My chem prof is an engineer at Ford, he works in the commercial division in the US and overseas. I asked him about the plans for the F-150 and the possibility about a diesel. He said "I cant discuss current projects.." I said ok, well can you acknowledge that it may have a re-worked Land Rover diesel engine (found out by searching online)....His eyes got huge and asked me where I heard that..I told him its online you just have to look. So I said "I guess I would just have to wait until 2010 huh"....he said it wont be that long.

 

Dont you just love the court system....money makes anything go away...

 

Eh.. I couldn't pay my way out of probation. Depends on the courts I guess.

This kind of worries me about the future. The only muscle/sports cars available are going to be pushing 35k+? I better have a damn good job. And an understanding wife.

 

+1

 

Hell, the F-150/Expedition diesel info in on Wikipedia. It isn't much of a secret anymore...

 

Will have to see the pricing, but it is hard to get excited about a beloved platform jumping out of yer price range.

With that power i have a hard time believing they would be under 35k for a GT.

Which would be a 29% price increase in 6 years.

Hell, one of the reasons the Mustang has been so successful is it has been more affordable than its competition.

for some reason i think they are jumping into a far far less prevaliant demographic if they get in the 400+hp 40k midlife crisis car.


Now, if they actually were going to produce the 2010 GT with 400+HP for 25k, i would be on that like a cop on doughnuts