2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoosted Fuel Economy Is… Yawn

Some leaked window stickers for the 2015 Ford Mustang show the estimated EPA fuel economy for the highly-anticipated pony car in both it’s EcoBoost four-cylinder and V6 engine options. The one most Ford Mustang enthusiasts wonder about is the tiny 2.3-liter inline-four cylinder EcoBoost engine that is a first for the car. Well, sort of a first. The Ford Mustang had a very similar engine before, years ago.

The leaked Monroney’s (windows stickers) were posted to a Ford Mustang enthusiasts forum, Mustang6g. Ford has not authenticated the numbers on the leaked sheets, but they appear legitimate enough that they are likely real. The Mustang stickers have the little EcoBoost 2.3L outputting 31 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg in the city.

For comparison, the 2015 Ford Mustang with the base V6 engine and the same transmission will have a 17 mpg city and 28 mpg highway rating. Those numbers are lower than the outgoing 2013 model of the Ford Mustang, which boasted 19/29 city/highway. You can see all three of the leaked Monroney stickers at Autoblog as well.

Now for that new EcoBoost four-cylinder Ford Mustang. According to Green Car Congress, in 1979 through to 1993, there was a Ford Mustang with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. Using current EPA ratings, that old Mustang’s 1984 model had MPG ratings of 18/22 for city/highway. The performance-oriented SVO was a turbocharged version of that Ford Mustang 2.3L and it had 175-200 horsepower, depending on the model year (175 in 1984, 200 by 1986). The new EcoBoost engine will give the Ford Mustang 310 horsepower. In truth, the current-edition Ford Mustang is the most fuel efficient ever with this new little EcoBoost engine.

Fast-forward back to the present, and another grip many enthusiasts have about the 2015 Ford Mustang is its weight. Through its recent lifetime, the Ford Mustang has been shedding pounds with every new rendition. This time, however, that changes, as the Ford Mustang gains weight for 2015 rather than losing it. Although it’s a small gain, it’s still a gain and many potential buyers aren’t happy about that. The new Mustang is larger in size, accounting for that weight gain, and Ford says this is to better balance the pony car’s handling.

To take that little 2.3 to the next level, however, feast your eyes on the upcoming Ford Mustang RTR series. Featured in Edmunds, the RTR Spec 1 package will have body and exhaust upgrades, plus tires and springs to make the Ford Mustang Vaughn Gittin Jr. bad buttocks.

Of course, for those who think fiddling around with a tin box four-cylinder, even if it is turbocharged and running on high-compression, there is always the monster V8 2015 Ford Mustang package with its 435 horses. Bring extra underwear.