Seventh-gen Ford Mustang teased with V8 power
Tuesday, 30 August 2022
Ford has released a new teaser for the seventh generation of Mustang, set for a debut on September 14, with what is undoubtedly a V8 soundtrack.
The video is short, but it’s enough to figure out that Ford has kept its bent-eight in fine form for at least one more generation of pony car. It sounds great too, with a rumbling idle and little pops as the driver lifts off the throttle.
Towards the end of the clip is a small acceleration run, with a manual transmission doing the shifting. Ford has previously confirmed a six-speed manual will be offered, despite most buyers opting for the automatic option.
The V8 is reportedly a carryover engine from the current generation, meaning a 5.0-litre unit, but it’s currently unclear what sort of power outputs it will offer in the new Mustang. At the moment, the engine spits out a maximum of 345kW/556Nm, as seen in the limited Mach 1.
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If Ford wants to compete against the mid-engined Corvette, we would expect it to get much closer to the 369kW/637Nm figures of the Chevy. Typically, the Mustang would compete against the Camaro, but that model is all but confirmed to be discontinued in the next year or two in favour of an electric replacement.
Other engines will include the 2.3-litre EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder. There’s a chance Ford could make the 236kW/448Nm High Performance Package version the base model – which isn’t actually that much more powerful, but has a better torque spread than the standard Ecoboost.
There’s also a chance Ford will trickle down some goodies from the Shelby parts bin, like that 567kW 5.2-litre supercharged engine or its more track-focused chassis.
Other potential engines for the pony car include Ford’s 6.8-litre pushrod V8, which was name-dropped by a prominent Canadian auto union official back in 2020, explicitly stating it would power derivatives of the Mustang and F-150.
That one is a bit far-fetched though, as no other source has talked about that engine with the Mustang.
As for electrification, a hybrid Mustang likely won’t be a part of the launch. But that’s not to say it won’t ever be a part of the line-up, considering its constant presence in the rumour mill and the fact that Chevrolet is building an electrified Corvette as we speak.
Of course, this is all speculation. All we know for sure at this point is that the new Mustang will arrive with a V8 and a manual. Even if it doesn’t win the paper wars, it’ll still be a brilliant car to drive.