Pony Up! Hot 2.3L Turbo 4-Cylinder Engine Earns Ford Another Honor (WardsAuto)
A 4-cylinder engine delivering more power than V8s found in Ford Mustangs a decade ago puts smiles on our faces and punches the 2.3L EcoBoost High Performance Package into this year’s top echelon.
At 144 hp per liter and a $32,000 base price, when it comes to top pony-car performance for the dollar, there is no better candidate than the high-output 2.3L EcoBoost turbo 4-cylinder in the 2020 Ford Mustang High Performance Package.
Technically a return winner from 2017 in the short-lived Ford Focus RS all-wheel-drive hatchback, in the Mustang the engine is shifted to a longitudinal arrangement, driving the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission.
We loved the engine in the Focus RS, and the magic continues in the Mustang HPP application. It shares the RS engine bore, stroke, compression ratio, valvetrain and cast-aluminum block and heads, but vehicle-specific tuning, a 5%-larger twin-scroll turbo compressor and a special quad exhaust create a unique new feel in the venerable pony car.
