2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost High Performance Pack Review: Not Quite GT Lite, But Still a Hit
It doesn't hit the same notes, but this hotted-up four-cylinder is more about the Mustang's future than its roots.
Ford raised a lot of eyebrows when it dropped an EcoBoost engine in the loping Mustang, but the formula of a turbocharged, four-cylinder pony car has proven mostly successful. It's completely replaced the V-6 Mustang in the lineup as a viable entry-level model while traditionalists get their kicks with the eight-cylinder GT. That said, there's still a big question unanswered: Can Ford build a four-cylinder performance car that's as fun and engaging as a V-8?
After driving the 2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost High Performance Package, we've found the answer isn't entirely straightforward, and it lands in a space that's usually forgotten when debating the merits of Ford's small-displacement 'Stang. In tossing slightly more power and far better handling (with the $3,995 Handling Package), Ford's sharpened its bite but fallen a bit short of making the EcoBoost HPP a true replacement for its V-8 stablemate. But that's always going to be an impossible task—what isn't impossible is expanding how people see the Mustang ahead of some big paradigm shifts ahead. And the EcoBoost HPP is certainly a fresh look.
