2011 Ford Mustang V6 gets 305 horses

The entry level Mustang finally gets a decent powerplant for the 2011 model

Ford has revealed the 2011 Mustang with a new V6 offering 305bhp, styling tweaks, new ‘boxes and 36mpg.

So what, you may say. 305 horses is hardly an earth-shattering amount of power for an American muscle car. And you’d be right. It’s not exactly unbridled power. But this is the entry-level Mustang; the one that’s all show and no go. And in comparison to the arthritic 4.0 litre V6 in the outgoing model this new V6 is a veritable powerhouse.

Hard to believe, but the entry-level Mustang until now – which on first view seemed like it might go reasonably well with a 4.0 litre V6 – actually managed to produce all of 210bhp. Yes, you read that right, 210bhp. That’s about the same as a Golf GTI. In a car that weighs about the same as a small herd of elephants.

So the news that Ford has finally given the entry-level Mustang an interesting level of power is great news for buyers, especially as in these eco-mad times you could reasonably have expected Ford to fit a big elastic band and a couple of AA batteries in the name of ‘Green’. But they haven’t, they’ve done the sensible thing and dropped in a more powerful and more economical lump (the 2011 Mustang V6 will do 36mpg). Ford has also thrown in new gearboxes, a performance pack and a raft of tweaks to make the Mustang viable.

The Mustang isn’t hugely relevant this side of the Pond, but it’s an iconic car and it’s good to see Ford treating it with some respect, especially as the current woes would have given it an excuse to do little.

If you want more detail or fancy a bit of iconic American Muscle car that now goes as well as blows, have a look at the 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Press Release.