LA 2009: 2011 Ford Mustang Revealed With 305hp V6

The 2011 Ford Mustang makes its debut at this week’s LA Show, complete with a new V6 that’s actually pretty sophisticated. Weird.

This may come as a shock, but Ford might just be attempting to drag the Mustang kicking and screaming into the current decade.

The new V6
For the 2011 model year, the bumbling 4.0-litre V6, which produces a weedy 325Nm and an even more pathetic 210hp, is gone. Instead, the new Mustang is powered by a clever 3.7-litre V6 with variable valves which manages a much more respectable 305hp and 380Nm.

Clean and mean
It’s also much better on fuel than the old lump – American fuel economy is measured as City and Highway, with the new engine managing 21.6mpg and 34.8mpg, instead of the old clunker’s 21.6mpg and 31.2mpg respectively.

Beats the competition
The new engine is also more powerful and efficient than the 3.6-litre V6 that lives under the bonnet of the Mustang’s arch-rival, the Chevy Camaro, and only loses out on power to the warbly 3.7 fitted to the Nissan 370Z. Super.

You also get revised suspension, with different rates for the dampers and springs, and bigger brakes too. A truly modern Mustang. Who’da thought it?