I personally don't believe in the 2011 Ford Mustang 315hp V6 story for a few reasons.
- The 3.7L is a fine engine, but it's putting out at least 40 fewer horses than that in the vehicles it's currently used in.
- A base mustang that matches the performance of the previous year's GT for $7000 less would really piss off the faithful. Even with less torque, a 315hp V6 should weigh about 200# less than the 2010 mod-motored GT and would have fairly comparable performance.
- A new V6 that offered 50% more power than the motor it replaces at the same price point would tick off the current V6 owners.
- A 285hp V6 combined with the Mustang's lighter weight would put the performance on par or quicker than the V6 Camaro without treading on the 2010 GT's territory.
I'm not bashing the Mustang, as I looked at them and liked the car. Liked the Challenger too for that matter. The Mustang's non-existent back seat (Camaro's is bad enough) was a down-side though.
I feel it would make more sense for Ford to go with a 75hp bump in the V6 to make a better slot for a 3.5L TT option later on and keep the base model from equaling the recent GT's performance.