2011 Mustang Certified at 31 MPG, First 300+ HP Car To Do So

Written by Christopher DeMorro
Published on March 5th, 2010
4 Comments
Posted in Engines, Fuel economy

I love me a fast Ford.

The 2011 Mustang GT gets a new 5.0 liter, 412 horsepower V8 engine, 25 mpg, and a plethora of other improvements. It is a real Camaro killer.

But if I’m going to be honest, it is the 305 horsepower V6 Mustang that has caught my eye. Not only does it share the GT’s sharper, improved looks, but Ford had estimated the V6 engine would return 30 mpg on the highway. Well the official certification results are in, and the Mustang gets 31 mpg highway, making it the first car with over 300 horsepower to get over 30 mpg.

Ford has a habit of underestimating its cars… a good policy if you ask me. But 31 mpg in a car that looks and performs like the Mustang? That is amazing. And with 305 horsepower? Even better. It turns the motoring world on its head, because if Ford can do it, other companies are going to be expected to do the same. They managed to beat their pony car rival, the Camaro, by 2 mpg and 1 horsepower as well. Mind you, this is with the six-speed automatic transmission; opting for a manual will take your MPG rating down to 30 mpg on the highway. Both the auto and manual V6 Mustangs return 19 mpg in the city

The 3.7 liter V6 replaced the archaic 4.0 liter engine that has powered a variety of Fords for decades. With an MSRP of $22,145 it’ll also make an excellent commuter car without sacrificing looks that come with so many hybrids (Prius, I’m looking at you). Of course as of late, there appears to be some discrepency when it comes to EPA figures, and real world testing. Just do a search for the Chevy Equinox and you’ll see what I mean.

Check out the full press release on the next page.

Source: Ford

Pages: 1 2

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4 Responses to “2011 Mustang Certified at 31 MPG, First 300+ HP Car To Do So”

  1. Tim Cleland Says:
    March 5th, 2010 at 8:28 pm

    “Well the official certification results are in, and the Mustang gets 31 mpg highway, making it the first car with over 300 horsepower to get over 30 mpg.”

    That’s impressive. Particularly since the 2008 EPA change in the MPG estimation method (to account for speed, A/C use and cold-temp driving). It lowered all the estimates by roughly 12%. That means that had Ford made this Mustang back in 2007, it would have gotten a rating of 35 mpg.

    Between this and the Taurus SHO getting 28 mpg, Ford is leapfrogging GM and Chrysler in fuel efficient muscle cars. Hopefully, this will spur them to try to leapfrog back in front. Maybe we can have MPG wars instead of horsepower wars for a while.

  2. Rob Says:
    March 6th, 2010 at 5:23 am

    This is indeed impressive. Congrats to Ford. I am now anxious to see where this car is priced. The Genesis Coupe delivers these numbers also, for about 32k, you get it fully loaded, and with an amazing warranty. I hope Ford can bring this to the dealers with a similar price tag, or even better!

  3. Tech Says:
    March 6th, 2010 at 10:44 pm

    Well done to Ford. It’s a sharp looking car.

  4. Genesis Coupe Says:
    March 9th, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    I have a Genesis Coupe and plan on trading it in…maybe for a 350Z. The GenCp does not have any power until you hit 4500 RPM+.

    Why not have MPG and HP wars….more efficient = more power.