Ford says the upcoming Mustang GT will be its most powerful iteration yet, but US reports claim the car giant won’t extract more power from its V8 engine.
The 2024 Ford Mustang GT may not be more powerful than its predecessor – despite the US car giant’s claims – with overseas reports suggesting the muscle car’s V8 engine won’t receive a power boost.
At the Detroit auto show in September, Ford claimed the seventh-generation Mustang GT would be the most powerful yet, thanks to its ‘Coyote’ 5.0-litre V8 engine gaining updates such as twin throttle bodies.
However, US publication Ford Authority now reports the 2024 Ford Mustang GT won’t score a power increase, with a dealer window sticker showing the muscle car could produce 450 horsepower (336kW) – identical to the outgoing 2023 US-market Mustang GT.
Last year, the current Mustang GT’s outputs were cut by 7kW and 14Nm in the US due to stricter emissions requirements – although the restrictions did not carry across to Australian-delivered examples.
In Australia, the sixth-generation Ford Mustang GT’s V8 produced 306kW/530Nm when it was launched in 2015, with a 2018 facelift increasing its outputs to 339kW/556Nm.
Ford Authority added the unchanged power output shown on the purported dealer window sticker is yet to be confirmed by the US car giant, as production of the new Mustang isn’t scheduled to begin until mid-2023.
As previously reported, the Mustang GT will sit below a new ‘Dark Horse’ variant for 2024, which is set to become the most powerful grade in the muscle car’s line-up.
Ford claims the Mustang Dark Horse’s Coyote V8 is expected to produce 373kW – 47kW more than the Mustang GT – thanks to the new twin throttle bodies and stronger conrods inside the engine.
The current Mustang’s V8 engine has become popular with independent speed shops – which can unlock more power by connecting a computer to the car’s engine control unit and changing aspects of its software – but this may come to an end with the new model, as Ford has said the upcoming muscle car will be fitted with encrypted technology.
According to the Ford Mustang’s chief engineer, Ed Krenz, the muscle car’s advanced electrical architecture will make it “much more difficult” for smaller workshops and aftermarket tuners to unlock and make changes to engine software.
While Ford has claimed it is “open to collaborating with tuners looking to modify vehicles”, the car giant could offer its own performance modifications in-house for customers chasing more power – having previously released official tunes for the Explorer ST and Bronco EcoBoost models in the US.
Further details about the 2024 Ford Mustang – including power and torque outputs – are expected to be revealed closer to its Australian arrival in late 2023.
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