2011 Ford Mustang V-6

Ford was caught with its engineering pants down when the base Chevrolet Camaro got GM�s high-feature V-6 (we told you so) and not the 3.5-liter pushrod. While the Camaro SS, with its small-block V-8 is selling well in its first year, typical of high-profile new models, the RS and base V-6 strike at the core of Mustang�s volume sales. And so for 2011, Ford�s 4.0-liter V-6, originally built in Cologne, Germany, eons ago, is finally out.

The new Mustang V-6 is Ford�s first rear-drive application of its familiar 3.7-liter with twin-independent variable cam timing. The Mustang 3.7 includes aggressive deceleration shutoff, piston-cooling jets, polished valvetrain tappets and electric power steering and transmits its power through six speeds, automatic or manual.

And the numbers are impressive: Ford claims 305 horsepower at 6500 rpm, 280 pound-feet at 4250 rpm and 30 mpg with the automatic, on the highway. �We are the only ones who can provide 30 mpg and 305 horsepower,� says Barb Samardzich, Ford�s global powertrain vice president. What�s more, redline is now a Honda-like 7000 rpm

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