Well, what do you know? Ford entered its 5.0L V8 Mustang to an MPG marathon which is happening on October 18-19th just for fun, or this car is really Eco-friendly? For this year’s contest, Ford chose its convertible version of said vehicle.
When we look at stats, the 5.0-liter V8 has 421 PS (415 HP) and 530 Nm (391 lb-ft) of torque, which is incredible but is it enough to win anything in this contest? When we look at the performance side of the Mustang, it rips from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds, but that is not something that is going to be important here. What is a big deal in this contest is to preserve or even if possible increase its 20 MPG (11.8l/100km) average fuel consumption figure and not blast with full power down the straight line.
Event organizer Jerry Ramsdale stated, “The great thing about the MPG Marathon is that it’s as much about driving style as it is about Eco vehicles.” He also added something regarding Ford crew signup “By entering a car like the Mustang and showing the world how much the crew can improve the fuel economy over the standard MPG figure, Ford is demonstrating how even the most performance-oriented of cars can be fuel efficient if driven in a responsible, Eco-friendly manner.”
The team that is about to run this vehicle is the former Ford works rally crew Andy Dawson and Andy Marriott who were former winners of the event back in 2012 behind a wheel of a Ford Fiesta ECOnetic 1.6 TDCi. If they do well and according to plan to increase or maintain said MPG ratio of Mustang they will definitely show that having a performance vehicle doesn’t necessary mean that you have a gas guzzling monster which doesn’t give two cents for the environment. This was also backed up by a Ford UK sales director Kevin Griffin who among other things said “…high power rating need not necessarily mean excessive fuel consumption – as this year’s MPG Marathon is set to demonstrate”. He also mentioned that the Mustang is “…UK’s top selling high performance sales car…”.
This year’s event is going to be very interesting, and you may be asking why? Well, try picturing this situation: 5.0L V8 Ford Mustang sitting on the start line beside hydrogen fuel-cell powered Hyundai ix35 both competing for the same prize. Hmm, who might win we wonder? One thing we must add is that the competitors will have to achieve the best MPG numbers driving around different places across the country – including Silverstone race track in Northamptonshire. This will be fun!
