Ford Performance Kit Ratchets EcoBoost Mustang Torque Up to V-8 Levels

The Ford Mustang EcoBoost may have brought back tragic memories of the 1980s-era SVO when it was first announced in 2013, but since then, the turbocharged four-cylinder ‘Stang has proven itself a capable mini-muscle car. And thanks to a new performance upgrade, the Ford Mustang EcoBoost can now be bumped up to near-V-8 levels of power.

The new performance calibration kit for the 2.3-liter turbo four cranks the ponies up by 25, for a total of 335 horsepower. That pulls the EcoBoost Mustang even with its primary competitor, the V-6-powered Chevy Camaro; both cars are still down 40 horses compared with the similarly-priced Dodge Challenger R/T, but the Chally’s extra mass means it’s closer to those cars in performance than engine spec might lead a data nerd to believe.

More importantly for street use and old-school muscle car nuts alike, the package increases torque by 70 pound-feet, dialing the EcoBoost engine up to a whopping 390 lb.-ft. of twist. That’s just 10 torques shy of the 5.0-liter V-8’s total twist.

The EcoBoost tuning kit isn’t just about bumping up the peak outputs, either. Ford points out that the upgrade boosts the power all across the dial, especially at the higher end. From 5,500 rpm to the four-cylinder’s 6,600-rpm redline, power is up an average of 75 horsepower and 64 lb.-ft; at 6,000 rpm, there are 100 more ponies on tap than there are in the stock car. No more short-shifting required.

The best part? The kit only costs $699. Considering an EcoBoost Mustang with the factory’s Performance Package costs $28,815 with destination, you could easily drive off the lot with a sub-$30K ‘Stang packing V-8-like performance. And it won’t void the warranty, so long as it’s installed by a Ford Performance-authorized shop.

Owners of V-8-powered Mustangs aren’t being left out, either. As we reported back in July, Ford is also rolling out a trio of performance packages for eight-pot ‘Stangs. Ford Performance quotes a maximum power output of 472 horsepower for the full-bore Stage 3 system, but in an exclusive interview with The Drive, a Ford spokesperson revealed the system—which uses pieces from the Shelby GT350, among other upgrades—can actually push the engine up as high as 495 horsepower.

Note: Yes, we know that's a Ford Mustang GT in the picture. We chose it anyway because it's a cool pic. Get over it.