Word has it the 2015 Ford Mustang won't be lighter than its predecessor. The added complexity of the independent rear suspension will add pounds to the car's curb weight, but that's not all that's going on here.

The 2015 Mustang was also engineered to meet harsher roof-crush standards, so that reinforced structure also adds pounds to the scales. How much more weight can we really expect to see?

While Autoblog and Steeda Auto claim the car will gain some 300 lbs, an insider familiar with the project has confirmed that that number is an exaggeration. The Mustang GT Premium, the heaviest possible trim package, will top out at roughly 250 lbs heavier than the 2014 car.

Volume models equipped with a V6 or the EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine are likely to be around 50 to 70 lbs heavier than this year's model, while a base GT will gain around 170 lbs.

Why not attack mass in the pony car the same way Ford did with the new F-150? Simple: The F-150 does so much volume, is such a profit center, and has so much to gain in terms of fleet fuel economy through weight reduction that the massive investment Ford put into making the truck lighter was a no-brainer. The Mustang, while popular, doesn't have volumes to justify a similar investment. That would have just made the 2015 car a lot more expensive, which is antithetical to the whole pony car idea.

The added weight that's engineered into the new Mustang could also explain why the Shelby GT350 is, according to our sources, going with a downsized, naturally aspirated engine, and may make limited use of carbon fiber. Look for the SVT guys to attack unsprung weight with a vengeance in that car, too. Ford isn't trying to make it a featherweight. The company's just making sure it doesn't lose too much ground when it rolls across the scales.

READ THIS: 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Pricing

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