The rivalry between the Chevrolet Camaro and the Ford Mustang is endless. Every new development is debated in rage–filled screeds, seemingly changing the opinion of no one. But that doesn’t mean that news about the two American sports cars isn’t important, or irrelevant to GM enthusiasts; after all, it’s vital to know what the competition is up to. And with the Camaro beating the Mustang in every shootout and comparison test that matters, GM’s cross-town rival was bound to respond. The latest rumor is that Ford is preparing a new high-performance, entry-level Mustang variant that will potentially be called Mustang SVO.
The rumored Mustang SVO is being billed as an entry–level performance model, something that would sit between the base Mustang with its EcoBoost 2.3L four-cylinder engine and the Mustang GT with its 5.0L V8. Our sister site, Ford Authority, recently captured spy photos of the potential Mustang SVO undergoing track testing.
It’s currently unclear whether the Mustang SVO would add a third powertrain, or simply squeeze more power out of the 2.3L EcoBoost. The addition of a third powertrain would help it match more closely what is offered by the sixth-generation Camaro: the 2.0L LTG turbocharged I4 as the base engine, the 3.6L LGX naturally-aspirated V6 for the midrange offering, and the 6.2L LT1 naturally-aspirated V8 at the top, not counting the supercharged 6.2L LT4 in the ZL1.
If Ford is positioning the new Mustang SVO as a mid-level offering, then something around 350 horsepower would make sense. That puts it above the 2.3L and its 310 horsepower and below the 460 horsepower rating of the Mustang GT. One engine that comes to mind is Ford‘s twin-turbo 3.0L making 350-400 horsepower, depending on the application. There’s also Ford‘s 2.7L EcoBoost V6 that produces 325 horsepower in the Ford F-150.
It’s also worth noting that there is a considerable price gap between the starting price of the base Mustang and that of the Mustang GT. The Mustang EcoBoost starts at $26,395 while the GT commands at least $35,355 to start. A mid-level Mustang offering at around $30,000 with 350 horsepower could make sense.
There also appears to a lack of clarity on the name of the forthcoming pony variant, with some billing it as the Mustang SVO and others as the Mustang ST. We should know soon enough exactly what Ford will offer and how it’ll stack up against the Camaro and its powertrain offerings.
The engine of a 2019 Chevrolet Camaro LT Turbo 1LE
The new Mustang model is tipped to be released at the upcoming New York International Auto Show later this month, which is when we should find out how much of a threat to the Camaro, if any, the new Mustang SVO will end up being. Until then, subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Camaro news, Chevrolet news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
It’s time to bring back the Berlinetta!
Does it really matter?? It will just be another option for Ford to increase its sales advantage over the Camaro. You can win every magazine test in the world but if it isn’t selling there are bigger issues. Personally you can start with the price being the biggest problem. Knock $5000 off the starting price of every trim level and you would make up the ground you lost to the Stang real fast
Price is the biggest issue. Though the horrible Bumblebee front end on the 2019 Camaro isn’t going to help.
The current 2019 base Mustang starts at 27490 including destination with stick and a heady 29085 with the optional 10 speed automatic.
The 2019 base Camaro in comparison is 25995 according to Chevy’s site and with automatic is 27490 making the Chevy up to 1595 cheaper on base models.
Moving up to the higher trim level Mustang Premium and Camaro 2LT shows base prices of 28495 for the camaro stick and 29990 with automatic. The Mustang Premium is 32505 with a stick and 34100 with automatic or up to 4110 more costly than the Mustang.
The basic Mustang GT with stick is 36450 and automatic is 38045. In comparison the Camaro SS is 37995 with stick and 39090 with 10 speed automatic. Here is where the Chevy is priced higher than the Ford and could almost do with a lower cost V8 model such as an RS for about 35995.
As for the Mustang Ford would be wise to offer a mid level SVO with the 2.7 EB V6 instead of the raucous 2.3 EB with higher output. That would give them a leg up on the V6 Camaro RS as long as the price wasn’t too high.
The SS is too expensive. Good luck finding a new 6th gen Camaro SS priced anywhere close to 36,450. The highest volume GM dealer in the area still wants $42k for a new Camaro SS coupe. I can get a brand new Mustang GT 5.0 from a couple dealerships nearby for $37,500 to $38,000. The other issue here is that there’s a big price bump just to get the slightly nicer interior in the Camaro. The price GM wants for the nicer interior doesn’t match with what you actually get. But that’s how GM does things these days. Intentionally make the base price of the SS look reasonably competitive with the Mustang GT, but then fill it with extra cheap interior materials that practically twist your arm until you break down and spend the extra money for the slightly better interior. $40k+ for a Camaro SS has everything to do with the current problems. Visibility never bothered me. The Camaro hasn’t had good outward visibility for decades. The 4th gen was just as bad as the 6th gen. It’s the fact that at $42k, I could easily scoop up a C6 or older C7 for the same money or less. Now that the 2019 uglified the car, I think the used Corvette is the better option at this point. If I wasn’t completely aware of the massive problems with the current 5.0 Coyote and its transmissions, I might have gone with the Mustang GT by now. I’m sure a lot of potential Camaro buyers bought Mustangs instead.
You can get a 1le SS for 38k… fyi
A Mustang ST with its twin-turbo V6 will seek the power and torque of a naturally-aspirated V8 while seeking the fuel economy of a naturally-aspirated V6. Weighing in at just a little under 3,620 pounds with 400+ horsepower, slotting between the EcoBoost and the GT, the ST will be seen as a potent challenger for the other mid-level pony cars, such as the Dodge Challenger R/T and the Chevrolet Camaro V6 (yes, believe it or not, the entry-level V8 Challenger and the V6 Camaro both are potential rivals to each other).
So far a V6 twin turbo Ecoboost tuned for high-performance applications (little to no turbo lag, 87 octane optimization) rarely if ever delivers fuel economy anywhere close to that of a naturally-aspirated V6. If they used the 2.7 Ecoboost, the fuel economy would be better than the 3.5EB, but the 2.7EB is weak on the top end. Odds are, they’ll use the 3.0 Ecoboost which delivers 400 HP and 415 lb-ft on 93 octane fuel in the 2020 Ford Explorer ST. Hopefully Ford spends money on better timing chains and cam phasers this time. The 2018+ F-150 Ecoboosts have as many phaser and TC issues as ever.
How about a Camaro with the 3.0 TT?
I don’t get why GM hasn’t taken advantage of their Cadillac TT V6’s. Just like the 2.7T in the Silverado should be in the Colorado/Canyon next year if they were smart.
Indeed. GM spent lots o’money on the 2.7T for a low take rate on Silverado/Sierra. Makes sense to share it w/ other models.
Unfortunately GM does a lot of stuff that don’t make sense. For a company that claim to be making cuts to save money they sure find a lot of ways to, waste money.
Yeah, like paying Queen Mary $26M/year and giving Opel to the Froggies just as it had become profitable again because they’re too pussified to compete in the European market.