Reckoning: Will Gas Prices Bring Back The 4-Cylinder Mustang?
Editorial by Sam Haymart
As history repeats itself at the pump, will it play again in our driveways?
05-23-08: History repeats itself. As the gas crisis of 1973 loomed large, people who cherished their beloved big V8’s were scurrying to dealers in a panic to trade them away for anything that would cure their pain at the pump. In the frenzy, people took huge losses on BOSS 429’s, Mach 1’s, Shelby’s and anything else that could only muster 7-10 mpg to take home a new Pinto, Mustang II or one of the new foreign choices from Honda, Toyota and Datsun.
I remember well as a child, the night my parents left in their nearly new and fully-loaded ‘73 Ford LTD Brougham and came home with a base stripped Pinto wagon. As a kid I was excited, but my folks were swallowing the poison pill of hard-timed economics. The first major oil and gas crisis had hit home at the Haymart household.
In a stroke of luck, Ford was just in time with the new 1974 Mustang II. The first four cylinder Mustang was a disappointment to many purists, but it sold like wild fire. Getting stellar gas mileage of the era at around 20-22mpg, the Mustang II and Pinto cousin were seen as a saviors in a heavenly shaft of light to many who were literally going broke to feed their previously affordable V8 cars.
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Fast-forward 35 years are we are in the same boat again, albeit in a different sea. Gas and oil prices have skyrocketed at an accelerated rate for a great number of reasons. The government is cracking down on gas guzzler cars with new laws. The slow sea-change in consumer taste from large trucks and SUV’s to smaller and more efficient cars has suddenly hit the NOS button. When gas goes up a $1.00 - $1.50 a gallon in a matter of months, people take notice and react. Sales of anything with a V8 have plummeted. Even vehicles with modest V6’s are being shunned for whatever it takes to get 25, 35, and even 45 mpg.
Add this to what many consider to be an economy that is in recession, things have hit a fever pitch. Ford announced this week that they are slashing production of large trucks and SUV’s and diverting more attention to smaller cars. This shift will also be seen in development of new models. We have covered the new government energy laws that will soon change the automotive industry as we know it. But $4 and $5 a gallon gas has almost made that story irrelevant. Consumers are suddenly demanding today what the government was going to force over the next 10-15 years.
So what does this mean for Mustang? Well at present it means that sales are in the tank. Buyers are focused on what they need, not what they want. While some people have been purchasing a V6 Mustang as a "save money" commuter car, most are looking past them at cars like the Focus, Corolla, Civic and even hybrids. Though the V6 Mustang can hit the mid 20mpg range, it simply isn’t enough to land it on the radar screens of people giving up something once cherished in the pursuit of saving big money. I mean if you are going to take a bath trading in your favorite full-sized car or truck to save gas money, you are going all the way - no half measures.
It makes me wonder if there may be a case for a four cylinder Mustang in the market-place once again. The notion may make some cringe and curse. But remember that Mustang had a four-cylinder engine for 19 out its 45 years, and as recent as 1993. There were even some pretty acclaimed performance based versions in the mix like GT Turbo and the top-deck SVO. With 145, 175 and even 205hp these engines were on the leading edge in their time. While some remember them as rough, buzzy and troublesome, they sold well and were lauded by the automotive press.
Better V6 engines more in line with the 250-260hp range of the Camaro and Challenger are soon coming to Mustang. That upgrade could leave an opening for a high-efficiency four-cylinder base engine. Ford has reported they have a new Eco-Boost turbocharged 2.0 4-cylnder that can produce up to 275 hp. While that might be a bit on the premium side, a new naturally aspirated DOHC 2.5 liter four that robustly produces 171 hp has been introduced in the Ford Escape. This engine could be more than adequate for a base Mustang. With the weight savings and the right combination of transmission and gearing, performance could easily be on par with the current V6 Mustang.
While the concept of a four-cylinder Mustang might bring heartburn to some reading this, there are likely as many who today are thinking it is not so rash. Even Chevrolet is rumored to be working on a turbo-charged four in the Camaro. Imagine the style and flair of a Mustang with the fuel efficiency of a mundane economy car. That was the original recipe in the first place wasn’t it?
The bottom line is that we are today witnessing a historic sea-change in the era of automobiles and energy. When confronted with political notions of global warming, mass marketing of “going-green”, and all that hype people tend to only drift into change if they find it appealing or buy into it psychologically. Confront them with a sudden huge dent in their pocketbooks, and they react big time. While gas prices may top out and even drop again, people have been given a wake up call that will affect their car buying habits for years to come.
As stated at the opening of this article, it is an awakening not unlike the 1970’s. What is different today is that Ford and other American car companies have the technology and panache to build better economy cars than in the 1970’s. A four-cylinder Mustang today would be a far more attractive proposition than it was in 1974. Whatever occurs, we will be here watching.
