After 18 years, the return of the 5 liter V8 in the 2011 Ford Mustang was long overdue. With ebbing sales and performance, the project had to make a bold move. What Ford decided to launch not only saved the Mustang, but signaled the return of the true American muscle car, roaring down the street with vengeance.
The legendary V8 was sought after for years, with gear heads opting for the pre-1993 models over the newer body styles, which only offered a maximum 4.6 liter engine option. When the larger engine was initially introduced, it was a mixture of collective aw and relief from the Mustang audience. But this was more than a throwback engine; much, much more.
The torque and horse in the 2015 5.0 Mustang, paired with its new dynamic styling and lower ground clearance, is rivaled in the American production market by only the Scat Pack Shaker Dodge Charger. Boasting 435 horsepower and 400 lb-ft torque, this V8 is a completely radical deviation from anything Ford ever turned out with Mustang before. The 5.0 even has 15 lb-ft of torque more than the previous model year, making for an unprecedented off-line speed of a mind-numbing 4.7 seconds!
The cutting edge technology packed into the brand new 5 liter V8 gave ‘Stang fans so much more than breakneck speed, both off the line and on the high-end. It is also as reliable as ever. That’s in great part to its optimized airflow and factory cooling jets to cool pistons at all times. Also the Cam Torque-actuated twin independent variable–cam timing (TiVCT) allows variable control of intake and exhaust valve closing to consistently optimize combustion and performance.
