Fuel economy is the 2.3 EcoBoost’s raison d'être. Whether you’ll consider the official 31mpg combined figure (and accompanying 199g/km of CO2) a worthwhile trade-off to eschew the character of the larger V8 will be up to you and your bank manager, but it’s hardly a spectacular number.
The V8, by way of comparison, manages 23.7mpg combined and 277g/km of CO2. Fuel costs will therefore be higher, though experience with both engines leads us to believe there’s little difference in the real world. One upside to the new automatic is a gentle rise in MPG figures for both engines, thanks to the incredibly long tenth gear, which will sit the Mustang at pretty much idle at 70mph.
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Driven hard, both will guzzle fuel at an impressive rate (we've seen single figures on track in the V8), but even the V8 can be persuaded into parsimony with a light foot – a gentle 70mph motorway run should see numbers around the 25mpg mark.
Tyres are likely to be the most regular expense. In standard specification you’ll be looking for 225/40 R19 rubber at the front and 275/40 R19 at the rear, making a pair of replacement Pirelli P Zeros £145 each on the front wheels and £188 each at the rear (both before fitting, from blackcircles.com).
