V8 vs four-cylinder! Here's how many more Ford Mustang V8s than four-cylinders were sold in 2023

Every muscle car fan knows that there are two types of new Ford Mustang - the glorious V8-powered beast that scares birds out of trees as it roars past and the other one, you know the version with the.. ahem… four-cylinder engine. And that had us thinking: how many Mustangs sold last year were V8s and how many had just four cylinders under the bonnet? We found out.  

The Ford Mustang is as iconic as Coca-Cola. And yes, Chevrolet has the Camaro and Corvette, but since the Mustang first rolled onto the scene in 1965, it's been loved as much for its looks and performance as it is for its affordability.  

While we saw new generations of the Mustang come and go, it was the sixth-generation model which arrived in Australia in 2015 that is arguably as important to Ford as the first Mustang 50 years before.

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Not only did the design look “right’ and not awkward or too monstrous as previous models had been, but this Mustang was made in right-hand drive at the factory in Detroit. Not having to convert the new Mustang from left-hand drive to right in Australia meant the entry price could be kept to a low $54,490 for the V8 and even less for the four-cylinder at $44,990.

Today the new entry price has risen to $52,590 for the four cylinder and $65,290 for the V8 GT.

Yes, there’s a bit of a price difference and perhaps that’s why some might choose the cheaper variant.

So let’s look at last year’s numbers.

In 2023 Ford sold 1475 Mustangs in Australia. CarsGuide asked Ford Australia for the split - how many of these were V8s and how many were fours?

The answer didn’t surprise us but we still felt relieved: 1337 of the Mustangs sold were the V8 version and 138 were the four-cylinder. 

It has to be said though that the 2.3-litre four-cylinder Ecoboost engine in the Mustang isn’t anything to be too rude about. This turbo-petrol four makes 224kW and 441Nm. So we’re talking 305 horsepower - more than the 290 horsepower made from a Boss 302 V8 engine in the 1960s.

The issue really is that despite this being a high-output four cylinder engine which we loved in the Ford Focus ST, it’s frantic and ‘turbo whooshy’ personality just doesn’t suit something big like the ‘Stang.

The sixth-generation’s V8 is a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated engine and delivers its 336kW/55Nm in a controlled and predictable fashion much better suited to the grand tourer intentions of this car.

A Ford Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide that people have always favoured the V8.      

“Mustang has been one of Australia's favourite sports cars since its introduction in 2015, and despite limited availability due to model changeover in 2023, it continued to be a popular choice,” the spokesperson said. 

“The 5.0L V8 powered GT model has traditionally been the best-selling model, and that trend continued in 2023 with 90% of all Mustangs sold being specified with the V8 engine. We are looking forward to the arrival of the seventh-generation Mustang later this year, including the exciting Dark Horse special edition."

That’s right, the seventh-generation Mustang will arrive in Australia this year - and it keeps the V8. That’s right; it hasn’t gone electric - that is the other, other Mustang: the Mach-E.