Los Angeles auto show: With new V6, Mustang's hp, mpg slip past Camaro's

Mustang fans have been nagging Ford Motor Co. for a better V6 engine in the base model of the long-running pony car--one with more horsepower and less hoarse power.
Next spring they'll get it when the old 4.0-liter V6 is replaced by a 3.7-liter, 305-hp, 24-valve V6 with double overhead cams. It's the Mustang's first high-performance six-cylinder engine.
The old, rough, 210-hp V6--which has been built in various displacements since the late 1960s--couldn't compete with the 3.6-liter V6 in the new Chevrolet Camaro.
The base version of the 2011 Ford Mustang, due in the spring, noses ahead of the 2010 Camaro V6--but not by much. The Mustang has one more horsepower and one more highway mile per gallon than the Camaro.

The 3.7-liter engine in the base 2011 Mustang is also being used in several front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive Lincolns. The Mustang is the first rear-wheel-drive application.
To boost horsepower, the intake areas of the engine's heads were ported and polished to increase the volume of the air-fuel mixture. The valve tappets were polished to reduce friction. A new intake manifold improves engine breathing. The changes helped raise horsepower from 273 in the Lincoln MKS to 305.

The Mustang also gets these upgrades:
-- Two new six-speed transmissions, automatic and manual.
-- Stronger brakes and firmer suspension from the GT model.
-- A slightly revised interior with a new roof storage system.
The updated engine includes such fuel-saving technology as variable valve timing and an advanced fuel injection system that cuts off the fuel supply when the car is decelerating.
The old engine was built in Cologne, Germany, and shipped to Flat Rock, Mich., where it was installed in the Mustang. The new engine is built in Ford's Cleveland plant.
Camaro sales have exceeded the Mustang's for six straight months. General Motors Co. thinks the Camaro will outsell the Mustang for the entire year, although through October the Mustang still led, 56,469 to 47,233. The Camaro went on sale in April.
Ford plans to show the 2011 Mustang V6 this week at the Los Angeles auto show. Upgrades are also in store for the Mustang GT, which Ford plans to introduce in January at the Detroit auto show.