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The brake packages have been significantly upgraded, says Pericak, to the point that "the standard brake set on the Mustang GT is equivalent to the last car's Track Package brakes, while the new GT Performance Package brake system is the same one found on the 2014 Shelby GT500." That car had 662 hp, 227 more than the 2015 GT. Both the Mustang V6 and EcoBoost start out with 320-mm vented front rotors clamped by two-piston 43-mm floating calipers, and 320-mm rear rotors with single-piston 45 mm calipers in the rear. The EcoBoost Performance Pack shares the base Mustang GT's 352 mm vented front rotors and 46 mm fixed aluminum calipers, and 330 mm rear rotors with single-piston 45 mm iron calipers out back. Mustang GT Performance Pack cars retain the same rear brake setup, but swap for 38 mm vented front rotors with six-piston 36 mm aluminum Brembo calipers. "The fade resistance of these brakes is incredible," says Pericak, "and we designed them to stand up to track days as well as everyday use." The 5.0-liter V8 has been modified to produce 435 hp and 400 lb.-ft. of torque, and has a redline of 7,000 rpm. It pulled forward many of the lessons learned with the Boss 302 motor and features: larger intake and exhaust valves, revised intake and exhaust cams, stiffer valve springs, modified ports with straighter paths, new combustion chambers, sinter-forged connecting rods, redesigned pistons with deeper cutouts for the larger valves, a rebalanced forged crankshaft, a new intake manifold with charge motion control valves, and a greater range of adjustment for the variable valve timing system. Not bad for a motor that, when it was in front of former Global Product Development vice president Derrick Kuzak for production approval, only was expected to produced 380 horsepower. Though there are no changes to the base model's V6 engine, a new 2.3- liter EcoBoost four cylinder that produces 310 hp and 320 lb.-ft. of torque has been added to the mix. It's the first turbocharged four offered in a Mustang since the ill-fated 1984-1986 SVO Mustang. That iron block engine also was a 2.3-liter, produced 170 to 205 hp (a lot for the time), but was not in keeping with customer expectations for a performance Mustang. Ford hopes that this time around buyers will be more accepting of a small displacement performance motor that, according to the EPA, returns 32 mpg on the highway. Certainly it won't be for lack of technology. The new engine has an exhaust manifold integrated into the aluminum cylinder head, a 9.5:1 compression ratio, forged steel connecting rods with full floating pins, a high-pressure die-cast aluminum engine block with integrated main bearing caps, a structural ladder frame, balance shafts, and a forged steel crankshaft. It's also the first Ford production engine to use a twin-scroll turbo for optimum boost at all engine speeds. q This is only the second Mustang to feature a turbo-charged four. The 310-hp engine is good for 0-60 in 5.4 seconds and 32 mpg highway. AD&P; > November 2014 > FEATURE > 2015 Mustang: Tradition Meets Technology > Christopher A. Sawyer 32