Tag Archives: RoadandTrack.com

Ford Mustang 2.3L EcoBoost – 18 PSI Boost Peak w/ Twin Scroll Turbocharger!

http://www.roadandtrack.com/go/first-looks/5-things-learned-2015-ford-mustang-ecoboost-23

The 2.3-liter runs 18 psi of boost (not that you’d know it)

Where the center dash vent would be on a six- or eight-cylinder, the turbo four’s cockpit embeds a pair of blue-over-black dial gauges. Closest to the driver is oil pressure; next over is a boost gauge. We noted a max of 18 psi (a smidge over 1.2 bar) indicated during the test runs; it appeared to taper towards 15 psi at redline.

Torque felt adequate and spool was quick, though we were expecting a little more pep in its step. The soundtrack is in the same spirit as the Focus ST, though with a bit more grunt and sans induction noise—save one section of full-tilt lift into heavy braking, there wasn’t much sneezing and whirling from the 2015 Mustang’s twin-scroll snail.

Still, they seem to be fudging on the peak HP & torque numbers.  I’ve seen 315 – 330 HP and relatively the same in peak torque.  And no, it’s not the same engine as the Lincoln MKC (tune and supporting parts will be totally different).

7 lemons we can’t help but love – Road & Track

http://www.roadandtrack.com/features/web-originals/7-lemons-we-love

Some of the models listed are serious power-hitters.  The article focuses on certain years where a selected model of car has technology issues that soured the ownership experience.  The #2 car listed is the 2001-2003 Subaru WRX, by the way!

Road and Track – Dyno Tested: 2015 Subaru WRX vs. 2015 Subaru STI

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/car-comparison-tests/2015-subaru-wrx-vs-sti

The article doesn’t really allude to much more than what’s depicted on the dyno charts.

The STI has the higher peak numbers, but the WRX pretty much overshadows the STI on the charts. It makes power much quicker than the STI (due to it’s twin scroll turbocharger and equal length headers/manifolds, more than likely). This tells me that the WRX will be easier to drive day-to-day. The dyno charts actually look a bit disturbing, as the WRX surely lords it over the STI on those charts.

And what’s ridiculous are the peak torque measurements for the WRX:  It’s making more torque than the STI and at a lower RPM:  245 lb-ft @ 3850 rpm vs 243 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm.  Is the STI experiencing parasitic drain due to it’s diffs? It had a 32 lb-ft advantage per the manufacturer’s crank measurement…that just disappeared.

And then you see the 5-60 MPH (rolling start) test results for both: WRX- 7.0, STI – 7.1.  That’s the more telling measurement.  It shows that the power-to-weight ratio isn’t really all that good, when compared to other cars in their price ranges.

The STI does the 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, while the WRX lays down a 5.2 result. For the quarter-mile, the STI runs a 13.3 @ 102 MPH; the WRX runs a 13.7 @ 99.5. And what’s really funny is the top speed for both: both are electronically limited, with the STI topping out at 155 and the WRX topping out at 174 (I’m pretty positive that’s a typo).  EDIT:  R&T stated the following — “That line, in fact, was supposed to be cut from the final draft entirely. Editing snafu. We’re putting in a strikethrough and adding a notation. Thanks for pointing this out, guys.”

The FB post is here:

 

A teaser article is here and pertains to de-winging an STI (this is not new news…there are many de-wing threads on STI and WRX forums on the interwebz).

Driving.ca and Road & Track – Press Release Review of the 2015 STI

http://driving.ca/subaru/wrx/reviews/road-test/motor-mouth-tackling-laguna-seca-with-the-subaru-wrx-sti/

This one doesn’t contain a video, but has lots of pictures, as well as text dialogue.  It’s pretty much a blow-by-blow of the Mazda Speedway drive (Laguna Seca).

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/first-drives/2015-subaru-wrx-sti

The above link doesn’t contain video footage either, but shows absolute praise of the new STI.

R & T’s Facebook post of their review is here:

 

WRX/STI Killer? Your Thoughts?

For those of you that are pissed that Subaru quit producing a hatch WRX, here’s something to mull over…a 290HP VW Golf R.

More @ http://www.roadandtrack.com/go/news/volkswagen-golf-r-brings-290-hp-to-the-us?src=soc_fcbks

 

EDIT: Yeah, this news is making the rounds, as here’s another one from Motor Trend:

http://oak.ctx.ly/r/lxi0