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When the 2015 Ford Mustang becomes available this Fall, buyers will have their choice of three different engine options: An improved Coyote 5.0L V8, a 2.3L turbocharged EcoBoost, and a 3.7L Ti-VCT V6. 

In an effort to keep with traditional pony car heritage, Shawn Carney, powertrain noise, vibration and harshness engineer for the Mustang, worked together with his team to create a distinct voice for each Mustang engine.

As a result of custom tuning and tweaking, each engine in the 2015 lineup sounds like a Mustang, while maintaining an individual voice which sets it apart from the rest.

A Solid Foundation is Essential

Before you can begin to create a custom sound, you must first remove any unwanted noises that may taint your creation. That said, Carney and his engineers took numerous steps to ensure the sounds they created will be all drivers hear when they start up their new Mustangs this Fall.

“In addition to the usual suspects you expect to hear inside the car, like the engine and exhaust, the body structure can become an incremental source of unwanted noise,” explained Carney. “Body panels can act like speakers, amplifying vibration and sound inputs from the road, powertrain and wind.”

He added, “The Mustang engineering team – from studio, chassis, body, powertrain, dynamics, NVH and aerodynamics – collaborated to create an improved platform that attenuates many of the noises drivers don’t want to hear.”

On advantages of working with the 2015 Mustang is the car’s sleek profile. Ford says it helps diminish wind noise while also reducing lift and drag. Road noise is reduced as well thanks to a stiffer structure that provides a rigid platform for more precise handling and improved ride quality.

In addition, the shape of the Mustang’s alternator housing’s cooling vents, additional layers of door seals, acoustic windshield and the subtle lines of the mirror sails – all contribute to lowering the noise floor of the new platform.

An Improved 5.0L V8 Engine that Really Growls

Ford made numerous upgrades to their 5.0L Coyote V8 engine for the 2015 model year.  This includes:

• Larger intake valves
• Larger exhaust valves
• Revised intake camshafts
• Revised exhaust camshafts

The end result is a car that can breathe better, especially at higher engine speeds.

In order to really highlight the engine’s “soundtrack”, Ford gave it a revised exhaust system to lay the bass note and set the rhythm from the first crank of the engine (Listen Now). Ford says that, upfront, a redesigned induction sound tube matches the beat of the exhaust – note for note – playing directly into the cabin. The tube is now more centrally placed for a more natural balance.

Upgraded 3.7L V6 Engine Has More Umph

Ford’s Coyote 5.0L engine isn’t the only one getting an upgrade. Ford says its upgraded 3.7-liter V6 engine now has a more refined growl that communicates the performance a driver can expect from 300 horsepower underhood. So how did they do it? Well, Ford’s engineers used learnings from the Mustang GT to custom tune their V6 engine. The result is a racy sound; something seriously lacking in V6 Mustangs back in the day.

The 2.3L EcoBoost Engine is the Centerpiece

While Ford made upgrades to their V8 and V6 Mustang engines, they really pulled out all the stops with theie new 2.3L EcoBoost turbocharged engine. Producing around 310 horsepower and 320 lb.-ft. of torque, this powerplant uses a combination of turbocharging, direct injection, and twin independent variable camshaft timing to produce nearly 135 horsepower per liter and more than 139 lb.-ft. of torque per liter – the best-ever power density from a production Mustang engine.

“Based on our long experience with V8 and V6 engines, we already had a good idea of what those Mustangs should sound like,” said Carney. “The new Mustang EcoBoost needed to have its own voice and its own DNA, while still being linked to the other models.”

He added, “We knew the EcoBoost was going to be straightforward and refined,” he added, “but it also had to project its own essence while still being unmistakably connected to the brand.”

So how did his team approach coming up with a unique sound for the car? Well, Ford benchmarked a variety of great cars with unique sounds that reflected the character of the vehicle. While none were an exact fit for the Mustang EcoBoost, Carney and team took elements that were right and mixed them up to create a sound unique to their car.

“Using computer simulation tools that take into account the basic hardware we have to work with in a given car – this defines the limits of where we can acoustically take a car – we created several sound concepts,” said Carney. “We enlisted our core audience, and solicited feedback from multiple Mustang enthusiast groups to confirm our direction for the EcoBoost sound.”

Ford says that, while the EcoBoost engine beats the performance levels of earlier V8 engines, the smaller-displacement turbo doesn’t sound like its V8 companion. In fact, Ford wanted something completely different, and that’s what they got. The end result is a Mustang that maintains its heritage while powering into the future.

You’ll be able to hear the 2015 Mustang in person this coming Fall.