LOS ANGELES -- Put the 2015 Ford Mustang on the couch, and you discover a car with a three-way split personality.
The 5.0-liter GT with its rumbling V-8 engine cranking out 435 hp and 400 pounds-feet of torque appeals to die-hard Mustang traditionalists. Many of those loyalists, who have been waiting since planning began for the sixth-generation Mustang in 2009, have placed their orders.
The 3.7-liter base V-6 appeals to those who want a package starting at $24,425, including shipping.
Where the 2015 Mustang really gets interesting is the 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder version, which starts at $25,995, including shipping. With an automatic transmission, the EcoBoost version gets an EPA estimated 21 mpg city/32 highway/25 combined.
"The EcoBoost engine is a whole new proposition that we don't have today," Melanie Banker, Mustang marketing manager, said last week at the media launch here.
That's why Ford this month is concentrating on the 2.3-liter engine and other high-tech features in intensive training sessions designed to educate dealership salespeople to sell the most sophisticated Mustang they've ever seen.