Ford’s EcoBoost Mustang is getting a new performance package thanks to RTR Vehicles.
Vaughn Gittin Jr. has been a staple of tuned Mustangs for more than a decade, with most upgrade specs tuned toward Ford’s V8-powered pony car. I say “most”, because you can soon get the RTR package with the 2026 Ford Mustang EcoBoost as well, bringing some drifting fun to the smaller-displacement coupe.
Starting off, the 2026 Ford Mustang EcoBoost RTR sticks with the 2.3-liter mill. That means you get 315 horsepower and 350 lb-ft o torque here, though this package brings in an anti-lag system derived from the Le Mans-winning GT race car, to keep the turbo spooled up for quicker responses to sudden throttle inputs. If the grunt is feeling a little bit, well, weak for you, Ford’s performance tune can bump that figure up to 350 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. On a possibly sour note, though, this car is only available with the 10-speed automatic transmission.
On the RTR, V8 staples like the drift brake and active-valve performance exhaust come standard here, as well. Like the other RTRs from both S550 and current S650 generations, the EcoBoost gets the signature Mustang GT fascia with the grille lights. The rear wing comes straight from the GT’s Performance Pack, while the RTR package changes up the mirror caps, graphics and badging and Tarnish Dark Anodized finish. To capp off the look and the stance, you also get Hyper Lime brake calipers, as well as Tarnish Dark Anodized 19-by-9.5-inch wheels.
Ford’s engineers and the RTR team brought in more parts from the Mustang GT on the performance side, including its Brembo brakes with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rears, while the anti-roll bars and rear subframe come from the Dark Horse. The EcoBoost RTR also gets a revised steering gear and a tweaked Track drive mode to make drifting just that little bit easier with the aforementioned drift brake.
Inside, you get a ton more Hyper Lime in the drift brake handle, contrast stitching throughout the cabin and the seatbelts. That said, you don’t have to get that (Vaughn Gittin Jr. notes it “may not be for everyone”). A serialized instrument panel badge, illuminated sill plates, and special welcome graphics for the 12.4-inch digital gauge cluster and the 13.2-inch center screen do come by default, though most buyers will probably appreciate those touches.
How much will the EcoBoost RTR cost and when can I buy one?
While Ford and RTR are keen to show up their latest package for EcoBoost Mustangs, we aren’t getting prices just yet. We do know it will arrive next summer. The base EcoBoost Mustang coupe with the High package (which the RTR requires) will set you back at least $36,915. From there it’s really anyone’s guess, though pricing it in the low-to-mid-$40,000s would create a hell of a package against just getting the standard GT. That said, RTR Vehicles lets you go buck wild with the Coyote V8-powered model, spending as much as $32,995 above and beyond the base car for the Spec 3 — taking things up to 810 horsepower in the process.
However (and I may be nearly alone here)…don’t count the Mustang EcoBoost out on principle. While I’m a huge fan of the GT and Dark Horse and love V8s as much as the next guy, the four-pot Mustang is properly quick in its own right and is a fun and responsive package, to say nothing of better fuel economy.
I’d love to see this RTR pair with a 6-speed manual, but you can’t get that with the normal EcoBoost either, so I could see why it’s not an option here. Still a bit of a bummer, but Ford has managed to offer up the EcoBoost as a compelling, fun and less expensive alternative to going all-in on, say, a $70,000-plus Dark Horse.
