For old school Mustang-lovers, anything less than a V8 might sound, well...ludicrous. And while we certainly do love the 5.0-liter V8 in the Mustang GT, the 3.7-liter V6 in the 2013 Mustang is no slouch, either. It's rated at 305-horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, and reaches the 60 mph mark in just 5.6 seconds.

It wasn't always this way, though, which is probably why many people still raise their eyebrows when we suggest the V6 engine. Starting in 1999, however, Ford began working to improve the performance of their V6 engines, and the latest iteration represents the results of some pretty impressive year-over-year improvements.

The 1999 Ford Mustang Convertible, equipped with a 190-hp 3.8-liter V6 went from 0-60 in a pretty sluggish 8.6 seconds. By 2004, however, Ford equipped the car with a larger 4.0-liter V6 and tweaked the body a bit. At the time, the car zipped from 0-60 in 7.3 seconds, and boasted a quarter-mile time of just 15.3 seconds. This engine carried over for 2010, and the 2011 model was the first to feature the 3.7-liter Duratec V6. Which brings us to today's V6 Premium model with a six-speed manual transmission and performance pack. Not only does it hover around the five-and-a-half second time for 0-60 acceleration, it completes a quarter mile in 13.9 seconds at 100.1 miles per hour.

So, there you have it. You don't have to compromise performance by choosing a less powerful V6 engine. Of course, it's all really up to you - we certainly won't stop you from driving home in the Mustang GT equipped with a 420-horsepower, 390 lb-ft torque 5.0-liter V8.

Either way, the team here at Jim Tidwell Ford is here to help! Give us a call at (866) 941-8605 or drop us a line via our website to chat with a member of our team about model details, trim levels, specs and financing. Or stop by and see us in person at 2205 Barrett Lakes Blvd Kennesaw, GA 30144.