What's Ford Doing Right?

So I just received my latest issue Car and Driver that just happened to grace the presence of my mailbox. The main article in this particular issue is a comparo between the Ford GT500 and the Chevy ZL1. My post today isn't about the comparison between the two (sort of). It's about the incredible mileage that GT500 gets.

The numbers are impressive between the two SuperPonies. The GT500 has a SuperCharged 5.8L V8 with 665 hp and 631 ft-lbs of torque. It has a 6-speed manual with a 3.31 rear axle ratio. 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and had a top speed of 189 mph. It also weighs 3882 lbs.

The ZL1 also has a SuperCharged 6.2L V8 with 580 hp and 556 ft-lbs of torque. It has a 6-speed manual with a 3.73 rear axle ratio. 0-60 in 4 seconds and a top speed of 189 mph. It weighs 4118 lbs.

Now keep those numbers in your head, because here's the kicker: The GT500 gets 24 mpg Highway! Realize that these are the EPA estimated guidelines, but that means that people will probably get better mileage in real world conditions. Before you say "Well that's not really great mileage in today's standards", take into consideration that this is a Muscle Car, not a compact Ecocar. Most times you are lucky if you can squeeze 20 mpg out of a fire-breathing V8 Muscle Car, but 24 mpg is outstanding when you are talking about something with a V8 with over 600 hp. Now I realize that the GT500 also has a 3.31 rear axle ratio and this is definitely going to contribute to the mileage, but it's still getting outstanding acceleration times. Supercars like Ferrari and Lamborghini have comparable stats to the GT500, but they still get mileage under 20 mpg.

Now Ford has been doing pretty well with their EcoBoost engines. They're pushing large amount of horsepower and getting exceptional mileage back on vehicles that at one time got marginal mileage, including the F150. I know engine management technology have vastly improved over the last 10 years, but Ford has definitely found something that I feel will change car engine technology. It's much more than turbocharging the engine.

So, I'm going to back to my original question: What is Ford doing right? What have they figured out that no other manufacturer has?  665 hp AND 24 mpg AND 3.5 sec 0-60? Where am I? Am I on the right planet?

If you know me, you know I'm not a huge Ford fan. I don't hate them, but I don't love them. But, I have to give credit where credit is due and I'm really looking forward to the future.