Up until now this has only been a rumor, but it sounded like a logical choice nonetheless. A four-cylinder engine was logical for Ford, but not for the countless Mustang purists out there. This would be borderline sacrilegious. If you haven't already figured it out by now, we're referring to the rumor that Ford intends to offer the next-generation Mustang with a 2.0-liter EcoBoost under the hood. Well that day has come as it's been confirmed that the 2014 Mustang will be offered with a four-cylinder.

The reason why Ford is going with the smaller and more economical engine is due to its desire to see the next Mustang be a more fuel efficient sports car for a global market. Fortunately, both the 3.5-liter V6 and 5.0-liter will remain available at launch. More than likely, however, the V6 will eventually be dropped in favor of the EcoBoost, but the V8 will surely remain. For those who may not know, the 2.0 EcoBoost also powers the new 250 horsepower Focus ST. To compare, the current base V6 has 305hp. Also expect to see the car's overall exterior dimensions to shrink a bit; not all global roads are as wide as American ones.

The other significant change that's been long confirmed is the introduction of an independent rear suspension in favor of the live rear axle. Ford also stated that the Evos concept introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year should give us a rough idea as far as styling goes. Set to debut at the 2014 New York Auto Show, the next-gen Mustang will certainly be different from the car we've known for nearly 50 years now, but we're going to have to trust that Ford knows what it's doing.