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Detroit, 10:19 AM
Sat Nov 21
32 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/19/09
11/19/09
In best mockery of little whiny girl voice:
"Oh no, not another Mustang variant!"
"Mustangs are so underpowered"
"live axles suck"
Well kids, it's a little bit like this:
Most of the Mustang variants you have seen have been aftermarket variants, not factory editions. And while I'll grant that there were quite a few during the 2005-2009 model years, they have all been well thought out in terms of package, pricing, and target demographic and have all sold well.
Next up, there are presently only three model variation: Base, GT, and GT500. There are (and always have been) more variations on the BMW 3-series than the Mustang, and yet, I don't here any bitching about that?
Mustangs have always been adequately powered, and now adequate gets a healthy bump to slightly overkill with the 2011 Mustangs, considering that they are getting a 400hp V8 and a 315hp V6, all now backed by six-speed transmissions, manual or automatic.
Obviously, live axles don't suck, considering that the Mustang offers better handling than the Camaro or the Challenger, and their club racing version has been proven to have the ability to stomp on its BMW competitors in every racing series that they have come head-to-head in.
Having addressed your concerns, next time try coming up with something more interesting and creative to say. Memes are only funny for so long.
11/19/09
In the same way Porsche has finally sorted the handling out with all their rear assed widow makers.
Nothing wrong with it, just saying.
11/19/09
You seem to like comparing BMW's to the Mustang, not only are BMW's better than a Mustang but BMW's are overpriced junk for the most part. I guarantee that a 3 series has a far superior suspension to that of the Mustang.
People think Mustangs are fast and they aren't. They have adequate power yes but I'm sick of people seeing a Mustang and going oohh crap check that beast out, I just shrug my shoulders and ask what, that dime-a-dozen POS right there?
Obviously they are doing something right because I see literally at least 30 every single day on the road and I don't even drive that much, but I would prefer to own another car instead of a Mustang for the money.
I'd be interested in an SVT Mustang or an Ecoboost or better yet make a Mustang Raptor, that'd be insanity.
11/20/09
11/20/09
And yes, Mustangs are damned fast for what they are and how they are priced, considering that you need to spend at least another ten grand to get anything that can match it's performance. I'll also point out that all the factory special editions have sold well, and the aftermarket editions are not, in fact, the same as the factory editions.
I think someone has a case of the Thursday night blues.
#tips
11/20/09
Faster in a straight line? thats tougher, for the price the GT500 goes in a straight line pretty well, the closest thing I can think of off the top of my head, straight from the factory no mods would be the Camaro SS which will do it in 4.6 which is pretty brisk for a mere $32k I find that to be much more of a value as far as straight line is concerned.
11/20/09
I would be much happier with the Mustang if the interior didn't look like it came from a $25,000 car and they would give it some darn weight reduction for god sakes. It is NOT difficult to make a V8 2 door under 4,000 lbs, they barely, barely did that which is pitiful. I would expect that car to be closer to 3,000 lbs then I could be happy with spending $50,000 on a $30,000 car.
And for anyone out there who thinks I'm a Ford hater, the Ford GT is seriously the stuff of my wet dreams, and I am definitely a Viper man.
11/19/09
11/19/09
09/18/09
09/18/09
09/18/09
09/19/09
They really do need to include power plotted against gearing.
And weight.
And aerodynamic drag.
And grip.
With a throttle opening axis.
And BSFC.
/rambles on
09/18/09
Nice graph, but just a little bit misleading. Just watch what happens when you change the minimum value in the z axis...
09/19/09
@duurtlang: i dunno, from this graph you can clearly see that THE MUSTANG is DOMINATING the girly camaro in the HORSEPOWER WARS!!!
09/19/09
@TENGRAM likes adding a bunch of stuff to the end of his name because it makes him feel like he belongs:
09/18/09
09/18/09
1. Gas tank too small at 16 gallons.
2. No six-speed offered. Oh, they fixed that. Good!
3. No IRS.
09/18/09
The wheel hop was 10 shades of awful.
09/18/09
However, that's an atrocious color scheme in the bar chart.
09/18/09
On the other hand: The 370Z makes 332 HP and weighs 3232 lbs.... Actually, you're at 315 and 3400.... Thats not too shabby. Especially considering what you can add to the Mustang for the $10k price difference...
So, I revise the intent of this post: Congratulations on the new Mustang, Ford. You are producing yet another car that beats its competition, and is reasonably competitive in the next class up.
09/18/09
Every one of you deserves a medal!
09/18/09
The Camero needs work with build quality, ( I believe there is a list posted on here for 60 things to check for before buying a Camero) and Dodge isn't much better.
I looked at the new Challenger, I wasn't impressed at all, the car I saw at the local dealer should not have left quality control..the paint job was horrible, the black grill piece was bubbled.. For the amount of money these cars list for, its just not worth it to me..
This idea of quantity over quality has once again reared it's ugly head..it's like buying a toy from China only to find out you can catch lead poisoning from it. Why can't they build a better car with quality in mind?
09/18/09
09/18/09
I'm sorry but like every other person who thinks they are informed, you're not, you're just perpetuating silly arguments you don't understand. The mustang doesn't need independent rear suspension, the mustang has the best solid rear axle to come on a production car in the history of the planet, by far, both geometrically speaking and developmentally speaking. As some one who works with the McDonald's Indycar team I would be educated about this subject.
The fact is that a poorly constructed independent suspension like the MacPherson struts (one of the worst kinds of IRS) found on BMW 3 series is worse than one of the best solid axle suspensions possible.
This can be proven in multiple ways. First off that the 2010 Mustang only equiped with new spring rates and dampers on the track pack outperforms in handling every single production BMW in history except the latest M3. The only reason the latest M3 is any good is because the M division redesigned the whole suspension. This clearly shows that the typical super-cheap IRS in BMW's (which is still by far better than some of the others) can be worse than a good solid axle, a good IRS which is what is REQUIRED to beat the mustang is only found in maybe 30 out of the 208 models of vehicle on sale in the US.
The fact the mustang handles well can be proven in other ways, for example with the track pack it gets .94g, this is more than a Ferrari F360 on the same model of tire and the same front+rear tire measurement, keep in mind that the track pack rides softer than a sport package BMW, which I've owned for years. Also if you look at the last generation Saleen Mustangs with the extreme package and the tire upgade, they pull 0.99g finally if you put 305 tires front and 335 rear on the 2007 Mustang with the super snake suspension, it will get a skid pad rating of 1.10g average. More than an enzo though admitedly this tire combination when you add front+rear is wider than the Enzo, it still handles better and no you can't put 305 tires on almost any other production vehicle.
So if you combine the Mustang's exceptional abbility to swallow the fatest tires into it's wheel arches and the fact it's crappy suspension is inanely well developed, it's one of the top ten best handling cars you can buy in America, better than an Enzo.
FYI my BMW came from the factory with a broken valve, i'd take a broken grille over that any day.
09/18/09
09/18/09
09/18/09
09/18/09
I have been contemplating buying a new Camaro, and if I did, I would probably get the V6. I made this decision after having driven both of them back-to-back.
Why?
I don't care what anyone says, 304hp and 273lb-ft is nothing to be sneezed at, and considering that I once owned a 327-powered 68 Camaro which was significantly less powerful, I think those numbers qualify as being pretty damn muscular. That V6 is certainly muscular enough to get me to and from work everyday, with plenty of reserves for fun around the Santa Clarita mountains. Combine that with a low entry price and 29mpg, and that is a whole lot of win.
09/18/09
09/18/09
How did someone with a 68 Camaro end up with a Saturn? That's gotta be tough to live with.
You are due for an upgrade, and a new camaro would be a nice one. V6 RS is quite the bang for the buck.
09/18/09
Considering that the original restoration was done with money that I had saved up since I was a wee lad, I was just about broke, and didn't have enough money to fix the car again after the branch fell on it, so off it went. I then got my 74 Cherokee, which I loved dearly right up until I blew the engine, and now I have the Saturn.
My luck with cars pretty much sucks.
09/18/09
If we assume the weight for the Mustang is unchanged at 3401 lbs, here's how it works out:
Mustang: 2.07
Camaro: 1.77
370z: 1.71
Genesis: 1.80
Corvette: 1.37!
09/18/09
I think THIS graph sez it all:
09/18/09
09/18/09
09/18/09
09/18/09
09/18/09
09/18/09
I just hope that it is a three-way battle. Can someone please tell Dodge to get their shit together? They have a great start with the Challenger, but it needs a better base engine/transmission, better suspension, and an interior upgrade. And much, much better marketing. When was the last time we saw a Challenger commercial? While that may sound like a lot, it is insignificant compared to what they already invested to bring the Challenger to the market.
09/18/09
09/18/09
09/18/09