Quote:
|
Originally Posted by conradb
Quote:
Originally Posted by Remonster
The current Mustang can keep up with an M3, but the handling is not even close. Bear in mind that there's a LOT more to handling than skidpad numbers and lap times, I've driven every year of the fifth gen Mustang (2005-2013) and pretty much every engine they offer (3.7 V6, 4.6 V8, 5.0 V8, a couple of the earlier GT500s) and they all have basically the same handling characteristics; very lazy steering with almost no feel, very soft springs and dampers, tons of rubber in the suspension, etc. They're just sloppy cars, you can throw them into a corner and they will generate enough grip to go through very quickly but you don't feel the road at all and can't really tell how close you are to the limit. That live rear axle (which is gone now) isn't as bad as some say but it still has some very annoying characteristics, chief among them is the huge weight of the rear diff and axle hanging off of the suspension which means that even though the suspension is very soft, it still crashes and makes the body wobble when you hit a bump and hitting a bump mid-corner makes the whole car bounce. The earlier fifth gen GTs with the 4.6 were worse than the 5.0s, in the last few years Ford started offering the track pack and a couple other options that went a long way towards improving the way the Mustang drove. The 2013 GT Track Pack I drove was pretty good as long as the road was fairly smooth.
They're definitely not bad cars, I think the current 5.0 GT is one of the most fun cars you can get for the money and the motor is just epic but it has some serious handling issues. It looks like Ford is very serious with this new car, though. I can't wait to try it out.
|
I swear it's as though you have never seen this test:
I own an E92 M3, and I love it, but I'm realistic when I say the Mustang GT is on par with performance against the M3. The only thing I wish the Mustang had was a DCT. I've driven the new 2014 Mustang. It doesn't quite have the tight finesse in the steering, but that's a minor fault. |
I'm not talking about how fast the Mustang is, I'm using the term handling in reference to steering precision and feel, spring/damper tuning, the effects of the heavy rear axle and diff acting as unsprung weight, etc. things you have to sit inside the car to feel and I've driven at least a dozen 2005+ Mustangs, sometimes very hard, so I speak from my personal experience.
Did you notice that the guy who actually owned a 2011 GT agreed with my assessment of the fifth gen's handling?
Anyways this is all pointless now, the new car has totally different suspension geometry front and rear (the big news is IRS out back but don't forget it's also getting MacPherson struts in front like a BMW) and a totally different chassis so nothing I'm talking about will carry over to this new car.