2010-2014 Mustang Information on The S197 {GenII}

Car and Driver: Best Handling cars for under $40K

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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 05:26 AM
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Car and Driver: Best Handling cars for under $40K

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...n_40_000-video

The Mustang GT has a thoroughly respectable showing...how about that "ancient tech" rear axle now?
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 08:23 AM
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So Im trying to find the whole article to read somewhere online and finding alot of chatter in the message boards for various cars.

here is a summary:
-Suziki Kizashi owners are 'appaled' that their car wasnt among the contenders
-Evo owner arent surprised (and they shouldnt be) that their car waas the top dog....BUT many are saying good stuff regarding the mustang beng on the list
-Mustang owners are amped

Needless to say, I need to find a copy of C&D....**** afghan-land getting in the way AGAIN!
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 08:26 AM
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ohhhh and my favorite quote in response to a hater issss

"Quote:
wtf is a mustang doing up there? I test drove both a gt500 (unrelated to this thread, i know) and the mustang 5.0. Both are terrible when it comes to funtodrive and body control. And breakaway behavior is higher than an evo? lmao..."

"Response: I don't know what crack you smoke, maybe Witney Houston or Bobby Brown crack and I don't know in what planet or cave have you been.

Have you read any car magazine from the last year or so?, I guess no. The 2011 Mustang GT already beat the M-3 in two diffferent test, it beated it on everything incluidng braking, accelation, road course laps times, etc.

I am 200% (not 100%) that you don't even know what a Boss 302 is or the new laguna Seca package is. Please google it then go back and make a more accurate statements. As of today you have no clue of what the new Mstang GTs are capable in the track.


I bet you also missed the Cobalt SS Fornt wheel drive beating the Evo X MR on Virginia Lighting lap right? Read, it is all tested and proven, you are simply missinformed."
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 09:18 AM
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It does not matter if they respect the GT's handling. The EVO gets utterly destroyed when you factor in the straights. So whats the better car? For my money its the mustang as its a more complete car.
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 09:21 AM
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I had posted this over at allfordmustangs

heres the article: http://www.germancarforum.com/intern...5-vs-mini.html
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 10:41 AM
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Originally Posted by falhulk
It does not matter if they respect the GT's handling. The EVO gets utterly destroyed when you factor in the straights. So whats the better car? For my money its the mustang as its a more complete car.

Hope you didnt mistake my evo statement for jealousy---im on a mustang forum. This is my 3rd one. Im clearly in agreance with you. The mustang is the more complete car.

However, the point is that it is not every day that you see guys on a evo forum (one of the best handling cars, period) nodding in agreance that an American car can hang.
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 11:09 AM
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I remember watching the Lightning Lap a year ago for fastest car under $40K or $50K, and I thought the Mustang GT edged out the Evo, STI, RX8, and a couple of others.

Of course, that took into account the fastest LAP time, not just best cornering abilities.
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 12:41 PM
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I'm assuming there will be a BOSS or BOSSLS at the next iteration of C&D's Lightning Lap.
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by 06GT
I'm assuming there will be a BOSS or BOSSLS at the next iteration of C&D's Lightning Lap.
I thought BOSSLS was plural for BOSS
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 03:21 PM
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Bossels
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 03:49 PM
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Those car and driver guys are grade A dbags. Don't suppose y'all noticed that the tech Ed guy is an evo owner and fanboy. To give the mustang 3rd because they didn't like the power steering? The mustang out lapped all comers wouldn't they consider that the best handling car? Plus the evo is awd.
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 05:42 PM
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It's funny how the testing turned from 'Best handling car' to 'Best Drivers car' at around the Mustang position and upward. They spent more time cutting own the comfort of the cars than describing its actual handling, regardless of the fact that it handled better.

Also find it halarious everytime a testing article cuts down the mustangs rear axle and complains about archaic technology, due to the fact that it whips the other cars with IRS ***'s up around the track. Why upgrade to the new when the old does it better?

I know i sound fanboyish with this but i wouldn't mind having a EVO to rip around in, AWD is quite alot of fun on the old logging/minning trails!
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 07:00 PM
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if they didnt not like the power steering they could of changed the setting.
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 07:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Flagstang
if they didnt not like the power steering they could of changed the setting.
Is one of the settings "European?" Otherwise, it wouldn't have made any difference. It was still the steering wheel with the Ford Mustang logo on it.

Sorry to be so cynical...and I realize taht the Mustang kicked butt in this competition... but the world of car journalism and car fanboi-ism is so full of bias and presupposition that it's a joke. Most people who like or know anything about cars have their mind made up about a vehicle before they even drive it.

...and even while driving it, it's impossible to shake off bias and expectations, especially with something so subjective as "steering feel."
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 08:14 PM
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I read the article and had to laugh. A Mazda Miata, seriously? The Mustang had the quickest lap time and best braking. What does the Miata have?
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Old Sep 22, 2011 | 08:31 PM
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If there's one thing the Miata has, it's handling. I drove one years back and it was incredible! I don't mind taking a back seat to that (pun intended).

But I am not buying the Evo at 1st place. I know I speak out of ignorance b/c I won't even look at a Mitsubishi (of all the cars out there, Mitsus seem to me like they're the most "designed by computer"; in other words: soul-less). The Evo strikes me as a cheap & common $18k to $20k Asian S&$t-box (oh, let's see....LANCER!) with $15,000 worth of aftermarket mods/add-ons to make it competitive.

Come on, a 4-door? Really? Best handling?

I transformed the handling of my already respectable GT for $1000 with Steeda springs and Konis. Don't you think I could upgrade the seats for another $1000 to $1500, rectifying the main complaint about the Mustang Seats? That plus $250 for MRT adjustable-tilt headrests would pretty much fix all of the seat complaints. What's that? Budget? OK, start with a Base GT w/Brembos (a $31,500 car), then add about $6,000 in aftermarket upgrades including the seat/suspension mods I mentioned. Why isn't that fair? That's what Mitsu basically did with their Lancer to create the Evo.

Last edited by Double-EDad; Sep 22, 2011 at 08:32 PM.
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Old Sep 23, 2011 | 05:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Double-EDad
If there's one thing the Miata has, it's handling. I drove one years back and it was incredible! I don't mind taking a back seat to that (pun intended)....
Oh, yes.
I was a super Muscle Car-only kind of car guy, right up until I drove a Miata.
The handling is magical...super light weight, short wheel base, quick reflexes all around...every bit as much fun as a 400hp V8.

I ended up buying a nice, lightly used 1997 (30k miles at the time) and it now has 207,000 miles...in addition to being one hell of an entertaining drive, it has been absurdly reliable and great on gas. During those miles, I have autocrossed it at least a dozen times and came home grinning like a **** fool every time.

These have been great cars since day 1 (some time in 1989, I guess) and will just about fist fight with anyone who talks crap about the Miata!

Last edited by MRGTX; Sep 23, 2011 at 05:51 AM.
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Old Sep 23, 2011 | 07:42 AM
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Originally Posted by MRGTX
Is one of the settings "European?" Otherwise, it wouldn't have made any difference. It was still the steering wheel with the Ford Mustang logo on it.

Sorry to be so cynical...and I realize taht the Mustang kicked butt in this competition... but the world of car journalism and car fanboi-ism is so full of bias and presupposition that it's a joke. Most people who like or know anything about cars have their mind made up about a vehicle before they even drive it.

...and even while driving it, it's impossible to shake off bias and expectations, especially with something so subjective as "steering feel."
The 2 Euro cars in the test came last? lol

anyways...3rd is respectable for the mustang in a handling competition...the steering feedback on the mustang is not that good...even in "sport mode" it's not much different...the main thing is that no matter how hard your making a turn..the steering wheel feels exactly the same...it's a bit too light in my opinion but that's not to say it isn't a great handling car...it's just when you compare the steering feel to other cars..it's kind of dull in comparison. I was driving a s2000 back to back with my stang on the weekend, and when it came to steering feel the s2k had way more driver feedback through the steering wheel rather than feeling the same no matter what you were doing.

i love the handling of the stang, it really impresses me...but I don't think the editors are wrong when they are deducting points for the steering (even though 5 points is a bit much)

P.s The Boss is also featured in "the Stigs Supercar Showdown" September issue of Top gear magazine...coles notes being they loved the boss and thought it was tons of fun to drive and was a real drivers car...they even went as far as saying that they would not say "for an American car" they truly loved it as a world class car. They even thought the MT82 was a beautifully shifting transmission which it is, I love my Mt82!

Last edited by LLZuB; Sep 23, 2011 at 07:50 AM.
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Old Sep 23, 2011 | 09:12 AM
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I love my 5.0. I think the brembo package makes for a very sweet handling car. But, I do get that there are better pure handling cars in the world and some of them were in this test. Pure American V8 power helped the Stang get fastest lap times and that is ultimately what makes me happy.

Not surprised the EVO did so well, it frequently does in comparos. I also think it would be a shaky piece of poo after a few miles.

So the mustang isn't the best handling car. Assuming what they say is 100% true, I would still rather have my 5.0 than any of those cars.!
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Old Sep 23, 2011 | 10:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Thomas S
I read the article and had to laugh. A Mazda Miata, seriously? The Mustang had the quickest lap time and best braking. What does the Miata have?
There's MUCH more to handling than braking #s, skid pad #s, and lap times. Most notably steering wheel feedback, weight, and precision. In general, heavier cars are much more difficult to get proper feedback through the wheel, hence the advantage of the Miata. Seriously drive one back to back one day with your mustang. I owned a 2007 GT and 2010 Miata for a while, and I love them both for very different reasons!

Last edited by jedikd; Sep 23, 2011 at 10:50 AM.
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