White2010

It's amazing how quickly we get accustomed to the way a car performs and how quickly we forget how other cars we have owned perform by comparison. My last vehicle was a Jeep Wrangler and I loved it but it was by no means a performance vehicle for the streets and I knew better than to drive it like it was. Even the new Wranglers with stability control can be rolled over if you throw it into a corner hard enough and they aren't even remotely quick off the line. But that's not what a Wrangler does. It's designed to traverse rugged terrain with ease and it did just that.

Of course when I test drove the Mustang it was a world of difference in performance and the rest, as they say, is history. I've been driving the stang for several months now and enjoy it everyday. Today I had to pick up my little niece from school and to do that I had to make use of my mothers Toyota Venza because it has the child safety seat in it. (Long story and no need to bore you with details) I get in the Venza and I swear it felt like I was driving a chuck wagon with one bad wheel by comparison to my Mustang, and this is a car I've driven before. It's not that the Venza is a bad car either, it is actually widely regarded as a well handled vehicle with a smooth and quite ride and decent acceleration. No doubt it's all of those things but after driving my Mustang for awhile I got so accustomed to how it handled and accelerated that the Venza felt terribly lacking in all respects by comparison. It's one of those situations where you don't know what you've got until it's gone, so to speak. A curve that the Mustang could take at 50 or 60 mph with no problem had to be taken at 40 or so in the Venza and even then I felt like I was pushing things a bit far.

I make this point not to pick on Toyotas, even though they deserve it. I make it because I think as owners of a sports car a lot of us forget just how much better it handles and accelerates than the average car. I know that many of use carry on about how we wish our Mustang was faster or handled better or had better throttle response and that is why many of us acquire aftermarket parts to make the car even better. There's nothing wrong with making the car better and I'm going to add some modds of my own. But the next time you're thinking your Mustang isn't up to par (even a stock V6) I suggest you spend some time behind the wheel of just about any modern day midsize sedan or commuter car and remind yourself of the truth. We may not be driving around in a Porsche 911 or Lotus Elise but from a performance standpoint even a base model new V6 Mustang is a vast improvement over any Malibu, Camry or like vehicle. I'm not clueless either. I know that the Accord V6 Coupe and Altima Coupe are good performers, but for how much money? And frankly they're kinda ugly to me. I'm just saying that by comparison to most of the cars you're driving along with in traffic, your Mustang is likely a better performing call overall. Not as good as some, but better than most. So don't get too upset about it's performance or lack there of, because you got nothing to hang your head about.

Now what really scares me is the fools out there in their Malibus and Camrys that are driving the things like they stole them because I know those cars are not designed for it. lol


PS, by the way I just wanted to mention for you fellow 2010 and newer owners that I recently switched my car to 93 octane to see if the dual adaptive tune really made a difference. It did, you will notice a slight improvement in performance and I still maintained 21 mpg. Just FYI.

Yet Another PS -- Not so sure about the adpative calibration tune now. I've found websites that advise both the V6 and V8 have the adaptive tune but the owners manual suggests higher octane fuel only for the 4.6. I did notice a slight difference in the tank of 93 that I ran but not going to suggest it to anyone else until I have concrete evidence that it's ok. Have to check with Ford because there is some conflicting information about it.

jetlag

IMO, I think my Mustang is slow. But I got used to having a quick Camaro.

But the new Mustangs are definitely fast enough for most people.

hawkeye18

Speed, like many things, is in the eye of the beholder.

falhulk

How is it slow???? I had a 2001 ls1 Camaro and my 2011mustang is definitely a much faster. What did you do to your Camaro to make it so much faster?

falhulk

On a side note, is the Venza available in the US? I have never even heard of the car even though I googled it and ite on toyota.com........

montreal ponies

Maybe you've just had a bit too much to Did you check closely under hood just to be sure you didn't get a V6. Just sayin!

montreal ponies

It must be, my Boss has one over here.

SynisterGT

I know the feeling. I had to drive a friends '02 V6 and was following someone trying to keep up. I got back in my 07 GT later that nite and punched it leaving my gf's house and said dam. She asked what was wrong and all I said was how much quicker my GT felt.

I would love to see how a '11 V6 does against an 05-09 GT.


I was however impressed by the performance of our 05 Honda Odyssey. I jumped on the interstate and looked down and was already doing 60. It seemed very quick for a V6 minivan.

jetlag

My Camaro had a few mods and a bottle in the back, so yes, it was faster than the 11GT and I got addicted to it.. hah



It was trying to lift those heavy 17x9.5" wheels! hah

nemosgt

I think many of us don't realize how great we have it these days. Way back when I was your age, the MGB was the equivalent performance car. Zero to 60; 11.2 seconds. Well this was too slow for me, so I traded up to a Healy 3000. Zero to 60; 9.8 seconds. Wow, now we're talking. With a suspension that felt like it came from a farm tractor and non-existant reliability to boot. In the early 70s, my 454ci Vette; Zero to 60? Around 6 seconds. Many run of the mill top of the line sedans today, driven by grocery-getters, are as quick.

So enjoy these cars while we have them and don't sweat the small details about a tenth of a second here or there. Or whether you have a track pack or Brembos or upgraded wheels or a V6 etc. Or even a Camaro.

Drive safe guys.

Cheers.

montreal ponies

How are we suppose to know you were referring to such a car with a bottle in the back at the drag strip racing against a ricer of some kind ! Please next time use some more of Shakespeare wordings.
Still, the 11GT in stock form is quite a capable achiever period.

jetlag

Thanks for repeating my first post in this thread.

White2010

Couldn't agree more. These kids don't know how lucky they've got it.

Vxer1000

[QUOTE=jetlag;5942952]My Camaro had a few mods and a bottle in the back, so yes, it was faster than the 11GT and I got addicted to it.. hah

It was trying to lift those heavy 17x9.5" wheels! hah

Perhaps try putting a bottle on a 2011 Mustang GT. Evolution Performance got a stock motored car in the 10's with a bottle, gears, suspension tweeks, and a good wheel and tire combo.

jetlag

My Camaro did the same thing with heavy wheels, stock suspension, and untuned. Calm down guys. I just said that my 11GT was slower than my Camaro, which was true. I was just saying that I got used to having a quick car before my Mustang.

falhulk

A bottle can be put in anything. Throw ne in your 5.0 if you need it.

falhulk

Heavy wheels? Are those not the SLP drag wheels? Without the bottle, unless you got into the engine and not just boltons they are pretty even. And the GT is a MUCH better car in the turns.

Jott

10s in an ls1 with a bottle? ha!

mustangGT90210

Let's not make this a Camaro bashing time guys, what is this, Mustang5? He's driving a stock GT5.0 now, and had a modded LS1 before. Those LS1 cars were mid to low 13 second cars, stock, if memory serves, so getting one faster than a new stock 5.0 is not that hard, especially with the aftermarket for Chevy engines.

jetlag

17X11" wheels(in the rear) are very heavy. The motor was 100% stock in the high 11s.

Thanks. I don't know why everyone was ****ting bricks. This thread was about getting accustomed to fast cars. I gave my example, then everyone cries a river. I don't know about most of you, but I enjoy ALL fast cars. Even little ricer Civics.. hah (as long as they look good)

It upsets me when some people get so brand loyal, it just clouds all other thoughts. So everyone, stop replying to me and I'll do the same in this thread.. hah