GT500 featured in Top Gear UK - s19e03
2/10/13, 06:49 PM
#1
Cobra R Member
Thread Starter
[spoiler] Clarkson GT500 challenge discussion
A combination of poor range and French countryside construction meant the GT500 lost to public transport in a race from Wembley to Milan. Good episode though. Just show
That the '15 Mustangs need to be all about refinement though.
That the '15 Mustangs need to be all about refinement though.
2/10/13, 07:42 PM
#3
AKA 1 BULLITT------------ Legacy TMS Member
Jeremy Clarkson once staged a race between a horse and a Mustang GT which was actually a V6 and the horse won by a substancial margin. So the Mustang GT was labeled as slower than a real horse. He was hilarious on that particular episode.
Jeremy is about entertaining, stressing and stretching points he wants to get across, and frequently having fun at someone's expense which is fine but not always entirely true or accurate, meaning many of his improbable outcomes are pre determined. That does not make it fraud or perjury, but it does make it a source for great old fashioned humor and dialogue.
2/10/13, 09:19 PM
#5
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http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-...e3_2419350.htm
Here's the video if any of you miss it(Got the link from Jalaponik)- It's divide into 6 section.If the video is missing that means BBC request it to be removed.
Here's the video if any of you miss it(Got the link from Jalaponik)- It's divide into 6 section.If the video is missing that means BBC request it to be removed.
2/11/13, 11:33 AM
#10
Expecting Top Gear UK to provide an accurate, unbiased evaluation of the 2013 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra Shelby GT500 is like expecting Ronald McDonald to personally cook & serve you a big mac.
...not gonna happen.
...not gonna happen.
2/11/13, 12:19 PM
#12
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My short summary would be that it looks great, it is lots of fun to drive, but the cheap interior and suspension are significant drawbacks. It is a muscle car, and comes with all of the shortcomings that are inherent in muscle cars. Built to a budget and comfort and refinement take a back seat to performance.
Last edited by Moustang; 2/11/13 at 12:39 PM.
2/11/13, 03:00 PM
#13
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Hey I am huge mustang fan but the interior is what is keeping me away. If Ford expects me to drop $40,000 on a California Special, I except more than plastic in the interior. Look at BMW, They are luxurious as can be, but a 2013 or 2014 Mustang C/S looks phenomenal...
If Ford did the following:
-better steering wheel (looks kinda cheap with the tri-spoke and the plastic in the middle, the 2013 taurus has a great wheel....)
-heater steering wheel (I like heated..
)
-better steering wheel button layout (I counted 16 or so button on it, I think they could readjust it a little bit)
-10-way power seats... (again, comfiness is key...)
-memory seats (nice to have...)
-better dash layout (if you get a Navi, it looks nice but without, its a clusterf*ck)
Just my $0.02
If Ford did the following:
-better steering wheel (looks kinda cheap with the tri-spoke and the plastic in the middle, the 2013 taurus has a great wheel....)
-heater steering wheel (I like heated..
)-better steering wheel button layout (I counted 16 or so button on it, I think they could readjust it a little bit)
-10-way power seats... (again, comfiness is key...)
-memory seats (nice to have...)
-better dash layout (if you get a Navi, it looks nice but without, its a clusterf*ck)
Just my $0.02
2/11/13, 03:17 PM
#14
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Refinement? The funny things is, the very examples he gave of why the 500 isnt refined, are things that I like about the car!
2/11/13, 03:18 PM
#15
Shelby GT500 Member
Besides which, if you bought a '13 Shelby because you expect everyone else to love it, you threw your money away. No car will ever be universally loved, ever. It is what it is: a vehicle that focuses on power and speed. It is brute force, unrefined, raw, unabridged power. It is faster than anything else on the road under six figures, it costs less to maintain than any other supercar or pseudo-supercar, and it is designed thoughtfully enough to avoid making the owner pay the fun tax (a.k.a., the gas-guzzler fee). Beyond that, the suspension--while out-dated--is incredibly effective for what it is, and can be made to approach the performance of "modern" setups with some modifications (which, for someone who can afford the car in the first place, are well within a comfortable price range). It's one of the last, true, fun, driver's cars that will ever be built. It is an homage to the "I don't care what you have, mine's faster" spirit of muscle cars 40-50 years ago. It's excess that has somehow been made to fit under the ever-tightening noose of tree-hugging, European wannabe government. Expecting anyone from Europe to do anything but turn their nose up at it is the height of folly, because it is the last of the true American muscle cars. It's loud, fast, powerful, bold and unapologetic about all of that.
It's the best Shelby GT500 ever built. It's THE American muscle car.
It's the best Shelby GT500 ever built. It's THE American muscle car.
2/11/13, 03:24 PM
#16
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Besides which, if you bought a '13 Shelby because you expect everyone else to love it, you threw your money away. No car will ever be universally loved, ever. It is what it is: a vehicle that focuses on power and speed. It is brute force, unrefined, raw, unabridged power. It is faster than anything else on the road under six figures, it costs less to maintain than any other supercar or pseudo-supercar, and it is designed thoughtfully enough to avoid making the owner pay the fun tax (a.k.a., the gas-guzzler fee). Beyond that, the suspension--while out-dated--is incredibly effective for what it is, and can be made to approach the performance of "modern" setups with some modifications (which, for someone who can afford the car in the first place, are well within a comfortable price range). It's one of the last, true, fun, driver's cars that will ever be built. It is an homage to the "I don't care what you have, mine's faster" spirit of muscle cars 40-50 years ago. It's excess that has somehow been made to fit under the ever-tightening noose of tree-hugging, European wannabe government. Expecting anyone from Europe to do anything but turn their nose up at it is the height of folly, because it is the last of the true American muscle cars. It's loud, fast, powerful, bold and unapologetic about all of that.
It's the best Shelby GT500 ever built. It's THE American muscle car.
It's the best Shelby GT500 ever built. It's THE American muscle car.
2/11/13, 03:42 PM
#17
Mach 1 Member
Besides which, if you bought a '13 Shelby because you expect everyone else to love it, you threw your money away. No car will ever be universally loved, ever. It is what it is: a vehicle that focuses on power and speed. It is brute force, unrefined, raw, unabridged power. It is faster than anything else on the road under six figures, it costs less to maintain than any other supercar or pseudo-supercar, and it is designed thoughtfully enough to avoid making the owner pay the fun tax (a.k.a., the gas-guzzler fee). Beyond that, the suspension--while out-dated--is incredibly effective for what it is, and can be made to approach the performance of "modern" setups with some modifications (which, for someone who can afford the car in the first place, are well within a comfortable price range). It's one of the last, true, fun, driver's cars that will ever be built. It is an homage to the "I don't care what you have, mine's faster" spirit of muscle cars 40-50 years ago. It's excess that has somehow been made to fit under the ever-tightening noose of tree-hugging, European wannabe government. Expecting anyone from Europe to do anything but turn their nose up at it is the height of folly, because it is the last of the true American muscle cars. It's loud, fast, powerful, bold and unapologetic about all of that.
It's the best Shelby GT500 ever built. It's THE American muscle car.
It's the best Shelby GT500 ever built. It's THE American muscle car.
2/11/13, 04:09 PM
#18
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I'm getting tired of the crappy interior argument. I think the 2010-up Mustang interior looks great and is a huge improvement over old Mustangs. I have been in lower level European cars (BMW 3 series, VW Passat, Audi A4) and I don't see the huge difference in quality. The same can be said with the C6 Corvette and probably the upcoming C7, unless the car's interior is plated in gold and encrusted with precious stones it will never be good enough for some people.
I think the 2005-09 Mustang has a great looking interior but with crappy cheap looking quality but I don't feel that way about the 2010-up cars. Top Gear, though entertaining is full of ****! They come from a country with the worst automotive track record yet they bash everything under the sun. The 3 hosts each have their own bias. Richard Hammond is always going to pick the German car, Clarkson will pick the Italian exotic and May is usually the guy in the middle with no real opinion.
I remember when they reviewed the original 2007 GT500 and suggested that it made less than the 500HP as advertised. Why didn't they do the same with an M5 or a 911? They obviously know the difference between flywheel HP and RWHP but misguided the audience. All I know is that the GT500 and any Corvette will destroy the European competition in terms of performance within and even above the same price territory!
ok, end of rant.
I think the 2005-09 Mustang has a great looking interior but with crappy cheap looking quality but I don't feel that way about the 2010-up cars. Top Gear, though entertaining is full of ****! They come from a country with the worst automotive track record yet they bash everything under the sun. The 3 hosts each have their own bias. Richard Hammond is always going to pick the German car, Clarkson will pick the Italian exotic and May is usually the guy in the middle with no real opinion.
I remember when they reviewed the original 2007 GT500 and suggested that it made less than the 500HP as advertised. Why didn't they do the same with an M5 or a 911? They obviously know the difference between flywheel HP and RWHP but misguided the audience. All I know is that the GT500 and any Corvette will destroy the European competition in terms of performance within and even above the same price territory!
ok, end of rant.
2/11/13, 04:44 PM
#19
My 13 interior is the best I could have imagined. If you need better than this stay at home on your Italian leather recliner and watch Top Gear UK.
I'll be burning rubber myself.
I'll be burning rubber myself.
Last edited by 2k7gtcs; 2/11/13 at 06:07 PM.
2/11/13, 05:02 PM
#20
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The door panels feel flimsy and cheap even in comparison to my wife's 7 year old Camry that cost us almost $5k less. I've had to replace the airbag cover on the passenger side because it was warped and replaced the dash panel twice because of non-stop rattles. The interior pieces have obvious gaps and poor alignment compared to every Japanese car I've ever owned. I can barely squeeze a piece of paper between the various dash panels on our Camry, but I could almost fit a pencil in some of the gaps on my Mustang. And I bet Ford payed a whole $2 for the floor mats.
Not to mention I made the mistake of settling for the fabric seats which are fraying and showing obvious signs of wear in less than 18 months.
These are from a Ford F150, but my seat is doing the exact same thing.
It LOOKS nice, but it's cheap, and not in a good way.
Last edited by Moustang; 2/11/13 at 05:10 PM.