No because they don't have top notch handling and they are bigger than their performance needs. Feet too long, hoods that block view of the road, extra doors, designed for comfort not track.

Show me a car that has top acceleration numbers, top handling numbers, great visibility, no designed extra weight/size for street driving and I will show you a Vette, Porsche, or 370z (just squeezes in there). Super cars are a whole other story so those are the only 3 cars I consider sports cars.

 

And I would call "your" definition of sports car flawed. None of the listed are the best in any one area. They are all considered sports cars, but none of them has the BEST acceleration, handling, visibility, driver comfort etc.

For the record, I don't consider a showroom stock Mustang to be a sports car either (the Boss would be the closest). It's a good all around performer, but with the compliant suspension, tallish ground clearance and 190" length with 4000 lbs weight, it just isn't a sports car.

370Z, Corvette, 911, Cayman/Boxster, S2000, Miata, Mini Coupe/Roadster, BRZ/FR-S, M3, TT (more so S and RS models), SLK, F-Type...pretty much anything that is a two-seater, or 2+2 that should be a two-seater can be considered a sports car. Those are all quick (if not downright fast), two-seat or 2+2 coupes, that have superb handling, usually decent visibility, etc.

 

Just my view

Almost anything could be a sports car if you relax on the definition. My moms hyndai accent handles awesome at 2600 pounds and has quick accel thanks to that low weight.

I agree with the boss being ever so close. I had to have some series thought a while back wether or not that could be included on my sports car list with the Laguna having no back seat. Sadly came to the conclusion the body was still not a sports car body.

However in my list of 3 what cars are faster AND handle better that are not super cars? GTR is a super car for me by the way, and the TT-RS with the DCT is only available in Europe. The U.S. version was limited to 1000 cars with a manual only and put out not very great track numbers. M3 designed with back seat like mustang.

I guess the SLK does fit though... Add the SLK55 to my list

 

You two guys are funny. You can debate over which vehicles fit the definition all night long. Here's a pop quiz for you...would you say that the McLaren F1 is a sports car? Two doors, check. Mid-engine, check. 200+ MPH, check. So Sports Car or Super Car? But wait, it has THREE SEATS! You can spend forever trying to set the definition and what fits it or not. But the real question is...why even bother? The real premise of this original thread is the wonderful improved handling characteristics of the 2011+ Mustang GT. Amen.

 

Haha that's kinda my point though. That anything can be a sports car, not just the dang Corvette, 911 and 370Z. I hate flawed logic, and was pointing it out. Yeah, pretty much all supercars are sports cars - the MF1, I would say is truly a 1-seated with two storage shelves...

And regarding the 2011+, Ford's benchmark was the 3-Series/M3, but they also have to consider their buyers - most people don't mod their Mustangs, and many live in areas with crappy roads. Its handling is compromised, but it's a good balance for its market...

 

I'm not reading all these posts but if it hasn't been said there is a marked difference between a 'sports car' and a 'sporty car'.

 

F1 is a super car.
Super car's can have as many seats as they want because their not sports cars

What else am I going to do tonight.... Watch the election

 

This.

 

OP - its because of SRA!


(for Patrick )

 

Hahaha everyone is picking on me!! I'm telling Brad!

 

Who's Brad?

 

That guy that keeps posting those historic Mustang pics.

 

 

Yeah that guy!!

 

Thank you to everyone who responded to my post. The improvements in handling makes sense to me and now I've got the bug for a 2013. For all the nay sayers who say the mustang isn't a sports car, take a look at this: http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com...e-Sports-Cars/

 

Properly defined, the Mustang isn't a sports car - its a sports coupe (same as the M3 or Audi RS5). If a car has two doors and a proper back seat and lacks hard top styling (which would make it a sedan), its a coupe. Cars like a 911 could rightly be called a coupe but since the back seat is more of a vestigial component rather than an actual seat they are considered sports cars and to further muddy the car definition waters, Mercedes and BMW offer four door coupes (really a WTF moment there) as they offer styling reminiscent of a two door coupe and to make things even more messy the Boss LS can be broadly considered a sports car since it lacks a back seat but the regular Boss is a sports coupe.

The strict defintion of a sports car is a lightweight two person car designed with an emphasis on performance with acceleration with top speed taking a back seat to handling and braking. The Miata and RX-7 are good examples of this along with the older pre 300 Z cars.

Unfortunately "sports car" has become bastardized to include eveything from a Toyota Tercel with aluminum wheels and a set of stripes to monsters like the ZR1 and Viper due to common misconception and marketing.

The proper catch-all would be "performance car" as that denotes any car modified over its base car for performance in any case.