.....but there was an article in Car and Driver latest issue that was humorous. Normally, I don't really like to rag on the Mustangs because as others have mentioned on this forum, at least they are still American Muscle. Also, at least they are still around, while all the other American Muscle has disappeared and having to make comebacks.
This particluar article decided to pick out 4 coupes that could be had for around 35K. They compared the Audi TT, the Mazda RX-8, the Nissan 350Z, and the Ford Shelby GT. I didn't really think the comparison was fair...I mean, the 350Z has often been criticized as underpowered, underperforming. The Audi TT and the RX-8 are way overrated. And, the Shelby is a different kind of car with far more HP and torque than any of the others.
Anyway, found a couple things amusing here....
First....the Shelby finished 4th in their ratings.
Second....with 330HP/319lb-ft the Shelby only managed to win the 0-60mph by .1 seconds over the 350Z with 306HP/268lb-ft (5.1 seconds vs 5.2 seconds)
Third....the Shelby lost its .1 second advantage in the 1/4-mile over the Nissan when they tied at 13.7 seconds at 104mph.
Fourth....and probably the most humorous part...C&D says of the Shelby that the "live axle, on the other hand, is responsible for the worst handling of the group. In truth, the blame isn’t all located at the rear. The front suspension is lousy enough that one tester compared the whole package to a 20-year-old pickup truck. On a particularly rough stretch of road, the vibrations were severe enough that the hood clips worked themselves loose."
Sure, they ratings are somewhat subjective, so the rating doesn't really mean anything, I just found it funny that the Shelby was picked last out of this particular grouping.
The performance numbers seem uninspiring and they show that on the street, the average Shelby driver could get beat by the underperforming Nissan (and certainly by the upcoming Challenger and Camaro models).
But, what can't be totally subjective and what can't be "covered up" by a good driver is that "20 year-old pickup truck" suspension. And that an additional $12,500 gives you an appearance package and very little performance upgrades over a stock Mustang GT
Sure it's still American, but if it can't perform better than that, it's going to start giving American Muscle a bad name.....Okay, I'm done picking on the Mustang...
Here's the article if you want to read it...
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...di-tt-20t.html