Mustang GT vs. M3: Mustang "Better Balanced, Better Torque, Faster through turns"

[dug777]

I'm not going to take the bait and make the claim that the live axle is superior, but there are other factors to consider than just peak power, peak torque, and suspension type.

Perhaps the little german pixies made it faster? 😉

 

[JCH13]

Very well said. Have you looked at the specs and tuning of the new GT350? I would have to imagine that it would just plain murder the standard GT and M3 on the track.

After doing 5 minutes of internet research (woo!) I might got with the Boss 302 Laguna Seca/501a trim as it would be a bit lighter in the front end (no super charger or iron block) and has extra chassis/strut bracing, adjustable shocks and some additional weight reduction.

The extra power in the GT350 is quite impressive, but that Shelby body styling is getting a bit ricer fanboi for me.

 

[exdeath]

The people that whine about lack of IRS are still going to be driving a 328i when the Mustang does have an IRS and they will just find something else to bitch about.

 

[Vic Vega]

I love these M3 vs Mustang GT threads. All the usual nutballs come out swinging for the fences! 😛

They are both phenomenal cars. I find myself defending the Mustang against basically brand elitism. Truth be told, I'm very tempted to buy an M3 because it's an amazing car.

 

[JulesMaximus]

They are both phenomenal cars. I find myself defending the Mustang against basically brand elitism. Truth be told, I'm very tempted to buy an M3 because it's an amazing car.

I agree. I've driven both and owned a couple different Mustang GTs, I like them both for different reasons. For cheap performance you can't beat the Mustang GT, for luxury, prestige, and great performance it's hard not to like the M3.

 

[theeedude]

If BMW shipped an M3 with live axle, it would be mocked by every auto journalist in the world. There is no getting around the fact that live axle is ghetto.

 

[Throckmorton]

The people that whine about lack of IRS are still going to be driving a 328i when the Mustang does have an IRS and they will just find something else to bitch about.

So you are saying there is no one who actually wants IRS in a Mustang for the better performance in the real world?

Now, I think I'll buy a 2005-2009 generation Mustang in a few years, even with the solid axle, but there are probably plenty of people who would choose one of the other musclecar options because they don't want the solid axle crabbing effect on bumps.


You know most offroad enthusiasts wouldn't even consider the new Grand Cherokee because it has fully independent suspension and is based on a Mercedes crossover platform right? Most enthusiasts are well informed, and don't have the "it doesn't matter as long as magazines say it performs great" attitude. Truck Trend declared the new Grand the winner in a comparo vs the new 4Runner, but I guarantee you offroad enthusiasts in that market are choosing the 4Runner.

 

[exdeath]

If BMW shipped an M3 with live axle, it would be mocked by every auto journalist in the world. There is no getting around the fact that live axle is ghetto.

But it would be a BMW live axle, so it would be innovative high tech cutting edge and weigh less.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

All this proves is the people that say "someone that can afford a M3 doesn't cross shop a GT" Don't have the money for an M3 thus don't know what they are talking about.
Do they think people only buy M3's because they have the money? Even people that can afford to drop $70k on a car, arn't going to just nilly willy spend that kind of money on car.
There's a guy here at work that could litterally buy any car he wants, Bugatti included, but he only collects Vettes and Grand Nationals.

The Mustang is the best value for a performance car right now. The 11 models are so close to a regular Vette, that it's not even funny now. The Camaro is a joke comparitivly.
The M3 is no longer about all out performance as it used to be touted, it is now a status symbol (That you spent 2x as much and are slower)

 

[sdifox]

was driving behind 2 M5 convertibles today...

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

So you are saying there is no one who actually wants IRS in a Mustang for the better performance in the real world?

Now, I think I'll buy a 2005-2009 generation Mustang in a few years, even with the solid axle, but there are probably plenty of people who would choose one of the other musclecar options because they don't want the solid axle crabbing effect on bumps.


You know most offroad enthusiasts wouldn't even consider the new Grand Cherokee because it has fully independent suspension and is based on a Mercedes crossover platform right? Most enthusiasts are well informed, and don't have the "it doesn't matter as long as magazines say it performs great" attitude. Truck Trend declared the new Grand the winner in a comparo vs the new 4Runner, but I guarantee you offroad enthusiasts in that market are choosing the 4Runner.

Enthusiasts do not motivate the manufacturer to select a technology. Enthusiats make up a small percentage of the buying segment of most cars.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

They are both phenomenal cars. I find myself defending the Mustang against basically brand elitism. Truth be told, I'm very tempted to buy an M3 because it's an amazing car.

The M3 is a great car, but is it 2x as great as the sticker price indicates?
Buy the stang, spend another $10k to have a supercharger setup and you'll assrape almost every stock car out there.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Enthusiasts do not motivate the manufacturer to select a technology. Enthusiats make up a small percentage of the buying segment of most cars.

Enthusiasts don't even motivate manufacturers WRT 'enthusiast cars'... why do you suppose even something like the M3 is a fat pig compared to what it *could* be?

You really can't make money selling six of something that cost a billion dollars to develop.

 

[exdeath]

So you are saying there is no one who actually wants IRS in a Mustang for the better performance in the real world?

Now, I think I'll buy a 2005-2009 generation Mustang in a few years, even with the solid axle, but there are probably plenty of people who would choose one of the other musclecar options because they don't want the solid axle crabbing effect on bumps.


You know most offroad enthusiasts wouldn't even consider the new Grand Cherokee because it has fully independent suspension and is based on a Mercedes crossover platform right? Most enthusiasts are well informed, and don't have the "it doesn't matter as long as magazines say it performs great" attitude. Truck Trend declared the new Grand the winner in a comparo vs the new 4Runner, but I guarantee you offroad enthusiasts in that market are choosing the 4Runner.

Enthusiasts and the target market for the Mustang prefer solid axles, if you want to discuss what the enthusiast demands.

 

[zerocool84]

All this proves is the people that say "someone that can afford a M3 doesn't cross shop a GT" Don't have the money for an M3 thus don't know what they are talking about.
Do they think people only buy M3's because they have the money? Even people that can afford to drop $70k on a car, arn't going to just nilly willy spend that kind of money on car.
There's a guy here at work that could litterally buy any car he wants, Bugatti included, but he only collects Vettes and Grand Nationals.

The Mustang is the best value for a performance car right now. The 11 models are so close to a regular Vette, that it's not even funny now. The Camaro is a joke comparitivly.
The M3 is no longer about all out performance as it used to be touted, it is now a status symbol (That you spent 2x as much and are slower)

lol, M3 cars have never been all about performance. If they did they wouldn't give you all these premium options. M3 is a luxury car with performance. You pay the extra for luxury and speed. M3's have never been that fast to being with and still aren't.

 

[exdeath]

The M3 is a great car, but is it 2x as great as the sticker price indicates?
Buy the stang, spend another $10k to have a supercharger setup and you'll assrape almost every stock car out there.

The M3 is about balance in everything, not just performance.

That said the people bitching about the Mustang likely drive a 128i or similar and are just butthurt and hating , and it makes them feel better to champion the M3 when they can't even afford the higher end Mustangs or the M3.

You should have seen all the pissed off Lexus owners in 2006 when the Avalon blew away their Lexus for half the price. So why not get the better car? Because they want to be seen in a Lexus not a Toyota. Same shit here. The Mustang trumps their 128i, but they won't buy one because it doesn't say BMW, but the next model BMW that can compete with the Mustang they loathe is the M and they cant afford it. So they stick to their 128i and live bitter lives.

:awe:

I have no qualms at the idea of having an M3 and a Cobra in the same garage or the Cobra being faster.

 

[ElFenix]

You know most offroad enthusiasts wouldn't even consider the new Grand Cherokee because it has fully independent suspension and is based on a Mercedes crossover platform right? Most enthusiasts are well informed, and don't have the "it doesn't matter as long as magazines say it performs great" attitude. Truck Trend declared the new Grand the winner in a comparo vs the new 4Runner, but I guarantee you offroad enthusiasts in that market are choosing the 4Runner.

real enthusiasts apparently hate the 4 door wrangler but that doesn't mean it's not a fantastic idea. if they'd have named it the cherokee instead of wrangler unlimited no one would bitch.


edit: maybe fiat can sell them to NGOs in africa instead of the ubiquitous land cruisers?

 

[Arkaign]

real enthusiasts apparently hate the 4 door wrangler but that doesn't mean it's not a fantastic idea. if they'd have named it the cherokee instead of wrangler unlimited no one would bitch.


edit: maybe fiat can sell them to NGOs in africa instead of the ubiquitous land cruisers?

Lol yeah, I have a Jeep fanatic buddy, he likes the new Wrangler 4 door, but says it's actually quite a bit worse offroad due to the layout and wheelbase. Not really up to par with the regular wranglers in pure ability.

 

[Throckmorton]

real enthusiasts apparently hate the 4 door wrangler but that doesn't mean it's not a fantastic idea. if they'd have named it the cherokee instead of wrangler unlimited no one would bitch.


edit: maybe fiat can sell them to NGOs in africa instead of the ubiquitous land cruisers?

It's not true that real enthusiasts hate the 4 door Wrangler. It's become very popular as a base for mods.

When it first came out, some old guys complained, but then the 4 door proved itself to be more than capable.

The new Grand Cherokee on the other hand is simply not up to the task of offroading-- beancounters decided it needed to share platforms with the Mercedes crossover and get the soccer mom suspension rather than be a real Jeep. Ironically, now Daimler no longer owns Jeep...

 

[Throckmorton]

Lol yeah, I have a Jeep fanatic buddy, he likes the new Wrangler 4 door, but says it's actually quite a bit worse offroad due to the layout and wheelbase. Not really up to par with the regular wranglers in pure ability.

Yeah it has a long wheelbase, but it's better for trails and rocks than any other 4 door vehicle, because it still has two solid axles and a frame.

 

[Arkaign]

Yeah it has a long wheelbase, but it's better for trails and rocks than any other 4 door vehicle, because it still has two solid axles and a frame.

That's true, the H1 has been off the market for a long while now, which would still be the best 4-door offroader (??). The short wheelbase regular wrangler is probably the best offroader you can buy off a dealer lot on earth right now I would imagine, with the 4-door model not too terribly far behind. Still, the long wheelbase is something of a trade-off for the extreme types. For the vast majority of buyers, they'll probably never run across something that would expose the difference in capability, and most of the extreme types run some nifty off-roading mods anyway.

 

[Arkaign]

After doing 5 minutes of internet research (woo!) I might got with the Boss 302 Laguna Seca/501a trim as it would be a bit lighter in the front end (no super charger or iron block) and has extra chassis/strut bracing, adjustable shocks and some additional weight reduction.

The extra power in the GT350 is quite impressive, but that Shelby body styling is getting a bit ricer fanboi for me.

Yeah that'd be a tough choice. If I could get the GT350 treatment without the exaggerated bodywork, I'd lean in that direction. The Boss is pretty sweet though. All of the above are out of the question for me for a while though, finances not so great and a new baby on the way 🙂 I'll probably be looking at Fusion, Sonata, etc.

 

[Throckmorton]

Yeah that'd be a tough choice. If I could get the GT350 treatment without the exaggerated bodywork, I'd lean in that direction. The Boss is pretty sweet though. All of the above are out of the question for me for a while though, finances not so great and a new baby on the way 🙂 I'll probably be looking at Fusion, Sonata, etc.

10-15 years from now you'll either be known by your kid's friends as the cool dad with the musclecar or the lame dad with the Sonata.

 

[Kirby]

You should have seen all the pissed off Lexus owners in 2006 when the Avalon blew away their Lexus for half the price.

LOL, the first time I drove my mom's 2006 Avalon I gunned it from a stop. It one-wheeled-peeled, torqued steered, and scared the shit out of me. :biggrin:

That big boat can move. 😱

 

[DivideBYZero]

Yeah, those Avalons have some punch for a granny wagon!