new mustang vs. camaro vs. challenger comparison

[sbsumerix]

looking to see whos going with the most power
v6
2010 mustang 4.0=210 hp 240 torque
2010 camaro 3.6=304 hp 273 torque
2009 challeger 3.5=250 hp 250 torque

v8
mustang 4.6=315 hp 325 torque
camaro doesnt have a normal v8 just the ss 6.2
Challenger 5.7 hemi=372 hp 400 torque

top of the line
Mustang gt500 5.4=540 hp 510torque
SS camaro 6.2=426 hp 420 torque
SRT8 challenger 6.1 hemi= 425 hp 420 torque

looks like they have us beat on power for the lower models but the gt kicks there ass with the smallest displacement engine i think i like the looks of the mustang better too. i was bored and decided i would see whos winning in the muscle car bussiness.

 

[Fx4wannabe01]

its all about weight...

 

[Jay FX4]

its all about weight...

Exactly what I was going to say. The 'Stang doesn't need as much power to perform as well or better. The Challenger in particular is ridiculously bulky.

 

[CJREX]

Comparison test

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=144526

Camaro SS $35,380

Mustang GT $35,625

Challenger R/T $36,710

They didn't include the GT500 since it's $50k and should really be compared to a Corvette, which is within $1k in base price and matches or beats its acceleration. The Corvette kills it in handling and braking.

1st Camaro

2nd Mustang

3rd Challenger

Don't get me wrong, I love Fords, but the General has some awesome engines in the LSx series. If only the rest of the car was as good as the engine

 

[Jay FX4]

One reason I never was a big fan of Mustangs until '05 was that I always felt you were just buying a big engine. Lots of power but the rest of the car was cheap. The interior of 05-09 was outstanding. Not sure how I feel yet about the '10 interior, but the body tweaks are a nice improvement. Now if they'd only do something with the rear suspension and give it a 6-speed gearbox......

 

[Louisville86]

The new (June 2009) Car and Driver picked the 2010 Mustang over the Challenger and Camaro even though it has less power. It's smaller, lighter and more agile so it does more with less (315 horsepower). You can get a brand new GT 5-speed for $28,845 list, which seems like a bargain to me.

 

[Jason]

Eh. Ford makes good trucks, but the party stops there. Save a few bucks over that Mustang.

Mustang
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/mustang/2009/review.html

Randomly selected car from it's price range and segment is......Mazda RX8
http://www.edmunds.com/mazda/rx8/2008/review.html

My 2006 Altima SE-R has killed it's fair share of Mustang GT's. That's a 4 door family car for crying out loud. Although I love the way they won't look at me when we stop.

 

[mentalbreakdown00]

well, I won't buy a gm I hate working on them and they all feel like cheap junk to me. I do agree tht older mustang interioirs and bodys seemed cheap too though. My fav so far was my 1987 crown Vic wagon. I took the 302 and made it a 302 HO with the roller cam and firing order, just a stock cam too by the way, shorty style ceramic headers, no more air pump, pulleys, got a explorer intake setup, full exhaust with an h-pipe, and the factory 3.08 gears and it would wax stock fox bodys, still have the 3,23's I was gonna put in it before I creamed a rivera that pulled out in front of me, screw a muscle car I like fast family cars or luxury cars.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Eh. Ford makes good trucks, but the party stops there. Save a few bucks over that Mustang.
Mustang
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/mustang/2009/review.html
Randomly selected car from it's price range and segment is......Mazda RX8
http://www.edmunds.com/mazda/rx8/2008/review.html
My 2006 Altima SE-R has killed it's fair share of Mustang GT's. That's a 4 door family car for crying out loud. Although I love the way they won't look at me when we stop.

Straight out of your Edmunds articles...

RX8:

Although generally quick by most measures, acceleration is disappointing for a sports car. In our tests, a manual-equipped RX-8 took 7.0 seconds to reach 60 mph and ran the quarter-mile in 15.4 seconds.

As such, the 350Z, as well as the retro-American Ford Mustang GT, handily beat the Mazda in terms of outright performance.

Mustang GT:

With a manual transmission, the GT goes from zero to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and clears the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds.

The V8-powered GT model boasts 300 horsepower and driving dynamics that, in a departure from Mustangs past, are actually pretty impressive in spite of the car's old-school solid-axle rear suspension. And the Mustang Bullitt version, which debuted last year, takes the nostalgia to a new level with styling and trim inspired by the classic Steve McQueen movie car, along with a sport-tuned suspension, modified exhaust and upgraded brakes. If we had our pick of regular V8 Mustangs, the Bullitt would be the one.

The 2009 RX8 is slower yet than the older '08's and older, and is slightly more expensive than a Mustang GT. The Mustang has gained more power since then, and the Bullitt suspension that Edmunds prefered in that article is now standard.

I don't see an Altima touching 14's, so quit messing with the local high school kids that don't know what they are doing. If they know what they are doing, they don't run around town trying to beat 4dr sedans.

 

[CJREX]

The V6 Altimas and Maximas are quick for what they are and feel seriously fast if you've never driven anything that is truly fast.

With a manual trans they can both break into the 14s, on a good day close to the mids. A 14 second car feels like a rocket to most people.

But the Mustang GT is a high-mid 13 second car, which would be multiple car lengths in a 1/4 mile run. If he's racing stock 5.0s or '96-'98 SN95 GTs, I have no doubt he could surprise them good.

But if he raced a 3-valve 4.6 and won, the GT wasn't racing.

I rarely if ever will street race, but I might have once put a young Maxima driver in his place when he kept trying to I guess show off for his bud (my SS ran 13.05 @109 the only time I ever took it to the track, minor mods). I'm sure he felt it was fast. Needless to say, mid-high 14s vs 13 flat = buslengths.

I don't pretend that my Camaro is a great car. It isn't. But the right stuff happens when you wood the go-pedal

 

[Jason]

What is this fascination with quarter mile times? One, how often do you drive down the street, and find yourself on a quarter mile track? Straight line may be good for some, but I expect a car to do more. Corner speed is where it's at folks. Anything else is just a waste of my time. Don't even get me started on piss poor fit and finish and the way "some" cars sound like maraca's after 20k or so.

The RX8 is much faster around a track, which is much more representative of a road than a quarter mile of asphalt in a straight line.

Funny story, last year at BeaveRun for the Corvette gathering there were a few guests that had other cars. One had an RX8, a few had GT Mustangs. The guy with the RX8 was talking some smack to one of the Mustang guys about how much faster the RX8 was. The Mustang guy said he was new so the RX8 guy just knew the track better. After this went on for a few minutes, they switched cars. That "new guy" didn't seem to have any trouble whooping his own cars ass once he got into the RX8. Why? Handling. That's why.

Do what you like though. You won't see me driving straight unless I fall asleep.

 

[Mac]

Even the last series of the Camero's had more HP than the same year Mustang and could woup them both being stock. They were hard to work on, don't know how much aftermarket support they got. These new Mustangs hit the showroom floor and there are so many after market supplies are ready with the performance parts. Smart move by Ford to get them involved before rollout. As far as road course performance, really can't push it here hard on our great country roads, got combines, manuer speaders, farmers that have just spread their fields. Nearest place I could try out the cornering is over 100 miles away. To each his own.
Dave

 

[Jay FX4]

Eh. Ford makes good trucks, but the party stops there

It's not 1993 anymore. The quality of Fords cars rival anybody else these days. I agree that they have always made the best trucks you can buy, and I too had always thought their cars were junk.....until the last few years. No, I don't pop wood when a Focus drives by, but they have come a long way.

While I was never thrilled with the 'Stang until '05, I think it's hard to compare it to other cars. Most cars in it's class either can't put up the same type of power numbers, or they cost way more. The Mustang is a great "budget" sports car and I think it's aimed more toward a "working class" demographic. Mustang drivers and Corvette drivers generally wear different color collars.

 

[mentalbreakdown00]

it's funny to think, but a mustang was originally nothing more than a KIA comparatively

 

[Jason]

It's not 1993 anymore. The quality of Fords cars rival anybody else these days. I agree that they have always made the best trucks you can buy, and I too had always thought their cars were junk.....until the last few years. No, I don't pop wood when a Focus drives by, but they have come a long way.

While I was never thrilled with the 'Stang until '05, I think it's hard to compare it to other cars. Most cars in it's class either can't put up the same type of power numbers, or they cost way more. The Mustang is a great "budget" sports car and I think it's aimed more toward a "working class" demographic. Mustang drivers and Corvette drivers generally wear different color collars.

My issue with Ford cars isn't the general quality of build anymore. It's engineering. Yes, they can make a car that is reliable now. They still can't figure out how to make an average priced car that can handle well. They still can't make a car that is both practical and fun to drive. The worst part of it is, I am partially wrong.

They sell some great cars, but not in the US. The biggest violation Ford commits is feeding the US market half-assed efforts while Europe gets Ford vehicles that, while still being sub par compared to much of the competition, are WAY better than the crap they feed us here. Why doesn't Ford sell the Mondeo here? There was talk of using it for the Fusions underpinning, but the Fusion still comes to us as ugly as anything out there and with that awful interior. My cousin who works for Ford bought one (Fusion). 28k on it and the inside is like living in a tambourine the second the road is anything but perfect.