24th Aug 2009, 09:09
Ever notice that every Porsche sold is two to five times the cost of any Mustang? Put another $30K into the design of the Mustang and it will stay right with your Porsche. You are talking apples and oranges here, and the two cars are from totally different worlds. The Mustang also is pretty amazing in the handling department considering the live axle it rides on (especially the new 2010).
As far as spinning out of control... were you on ice or really rain soaked pavement when you spun out at 50? I used to take my old 5.0's around freeway entrance loops faster than that without even moving out of the seat. They stayed nice and flat and were very easy to handle at speed. Yes you can kick the rear end out easily on them if you really wanted to, but that was part of the fun. The 2010 is simply the best Mustang ever and handles amazingly well, even on less than smooth pavement in sharp corners.
On the power thing... The Mustang GT is only 315 HP and it gets the car to 60 in under 5 seconds. That isn't a lot of power these days, but it is a ton of performance. Plus, what does your Porsche get for mileage? My Mustang easily gets into the mid 20's on the highway. Porsches usually are in the 15-18 mpg range. Talk about poor engineering!! You stated the engine is smaller so why can't they make one that gets even close to the mileage that a Mustang V-8 gets?
22nd Aug 2009, 13:46
I agree that American car enthusiasts DO tend to be "all about power" with little or no regard for much of anything else. And I also agree that Mustangs are horrible for anything but straight line fast takeoffs and making lots of tire smoke. If this is your thing, that is great. The V-6 Mustangs offer better handling due to a better front/rear weight distribution, but even they tend to break away in corners too easily.
The best handling Mustang I have driven was a 1976 2.3 litre 4-cylinder. The balance was excellent and it cornered pretty well. The V-8's are too tail-light and spin out too easily. If I am in a real hurry to get somewhere that requires weaving in and out of traffic or taking fast corners, I leave my Mustang at home and drive my front-drive compact. What I lose in straight-line acceleration I more than make up in agility and cornering ability. Mustangs are all about looking cool (which is why I drive one) and making a lot of noise. They are far from practical, and should never be your primary means of transportation.
As for Porsche, they just plain cost too much. Members of my family drive a 911 turbo and a Boxster, but they do it strictly for ego and not performance. Few people buy Porsches for real driving. They buy them to impress people.
As for domestic makers not being engineering savvy, I disagree. Ford currently builds some of the best cars in the world, and virtually nothing can touch the Corvette for performance in a sports car. Reviewers give it the edge over Ferrari. True, Mustang is not one of Ford's better built cars, though they are reliable. The Mustang is basically a "cult" car that has an almost unexplainable appeal. For me it is the looks. For some it may be lots of tire smoke. It is a good car, but yes, the Miata or S2000 will outperform it going and coming. I drive my friend's Miata a lot. My Mustang can't come close to matching its agile handling because of the better balance and control the Miata offers.