Road and Tracks' December 2006 issue just landed on my doorstep, and they test the 12 best cars for under 30K...
First, they do test our beloved Mustang GT coupe, which reaches 0-60MPH in 5.3 seconds.
The 350Z they test also has 300HP (!), but it weighs MORE than the Mustang by 15 Lbs.(3355 Vs. 3370 Lbs), and reaches 0-60MPH in 5.6 seconds! It also costs about $650 more...
The Pontiac Solstice GXP (3050Lbs., 0-60MPH in 5.5 seconds!) and a WRX Limited (Not the STI) with 230HP and a 0-60MPH time of 5.6 seconds, and at 3240 Lbs., are the Mustang GTs' closest competition, except for the Mitsubishi Lancer RS, which weighs 3220 Lbs, has 286 HP, and runs 0-60 MPH in 4.4 seconds!! BTW, every car they tested has a manual transmission.
Some thoughts...
The Lancer, although stripped , is only 135 Lbs. lighter than the Mustang, so I don't believe it's HP rating.
The 350Z gives up 70 Lbs/FT of torque to the Mustang, and weighs about the same...
Car and Driver got the heavier Mustang GT convertible to go 0-60MPH in 5.0 seconds, and they go on to prove that it WILL beat an R/T Dodge charger Hemi in the 1/4 mile (I know this for a fact, my wife blew one off in a fair race, with a cell phone in her hand! (we have the automatic!)) and if I'm not mistaken, C&D also claims that the GT will match the SRT-8 Charger in the 1/4 mile also...The R/T version is about the same price as the Mustang GT, but was not tested by R&T.
A side note...R&T gives the Lotus Elise ($39,900) a 0-60MPH time of 4.6 seconds, but all the Mustang owners I know say they have dusted the little Lotus in acceleration tests...
ALSO, I've driven a few 911 Carerra S models (around $80,000, and 355 HP), both 4WD and 2WD, both auto and manual, and while the manual Carerra S will dust my convertible GT auto, the automatic Carerra S is a real DOG!!! No S%$T!!
I hope this is more than useless information to you Mustang lovers out there...
CB
(Is it obvious that I LIVE for 0-60 times? LOL!!)

 

i was up at my local Dodge Dealership picking up my mom, she had to drop off her charger for service. i was walking around wasting time and i got into a conversation with one of the salesmen. he swore up and down a R/T Charger could beat me, they even offered to pull one out of the showroom and race me but when i agreed they backed out. 40-50 more HP don't make up for 1000lbs. i need to go back there and show them that magazine.

 

wow, 70 lbs of torque for the 350z! DAYUM!

The RS isn't that fast of a car, I dusted one on the highway about a month ago. Where is the R/T? I wanna see it get blown out!

 

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ecs_price.html


Dodge Charger R/T Ford Mustang GT<-----faster/handles better/ and brakes better
0-30- 2.3 sec 1.8 sec
0-40 3.2 2.8
0-50 4.8 3.9
0-60 5.9 5.1
0-70 7.4 6.7
0-80 9.6 8.5
0-90 11.9 10.6
0-100 13.9 13.1
1/4 mile 14.1 sec @ 100.9 mph 13.5 sec @ 103.6 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph 129 ft 125 ft
600-ft slalom 62.0 mph avg 65.4 mph avg


the SRT charger is no question faster w/ 125 more horse's, the thing with test and stuff and that kind of power its most likly much harder to get off the line. But the srt always has a higher trapt speed. Now only if we hand some kind of super mustang around the same price...[sm=badbadbad.gif] GT500[sm=badbadbad.gif]

 

It could be a traction thing - the lancer is AWD.

 

the R/T is the Charger with the 5.7L HEMI in it.

 

Who doesn't know that... Actually there is a R/T Magnum too. They are both slow as ***** [&:]

 

my buddy has an evo mr, that thing is wicked...it puts almost anything in its place

 

A evo is just a faster version of a lancer.

 

curious if a evo would beat a mustang in the 1/4, stock for stock. magazines say 13.3 vs. 13.5, but i got a 13.4 stock in my 06 mustang gt (and i have the shaker 1000!).

hmmm...i know they can dust us 0-60 due to awd, but i wonder about their top end vs. ours...hmmm...