Dr Who said:
Exige S 0-60 4.1 seconds
M3 E46 0-60 4.8 seconds
Exige S top speed 148mph
M3 top speed (delimited) 189mph or 155 on the limiter
CSL would be even faster, or lets be fair and compare like for like M3 V8...
If the stock M3 was geared for the same top speed as the Exige, that would also tell a different tale, there are too many variables involved... to just say one car is better than another.. I still think a good M3 would beat the mustang overall.. in build quality, reliability, comfort, performance, economy, and dare i say it, prestige...
Whilst I love the Roushe mustang, Its a fast cruiser, not a sports car.. same for the shelby, even a decent supra would kick its butt all over the place.. you cannot argue that Americans just cannot build a sports car like the europeans or japanese... despite a little bit of fanboi bias
Hi there
So top speed makes a car faster?
Sorry whats more important to me is the car that actually gets to 100mph quicker whether it be from a standstill or a rolling start. Both the Exige S and Roush Mustang put the M3 to shame here, even including CSL model. The V8 M3 aint out yet, but when it is I suspect it will be a monster of a car.
Now if your talking a CSL thats a different kettle of fish that car is awsome on the track and it would definetely beat an Exige S and a Roush Mustang. However a CSL is not cheap, they are very expensive.
Gearing of cars is done to best compliment their engines. You can't just gear an M3 the same as an Elise as the end result would no doubt be too much wheelspin. Thats why Mustangs come with very long gearing or else the torque would just smoke the rears constantly.
You say an M3 would beat a Mustang overall based on build quality, reliability, comfort, performance, economy and prestige.
Build quality I will agree with you as a high-end BMW and especially an M car are of very high quality. Reliability sorry I don't agree on that, there is nothing to go wrong on a Mustang, its a smallblock V8 Ford have used for a very long time, the car has no over advanced electronics, it uses a live axle, there is basically very little to go wrong on a Mustang. No huge servicing cost, just oil change every 12,000 miles and thats about it. Wheras the M3 has more technology then you can shake a stick at and as such many more things to go wrong. Comfort thats a hard one, driven M3's and been a passenger. I own a Mustang and have been in others and to be honest I can't put one higher than the other. Now performance, well the base Mustang is practically as quick as an M3, pretty much nothing in it and as soon as you move onto a Roush or Saleen, its bye bye M3. A guy tried racing me in an M3 within seconds I'd pulled bus lengths on him. Thats 530BHP, 510Lb-Ft and the fact my car weighs less against his 344BHP with no torque heavier car. Economy again, my car produces 550BHP and I get 25MPG on the motorway and 14-16MPG whilst thrashing around. Wheras a standard Mustang will do over 30MPH on the motorway and closer to 18MPG normally. So for all BMW's advanced engine trickery it seems to give little benefit to economy. Prestige another hard one and I guess it depends really on the persons oppinion.
Of course the Mustang is a fast cruiser, it is not designed to be a sports car. The fact is however they can compete with sports cars as demonstrated by numerous sources.
You say a decent Supra would kick the Shelby's but, well I've driven a Supra and stock they are crap. So by decent I assume you mean modified, so in thats case lets just modify a Mustang and kick that Supra's butt all over the place. You cannot replace displacement and the Mustang has a lot more over a Supra and I believe the Mustang weighs less too.
You say the Americans cannot build a sports car, then explain the Corvettes, the Ford GT and Race Mustangs? The Z06 laps the ring quicker than lots of other cars. It beat the Ferrari 599, to me this says the Americans have just shown the Europeans how its done and for a lot less money?
Am I a fanboy? Maybe I am little as I suspose owning a Mustang makes me bias. Fanboy no though I've driven many cars and those who say the yank cars don't handle normally have never experienced an American car such as a Mustang or Corvette. I've been on trackdays where Corvettes have destroyed Porsches, thats not to say the Porsches are crap they are indeed amazing cars but what I am saying is the Americans go about a different way with their cars but the result is they can perform and rival the best the Japanese and Europe can throw at them.
