We head to the race track with professional driver Randy Pobst to see if Fords reborn Mustang GT can keep up with Bavarias finest
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MotorTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:10 [MUSIC]
00:20 All right, I know what you're thinking.
00:34 We did this comparison test just to rile up the fanboys.
00:37 And you'd be right, except that there isn't compelling argument here.
00:41 That that 2011 Mustang GT is every bit as good as the iconic BMW M3.
00:47 Let's look at the numbers.
00:49 The BMW M3 is a two-door, four-seat coupe with a six-speed manual and rear drive.
00:55 It's powered by a four-liter, 414-horsepower V8 engine.
01:00 The 2011 Mustang GT, also a coupe, seats four, two doors, six-speed manual,
01:05 rear-wheel drive, but it has a five-liter V8 engine that makes 412 horsepower.
01:10 The number that really gets us going, though, is the power-to-weight ratio.
01:14 Each one of these cars weighs around 3,600 pounds, so
01:19 they're carrying about just under nine pounds per horsepower.
01:22 How does that all translate at the test track?
01:26 Let's find out.
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02:35 Okay, so that's how they perform at the test track, but
02:37 we wanna know how they drive.
02:38 So we brought out professional racing driver Randy Popes,
02:41 here to test drive these two cars back to back.
02:43 Now Randy, what are your expectations here today, driving these two cars for
02:46 the first time, the 2011 Mustang GT and the BMW M3?
02:50 >> Well, they've got the same horsepower rating, and
02:53 yet they're coming from very different lineages.
02:56 I'd say the Mustang is the underdog, but we've seen a lot of improvement in
03:00 the Mustang over the last several years, including our Motor Trend Best Handling
03:04 and Best Driver's Car tests.
03:06 So the Mustang has something to prove.
03:08 The M3, we know, is the proven quantity.
03:11 It has gotten heavier.
03:12 It's really powerful.
03:14 I mean, it's an enjoyable road car.
03:16 And it'll be interesting to see if the Mustang can stack up to one of the best
03:19 Europe has to offer.
03:20 >> All right, let's go find out.
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03:23 >> Coming on to the front straight, about 4,200, we got good torque.
03:28 Shifting up in the new Mustang, fourth gear.
03:31 I like the shifter, I don't love it.
03:33 Setting up for a fast sweeper, and we're balanced.
03:36 I like the balance.
03:38 Hard into the brakes, a lot of brake dive.
03:40 Turns in, there's that torque, 3,200.
03:44 But I'm running third gear, I don't think it can take the power in second gear.
03:48 It's got enough torque, a little drifty on the entry in a good way.
03:52 Good balance from the Mustang.
03:54 It's got a lot of brake dive, a little soft in these track conditions,
04:00 in terms of the shock absorbers.
04:02 We're in the S's, good steering response, but
04:06 those shock absorbers can't keep up with that quick weight transfer.
04:09 Again, this fast sweeper, reasonably good balance.
04:15 I love the braking, firm brake pedal, good power from the brakes.
04:20 A lot of brake dive.
04:21 Good balance, see this?
04:24 Not much wheel in the car as we come out on the straight.
04:27 Motor pull strong.
04:28 Over the hill, it's a little hairy through here.
04:33 The car kind of flies over the big bumps.
04:36 Down into the braking, we stand right on the nose, but it rotates nicely.
04:39 I like that.
04:40 An enjoyable car to drive.
04:42 Certainly the best Mustang ever in terms of handling.
04:48 Sorry 1965 Shelby guys, but this thing will destroy it.
04:53 Back out onto the straight, it's putting the power down well.
04:57 Just enough to loosen it up and
04:59 have a good clean balance across the finish line.
05:01 I think it's a great package.
05:05 Sure is a fun car to drive.
05:07 And I think you could race the Mustang if you wanted to, as is.
05:12 Best part of the car is the engine.
05:17 The power is strong.
05:19 Second best part of the car is the balance.
05:22 Not a very pushy car, and I like that.
05:26 Much better balance than the Camaro.
05:28 Sorry Camaro guys.
05:30 It doesn't have the torque the Camaro engine does, but it definitely has power.
05:35 I believe the Mustang would destroy the Camaro.
05:39 In the M3, it's got some tough competition.
05:43 Steering ratio is quick.
05:52 Almost perfect in terms of the quickness of the ratio.
05:56 Little bit more numb than I might prefer, ideally.
06:00 Mustang's the right name for this car.
06:02 It's a pretty wild stallion.
06:04 [LAUGH] Okay, we're winding up the start of the lap.
06:08 I'm going to second gear, cuz the M3's got taller gearing, more revs.
06:13 I can use the revs and the lower gear.
06:15 Almost as if the M3's got less low end torque than the Mustang.
06:20 Wow, good control in the high speed.
06:25 Yeah, more shock control, kinda like might be expected.
06:30 Little bit more push, that's a surprise.
06:32 Country push, and push in the middle of the corner in the BMW.
06:37 The steering is superb, I just need too much of it.
06:40 Yeah, but no torque digging out of this hairpin going uphill.
06:46 Good top end in the motor.
06:49 Much better control at turn in than the Mustang.
06:51 Wow, there's almost no sense of roll.
06:54 I know the car's rolling, but in the Mustang you can really feel it.
06:58 The BMW, I don't feel it.
07:00 Slower responses in the transitions from the BMW, but way more control.
07:05 Down into the S's, almost no brake dive.
07:08 That I really appreciate in the M3.
07:10 But I miss that mid-range torque that the Mustang has.
07:14 Wow, the BMW just keeps revving though.
07:18 Into the fast kink.
07:21 Wow, if you try that in a Mustang, you'll be off the track.
07:25 Much better shock control in the M3.
07:28 That's the biggest difference.
07:30 And in the brake dive, that's where I see it.
07:32 Down through the S's, I'm going down to second gear again.
07:35 I can just dance the car.
07:37 Look at that push, there's more steering angle,
07:40 but we can balance it with the throttle.
07:42 Come out with a little power oversteer and use those revs.
07:46 Across the finish line, the BMW's definitely a higher RPM motor.
07:50 You can feel that influence from the Europeans.
07:53 They're into that high RPM power.
07:56 We Americans are into that low RPM torque.
07:59 The BMW definitely has better shock control, very clearly.
08:10 Less brake dive.
08:12 The Mustang is better balanced, less understeer.
08:19 Mustang's actually more fun as a result of that.
08:22 I do like the accuracy of the BMW,
08:24 but I'm a little frustrated by the understeer.
08:27 Maybe it's less fun because it's easier.
08:32 The understeer makes it a little bit kind of,
08:34 I don't know, sort of dumb in a way.
08:36 And whereas the Mustang, you need to be on top of that.
08:40 You're, you know, the Mustang's the wild pony.
08:43 The BMW is the refined European still.
08:48 - Okay, so Randy, you've had quite an afternoon here
08:50 driving the cars, got a chance to play around with them,
08:52 do some really hot laughing,
08:53 and then drive a lot for our cameras.
08:55 What'd you think?
08:56 - Well, for one thing, I love working with MotorTrend
08:59 and driving these great new cars.
09:01 It's been a great experience.
09:03 The BMW and the Mustang are fabulous cars,
09:05 and they're really rewarding for anybody
09:07 that likes fast cars and sporty cars.
09:09 - You did say going into this,
09:10 you thought the BMW would be quicker.
09:12 Do you still believe that?
09:14 - I have a feeling that it is because of the shock control.
09:16 It was just so much faster in the transitions.
09:18 - Okay.
09:19 Well, you were right,
09:20 but the actual lap times only differed
09:23 by less than a 10th of a second.
09:25 - Wow.
09:26 - So the BMW ran a 1.2767.
09:29 The Mustang ran a 1.2776.
09:32 So it was a .09 difference in lap time.
09:35 - Wow.
09:36 - What do you think about that?
09:37 - God bless America.
09:39 Let's hear it for the Mustang.
09:41 I mean, that's a surprise.
09:42 Because the Mustang's the underdog here.
09:44 It's way less expensive.
09:46 And I say it's the overachiever.
09:49 The Mustang benefits from its greater torque.
09:52 It could really come off these tight corners
09:55 and pull real strongly.
09:56 Whereas in the BMW, it's a very high revving engine
09:59 in the European style.
10:00 Takes longer to get on the power band.
10:03 But beyond that, I think it was the fact
10:04 that the Mustang will use all four tires.
10:07 That's the balance that it has.
10:09 On entry, you can get the car to rotate a little bit.
10:12 Whereas the BMW had a fair amount of understeer,
10:15 and the understeer slowed down its exit speeds.
10:19 The Mustang also, believe it or not,
10:20 I thought it was superior under braking.
10:22 I'd be curious to see the data.
10:24 It had a lot of braking grip.
10:26 So to me, that is a giant win for the Mustang GT
10:31 because the BMW is such formidable competition.
10:34 - So there you have it.
10:37 The BMW M3 beats the Mustang GT at the track
10:40 by the slimmest of margins.
10:42 Less than one tenth of a second.
10:45 Our pro racer, Randy Popes, says that's enough
10:47 to count as a giant win for the Mustang.
10:50 And he has a point.
10:51 After all, the M3 costs over $25,000 more
10:55 than the Mustang GT.
10:56 But we see it differently.
10:58 Though the new five liter Mustang's performance
11:00 officially puts the world on notice,
11:02 the stopwatch doesn't lie.
11:04 A win is a win, even if it's by less
11:07 than the blink of an eye.
11:09 The M3 is still just a little bit better
11:11 than the Mustang at the track, for now.
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