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Interesting time for cars

Linoge notes he may have to worry about the new Dodge Chargers:

apparently I purchased my muscle car a few years too early, given that the next-generation V6 versions of my car are getting better horsepower and gas mileage than my V8.

Indeed. Ford has figured out what Nissan and BMW have known for a while, that you crank out a 300+ hp engine in a six cylinder. Hell, the 2011 6 cylinder Mustangs get over 300hp and 30MPG. Seems we’re seeing a lot of domestic companies moving back to the muscle car too, with new high horsepower Camaros and Chargers. The 2012 Charger has some impressive stats, as compared to the 2011 which Tactical Car could easily hang with. And definitely out-handle.

And it is also impressive to me that the 2011 Mustang GT can hang with the BMW M3.

Definitely interesting times when it comes to cars. Performance is up all around. Hard to believe my family sedan does 0 to 60 faster than a 1980s Lamborghini Countach.

Too bad Dodge and GM took bailout money. I might be tempted to get a 465HP sedan otherwise.

15 Responses to “Interesting time for cars”

  1. Kevin Baker Says:

    I want a 2011 Mustang GT so bad I can taste it. And it tastes GOOOD!

    Guess I’ll have to wait a couple of years and get a used one. I can’t swing $550/mo payments.

  2. SayUncle Says:

    Yeah, wait a couple years and get a used one. Then they’ll have higher performance new ones you can drool over 😛

  3. Robb Allen Says:

    with 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds

    Whoa… My 2009 VW GTI does that just north of 6 seconds. They advertise 6.9, but I’ve been able to pull off 6.2’ish on flat road. Granted, I’m not calibrated or anything and eyeballed it.

    Still, that’s just a run of the mill VW with a 4 cylinder engine.

  4. Jeff the Baptist Says:

    Horsepower is nice, but those are just peak numbers. They’re generally giving up torque and power band to get them.

  5. Robert Says:

    My 1995 tuned and turbo’d 4 banger got 35MPG on the highway and over 300HP.

  6. Weer'd Beard Says:

    I think I’ll be trading my truck for a Taurus SHO. No stick-shift and its an AWD based on a FWD design, so not ideal, but that motor cranks the HP and still has gobs more torque than my truck. Be interesting to see if I can run it below turbo spool without the stick for stingy MPG numbers….

  7. The Freeholder Says:

    These days you can get a 4-banger that equals the performance of the V-6 of a decade ago. My 13 YO GM 3.8 V-6 sedan croaked last week. The new Subaru Outback 4-cylinder replacement sports more cargo room, more usable interior room, AWD, better gas mileage and a slightly better 0-60 and quarter mile.

    And the Harmon-Kardon stereo blows the Delco-Bose out of the freaking water, too. 🙂

  8. Weer'd Beard Says:

    Also note that all these advancements are done without government meddling. Think about that the next time a smelly hippie tells you they need to skim from your paycheck to fund coal-powered cars or heavy-metal toxin-rich hybrids.

  9. Chris Byrne Says:

    ford took almsot as much of a bailout in monetary terms as GM did; they just structured it better so they were able to retain more autonomy, and get better PR out of it.

    http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/12/blue-ops-the-clandestine-bailout-of-ford/

    It a giant con job. People are buying Ford because “they didn’t take a bailout”… frankly I think the sneaking a bailout in from behind and lying about it is worse than what Chrysler or GM did.

  10. F-Zero Says:

    Cars may be advancing quickly technologically, but keep in mind that most domestic cars became sub standard in the 90’s and early 00’s. How is it that Europeans have been pulling two and three hundred horsepower out of two liter engines for years and just now the big three finally get around to it? Part cost sure but a good portion of that was complacency. Finally the euro and asian competition is bringing american cars to only slightly behind standard. And where is my small diesel pickup?!?

  11. Jim Brack Says:

    Chris,

    Ford borrowed 9 Billion as a normal loan, which is being paid back.

    GM was bailed out for the tune of 50 Billion, and the taxpayers became the largest shareholder of GM stock (61%). With little or no hope of ever getting all of our money back.
    link

  12. Linoge Says:

    And there are rumors of EcoBoost engines sneaking into Mustangs in the next few years as well… not sure how I feel about that, but a muscle car with that kind of gas mileage is awesome regardless.

    Also, a loan that is being paid back != the federal government owning a significant portion of your company. But we already knew that…

  13. Chris Says:

    While the Mustang might be able to hang in a straight line, the BMW will kill it in the corners. I hated BMW drivers and the way they drove, until I drove one.

    Seriously, they are great handling cars. As an Muscle car guy I found the BMW to be a whole new world of lateral G’s.

    Mustangs are nice looking and fast, but BMWs are the complete package, even if everyone who owns one drives like a complete @$$, myself include.

  14. Kevin Baker Says:

    Chris, did you READ the Motor Trend piece? Around the Willow Springs raceway in the hands of an “average Joe” and a professional race driver, the Mustang was a half-second faster in the hands of the “Average Joe” and only 0.09 second slower in the hands of the professional racer.

    True, the Mustang doesn’t handle quite as well, but the broad, flat torque curve means it goes like hell coming out of the corners and down the straights.

    In lateral G’s, the M3 did 1.32g, the Mustang did 1.30. I doubt your butt could tell the difference.

  15. gb Says:

    I’m saving my box tops for the 2012 BOSS 302 release. 442 horses in a street legal race car!

Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.

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