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Originally Posted by KatarHol
 I would think you argument would be better if you had not included the Challenger. Shoehorning a years old Charger/300 fatass platform under a sexy coupe body doesn't say to me that Dodge has "prioritized" performance,it says to me it half-assed shat out a pony car with a glandular problem,it IS pretty though,and fast,but no competition for a Mustang. My god,they barely changed the interior,could Dodge have done less as possible?
I think the '05-09 Mustang GT and later GT500/GT500KR and Bullitt speak for themselves as to how Ford has "prioritized" performance. These are cars released in basically a vacuum,Ford didn't even have to do anything special once the F-body went away,and yet,we still have a 540HP Mustang,wait until the '10 GT and GT500 is unveiled before you give up on Ford. The Camaro has it on paper,but as the last F-body proved,being a superior car doesn't automatically earn you sales,these aren't 215HP GT's anymore,a guy couldn't go wrong choosing either a Camaro or Mustang these days.
But the Challenger as competiton  that thing has been left for dead,i give it 2 more years,it's a pretty car for being a fatass though. |
You're putting the Mustang on a pedestal and ripping on the Challenger for sharing a platform. It's hypocrisy to say that the new Mustang is a vast improvement on the old platform. Side-by-side comparisons between new and old Mustangs will be like comparing concept and production Camaros. It's ridiculous to call one a vast improvement over the other. They look the same. They will perform the same.
Sales are a different matter. There are so many factors in every sale, that I simply don't care to talk about it. Having more sales isn't up for discussion right now as the Camaro simply doesn't have any in the market yet. Until it hits lots, sales discussions are speculative and, therefore, ridiculous.
As far as performance, the Challenger is ahead of the Mustang. The Camaro, of course, will beat the Challenger due to similar horsepower numbers and a significant weight difference. The Mustang wins on the scale, but track performance is lackluster. Road performance is even worse by comparison because the primitive suspension setup employed by Ford simply doesn't feel good to drive. I test drove one, so I'm talking from experience. Moreover, the Mustang's only performer is the V8, much like the Challenger. This is where the Camaro is a clear winner. Even the V6 platform was taken seriously by the manufacturer. Instead of a gimp, the Camaro LS, riding on steelies, will punish both the Challenger and Mustang V6s. When comparing models, we can expect that the one that is clearly superior will have the largest sales numbers, but I've said before that we can only guess. Since the V6 represents the highest volume of all 3 cars, it's really a wonder that only GM came to the conclusion that making a competitive V6 matters.
In any case, the new Mustang is an old Mustang with the laziest facelift in domestic history. To call the new Mustang an update is a substantial overstatement. All it represents is saggier headlights and a fresher interior. The Challenger shares the Chrysler-dominating 300 platform. As a result, it lazily has all the same features inside as all of the other cars on that platform. It's still nicer than a Mustang, though.
I'm not trying to be cruel here. From the standpoint of someone who likes American cars, I feel thoroughly let down by Ford's lack of competitive will. The Mustang GT has owned the market for long enough for Ford to settle into a very boring place when it comes to performance. Instead of competing with the titans of the automotive industry, Ford has settled into a place where beating Civics was enough. Fortunately, Chevrolet aimed high when designing the Camaro SS, making a car with top-notch design and unparalleled performance.