Drove a 2010 GT and 2010 Challenger R/T Classic yesterday.

[Stew]

Yeah, to help my search I decided to drive a couple possibilites this weekend. I'll start with the Mustang. It was a 2010 GT Premium with Option package 4 (or something like that, hoodscoop and diiferent spoiler), 19 inch premium rims with Perelli PZeros, comfort package and the 3.73 rear gears. Sticker was between 35 and 36k.

Getting into it I noticed it shared a lot with the Camaro, the low tucked in roof made ingress/egress a little tricky, but nothing major just a little extra ducking LOL. The leather interior was beautiful and the leather seats were very comforable. It had plenty of legroom but hiproom was kinda tight for the those that are, say, bigger in arse and wider in hip LOL. I would have actually preferred the handbrake to be on the passenger side of the center comsole as that would have really helped that issue. Materials were pretty nice and it had alot of features and a lot of buttons LOL. The rearseat was really no better than the Camaro and in a comfy position for me (tall and long legged) the seat was nearly against the rear seat cushion. Now for the drive. The salewoman drove it out of the lot and up a hill to a park were we switched out. While here, I checked out under the hood, LOVE the huge strut tower brace and the 4.6 is still a nice looking motor under there. The trunk was a good size too and very usable. Now I took over the drive. The 5 speed transmission felt very good. Really snicked positively in the gates and was such a joy. The clutch seemed a little grabby at first and took a few seconds to get used to but the shifter and clutch really worked well together and was just a total blast to use. the 4.6 didn't really feel lacking on power. Did a bit of WOT merging back on the main highway and it was surprisingly smooth and power built nicely. It wasn't explosive but was well more than adequate. The suspension felt nicely buttoned down. The steering was very direct and had zero slop. Gave it a nervous feeling actually, then again i am used to driving a Jeep so probably just a matter of getting used to it. Overall it felt very nice. The taller spoiler actually helped the rear and it looked good in black. The interior was nice just a little tight. I am still not sure on the hoodscoop as it is just tacked on to the stock hood. IMHO, very nice car and excellent for anyone who wants a quick and good lookling sports coupe with good handling and a nice interior, but doesn't need to really use the rear seat and is not worried about being the quickest in the 1/4 mile.

Some pictures of the Mustang

Some pictures of the Mustang





And the red on they had that also adds the window and side scoops to the larger spoiler and hood scoop.



Now to the Challenger. It was a 2010 Challenger R/T with the Classic package (20 inch heritage wheels, stripes, leather, bluetooth, etc) and the sunroof. It was an automatic. Sticker was around 35.5. I had driven an SE earlier and liked it, but did think low end power was lacking, the suspension was a little soft, and I liked the interior, but it could be better. The R/T fixes all that plus some. The ride was considerably stiffer and the body seemed well controlled, no doubt stiffer springs and the 20s with lower profile tires certainly helped here. You could definatly feel more of the road, but the ride was still very smooth. It was VERY solid overall, really enjoyable. Getting on the throttle felt very good and honestly felt more urgent and pinned me back harder than the Mustang, though the auto seeemed a bit slower than I liked kicking down, but no worse than the V6 auto Camaro i drove, I still definatly prefer a manual! Steering wasn't as direct as the Mustang's, but still felt good. The interior was a huge step above the SE I drove. The dash had a nice low sheen soft touch material, the center area with the stereo, uconnect, and climate contols looked a lot better than the SE, the color was the same as the rest of the interior and low sheen instead of shiny silver plastic. The seats were comfortable and supportive without feeling confined. Listened to the stereo and went through some Sirius satelite radio channels. I don't know if the Classic package comes with a stereo upgrade, but it sounded great, very clear with very nice base! The backseat had plenty of room, but entry could be better and it is only accessible from the passenger side. Overall I found it a very enjoyable car. It is a big car and there is no escaping that, but power was really good and felt excellent, the ride was very controlled, and the interior looked great, and black with white stripes is now my preferred R/T classic color.


Pictures of the Challenger:






I went back and took pictures of both with my phone I will post once they are updated.

[wbt]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing!

[ron10]

nice evaluation.

[ULTRAZLS1]

So.....when are you going to quit fighting it and get a camaro?

[Rockhead]

The Challenger is beautiful.

[a_Username]

I don't get it. The Mustang looks good in pictures, but when I see them in real life it doesn't do anything for me.

[wbt]

Originally Posted by a_Username

I don't get it. The Mustang looks good in pictures, but when I see them in real life it doesn't do anything for me.

The spoiler is what does it I think. The standard GT spoiler is flush just like the Camaro. IMO it adds a lot to the rear.

I can sit and stare of the front of the 2010+ Mustang all day long however. It is amazing.

[Stew]

All 3 cars are so damned enjoyable! Here is something else also, a part of the package on the red GT is the panel in between the taillights, think that helps also.

[8cd03gro]

Check out a '11.

Originally Posted by wbt

The spoiler is what does it I think. The standard GT spoiler is flush just like the Camaro. IMO it adds a lot to the rear.

I can sit and stare of the front of the 2010+ Mustang all day long however. It is amazing.

Personally, I think the '10+ needs a rear drop, badly. The rear end just looks strange at it's stock ride height. I can't figure out exactly what makes it that way, but to me, when they're dropped they look fantastic. I agree that the front is great as is.

[Stew]

Originally Posted by ULTRAZLS1

So.....when are you going to quit fighting it and get a camaro?

Right now, for my needs, the Challenger is the lead. I am not cosidering anything out yet and really look forward to trying an SS, preferably an 11 2SS (loved the HUD in my GTP) amd also to drive the V6 and 5.0 Mustangs.

[TaylorRyanSS]

The Mustang looks way better than the Challenger imo, at least stock for stock. The chally looks like it needs to be docked in a lake.

[ViperTomcat]

Originally Posted by TaylorRyan74

The Mustang looks way better than the Challenger imo, at least stock for stock. The chally looks like it needs to be docked in a lake.

Must be a proportion thing..because in reality that Challenger and the Camaro are only about..100 pounds or so different in weight. The Challenge is also literally only a few inches larger than the Camaro.

Having seen mine and a Camaro in close distance..it comes down to personal opinion.

[TaylorRyanSS]

Originally Posted by ViperTomcat

Must be a proportion thing..because in reality that Challenger and the Camaro are only about..100 pounds or so different in weight. The Challenge is also literally only a few inches larger than the Camaro.

Having seen mine and a Camaro in close distance..it comes down to personal opinion.

I am taking about the shape of the Challenger not the weight. IMO it looks too rounded and bloated. The front isn't so bad, just the back looks so blah. I like the sharp aggressive angles on the Camaro. Thats just my opinion.

[a_Username]

Looks wise for me Camaro = Challenger > Mustang