America vs The World

[Coventrysucks]

I have my flame retardent suit on standby....

This months evo has a special feature on the "best" of America's sporty offerings.

Before some of you all start whinging about "bias" etc, they were very complimentary about the cars, but the results are as follows:
(All cars are "uk/Euro spec", tested on the same roads)

Round 1:
Corvette C6 vs MG SV-R vs TVR Tuscan S mk2

They don't like the slow responding of V8 the SV-R, or its expense due to the carbonfibre panels. A car with "easy going character and tactile nature", but not the looks or performance of an £83,000 car.

They think the Corvette is very good: "thrillingly fast, feels bullet proof and is probably the best American car we've ever driven".

It isn't good enough to beat the new Tuscan S though. "More engaging, louder and more handsome, and probably the best car TVR have ever made".


Round 2:
Corvette C6 vs Porsche 997

Bob Lutz should have learned from Kennedy - when abroad, make sure you know what you are saying.

At the launch of the new Cadillac and Corvette "experience centre" on London's prestigious Park Lane he said "This Corvette is going to blow off the Germans".

Personally I didn't know that a car could perform oral sex...

"...as the pace rises and the surface becomes more challenging, the 911 hits its stride while the C6 starts to feel stretched.
There's an agility, a willingness to change tack that the C6 lacks..."

"The Porsche doesn't seem to miss the 80-odd horsepower it gives away either, except on long straights."

"Compared with previous Corvettes, the C6 has vastly improved integrity and it's sharper and more composed too. Even so it can't match the 911's efficiency, its economy of effort and its depth of ability"

"...the C6 isn't as far away from the 911 as most people would imagine"

(Z06) "If its more agile too, the European sports car makers will genuinely have something to worry about."


Round 3: Ford Mustang GT vs Nissan 350Z
Both £25,000 coupes, how do they compare?

The Mustang gets a very good write up, however...
"Where the Nissan feels agile and has impeccable wheel control over the worst roads, the Mustang feels unwieldy ad the front wheels often leave the ground. There's more body-roll too, and the Mustang just doesn't seem keen on really attaking a road."

"(the Nissan) ...feels like a sports car in every respect. The Mustang could be a saloon car, albeit with a sporty edge."


Round 4: Ford GT vs Ferrari F430

"The Ford GT is a fabulous throwback, a near-perfectly rendered reminder of what can be achieved with conventional engineering and a big heart. It treads the line between yesterday and today to glorious effect.
The F430 is rooted firmly in the future, and is the more vivid experience as a result."


Round 5: Dodge Viper vs Mercedes SL55 AMG
Two cars from DaimlerChrysler with similar aspirations - which is best?

"... a supercharger that feeds the SL55 such rich quantities of air that it gets the drop on the 8.3-litre Dodge and never really looks back. With 516lb ft of torque available from 2650rpm, a fast-acting five-speed auto 'box and instant drive-by-wire throttle response, the 1955kg SL55, subjectively at least, murders the lighter and marginally more powerful Viper."

"Where the Mercedes rams home its advantage is on your average British A- or B-road. It glides where the Viper crashes, turns-in with confidence at speeds that would have your backside puckering in the big Dodge, and shrugs off its weight with a remarkable display of agility.
In terms of raw point-to-point speed the smooth, sophisticate Mercedes has its hardcore, back-to-basics American cousin well and truly beaten. On a dry track the SRT-10 would probably eat the SL whole, but as a real-world sports car the Viper is fatally flawed."

"Perhaps the SRT-10s biggest problem is its price. at £77,000 it is impossible to justify. The quality of the materials used for the interior is shocking, the detailing crude, and you get very little in the way of equipment. It's unusual to bring two similarly powerful cars together and at the end of it consider the more expensive car the bargain. The £94,590 SL55 is worth every penny, and maybe a few more. The Viper feels maybe £25k too expensive. A Corvette C6 is more accomplished and more suited to our roads, and although you might pay a premium for the Viper's fury and rarity, to pay an extra £30k or so over the 'Vette is peverse."

So thumbs up to the 'Vette, Mustang and GT then, but they still think the Viper leaves a lot to be desired.

If the Corvette didn't look so bad, I'd have much more of an interest.

[Dino Scuderia]

I have no problem with any of that.

The Vette has a helluva lot of performance for it's price and can embarass many cars costing much more. I think the C6 looks very good but will never look exotic.

The Z06 will be a cut above so we'll seew how it stacks up later.

My friend has a 350Z and another has 2003 Mustang Mach 1, the Z begs to be driven and can handle all you give it, the Stang is a nice car but doesn't really inspire and the interior is cheap, cheap, cheap looking.....pathetic for what the car cost. The difference between a true sports car and a sporty car.

The Ford GT an Viper are meeting the world class power race but underdeveloped compared to German cars.

[ZeTurbo]

I have no problem with any of that.

The Vette has a helluva lot of performance for it's price and can embarass many cars costing much more. I think the C6 looks very good but will never look exotic.

The Z06 will be a cut above so we'll seew how it stacks up later.

My friend has a 350Z and another has 2003 Mustang Mach 1, the Z begs to be driven and can handle all you give it, the Stang is a nice car but doesn't really inspire and the interior is cheap, cheap, cheap looking.....pathetic for what the car cost. The difference between a true sports car and a sporty car.

The Ford GT an Viper are meeting the world class power race but underdeveloped compared to German cars.

i think they are refering to the new mustang GT not the previous genration one.

I have to disagree with oventry sucks on the styling of the corvette. its not an ugly car. the nose is hideous but the rest of the car i vey nice. i really like it, but give me a pen and a piece of paper and i will design a front 1000 times better.

[Dino Scuderia]

think they are refering to the new mustang GT not the previous genration one.

Yeah, I got that, but the Mach 1 is no slouch, 320hp, Brembo's and sits one inch lower than the GT.

I doubt the new Stang exudes anymore spirited driving tendecies than the previous one, mate.

[ZeTurbo]

Yeah, I got that, but the Mach 1 is no slouch, 320hp, Brembo's and sits one inch lower than the GT.

I doubt the new Stang exudes anymore spirited driving tendecies than the previous one, mate.

i was refering to that point you made about the inetrior look extremelly cheap. its absolutely true... in the old stang, in the new one it has really improved.

[Dino Scuderia]

i was refering to that point you made about the inetrior look extremelly cheap. its absolutely true... in the old stang, in the new one it has really improved.

Ah, yes, but only if you dig the retro styling which I don't.

More to your point I agree it doesn't look as cheap.

[Slicks]

Surpisingly good review, I really like how their saying "bad on our roads" instead of things like "this car sucks."

I doubt the new Stang exudes anymore spirited driving tendecies than the previous one, mate.

Supposedly there like two different cars. It is a totally new design, new platform etc. Read C&Ds review if you want to see.

[ScionDriver]

I've always had more respect and overall a preference for European cars, so I am glad to hear that they are still mostly better.

[Blitz_]

So what was the results of each comparison, i like the ford mustang gt alot better, ive seen alot of tuned versions and the smack the hell out of the best that tuners can do the the Z, imo though. Lol id take any of those cars though, all brilliant!

[NAZCA C2]

Why did they compare the SL55 AMG and the Viper? They are 2 completely different types of cars. The MB is more of a sports tourer. Sure its going to have a nicer ride than the Viper. The Viper would kill the Mercedes on any backroad or racetrack.

[Coventrysucks]

Yeah, I got that, but the Mach 1 is no slouch, 320hp, Brembo's and sits one inch lower than the GT.

I doubt the new Stang exudes anymore spirited driving tendecies than the previous one, mate.

The same evo article on the previous Mustang (Bullitt version):
"A few days with the previous generation suggests that Ford's engineers must have made a huge leap to get anywhere near the 350Z. It was hopelessly outdated and horribly vague"

Why did they compare the SL55 AMG and the Viper? They are 2 completely different types of cars. The MB is more of a sports tourer. Sure its going to have a nicer ride than the Viper. The Viper would kill the Mercedes on any backroad or racetrack.

They aren't comparing them as equals, but as different cars from the same parent company with similar performance claims and roughly similar prices.

As you can see from that article though, performance claims mean nothing - the Viper is more powerful, has more torque, is lighter and has bigger tyres than the Merc, but it is slower on actual roads.

This is exactly why several people were arguing in a previous thread about figures being useless, despite American journalist's apparent obsession with them.

They do admit that the Viper would be faster round a track, but not in the real world.

I do agree with them on the pricing though.

In the UK there is only £15,000 difference in the two cars, but the Mercedes would be faster, has a folding hard-top and comes with a huge list of electronic trickery to play with, and the entire quality of the car is so much better. Maybe if it was closer to the US price of £45,000 it would be an almost sensible proposition

[Spastik_Roach]

I'd much rather have a Mustang than a 350z. Come on, if you pull up in a car park, in pretty much any country, whats gunna get more attention? A Mustang or a Nissan Coupe?

[Blitz_]

i concur, have a look at those aftermarket mustangs, they f***ing rock!!

[taz_rocks_miami]

Im glad GM has improved the Vette to the point were European journalists give it a mostly favorable review. The Z06 will give some European car companies something to worry about if GM improves the handling a bit more. Besides, for the price, it's hard to beat the Vettes bang for the buck...er Quid. Doesn't rime but you get the point

I'm not crazy about the stock Mustang GT. The Saleen S-281E is more my ticket. But performance wise, I'll take the GT's 300 HP V8 over the Z's 289 HP V6 any day. 0-60 the GT is in the 5 sec range, the Z in the 7 sec range.

Ford GT vs F430, I would have been disapointed if the Ford GT had toped the Ferrari.

See Coventry, you didn't need the flame retardent suit after all

[gtface]

Im glad GM has improved the Vette to the point were European journalists give it a mostly favorable review. The Z06 will give some European car companies something to worry about if GM improves the handling a bit more. Besides, for the price, it's hard to beat the Vettes bang for the buck...er Quid. Doesn't rime but you get the point

I'm not crazy about the stock Mustang GT. The Saleen S-281E is more my ticket. But performance wise, I'll take the GT's 300 HP V8 over the Z's 289 HP V6 any day. 0-60 the GT is in the 5 sec range, the Z in the 7 sec range.

Ford GT vs F430, I would have been disapointed if the Ford GT had toped the Ferrari.

See Coventry, you didn't need the flame retardent suit after all

I was actually really dissapointed that they picked the ferrari over the gt. I mean, if they are looking at it from a performance-oriented standpoint i dont really see how it is possible. the gt hits 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, the ferrari in 3.9. Now I know these are just numbers but what's wrong with that? Numbers are objective, and that is whats great about them. Thats why they are used in magazines all the time. I think 0-60 is a pretty important statistic unless you enjoy driving around at below 60 mph in all cases. I'm sure the gt beats the ferrari to just about any other speed as well. I have no idea which one handles better but even if the ferrari does handle slightly better, i think the gt would make up for it with its accelaration advantage.