Mustang GT v.s E92

So I sold my mustang GT for an E92. An e92 has been a dream car for years, but I took a detour, modifying my track prepped mustang.

Key improvements are chassis. Steering is more responsive. My mustang had track shocks and struts, and the M3 bone stock can be pushed far more in the corners. The mustang is also just a larger car, and the weight is fairly apparent on track. It is also a pretty numb car. Steering is not very responsive, and the suspension doesn’t communicate very well either.

The point of overlap is in the engines. The s65 feels like a 5 liter coyote in a tuxedo. The 5.0 is more raw, and has an interesting high pitch tone with corsa mufflers. It felt like an s65 with torque. Bone stock, straight line performance is similar, but the mustang has more potential N/A. Both engines rev above 8,000 rpm too.

The Achilles heel of the mustang, and a factor that made me sell it, is the MT82. It’s not a bad shifting transmission, and the clutch feel is fine. The problem is you need a new clutch to enjoy high revs without getting lockout. After you get a clutch, it feels amazing. Durability is an issue after this, and transmission swaps get common when these cars are driven hard.
The M3 DCT is superior here, and miles ahead of the automatic mustang offerings. It feels mechanical, has customization, and shifts instantly. I had some manual transmission fatigue, and wanted to try something new. I’m similarly eager to compare my track times with a DCT.

Overall I think the s550 stacks up well to the e92, delivering a high revving V8 experience at great value. From there it’s a blank canvas to build. The e92 feels like a comprehensive package out the box. Sure it could use more torque, but I’d argue the chassis balance and excellent feel compensates for this.

Now technically if you compare cars by MSRP, the gt350 is the natural comparison. They’re great cars, but I didn’t feel a strong draw to own another mustang.

Nice write up! The Coyotes are definitely an impressive engine. Any photos?

VR1 wrote

Nice write up! The Coyotes are definitely an impressive engine. Any photos?

Here are both of them! The send off for the mustang was the last track day of the season.

Please stop comparing the Ultimate Driving Machine with the Crowd Killer.

kyrix1st wrote

Please stop comparing the Ultimate Driving Machine with the Crowd Killer.

If you read the post I say my M3 is better in every way lol. It’s a valid comparison as I’ve owned both, and don’t have biases many bmw or mustang enthusiasts have.

I’m on my 3rd E9x M3, seriously comsidered the Mustang Mach 1 but felt it to be a little over priced in the used market.. given the main difference to the GT is the Tremec transmission..

The two platforms are nose to nose in a roll race in stock form. Balance and handling the BMW is a winner right out the factory.

A mod that I enjoyed that puts our S65 a whole car length ahead of a 5.0 is the AFD e85 kit. Plug and play, and I gained 25whp running full e85. Obviously the mustang can do this too just saying that mod with out any other changes gives you another leap ahead.

I had a rental Mustang GT with the automatic. Are we talking about the same car? The Pony car I drove did not feel like it revved to 8k.

It DID have a poor auto, TONS of low end torque and kick, was loud, steering was very, very heavy and overall car while fast felt like cheap plastic and a bit of driving a boat. Wicked Pony car noise but I’d get tired of it eventually.

In the end was able to return it for a BMW G series 330i and couldn’t be happier since I was looking for a more relaxed driver which even my M3 is compared to that. I think I get what this car is about but I appreciated the M3 as a better dual personality car afterwards.

Lucky1 wrote

I had a rental Mustang GT with the automatic. Are we talking about the same car? The Pony car I drove did not feel like it revved to 8k.

It DID have a poor auto, TONS of low end torque and kick, was loud, steering was very, very heavy and overall car while fast felt like cheap plastic and a bit of driving a boat. Wicked Pony car noise but I’d get tired of it eventually.

In the end was able to return it for a BMW G series 330i and couldn’t be happier since I was looking for a more relaxed driver which even my M3 is compared to that. I think I get what this car is about but I appreciated the M3 as a better dual personality car afterwards.

Granted, mine was tuned so the redline was 8100 RPM. It was in fact a BOAT. Suspension stock is so floaty and numb. My new shocks were probably the best thing I did with the car.
I’m very happy with my E92 m3’s duality as well. With DCT and the plethora of EDC options, i have different setups for backroads vs daily driving. The mustang was always “on” which got tiring.
My GT was premium which I think is the only way to go with a mustang. Still the M3 is significantly better.

Bmwdoubles_ wrote

The two platforms are nose to nose in a roll race in stock form. Balance and handling the BMW is a winner right out the factory.

A mod that I enjoyed that puts our S65 a whole car length ahead of a 5.0 is the AFD e85 kit. Plug and play, and I gained 25whp running full e85. Obviously the mustang can do this too just saying that mod with out any other changes gives you another leap ahead.

I raced my friends DCT tuned/x-pipe E90 M3, and even with my tune we were neck and neck. If anything the m3 picked up top end better.
The s65 is such a stout motor, it even dynos less than a tuned 5.0. Sadly The only e85 in my area is 30 minutes away so it’s not feasible. I’m going to track my m3 a bit before going in for power mods. The mustang scratched that power itch.

I agree with you that the Mustang Coyote V8 has a similar high-revving character to the M3's V8. I love that Coyote engine!

A while back I did some track training at the Ford Performance school in Utah in 2015 Mustang GTs. (Here's my blog post of the day.) They had the Mustang GT's kitted out with all the goodies from the Ford Performance catalog. They sounded fantastic, and were amazingly balanced and fun on the track. Better than my stock M3, for sure! The brakes were killer!

I know a modded Mustang GT vs a stock M3 isn't fair, but the Ford Performance school really put together a fun track machine!

I believe the N9X M3 should be compared with the Shelby GT350, engine-wise. The Coyote is a great engine but it is set up for low end torque. It is the GT350 voodoo engine that screams like the S65

OutWest wrote

I believe the N9X M3 should be compared with the Shelby GT350, engine-wise. The Coyote is a great engine but it is set up for low end torque. It is the GT350 voodoo engine that screams like the S65

Agreed, but compared to other muscle cars the coyote is the only one that when tuned makes peak power over 8000 rpm. I was cross shopping 2016 GT350’s and e9x M3’s. Ultimately I was tired of mustangs lol.