It's been a few months since the Dearborn company kicked off deliveries of the new-gen Mustang, and the internet is already full of videos showcasing its strong and weak points.
From the usual hands-on driving experiences that go through pretty much every feature of the muscle car and the numerous POV videos to drag races, name it, and chances are someone has done it. Enthusiasts have also compared multiple specs of the old and new ones.
The video you are about to watch at the bottom of this story shows the straight-line performances between the S550 (old) and S650 (new) Mustangs. Both cars are in the GT configuration, meaning that they pack a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine under their hoods with more power than anyone would ever need from a daily driver.
A quick look at the official spec sheet reveals that the new-gen Ford Mustang GT has 480 horsepower (486 ps/358 kW) on tap. Make that 486 hp (493 ps/363 kW) with the optional exhaust system, a feature that the example depicted in the video below has. The thrust is 418 lb-ft (567 Nm), or 415 lb-ft (563 Nm) without the said exhaust, and it uses a six-speed manual transmission to deliver everything to the rear axle.
Its predecessor is a bit less punchy when it comes to the output, which is rated at 460 hp (467 ps/343 kW). The 5.0L mill develops 420 lb-ft (569 Nm) of torque, slightly more than the latest iteration of the pony car that comes to life at the Flat Rock facility in Michigan. In addition to the ten-speed auto, the old Mustang was also available with a six-speed manual gearbox, and to reveal the difference between the two generations better, this one has three pedals.
Obviously, the balance tilts in favor of the new one, which holds the upper ground in output. But as some enthusiasts would say, gearing is everything, and this is where the older one shines. We must also remember that the driver plays a key factor, and it is all about the perfect takeoff, which makes a difference between winning and losing a race.
To better highlight the winner(s), Sam CarLegion on YouTube, which is behind the said video that just made its way to the streaming platform, organized races with a standing and a rolling start. That said, this is the part where we invite you to scroll down to the clip and click the play button. The footage is a little over nine minutes long, and it's worth a look, hence why we won't spoil the outcome.
Before proceeding to the video, which one do you think went across the finish line first? Was it the new or the old Mustang?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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