Not a fair comparison at all. CVT Civic vs. Mustang GT

[Crowd Hunter]

A few cars back, I had a 135I Convertible with a JB4 Tune. That was a sweet car. RWD, light and nimble, but fast as S**T... rode well too, and back seat more usable than my Mustang. I would highly recommend one! Love my Mustang though, and wish I had a bigger garage...

The entire year I had my 2019 Mustang GT, I also had an MHD tuned 135i with fbo. I put 10,000 miles on the 135i and 620 miles on the Mustang GT, them sold the Mustang to Vroom. I sold the 135i when I bought my current M5, but I miss the 135i every day.

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[SEAICE]

The entire year I had my 2019 Mustang GT, I also had an MHD tuned 135i with fbo. I put 10,000 miles on the 135i and 620 miles on the Mustang GT, them sold the Mustang to Vroom. I sold the 135i when I bought my current M5, but I miss the 135i every day.

I hear you. I do miss that car, but I feel like I'm back to my roots in the Mustang. Actually, I gave the BMW to my son when he turned 16, but had to take it away from him. Too fast, too much trouble, bad grades...

 

[Homebrw]

I understand what the OP is saying. However I just sold my 2021 Civic Type R. It was the best handling car I have ever driven. It had the best shifting gearbox of anything I have been exposed to. It got 29 mpg commuting to work in traffic. It was a riot.

The dealer asked me why I was selling it with such low mileage in such a babied condition. I told him the car I had before it was a Shelby GT500 convertible. He said "say no more. This may be Japanese muscle, but it doesn't have the same feel as American muscle" (nor is it a drop top). I will miss the CTR, but I cannot WAIT for my GT to be built!

It is fun to go fast in a small car that handles well, but it doesn't "feel" the same to me as a big V8 Pony car.

YMMV.

I was lucky enough to get to be the CTR's caretaker for 7 months and get paid to do it! I just want my last ICE car to be a big 'un...in displacement.

Chris

 

[gimmie11s]

I hear you. I do miss that car, but I feel like I'm back to my roots in the Mustang. Actually, I gave the BMW to my son when he turned 16, but had to take it away from him. Too fast, too much trouble, bad grades...

Smart dad lol

 

[Crowd Hunter]

I hear you. I do miss that car, but I feel like I'm back to my roots in the Mustang. Actually, I gave the BMW to my son when he turned 16, but had to take it away from him. Too fast, too much trouble, bad grades...

The 135i could be scary. I definitely wouldn't have wanted my son to have it when he was 16. He drove a Subaru Legacy GT Wagon then a Mk 5 GTI then a Lexus IS350. He's in medical school now and driving an Acura TLX, but he is already eyeing exotics for when he finishes his residency. I told him he needs to think about his poor old dad when he's rich.

 

[Balr14]

If you want some real fun, try a Morgan 3 wheeler or an Atom.

 

[junits15]

I understand what the OP is saying. However I just sold my 2021 Civic Type R. It was the best handling car I have ever driven. It had the best shifting gearbox of anything I have been exposed to. It got 29 mpg commuting to work in traffic. It was a riot.

The dealer asked me why I was selling it with such low mileage in such a babied condition. I told him the car I had before it was a Shelby GT500 convertible. He said "say no more. This may be Japanese muscle, but it doesn't have the same feel as American muscle" (nor is it a drop top). I will miss the CTR, but I cannot WAIT for my GT to be built!

It is fun to go fast in a small car that handles well, but it doesn't "feel" the same to me as a big V8 Pony car.

YMMV.

I was lucky enough to get to be the CTR's caretaker for 7 months and get paid to do it! I just want my last ICE car to be a big 'un...in displacement.

Chris

I'm with you on this, I had a very well modded focus st with just under 350 at the wheels. Its fun, and I was having a very good time at the end when I returned it back to all stock.

But this mustang is way, way more capable. The ST would let you throw it into corners and it would feel fast, warn you before it got too dangerous and really give you a great time. But its limits were lower, corners that were at the ragged edge of what that car could do are well within the limits of the mustang.

That car is also 500 pounds lighter than my current ride.

Sometimes I whip my fiancées fit around like an idiot lol. Its fun! dont get me wrong, but it just feels fun, 40 MPH in a corner in a honda fit is terrifying, the thing feels like its gonna fall over. Having just got this mustang, and being fresh off the ST, I can confidently say that this car is substantially more competent on the road, its just that its limits are more than you'd ever safely encounter on a public road.

 

[Bulldog9]

It CAN be fun to drive a slow car fast, but nothing can compete with or replace raw Speed and Power

 

[shogun32]

It CAN be fun to drive a slow car fast,

when equipped with manual trans or I might make an exception for a VW DCT. Otherwise it's a total waste of time and effort, and is just slow all around.

 

[Lorne34]

I agree two totally different experiences. I find myself taking carousel off ramps at 60+ mph in my 350 and don't really think anything of it because I've had it on the track and know what it is capable of....that is as long as no one is in front of me... lol....

 

[EFI]

I read so many guys debating the S550 vs other performance cars and I'm always thinking to myself - does anyone go slumming like me and really enjoy pushing a car with less power that feels so much more natural than these rocket boats? Anyone else look at these performance discussions and say "yes, these cars are STUNNING but I can take a corner faster in a Ford Fiesta?"

When comparing a FWD car that weighs half a ton less than a RWD car while both wearing the same width tires is not a surprise that you feel that way. Mustangs are severely undertired from the factory with 235 wide all seasons (same a Sport).

The point of the Mustang is that it can handle much wider tires, whereas the Civic or Fiesta are pretty much maxed out in width. You can't toss on 325 tires on your hatch.

 

[Red65]

When comparing a FWD car that weighs half a ton less than a RWD car while both wearing the same width tires is not a surprise that you feel that way. Mustangs are severely undertired from the factory with 235 wide all seasons (same a Sport).

The point of the Mustang is that it can handle much wider tires, whereas the Civic or Fiesta are pretty much maxed out in width. You can't toss on 325 tires on your hatch.

I think the tire width is (to a certain degree) a moot point since I've seen guys put forth all sorts of effort trying to squeeze 19x11 with 305-315 tires into their car for a track day just to be out cornered by guys running a 265 tire because they simply have better quality tires. It also tends to be cheaper to do simple mods like correcting roll center and setting a good alignment that can make more of a noticeable difference than just trying to run the widest tire that's physically possible. Again, this is within reason, but increasing tire width doesn't simply have a linear increase in performance. There are a lot of factors at play there.

 

[EFI]

I think the tire width is (to a certain degree) a moot point since I've seen guys put forth all sorts of effort trying to squeeze 19x11 with 305-315 tires into their car for a track day just to be out cornered by guys running a 265 tire because they simply have better quality tires. It also tends to be cheaper to do simple mods like correcting roll center and setting a good alignment that can make more of a noticeable difference than just trying to run the widest tire that's physically possible. Again, this is within reason, but increasing tire width doesn't simply have a linear increase in performance. There are a lot of factors at play there.

I'm talking about same tire 235 vs 305 width. Of course a narrower sticky tire will perform better than a wide crappy tire. But you can't deny that the 3800lb RWD Mustang being on the same 235 tires as a 2800lb FWD Civic is going to be a huge disadvantage.

Not sure what those guys are doing, but a 305 tire on the front is as easy as getting a proper offset 11" wheel and camber bolts/plates.

 

[Red65]

I'm talking about same tire 235 vs 305 width. Of course a narrower sticky tire will perform better than a wide crappy tire. But you can't deny that the 3800lb RWD Mustang being on the same 235 tires as a 2800lb FWD Civic is going to be a huge disadvantage.

Not sure what those guys are doing, but a 305 tire on the front is as easy as getting a proper offset 11" wheel and camber bolts/plates.

I think you're reading too far into it. My point was that tire compound typically being a better bang-for-buck at the same size vs buying a whole new set of wheels to fit a 3xx tire means the factory size of the tire, even being the same between both cars, isn't the reason why the mustang has handling issues compared to the civic. The tires that ford puts on the base/premium model mustangs from the factory are just awful.

 

[Rock&Roll]

My Mk8 GTI is so much fun and I swear it handles better than my GT. Shes not as fast but she’s got her sweet spot with the Turbo and she can really boogie down those back roads. I bet she could beat my GT in curvy backroads run. I don’t drive my GT a lot these days and sometimes I think I should sell it. I drove it today tho and it’s such a beast I just can’t sell but she does feel like a big boat a little

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