Hawkeye1
Well-Known Member
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- #1
Hi all,
Nice to be back in the Mustang fold. Owned a 2016 GT350 (Tech Pack) and loved it. Traded it for something more exotic and faster (911 Turbo S), but missed the manual trans and the engagement. Scratched that itch with a 911 GT3 that I've owned for two years. I've also put over 13,000 miles on it, which is like a light-year in P-car world, so I started looking for something else to drive and keep the mileage down on the GT3. Zeroed in on a new GT350 after reading about the 'new and improved' version for 2019. They solved some of the gripes I had with the 2016 (lousy audio, must choose between Tech and Track Pack, piston slap, etc.), plus the Motor Trend review (along with others) convinced me to take the plunge. It was officially broken-in this weekend, so I spent Saturday running both cars through my favorite mountain roads here in Arkansas. I've never read anyone who directly compared the two, and I am blessed (and spoiled) enough to own both, so here are some thoughts.
First, both cars are excellent and both sound like choirs of angels at redline; the GT3 like angels from above and the GT350 like angels from the other place, but if listening to these engines doesn't do it for you, just choose the Prius and go Hypermiling. I don't want to create false drama, so I'll just acknowledge that the GT3 is the better car to drive hard, and it should be. The MSRP was three times higher than the GT350. It accelerates and brakes harder and the body control is better when you're getting after it in a mountain pass. It's more settled during rapid direction changes and makes you feel like a pro even (and especially) when you're not. I'm also spoiled by the 'auto rev match' feature. It's perfect and there is no chassis upset when you downshift, no matter how hard you're braking. That said, the GT350 held its own just fine. As long as you're above 4000 rpm, it has plenty of punch and the front end grip was a very nice surprise. There's obviously more weight in the nose, but once it turns in it just sticks and sticks and is great, scary fun. The biggest difference between the two runs came down to my lousy heel and toe action. Someone with more skill on the pedals could have avoided some serious suspension upsets on corner entry, which limited my courage and apex speeds. I still had a ball. My wife went along for both rides and her observations mirrored mine. The GT350 moves around more and generates more head toss, which she didn't like, but the car was more comfortable to ride in and doesn't have all the road noise and mechanical clatter of the GT3 which made for better transits to and from the mountains. Both cars have good but not great audio systems (Bose for the GT3, B&O for the GT350), both draw attention from other drivers, but in different ways, and both bring a smile. I hope to take them both to a track event this year to drive them back to back to make a more informed comparison at the limit. I also need to either buy an Auto-blip or really learn to heel and toe. The few times I got it right were awesome. The car deserves someone who can do it well. Anyway, let me know if anyone has questions. I'll post more as I add miles to the Shelby. Thanks.
Nice to be back in the Mustang fold. Owned a 2016 GT350 (Tech Pack) and loved it. Traded it for something more exotic and faster (911 Turbo S), but missed the manual trans and the engagement. Scratched that itch with a 911 GT3 that I've owned for two years. I've also put over 13,000 miles on it, which is like a light-year in P-car world, so I started looking for something else to drive and keep the mileage down on the GT3. Zeroed in on a new GT350 after reading about the 'new and improved' version for 2019. They solved some of the gripes I had with the 2016 (lousy audio, must choose between Tech and Track Pack, piston slap, etc.), plus the Motor Trend review (along with others) convinced me to take the plunge. It was officially broken-in this weekend, so I spent Saturday running both cars through my favorite mountain roads here in Arkansas. I've never read anyone who directly compared the two, and I am blessed (and spoiled) enough to own both, so here are some thoughts.
First, both cars are excellent and both sound like choirs of angels at redline; the GT3 like angels from above and the GT350 like angels from the other place, but if listening to these engines doesn't do it for you, just choose the Prius and go Hypermiling. I don't want to create false drama, so I'll just acknowledge that the GT3 is the better car to drive hard, and it should be. The MSRP was three times higher than the GT350. It accelerates and brakes harder and the body control is better when you're getting after it in a mountain pass. It's more settled during rapid direction changes and makes you feel like a pro even (and especially) when you're not. I'm also spoiled by the 'auto rev match' feature. It's perfect and there is no chassis upset when you downshift, no matter how hard you're braking. That said, the GT350 held its own just fine. As long as you're above 4000 rpm, it has plenty of punch and the front end grip was a very nice surprise. There's obviously more weight in the nose, but once it turns in it just sticks and sticks and is great, scary fun. The biggest difference between the two runs came down to my lousy heel and toe action. Someone with more skill on the pedals could have avoided some serious suspension upsets on corner entry, which limited my courage and apex speeds. I still had a ball. My wife went along for both rides and her observations mirrored mine. The GT350 moves around more and generates more head toss, which she didn't like, but the car was more comfortable to ride in and doesn't have all the road noise and mechanical clatter of the GT3 which made for better transits to and from the mountains. Both cars have good but not great audio systems (Bose for the GT3, B&O for the GT350), both draw attention from other drivers, but in different ways, and both bring a smile. I hope to take them both to a track event this year to drive them back to back to make a more informed comparison at the limit. I also need to either buy an Auto-blip or really learn to heel and toe. The few times I got it right were awesome. The car deserves someone who can do it well. Anyway, let me know if anyone has questions. I'll post more as I add miles to the Shelby. Thanks.
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). That being said, Hill-Toe in my S4 can be done without hard braking as it's in GT350. And I agree, on the track Hill-Toe is much easier and more fun to do.
