The new 2015 Mustang is dazzling...WHEN WILL MOPAR ANSWER?!?!?
My desire for a new Mustang is gone with this model. Not only did they mess up the looks but the IRS is a deal breaker. That solid rear axle in a car capable of high 12's at 110mph for just over $30,000 WITHOUT breaking the differential like a Challenger of Camaro will running much slower times at much higher cost was the Mustang's biggest advantage. That sissy IRS was not for the people buying Mustangs but for the people selling them and for the magazine writers. The only thing more sissy than the IRS is that the automatics have a steering wheel mounted paddle shifter.
If you're only worried about straight line performance, you're basically right...
but I have been living with that Mustang solid rear axle in two GTs for the past five years now (2009 GT 5spd, 2011 GT, Brembo brake package 6spd and I can tell you, it has its limitations.
The thing with the current muscle (pony) cars is that they're also designed to handle...and while the current Mustang GT handles just as well or better than the SS and R/T (and SRT) on the race track, real world handling is a different story. The rear end of the car is very easily upset on broken pavement in a way that I did not observe in my many miles in Challenger R/Ts and my handful of miles in a Camaro SS. So in the real world, carving up back roads, the IRS in the Challenger and Camaro really help.
Second, don't believe what you read about the Mustang's axle being drag strip ready. They wheelhop terribly without some mods. My '11 GT has the summer-only Pirelli tires and you can totally forget about smoking up the tires. The stock SRA isn't as virtuous as some seem to think.
My point is that I can see why they're making the change to IRS. It has the potential to expand the performance envelope for the whole car and you're not giving up too much to get it.
FWIW, they are going to offer a bolt-in solid rear axle for the new Mustang platform. :glasses7: