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Road Test: Comparison Test
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2005 Sport Coupe Comparison Test
Introduction
By
Brian Moody, Road Test Editor
Date posted: 01-09-2005
For an instant, the arena explodes in light, exposing the band and your 54,000 fellow metal heads. The enormous crowd surges in time with John Paul's bass, a sea of fists repeatedly punches the thick smoky air. As Jimmy Page launches his Gibson Les Paul into the wailing solo of "Black Dog," Robert Plant, shirtless and scrawny, dances out of sync with the licks.
You've been standing on your chair, involuntarily punching the heavens, for two hours. Any feeling in your legs is long gone, and your heart feels like it will burst from your chest with enough force to knock Mr. Plant clean off his feet. The crowd would go wild.
That's the rush we want every morning and every night. We want it on the way to work. We want it on the way to Grandma's house. We want it when we pick up our dry cleaning, drop off Junior at day care and return those overdue movies to Blockbuster.
This is the mission of the new 2005 Ford Mustang GT, the 2005 Mazda RX-8 and the 2005 Nissan 350Z. These three affordable rear-wheel-drive sport coupes are supposed to deliver that fist-pumping feeling every day, and for a low monthly payment. Do they? We decided to find out.
The Cars
The Ford Mustang is the quintessential budget performance car. Despite its low price, it still induces spontaneous shouts of "YES!" the way any Led Zeppelin song does. The Ford Mustang employs a traditional muscle car approach by dumping a powerful V8 into a moderate-size coupe.
Next is the stout Nissan 350Z, which offers a textbook sports car approach by installing a smaller displacement but equally powerful six-cylinder engine in a compact two-seater.
Every band has a ballad. And the Mazda RX-8 is just that. It has the edginess of the other cars but lacks the volume. Its power comes from a smooth rotary engine and offers something not seen on a typical sport coupe; two rear doors and a spacious backseat.
We ordered each with a manual transmission, and tried to keep the options to a minimum. Although each has a base price under $28,000, the as-tested prices of the Mazda and the Nissan crept up over $31,000, which is $6,000 more than the final price of the Mustang.
Then we forced them to navigate the rigors of our daily commutes, unwind on back roads and hang it all out on the track. Our winner might surprise you.
How They Stacked Up
If you think the Ford Mustang GT is clunky and crude, think again. It's our winner, outclassing the others with its future retro style, value, comfort and all-out brute horsepower. For an unbelievable price of $25,000, the Ford Mustang delivers the daily adrenaline rush a sport coupe should, without any real sacrifices in drivability, or comfort. It's by far the quickest of the bunch. It doesn't need pricey premium fuel and it has the largest trunk.
The Mazda RX-8's unusual approach is compelling and helps earn it second place. The RX-8 offers substantial comfort and refinement and its two usable backseats set it apart from the competition. With a 1.3-liter rotary engine, the Mazda RX-8 may not appear impressive at first glance, but that engine is good for 238 horsepower. If you really flog it, taking it all the way to its 9,000-rpm redline with each shift, the Mazda RX-8 can almost keep up with the 287-hp Z.
Bringing up the rear is the Nissan 350Z, which is the true sports car of the pack. It's fun to drive hard and hard to drive slow. Like a jaw-dropping drum solo, it looks cool, and delivers serious performance. And we're talking lots of stick twirling and pyrotechnics. For some, however, the Nissan Z is too hard-core for the daily grind, with a harsh highway ride and an interior that lacks finesse. In the end, its high as-tested price and its questionable comfort dropped it to third place.
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