Dark Horse vs. M2 track battle

[Dave2013M3]

Mustang was limited by Euro HP vs. US version, also the 10spd can't hold a candle to the ZF 8spd in the M2.

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[LouG]

I would have liked to see a US spec up against the M2. But I don't really think 53hp would make up a 2 second deficit.
Still a good showing for the DH, less power, more weight and wasn't that much slower.

 

[HeyMoe!]

I traded in my BMW M340i in early 2025 for a Mustang GT. I considered an M2, as they were available with a stick. The BMW dealer wouldn't budge from sticker; I understand that they don't have to. The Ford dealer (50 minutes away vs. 2-1/2 hours) was OK with X-Plan pricing.

I wasn't looking for "ultimate" performance, which nowadays includes an automatic transmission. I still feel that rowing through the gears is part of driving. All things considered, I have a '25 GT PP, stick and all, just for everyday driving, and having fun on curvy roads. It's not always about statistics; for me, it is more about the everyday fun of driving. Not having to drive 125 miles for service is a bonus. Though, if a BMW dealer were closer to home, who knows what might have been? And, I can't imagine owning a DH for everyday driving. The GT is enough for me at my point in life. If I were younger, and foolish (once owned a Trans Am), who knows. Just buy what is fun for you, and go drive it.

 

[Arthonon]

The driver (I can't recall his name) seems rather smitten with Mustangs, and seems to agree that for a sporty car to live with, the Mustang is better - less hard core and smoother, but still performs well.

I thought it was interesting that he prefers the auto, and it sounds like they both find the S650 to be better on a track than the S550, if I understood correctly. Which surprises me, given that I thought they had very much the same mechanical starting point.

 

[tastetickles]

I was cross shopping these as well, ultimately just chose the Mustang GT because no DH was available in my country and I don’t need the fastest. IMO on the streets anything with loads of power+awd+torque vectoring is gonna be more usable power. I have a Focus RS so I could dump some money on it and make it very fast and the BMW has less steering feel than the Mustang which is already not so great.

 

[tastetickles]

The driver (I can't recall his name) seems rather smitten with Mustangs, and seems to agree that for a sporty car to live with, the Mustang is better - less hard core and smoother, but still performs well.

I thought it was interesting that he prefers the auto, and it sounds like they both find the S650 to be better on a track than the S550, if I understood correctly. Which surprises me, given that I thought they had very much the same mechanical starting point.

He always appear in carwow drag race and gets bullied for entertainment sake.

 

[Dave2013M3]

I was cross shopping these as well, ultimately just chose the Mustang GT because no DH was available in my country and I don’t need the fastest. IMO on the streets anything with loads of power+awd+torque vectoring is gonna be more usable power. I have a Focus RS so I could dump some money on it and make it very fast and the BMW has less steering feel than the Mustang which is already not so great.

Having owned both the steering in the G87 M2 is better than the S650.

 

[LouG]

I liked the comment; "driving enthusiasts go for the M2, car enthusiasts go for the Mustang".
I've only owned one Beemer and it was years ago, but I found you had to be really pushing it before you got all that exciting feedback through the wheels and pedals. At normal speeds it was a bit anodyne.

 

[Ace]

If want max performance for the money the M2 is really hard to beat. Everyone knows the official downgrade in hp from M3/M4 isn't really happening so it's much faster than numbers tell you.

DH is still a great car all you need for a car on the road, it's just a bit overpriced to me. My only gripe in terms of driving at least for the european model i've driven is the lack of punch in low rpms, everything that happens below like 40mph feels awfully slow and not like a car with 450+hp. Pretty sure the US model will feel quite more exiting

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