Sometimes the Automotive Journalism world is so off track – pun intended – that they cross the line where “reporting” becomes “tabloid babble”.
Take the headline “MUSTANG BEATS CORVETTE!!!” “America Meet Your New Sports-Car King”.
That is quite a statement gracing the cover of the Feb 2016 issue of Car and Driver. But their criteria by which they obtain their conclusion is as lame as comparing the Corvette C7 with the Mustang GT350 cars. With misleading emphasis placed on things that are just plain ridiculous like ‘The Corvette’s seats are not as supportive…as the Mustang’s GT350’s Recaros.” they arrived at a score of 202 to 200 in favor of the Mustang.
It’s true that in ‘their’ numbers that matter to car guys the Mustang bested the Vette in 30-50 mph and 50-70 mph and tied in the 0-150 mph. That’s it!! Even by their numbers the Corvette spanked the Mustang in 15 areas including acceleration, chassis, weight, fuel, and sound level.
In what they call the ‘final results’ both cars are tied in the category they titled ‘VEHICLE’. This included such vague terms as “Driver Comfort” and “Ergonomics”. But the kicker was the Features/Amenities where Vette scored 10 out of 10 and the Mustang 2 out of 10. Combine this with a “as-tested-price” where Mustang got a 20 out of 20 and the Corvette received a 15 out of 20.
Am I the only one that realizes if you have more “Features/Amenities” the cost will be higher?
Even with that huge swing Corvette still wins by one point when you include their Power Train numbers (49 Stang – 51 Vette) and Chasiss (56 Stang to 55 Corvette). Total score at this point is Corvette 178 and Mustang 177.
To push the Mustang over the top they added the all important “Fun To Drive” category, where they give the Mustang the full 25 available points and passed out a 22 to the Corvette.
This is such a stretch and so subjected that making such a declaration and then gracing the cover is like reading a cheap tabloid new article – The “Kardashian’s” are extraterrestrials stranded here when their Bentley Bentayga got a rip in one of the $5508 rear folding bucket seats. (Insert grainy pic of an over priced cross-over with a Kardashian look-a-like screaming at the site of the defective upholstery.)
Shame on you Car and Drive!! I have half a mind to return that super cheap “free” cap you sent me for subscribing!!!! (But I think my German Shepherd chewed the visor off.)
Thanks for reading
Tim
Classic Mustang and C6 Corvette owner
www.agcarrestoration.com
#CNN
