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Top Gear sets up a muscle car war between Europe and US. They compare the BMW M2 and the Shelby Mustang. The cars, though produced in different continents, actually have a lot in common. Both are three-door coupes, have plentiful engines, and they direct their combustion energy towards a pair of rear tyres.
The Shelby GT350R Mustang is made to be wild. Its tyres burns the roads and as a bad boy, it doesn’t play by the rules. The BMW M2 on the other hand is a bit more technical. It is a 365bhp, rear-wheel-drive M car but during the testing, they were quite disappointed that even in the Sport+ mode, it doesn’t create a burnout like the Shelby does.
However, it is not all burnout that makes cars great, but sound is pretty important for most enthusiasts. The Mustang’s sound is angry and filled with fury. The M2 on the other hands is quite calculated and calm in its sound. The former clearly overpowers the sound of the latter when together.
The engine of the Mustang is far from modest. It is a 5.2-litre V8 with flat-plane-crank. Ford worked hard to save weight on this one too. For the M2, its sheer engineering sophistication allows for less weight and a modest yet powerful engine. It gives the driver power but not over the top like the Mustang. Top Gear says that it’s not a matter of who is better, the cars were simply made with different approaches.
If measured in brilliance, the M2 wins simply because it is less complicated. The driver needs to play with five settings on the Mustang: configurable damper, steering, exhaust and tractions setting. For the M2, there’s only Comfort, Sport and Sport+ to choose from. No gimmicks, just pure driving pleasure. Plus, it looks really good.
Choosing between the two, Top Gear selects the BMW M2. They describe it as a “more satisfactory long-term partner – one that shares your occasional need for a blow out, but doesn’t need to go on a bender every night of the week.†The Mustang works perfectly for those who prefer all muscle in their muscle cars though.
