chassis
COMPARISON TEST
MOTOWN MUSCLE
you could time-travel it back to the ’60s, it would lose by a length or two to a 426 Hemi or a 427 Corvette, but it would have hurt GTOs and 442s so bad they’d cry. We had no test of cornering grip in 1968, and brake tests were done from 80 mph. But it was a rare muscle car in the ’60s that could exceed 0.60 g. Any and all Mustangs, notorious for understeer, would have ground their fronts to dust trying. Not
so with our Bullitt, more than credible at 0.85 g on all-season 50-series BFGs. Mustangs are affordable rides lined with low-aspiration plastic, ready-to-wear cars for the masses. The Bullitt package adds a muscular intensity, a mechanical presence that dominates the personality. The steering is tight and quick, enough to zig your path if you aren’t smooth. The ride is firm, always in motion, relentlessly
BEST IN TEST
BRAKING 70–0 MPH (ft)
ROADHOLDING 300-FT-DIA SKIDPAD (g)
LANE CHANGE (mph)
multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
14.2-inch 13.8-inch vented vented disc disc
yes
yes
Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar; F: 245/45ZR-20 99Y, R: 255/45ZR-20 101Y
170
0.86
63.7
FORD MUSTANG BULLITT
struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
rigid axle, coil springs, anti-roll bar
12.4-inch 11.8-inch vented vented disc disc
yes
no
BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KDWS, P235/50ZR-18 97W M+S
182
0.85
65.5
TEST AVERAGE
176
0.86
64.6
DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 pushrod 16-valve V-8 370 cu in (6059cc) FORD MUSTANG BULLITT SOHC 24-valve V-8 281 cu in (4601cc)
CHECK OUT BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICTURES WE DIDN’T HAVE ROOM FOR. JUL 2008
REAR
TEST AVERAGE
50–70
TOP GEAR TOP MPH SPEED (mph) 30–50
ROLLING 5–60 MPH
¼-MILE @ MPH
0–100
0–60
MPH
0–30
MPH/1000 RPM
AXLE RATIO:1
ACCELERATION (seconds)
3.58 7.6 425 @ 6200 2.19 12.5 1.41 3.06 19.3 6250 9.9 5-sp auto rear 1.00 27.3 420 @ 4800 0.83 32.9 3.38 6.3 315 @ 6000 2.00 10.6 1.32 3.73 16.1 6500 11.2 5-sp man rear 1.00 21.2 325 @ 4250 0.68 31.2
@CARANDDRIVER.COM
44
GEAR RATIOS:1
TORQUE LB-FT @ RPM
DRIVEN WHEELS
POWER BHP @ RPM
DRIVELINE TRANSMISSION
POWERTRAIN
ENGINE LB PER BHP
C/D RESULTS
REDLINE (rpm)
BEST IN TEST * C/D EST
TIRES
STABILITY CONTROL
DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8
CHASSIS
FRONT
ANTI-LOCK CONTROL
BRAKES
REAR
SUSPENSION FRONT
C/D RESULTS
up-down up-down. You feel the beat of the V-8—can’t escape it—even when you pull into fifth and loaf. Like the sea, the tires always put up a roar, a reminder of their first-person contact with the road. In a new century where even brutally fast cars are silky in their manners, the Bullitt Mustang still plays that ’60s McQueen character: restless, looking for trouble, quick to light the tires.
13.6 151 2.0 5.0 12.3 @ 5.4 8.3 8.5 (drag ltd) 104 13.5 @ 5.3 5.3 5.7 106
FUEL (mpg)
IDLE
EPA CITY
FULL THROTTLE
EPA HWY
70-MPH CRUISE 350 MILES
13.3 168 2.0 4.8 11.4 @ 5.1 2.3 2.8 (drag ltd) 108
2.0 4.9 11.9
SOUND LEVEL (dBA)
160
49
13
84
18
72
19
51
15
80
23
73
21
50
14
82
21
73
20
C A R A N D D R I V E R .C O M
MOTOWN MUSCLE
you could time-travel it back to the ’60s, it would lose by a length or two to a 426 Hemi or a 427 Corvette, but it would have hurt GTOs and 442s so bad they’d cry. We had no test of cornering grip in 1968, and brake tests were done from 80 mph. But it was a rare muscle car in the ’60s that could exceed 0.60 g. Any and all Mustangs, notorious for understeer, would have ground their fronts to dust trying. Not
so with our Bullitt, more than credible at 0.85 g on all-season 50-series BFGs. Mustangs are affordable rides lined with low-aspiration plastic, ready-to-wear cars for the masses. The Bullitt package adds a muscular intensity, a mechanical presence that dominates the personality. The steering is tight and quick, enough to zig your path if you aren’t smooth. The ride is firm, always in motion, relentlessly
BEST IN TEST
BRAKING 70–0 MPH (ft)
ROADHOLDING 300-FT-DIA SKIDPAD (g)
LANE CHANGE (mph)
multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
14.2-inch 13.8-inch vented vented disc disc
yes
yes
Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar; F: 245/45ZR-20 99Y, R: 255/45ZR-20 101Y
170
0.86
63.7
FORD MUSTANG BULLITT
struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
rigid axle, coil springs, anti-roll bar
12.4-inch 11.8-inch vented vented disc disc
yes
no
BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KDWS, P235/50ZR-18 97W M+S
182
0.85
65.5
TEST AVERAGE
176
0.86
64.6
DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 pushrod 16-valve V-8 370 cu in (6059cc) FORD MUSTANG BULLITT SOHC 24-valve V-8 281 cu in (4601cc)
CHECK OUT BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICTURES WE DIDN’T HAVE ROOM FOR. JUL 2008
REAR
TEST AVERAGE
50–70
TOP GEAR TOP MPH SPEED (mph) 30–50
ROLLING 5–60 MPH
¼-MILE @ MPH
0–100
0–60
MPH
0–30
MPH/1000 RPM
AXLE RATIO:1
ACCELERATION (seconds)
3.58 7.6 425 @ 6200 2.19 12.5 1.41 3.06 19.3 6250 9.9 5-sp auto rear 1.00 27.3 420 @ 4800 0.83 32.9 3.38 6.3 315 @ 6000 2.00 10.6 1.32 3.73 16.1 6500 11.2 5-sp man rear 1.00 21.2 325 @ 4250 0.68 31.2
@CARANDDRIVER.COM
44
GEAR RATIOS:1
TORQUE LB-FT @ RPM
DRIVEN WHEELS
POWER BHP @ RPM
DRIVELINE TRANSMISSION
POWERTRAIN
ENGINE LB PER BHP
C/D RESULTS
REDLINE (rpm)
BEST IN TEST * C/D EST
TIRES
STABILITY CONTROL
DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8
CHASSIS
FRONT
ANTI-LOCK CONTROL
BRAKES
REAR
SUSPENSION FRONT
C/D RESULTS
up-down up-down. You feel the beat of the V-8—can’t escape it—even when you pull into fifth and loaf. Like the sea, the tires always put up a roar, a reminder of their first-person contact with the road. In a new century where even brutally fast cars are silky in their manners, the Bullitt Mustang still plays that ’60s McQueen character: restless, looking for trouble, quick to light the tires.
13.6 151 2.0 5.0 12.3 @ 5.4 8.3 8.5 (drag ltd) 104 13.5 @ 5.3 5.3 5.7 106
FUEL (mpg)
IDLE
EPA CITY
FULL THROTTLE
EPA HWY
70-MPH CRUISE 350 MILES
13.3 168 2.0 4.8 11.4 @ 5.1 2.3 2.8 (drag ltd) 108
2.0 4.9 11.9
SOUND LEVEL (dBA)
160
49
13
84
18
72
19
51
15
80
23
73
21
50
14
82
21
73
20
C A R A N D D R I V E R .C O M
