2024 Dark Horse Mustang vs 2023 BMW M2 - Car and Driver Comparison Review

[Upacurb]

The nose-heavy S550 and S650 that are driven on race tracks regularly pretty much all use 305 tire and lots of camber in the front to perform well and have even front tire wear.
Tramlining on regular roads is a necessary byproduct of this setup. I found it disconcerting at first but got used to it and eventually did not notice anymore.

You all don’t know what tramlining is until you drive a 19 and earlier 350R lol

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[9secondko]

The M2 looks like the dark horse had a tumor removed and set next to it.

what a disaster. BMW design took a nosedive with that one.

 

[Mustang406]

the numbers were at altude which you cannot compare to the other numbers since they were at sea level. They are also the worst times ever for a Dark Horse. The Gt350 non R 0-60 time is 3.9 and 1/4 mile 12.2 119 is what I would use to compare to the Dark Horse. The Gt350 or maybe a boss version should come out to top the Dark Horse. Also the Dark Horse at sea level did 12.5 at 115 C&D. The Dark Horse is allot faster around a track then the M2 because of all that down force which slows it down in the 0-60 or 1/4 mile. The Dark horse is a track car and not made for any 0-60 or 1/4 mile times. The Dark Horse is for hero run times on the track and thats it. i would like to see some test of the non track pack focus Dark Horse 0-60 and 1/4 mile.

We really don't need to see a DH without the handling pack in a 0-60 and 1/4 we already have numbers for the GT Performance Pack which has same tire set up and a negligible horsepower difference of 14. The GT PP was faster 1/4 than the DH HP by .1 sec. Also, the times for both the DH and GT are almost identical to the S550 versions.

 

[JAL]

You all don’t know what tramlining is until you drive a 19 and earlier 350R lol

I wouldn't know what a 350R is like, that's for sure. But my S550 was lowered 2 inches on H&R Super Sports, and had 2.5 deg camber up front with zero toe out , 2.2 camber in the back, cradle lockout and hard bushings front and back, 11 inch wheels and 305 tires all around. It was used mainly on the track and very uncomfortable on the roads.

I doubt a stock 350R would be that twitchy, but it's possible! I'd trade my new S650 for that Shelby any day though!

 

[Zcarmenb28]

the numbers were at altude which you cannot compare to the other numbers since they were at sea level. They are also the worst times ever for a Dark Horse. The Gt350 non R 0-60 time is 3.9 and 1/4 mile 12.2 119 is what I would use to compare to the Dark Horse. The Gt350 or maybe a boss version should come out to top the Dark Horse. Also the Dark Horse at sea level did 12.5 at 115 C&D. The Dark Horse is allot faster around a track then the M2 because of all that down force which slows it down in the 0-60 or 1/4 mile. The Dark horse is a track car and not made for any 0-60 or 1/4 mile times. The Dark Horse is for hero run times on the track and thats it. i would like to see some test of the non track pack focus Dark Horse 0-60 and 1/4 mile.

They didn't test at 4000 feet, that was referring to the mountain twisty road driving. They test at their normal facility wherever that is in CA. The DH doesn't have that much downforce. It's also too heavy for 500 hp, which is why it only trapped 115 mph and not closer to 120 mph.

 

[Dave2013M3]

They didn't test at 4000 feet, that was referring to the mountain twisty road driving. They test at their normal facility wherever that is in CA. The DH doesn't have that much downforce. It's also too heavy for 500 hp, which is why it only trapped 115 mph and not closer to 120 mph.

Here is the previous test of a manual DH by Car and Driver

 

[Polo08816]

It's not downforce. It's the tires - the Trofeo RS with 180 treadwear. And we're talking at a DH with the Handling Package, specifically.

Given the same category of tire, the G87 M2 would be faster on any type of track.

However, for those that track their cars frequently, the catastrophic repair costs on a G87 M2 are significantly higher (ie. powertrain failure).

The problem with the DH with HP and Recaros is the entry price is higher than a G87 M2.

https://g87.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?p=31073233#post31073233

Here's a thread that basically highlights this point.

 

[9secondko]

How is it that a 500 hp mustang in 2024 is slower than a 455 hp Camaro in 2026?
Don’t try to excuse it because it’s a track car. The ss1le isn’t slower than an SS.

that’s really bad. C’mon Ford. Give your fans cars to be proud of across the board.

 

[Karguy]

Another observation as we all know the Coyote lacking Torque which makes it slow below 100 mph but gaining on top with 23.2 seconds 0-150 for the DH and a even 23.3 for the 2019 S550 while Camaro SS1LE / C7 GS needed 25.6/24.2 seconds…Btw a Challenger HC WB needed 22.2 sec 0-150 while the M2 beat it at 21.5 sec which is amazing considering it only has 3 liters displacement ! Ford needs to get with the program and shed some weight , fix the infotainment and give the Coyote more bore 5.8 liters to combine more bottom and mid range torque with more top end hp…

 

[Karguy]

How is it that a 500 hp mustang in 2024 is slower than a 455 hp Camaro in 2026?
Don’t try to excuse it because it’s a track car. The ss1le isn’t slower than an SS.

that’s really bad. C’mon Ford. Give your fans cars to be proud of across the board.

You meant 2016 as also the alpha platform is better than the S550 carryover from 2015 in the new S650…But a new Mustang is still better than no Camaro…

 

[9secondko]

You meant 2016 as also the alpha platform is better than the S550 carryover from 2015 in the new S650…But a new Mustang is still better than no Camaro…

yes. I meant 2016. And yes a mustang is still better than no Camaro.

just embarrassed how Ford has added weight and done nothing to make the mustang perform better.

this has got to be the slowest 500 hp car in the world.

 

[OppoLock]

What I take away is that Ford really did not set the bar any higher over the S550 PP2 or Mach 1 but raised the price by a whopping 25 grand in the last 5 years for pretty much the same car except for the touchscreens that are not necessarily loved or any better than the old dashboard...With Less weight and more displacement things could have been different ! But 75 grand for the same car that was 50 grand in 2020 is a steep rise especially where the performance did not get any better except for the Tremec the 550 PP2 lacked...AS also tramlining is still part of the package you would think they would have solved by now with a different geometry or smaller tires of front...

The PP2 was never on the level of a GT350, Mach 1, or Dark Horse from a driving experience. It was a tuned up PP1 with stiffer springs and cooling, and the biggest set of Cup tires they could fit on the thing. Same crappy steering and poor damping that affects all the GT PPs, same crappy MT82.

And while I also think the DH is ridiculously priced, saying you could get the same thing for $50k in 2020 is just false. You couldn’t get a GT350 under $60k and a loaded model was retailing for $65k. Regardless, a $15k bump (with the, again, ridiculously priced DH paint package on on top of everything else) for like-models—not a $25k bump—is stupid. Kills the car’s value.

My takeaway is that both cars took a step forward and backward to varying degrees. The DH needs a diet, a bespoke engine, and a price cut. The G87 is in dire need of cosmetic surgery. Great car marred by some of the ugliest styling decisions I’ve seen on an M car short of the beaver teeth on the M3/M4. If they can fix the ugly taillights, put on some normal looking bumpers, and figure out how to resolve those bloated side panels and rockers, it would be an easy winner.

The F87 CS was a masterpiece, as was the GT350. Even the standard F87 Competition was just a tasteful looking awesome package. Tired of seeing the regression in the current crop of performance cars. The spec sheets mean nothing if they look ugly and have the same iPad glued on the inside.

I remember seeing the F87 and G87 side by side and it just makes the comparison even more depressing.

 

[JAL]

The F87 CS was a masterpiece, as was the GT350. Even the standard F87 Competition was just a tasteful looking awesome package. Tired of seeing the regression in the current crop of performance cars. The spec sheets mean nothing if they look ugly and have the same iPad glued on the inside.

I remember seeing the F87 and G87 side by side and it just makes the comparison even more depressing.

Masterpiece? I don't know man...I lost all interest in BMW since Xdrive appeared so I'm not up to speed on the current models. To me the one on the right has nondescript styling that makes it look like a Japanese or Korean offering, right up until you notice the split grille and the badge. That said in fairness I will admit it is less boring than an Audi. But I expect excitement from BMW. Haven't seen that in a long long time.
The one on the left looks more warlike, more German to me. More like what I would expect the BMWs I used to love to look like in 2024.

 

[Baldilocks]

Masterpiece? I don't know man...I lost all interest in BMW since Xdrive appeared so I'm not up to speed on the current models. To me the one on the right has nondescript styling that makes it look like a Japanese or Korean offering, right up until you notice the split grille and the badge. That said in fairness I will admit it is less boring than an Audi. But I expect excitement from BMW. Haven't seen that in a long long time.
The one on the left looks more warlike, more German to me. More like what I would expect the BMWs I used to love to look like in 2024.

XDrive is what I love about some BMW's. That's why I have an M240i XDrive on order as a daily.

 

[Eurasianman]

I wonder how many people on this forum actually track their car... asking for a friend.

At the end of the day, I could care less about the performance numbers because I daily drive my vehicle and will most likely never track it. I think the S650 looks sharp, inside/out (else, I wouldn't have bought one) and I find it fun to drive. 0-60 MPH and 1/4 mile run times are not very useful for daily driving unless I'm just dying to go to jail /personal opinion

Otherwise, interesting/fun article.

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