Ford Mustang S650 vs Nissan Z RZ34
We watched 14 videos from 10 reviewers. Want the V8 and the better manual? Mustang, and it's the easier one to drive every day. Want the lighter, more agile car? That's the Z, and it gets the nod on value.
Counts are head-to-head calls: each time a reviewer picked one car over the other.
Performance
Mustang GT wins on raw power with its 5.0L V8.
“It just doesn't have that super linear torque delivery, especially down low. None of the Unless you're talking Stingray, none of the other competitors have the torque down low because they're turbocharged.”
“And this is way torquier than a Mustang. Like Coyote, you really have to like rev out. This thing all the power is down low.”
Handling
Z wins on agility due to being significantly lighter.
“even though this is lacking horsepower and torque compared to the Mustang GT it's about 600 lb lighter. That's a big difference. And that's going to equate to a more dynamic driving experience.”
“the initial turn-in in the Mustang is nowhere as sharp as the Z is”
Fun to drive
Dark Horse has a superior manual transmission.
“the Nissan Z has a little bit more for me to be desired so I would definitely take the s650 over the new Z.”
Daily drivability
Has a usable back seat, unlike the Z.
Where reviewers split. Reviewers genuinely split. ThatDudeinBlue would 'definitely take the S650 over the new Z'; Raitis Rides goes both ways: in one Z NISMO video he says his Mustang GT drive 'put a bigger smile on my face', yet one of his titles calls the Z Performance the better sports car than a Mustang GT and another calls the Dark Horse the better one than a Z NISMO. Even the engines split them: TheStraightPipes finds the Z 'way torquier' down low while the Coyote has to be revved out, but Raitis credits the V8 with the linear low-end torque its turbocharged rivals lack. Most of this comes from single-car reviews measuring one against the other; Savagegeese's is the only dedicated head-to-head.
“those two options don't have a back seat at all so even though this back seat's pretty tight it is infinitely bigger than the lack of a back seat we find in the nissan or the toyota”
“obviously with the Mustang you are getting four seats and you're getting a lot more practicality”
“it's a very quiet and relaxing driving experience on long distances this would be a fantastic grand tour”
“Thing I like about the Z is how daily drivable this car is. It's pretty quiet for a sports type car. And seats are comfortable. And then you pair that with the ride. It's very comfortable for a sports car.”
Value
Z interior feels more luxurious than the Mustang.
“I like it a lot better than the Mustang. The Mustang feels very cheap, even in the dark horse. This feels like a much more luxurious interior compared to uh its direct competition.”
“MSRP for this particular vehicle, you're looking right at $56,000. Now, if you were to compare a similar spec of a Mustang GT, I can tell you right now that the price is going to be 60 grand plus.”
Hear it in the reviewer’s words
“Two ways to spend the same money on a rear-drive coupe with a stick: the Mustang is the big-hearted 5.0 Coyote V8 with a back seat, and the RZ34 Z is the lighter, sharper-steering twin-turbo that drives more like a sports car.
The Mustang wins the noise and the shove. Its 5.0 V8 makes 460 hp to the Z's 400, Savagegeese calls it 'one of the best feeling non-special exotic engines you could buy', and RevMatchTV calls it the faster car outright: 'the power to weight ratio is better it's got more power it's got more torque.' Add a usable back seat and better mid-corner stability on exit.
The Z wins on the road. It's about 600 lb lighter than a Mustang GT, the turn-in is sharper and the steering more communicative, and its VR30 twin-turbo V6 delivers its punch low instead of asking you to wring it out like the Coyote. The cabin feels a cut above too — Kirk Kreifels finds the Mustang 'very cheap, even in the Dark Horse'.
The trade: the Z sounds 'way worse' than the Mustang and gives up the back seat; the Mustang is 'big. Big.' and a boat on back roads without MagneRide.