Ford Mustang S197–S650 vs Nissan Nissan Z RZ34
“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 in Throttle House's roll race it 'just walked' the Z once the gears got tall. 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 can be clunky to drive smoothly; the Mustang is 'big. Big.' and a boat on back roads without MagneRide.
you want the V8, the back seat and the soundtrack — the 5.0 is one of the best-feeling engines at any price, it walks the Z in a roll race, and the extra seats make it the more practical car.
you want the lighter car that turns in sooner and talks through the wheel, a cabin that feels more expensive, and turbo torque that arrives low — and you can live without the V8 noise.
Sound and size. If the Coyote's howl and a usable back seat matter, buy the Mustang. If you care more about how the car changes direction on a narrow road, the Z's roughly 600-lb advantage is the whole argument.
Reviewers genuinely split. ThatDudeinBlue would 'definitely take the S650 over the new Z'; Raitis Rides goes both ways — in one Z video he says his Mustang GT drive 'put a bigger smile on my face', yet another of his titles calls the Z Performance the better sports car. Straight-line results disagree too: Throttle House got walked by the Mustang in top gear, while TFL's drag test had the Z a little quicker. Note the Mustang side spans late S550 and S650 cars (the comparison videos run 2021–2026).
Performance
Handling
“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.”
“on back roads it doesn't feel near as much like the boat that the Mustang GT without the Magna ride was.”
Fun to drive
“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
“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”
“new Z's kind of clunky a little bit tough to drive smoothly doesn't sound particularly good”
Value
“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.”
“The performance you get for the money on this car is just an absolute steal, especially if you compare it to something like a Mustang GT where those you can't really get under $50,000.”
