If I ask you, what's the best selling sports car in Europe?
You're going to say Porsche 911 of course. It's the pinnacle of German engineering,
for half a century now. It's been perfectioned over the years...
and because of that, it's one of the best sports cars in the world.
It's the truth, except for the fact this isn't the best selling sports car in Europe.
Because that's the one over there.
Yep. Last year, Ford sold more Mustangs in Europe than Porsche sold 911's.
That's quite a thing if you think about it. I mean, the Mustang is an icon as well,
but it's an American icon. Especially this GT-version with a 5.0-litre V8 in the front.
It's a true American pony annex muscle car. And yet, this generation of the Mustang...
is more modern, or maybe even more European than ever.
For the first time, they've fitted an independant rear axle.
Also, since the facelift this year, it now has a digital instrument cluster,
all kinds of new safety systems, and there's another first:
It now has direct injection. Not just multipoint injection, but direct injection.
That means the 5.0-litre V8 now produces 451 horsepower, and that's a lot for an American V8.
It's not the 10 horsepower per litre, rev-hating torque monster you'd expect,
instead it's a block which really wants to rev. If you go above 4.000... 5.000...
That's when it becomes more powerful... There it goes, there it goes!
All the way through to 7.500 RPM.
It's such a sensational feeling. The engine feels like a huge, big steak...
and you've just cut away the fat, so you now have a really big, nice piece of meat.
It just keeps going. That spectacular feeling,
there's so much more than in the 911. Especially since the 911 has turbo's.
I mean, it's very nice and all, don't get me wrong,
but this is what a lot of power is supposed to feel like, to sound like...
It's too bad the manual gearbox just doesn't fit in. The gear ratio's, especially in first gear,
are crazy. You can do 90 km/h in first gear.
You almost don't get in the nice rev range. The manual gearbox itself is very good though,
you've got more control than a 10-speed automatic gearbox, it really is a lovely drivetrain.
Maybe it's a good thing that the ratio's are this long, because it already does 8 km per litre.
Pretty sad, so if you had shorter gears,
you really would've been driving from one petrol station...
to the other.
The fuel consumption isn't just because of the 5.0-litre V8, because the weight plays a role as well.
It weighs 1.818 kg, and this is the lightest version.
It's the coupé with a manual gearbox, so you can only make it heavier.
1.818 kg is a lot and you'll notice that. Not only when it comes to fuel consumption,
but when it comes to cornering as well.
Speaking of which, it's really the most European Mustang ever.
It really knows how to handle a corner, even though you have to be a little bit brutal.
It's not like a 911, which can corner on a little coin or something,
it really is a car which needs its space. It's wide, it's big,
and combined with the very indirect steering, you have to look for the limit. Especially in the beginning.
There's nothing to feel in the steering. So especially the first few corners,
you'll be asking yourself 'will it go?' constantly. Eventually it does,
and you'll have to build up trust.
Especially because you don't feel the limit approaching, you really have to experience that first.
But if you've done that and you're taking your time for it, if you put your mind to it,
the balance of the car is really good. So if you've got the space,
you're going to learn how to drive it. You can power through the corners...
and letting the LSD do what it needs to do. That's when it becomes a car which can corner pretty fast.
It's just not pretty refined. Just like the braking,
because it has Brembo's, and they stop the car perfectly,
but the first press is very direct, and then you'll have to put your foot hard down on the brake.
It all takes some getting used to. It's still a very rough car,
but it's more refined than its ever been.
No matter how refined the Mustang may be, it's nowhere near as refined as this Porsche.
That might sound stupid, but think of the following.
If you think away the taxes, this car is twice as expensive as the Mustang.
Twice as expensive. Sure, the taxes make the gap smaller,
but it goes to show that the materials used for this 911...
are more premium, and you'll notice that.
The moment you open the door... It's smaller, but it feels a lot heavier.
A lot more solid. When you get in the car...
and take a look around you, you instantly get the feeling you're a few years ahead...
when it comes to finishing. It's not as rough, it feels more solid,
the buttons have more resistance, the satnav looks better, the camera has a higher resolution,
it really looks a whole lot better. And you haven't even set off yet,
because that's where this 911 starts to make a difference. You'll immediately feel it in the first corner you tackle.
There's so much more feedback in the steering. You can even modulate the brakes in a better way.
That gives you a lot more trust. It makes for the fact that this 911,
which actually is smaller, also feels a lot smaller.
It feels sharper, it feels more controllable.
There's more trust, so you'll start looking for the edge even sooner.
If you go to look for the edge, you'll quickly feel that it's a lot farther away than in the Mustang.
Of course, that's because this is more technologically advanced.
This is the Carrera T, which has the base biturbo 3.0-litre flat-six,
producing 370 horsepower. However, it has optional technology from more powerful models.
That means it has, amongst other things, four-wheel steering.
That means the rear axle countersteers at low speeds, but steers regularly at higher speeds.
It decreases the turning circle, it improves the turn-in...
Then there's a very smart LSD on the rear axle, adaptive dampers which really make a difference...
That means it's more comfortable, but also more dynamic.
So as a sports car, it's much more developed than the Mustang.
If you start playing around with it, you'll notice how tight the turn-in is,
the feedback, the traction, the grip, everything just goes beyond the Mustang.
That's why this still is, no matter how stupid it might sound,
it's still an unbeatable sports car. It's so incredibly good.
It's almost too bad that the engine isn't very sensational, but that's mostly because of the Mustang.
This biturbo 3.0-litre...
It's a very distinctive howl, but it's a little bit muffled because of the turbo's.
Where the sound of the Mustang V8 constantly changes and becomes bigger and even more compelling...
This just hasn't got that wow-factor. It's very nice, but just not as nice as the Mustang.
As a bonus, you get a very nice manual gearbox. It's a seven-speed, which is pretty unique,
but more feeling in the clutch and that's the finishing touch. No matter how good the Mustang has become,
the 911 still is better.
So how is it possible that the 911 is the better car, but the Mustang is the better selling car?
Very simple. The price. Everywhere else in Europe, the price gap is crazy,
but even with the tax ruling in the Netherlands, it's quite the gap between these two.
This Mustang with a 5.0-litre V8 and a manual gearbox, will set you back €113.000.
It'll be relatively complete, but if you want adaptive dampers and other options...
like seat heating and cooling, it'll cost you €120.000,
and you'll have everything you'd like. This 911 Carrera T will cost you €143.000,
but that's with a PDK-gearbox. If you want a manual,
it's €150.000. If you want this version with four-wheel steering...
and other options; €166.000.
You don't get ceramic brakes though, because you'll have to spend another €8.000 for those.
As you can see you can easily make this 911, almost twice as expensive as the Mustang.
And that's when the American icon gains back some of its charm, right?