And so here we are. It’s almost 2015, Ford’s all-new 2015 Mustang is now at dealerships across America, and its three rivals don’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon. Those rivals? The Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger, and Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Ten years ago, who would’ve thought that we’d mention Hyundai in the same sentence as Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger? We certainly didn’t. But we digress.
What we’re here to do today is to pit the new Mustang against its rivals and see how they compare on paper.
Now, before we go on, we should note that this spec-level comparison doesn’t reflect the subjective and rather intangible feeling of driving each car. In other words, it might not matter how much horsepower or torque a car has on paper, since you might enjoy driving it more than that of a rival’s. Nevertheless, it’s still nice to have the specs on paper.
| ENGINE | 2015 MUSTANG | 2015 CAMARO | 2015 CHALLENGER | 2015 GENESIS COUPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V6 ENGINE: | 3.7L V6 | 3.6L V6 | 3.6L V6 | 3.8L V6 |
| V6 POWER (HP): | 300 | 323 | 305 | 348 |
| V6 TORQUE (LB-FT): | 280 | 278 | 268 | 295 |
| V6 BASE CURB WEIGHT (LBS): | 3526 | 3709 | 3834 | 3515 |
| V6 HORSEPOWER-TO-WEIGHT: | 0.085 | 0.087 | 0.080 | 0.099 |
| V6 TORQUE-TO-WEIGHT: | 0.079 | 0.075 | 0.070 | 0.084 |
| I4 TURBO ENGINE: | 2.3L I4 ECOBOOST | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| I4 TURBO POWER (HP): | 310 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| I4 TURBO TORQUE (LB-FT): | 320 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| I4 TURBO BASE CURB WEIGHT (LBS): | 3524 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| I4 TURBO HORSEPOWER-TO-WEIGHT: | 0.088 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| I4 TURBO TORQUE-TO-WEIGHT: | 0.091 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| V8 ENGINE: | 5.0L V8 | 6.2L V8 | 5.7L V8 | N/A |
| V8 POWER (HP): | 435 | 426 | 375 | N/A |
| V8 TORQUE (LB-FT): | 400 | 420 | 410 | N/A |
| V8 BASE CURB WEIGHT (LBS): | 3705 | 3908 | 4082 | N/A |
| V8 HORSEPOWER-TO-WEIGHT: | 0.117 | 0.109 | 0.092 | N/A |
| V8 TORQUE-TO-WEIGHT: | 0.108 | 0.107 | 0.100 | N/A |
| AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: | 6-SPEED AUTO | 6-SPEED AUTO | 8-SPEED AUTO | 8-SPEED AUTO |
| MANUAL TRANSMISSION: | 6-SPEED MANUAL | 6-SPEED MANUAL | 6-SPEED MANUAL | 6-SPEED MANUAL |
So, what do we have? A mixed bag, to be exact. If this were 2014 and the Mustang only had the 3.7L V6 and the 5.0L V8, things would have been much straightforward. But alas, Ford’s introduction of the 2.3L turbo-charged EcoBoost makes it somewhat of an uneven comparison, especially in the face of Hyundai discontinuing its turbocharged 2.0L GDi motor in the Genesis Coupe. Conversely, things are quite clear when it comes to the optional V8s, with the Mustang being the clear winner.
Base Sixes and Turbo Fours
In the base V6 engine sub-segment, the 2015 Mustang has the least amount of horsepower and second-most amount of torque. The horsepower crown in this segment goes to Hyundai, although we question the validity of its horsepower figure, since it’s the only motor in the class that whose power ratings haven’t confirmed by the SAE. Nevertheless, the Hyundai is also the lightest, though the Mustang is only 11 pounds heavier. And that’s where we’d leave it,
But Ford’s optional 2.3L EcoBoost inline-four motor makes the Mustang more competitive, especially when it comes to torque. In fact, the new pony has the best torque-to-weight ratio of the bunch, though the Genesis Coupe remains king of the horsepower-to-weight metric, though not by much, since the Mustang EcoBoost is two pounds lighter than its V6-powered variant.
We can’t really declare a clear winner here, since it’s all about what you’re looking for in a sports car: the steady climb in power of a V6 as you get higher into the RPM band, or the sustained power delivery of a turbo four. And we still question those Genesis Coupe figures. So drive each vehicle and make your own conclusions here, folks.
The Eights
We’ll just come out and say it: the Coyote V8-powered 2015 Mustang GT makes the most horsepower (435), and the least amount of torque. It’s also the lightest of the bunch, by far. And with that, it bests the horsepower-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios of the 2015 Camaro SS and 2015 Challenger R/T. The Camaro comes at a close second, while the Dodge is dead last — mostly due to its hefty curb weight and lackluster power.
The Transmissions
An engine is only as good as its transmission. And in the case of this battle royale, the 2015 Mustang is somewhat of a disappointment.
See, the Ford is the newest of the bunch, but its gearbox offerings look like they came straight out of 2010. They might shift great and be as durable as a Crown Vic, but in the real world, the Stang’s automatic is missing two gears. We’re sure Ford will shoehorn that 8-speed it’s been working on with GM. But man is it disappointing when both the Dodge and the Hyundai have 8-speed autos.
Our recommendation: go for the stick on any of these affordable rockets.
The Takeaway
So there you have it. On paper, the 2015 Mustang GT is the clear winner in the V8 class, clearly besting the Camaro SS and Challenger R/T. But the verdict isn’t as clear when it comes to the base sixes and boosted fours, as the pony’s base V6 leaves a lot to be desired (again, on paper), while the optional turbo-four delivers power in a different manner, and is an extra-pay option.
Our recommendation: drive each of these smile-inducing machines for yourself and become familiar with the personality of each car, since specs usually don’t tell the whole story. And keep these figures in the back of your head for reference.
About The Numbers
- Power figures and curb weights were compiled from press materials provided by each manufacturer/brand
- Cited weight was the lowest curb weight of a model with the respective engine
- High-performance models (Shelby GT350, Camaro ZL1, Challenger SRTs) not included since those deserve their own shootout — stay tuned
- Hyundai discontinued the 2.0-liter turbo-charged I4 motor for 2015, leaving the 3.8L V6 as the only engine option for the Genesis Coupe
- Camaro V8 power figures are based on the 2015 Camaro 1SS model with the 6.2L LS3 V8 engine, which is only available with the manual transmission. When equipped with an automatic, the Camaro 1SS makes slightly less power due it using the 6.2L L99 V8
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