Spooked Stallion

(head to head) ford mustang gt vs. hyundai genesis coupe 3.8

ARMED WITH THE REWORKED 2010 MUSTANG GT, FORD IS STILL FEARFUL OF HYUNDAI’S NEW GENESIS COUPE. AFTER DRIVING THEM BOTH, WE’RE LEFT WONDERING WHY

● words ron kiino ● photograph wesley allison

IN AN INTERVIEW last December with Automotive News, in which he addressed Ford’s economic woes, CEO Alan Mulally said, “Now we have in the pipeline what arguably everybody believes is the best product lineup we’ve ever had at Ford.”

Memo to Ford’s PR department: Listen to your boss.

Given that Mulally told the universe that Ford’s products are essentially world class, you’d think his employees in public relations would buy into what he’s selling. If they did, they’d have gladly given us that pipeline’s first potent product, the 2010 Mustang GT, for a head-to-head test with Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe. But they didn’t. As you read in editor MacKenzie’s “The Big Picture” column in this issue, Ford’s PR staff demanded a conditional loan, one in which we agreed to test the Mustang as a standalone—no backto-back comparison with Korea’s new colt. Normally, we would’ve told Ford to take a hike up the Himalayas. But, in the interest of getting you, the reader, test numbers on the new Mustang, we agreed. For Ford, it’s a shame we did.

While it’s plausible most buyers won’t cross-shop the Mustang and the Genesis Coupe—they do appear quite dissimilar, after all—the two nonetheless share much in common. Each is a front-engine/rear-drive four-seat coupe with a manual transmission, a 300-plus-horsepower engine, and a so-called Track Package, which includes sportier wheels, tires, brakes, and suspension. But that’s about where the similarities end.

The Mustang is only about six inches longer and roughly 100 pounds heavier than the Genesis, but it feels bigger and more substantial than the measurements suggest. You sit down in the Mustang, as if nestled in a claw-foot tub, looking out over the raised dash at the relatively long, flat hood. With its higher beltline and broader shoulders, the Mustang imparts a sense of musclecar mass, a stark contrast to the Hyundai, whose sharply raked hood and character line, both of which slope aggressively toward the front, convey the feel of a sleek sport-compact.

Unsurprisingly, the Genesis Coupe comes across a tad sharper, but the test numbers contradict those senses. Not only is the new Mustang more agile than the Genesis—0.95 g on the skidpad (versus 0.90) and 25.5 seconds at 0.70 g in the figure eight (versus 26.2 at 0.67) —it’s also superior in 60-to-0 braking (108 feet versus 111) and at the dragstrip, posting 0-to-60 and quarter-mile times at least a half-second quicker.

Further, the Mustang doesn’t suffer from the Hyundai’s rubbery shifter, jittery ride, numb steering, or driveline lash. Sure, at times its track-tuned suspenders are too starchy in vertical motion, but for those day-to-day commuter frequencies, the tuning is more coddling than the Hyundai’s. Plus, with its remodeled interior, the Mustang needn’t fret that the Genesis Coupe is boasting a more lavish crib.

“I’ve never said this about a Mustang before, but I’d own one of these GTs—worlds more flavorful car than the Genesis Coupe,” notes editor at large Arthur St. Antoine. It’s that flavor, ultimately, that endears the Ford to us over the Hyundai. The Genesis Coupe’s V-6 can’t duplicate the sound, smoothness, or torque of the Mustang’s well polished 4.6-liter V-8. Nor can the Hyundai match the Mustang’s near-1.0g lateral acceleration or sub-five-second 0-to-60 time. Brawnier in feel and performance than the Hyundai, this 2010 is the most refined and capable Mustang GT we’ve ever sampled.

Hey, Ford PR folk, have you driven one of these lately?