Nissan 370Z Nismo vs Ford Mustang GT - 6 Key Differences

The Nissan 370z and Ford Mustang GT are two high-performance sports cars that have garnered significant attention from car enthusiasts. In this article, we will delve into the details of each vehicle, exploring their unique features, strengths, and weaknesses.

Firstly, let's talk about the transmission in both vehicles. The 370z has a six-speed manual transmission with sequential shifting, while the Mustang GT has a six-speed manual transmission as well. However, there is one key difference between the two: the gearing. The 370z has a more aggressive gear ratio, particularly in the lower gears, which allows it to deliver exceptional acceleration and performance. On the other hand, the Mustang GT has a higher overdrive gear, which helps improve fuel economy at high speeds.

In terms of engine power, both vehicles are impressive. The 370z is equipped with a 3.7-liter V6 engine that produces 350 horsepower in its top-of-the-line model, while the Mustang GT boasts a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine that delivers 435 horsepower. However, it's worth noting that the Mustang GT's engine revs up to 7000 rpm, which is lower than the 370z's 7500 rpm.

To compensate for its less powerful engine, the 370z relies heavily on its transmission and gearing to deliver exceptional performance. The six-speed manual transmission in the 370z is designed to put down power smoothly and efficiently, particularly in the higher gears. This allows the car to maintain a high pace without sacrificing acceleration. On the other hand, the Mustang GT's more powerful engine makes it capable of producing incredible torque, which can be felt from the get-go.

When it comes to handling and performance, both vehicles are exceptional. The 370z is renowned for its precise steering and handling, making it a joy to drive on twisty roads or canyon courses. However, it also prioritizes performance over comfort, resulting in a more aggressive driving experience. In contrast, the Mustang GT is known for its comfortable ride and luxurious interior, but it also sacrifices some of that character when it comes to performance.

One notable difference between the two vehicles is the level of driver engagement they provide. The 370z is designed to be an extremely driver-centric car, with features like rev-matching and sequential shifting designed to keep drivers connected to the road. This creates a more immersive driving experience that rewards skilled drivers. On the other hand, the Mustang GT offers a more comfortable and refined ride, but it also sacrifices some of that excitement when it comes to performance.

Ultimately, the choice between these two vehicles comes down to personal preference. If you're looking for an aggressive and driver-centric car that prioritizes performance above all else, the 370z may be the better choice. However, if you prefer a more comfortable and refined ride with impressive performance capabilities, the Mustang GT could be the way to go.

In conclusion, both the Nissan 370z and Ford Mustang GT are exceptional sports cars in their own right, offering unique strengths and weaknesses that cater to different driving preferences. Whether you're looking for a driver-centric car or a more comfortable and refined ride, these two vehicles are sure to deliver an unforgettable experience on the road.

The Final Category: Fun Factor

When it comes to determining which vehicle is more fun to drive, I have to say that the 370z takes the prize. The steering in this vehicle is absolutely phenomenal, providing exceptional feedback and response that makes driving a joy. Additionally, the transmission and gearing work seamlessly together to deliver incredible acceleration and performance.

One of the other differences between the two vehicles is how much more raw and visceral the experience is with the 370z. It's not afraid to sacrifice comfort for performance, which I think is a key aspect of what makes this car so special. In contrast, the Mustang GT prioritizes comfort above all else, resulting in a slightly less engaging driving experience.

The Nissan 370z also has a fantastic feature called rev-matching, which helps to smooth out shifting and provide a more seamless driving experience. This feature is particularly noticeable when driving at high speeds or on twisty roads, where it allows the car to maintain momentum with ease.

In contrast, the Mustang GT's transmission can be slightly more sluggish in terms of its shift feel, although this can be mitigated by using the paddle-shifters and adjusting the transmission settings. Overall, I think that the 370z provides a significantly more engaging driving experience than the Mustang GT, making it the clear winner in this category.

Engine Comparison

The engines in both vehicles are incredibly impressive, but they have distinct differences in terms of power output and characteristics.

The Nissan 370z is equipped with a 3.7-liter V6 engine that produces 350 horsepower in its top-of-the-line model. This engine is capable of revving up to 7500 rpm, which provides exceptional performance and response. However, it's worth noting that the Mustang GT's engine only reaches 7000 rpm, which is slightly lower.

To compensate for its less powerful engine, the 370z relies heavily on its transmission and gearing to deliver exceptional performance. The six-speed manual transmission in the 370z is designed to put down power smoothly and efficiently, particularly in the higher gears. This allows the car to maintain a high pace without sacrificing acceleration.

In contrast, the Mustang GT's more powerful engine makes it capable of producing incredible torque, which can be felt from the get-go. However, this also means that the car may feel slightly less responsive or agile at lower speeds.

When it comes to handling and performance, both vehicles are exceptional. The 370z is renowned for its precise steering and handling, making it a joy to drive on twisty roads or canyon courses. However, it also prioritizes performance over comfort, resulting in a more aggressive driving experience. In contrast, the Mustang GT is known for its comfortable ride and luxurious interior, but it also sacrifices some of that character when it comes to performance.

Overall, both vehicles offer incredible performance and handling capabilities, making them must-haves for any serious car enthusiast. However, the choice between them ultimately comes down to personal preference and driving style.

Ultimately, the Nissan 370z and Ford Mustang GT are two high-performance sports cars that cater to different driving preferences. Whether you're looking for a driver-centric car or a more comfortable and refined ride with impressive performance capabilities, these two vehicles are sure to deliver an unforgettable experience on the road.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello everyone and welcome in this video we're going to be comparing the Nissan 370z with the Ford Mustang GT now both of these vehicles can be purchased for a little over 30 grand or they can be optioned up to the mid 40s like this nice mellow 370z which I'm in currently which sits over 46,000 dollars now we're going to be comparing six different areas between these two vehicles the weight the steering Commerce the transmission Commerce and the sixth one the sixth one yeah I can't remember the sixth one oops number one starting off with weight now both of these vehicles aren't particularly light but the Nissan does have a big advantage about 300 to 400 pounds lighter depending on the trim so the base 370z it's about 3,300 pounds this nice motion which I'm in is about 3400 pounds whereas the Mustang is 3,700 pounds and you know that is a significant difference where you are going to feel you know a little bit more agile in the Nissan Z it's got a bit more dynamic handling to it than the Mustang because of that weight loss now the benefit of this weight loss is how it manifests itself in the steering for the 370z and so that's kind of the big one up of this I think over the Mustang is that the steering feels a lot sharper in the Mustang I was actually pretty surprised how good the GT Mustang felt it does have pretty good steering it's got nice weight to it it builds you know it does have the different steering modes which is kind of he in sports cars because you know as a sports car you just want one setting the best that gives you the most feedback you don't want artificial feedback we're differing weights where the Nissan it just kind of holds it in with one design there's no modes and it gives you a really sharp response one of the things I like the most about it is just how quickly you know when you turn in the vehicle reacts and I think a lot of that has to do with the upgraded suspension in this 370z Nismo versus the regular one I haven't driven a regular 370z but the steering in it is very sharp very communicative and you know it really lets you know what's going on with those tires which I really enjoy about the 370z the Mustang isn't bad you know it's not a bad steering system I was pretty impressed with it considering its weight but the Nissan has the one up there just in you know how the way builds in a corner how responsive it is when you turn in and how much feedback you get from the steering in Nissan versus the Mustang moving on to number three the interior and I think the Mustang comes out ahead here it's got what feels like a much more modern interior it's got a lot of electronic gauges that give you all kinds of information but also importantly it's got some practical aspects to it such as it has better visibility out the back it's got better visibility looking to the sides checking your blind spot and it also has telescoping in the steering wheel which you don't have in the 370z so both of them they have great seats Recaros fantastic seats to sit in comfortable well bolstered but in the 370z it's a bit dated in here in comparison and you know it would be really nice to pull the steering wheel out a little bit for taller folks who have to have the seat far back because of their long legs so that's just one gripe and also you know the visibility and the interior of the 370 isn't quite as good another kind of unfortunate thing is that you have this is the top-of-the-line 370z this is the most expensive one you can buy you've got these three blanks here behind the gear shift four buttons you know which are functions and other vehicles it may be the convertible top heated seats things like that but it's unfortunate you know that you're in the most expensive model and then you're looking at blanks while you're driving so that's kind of unfortunate not a huge deal it will be kind of cool if they just had like maybe a place to hold your phone or something instead to put there rather than the button blanks but not a huge crack overall I do like the interior of both cars I really wish though that you could telescope the steering in the 370z number for the transmissions so the transmissions in both vehicles are pretty nachi the biggest difference I noticed is that the Mustang has an extremely smooth clutch the clutch engagement in the Mustang pretty much anybody can get in that car and you can shift gears and accelerate from a stop without any jerkiness at all it's brilliantly smooth that's a super smooth vehicle now the 370z on the other hand it's not quite there as far as the clutch the transmission is great the clutch engagement isn't that smooth in comparison but it can make up for it because it has automatic downshift rev-matching so with the 370z you can just let the computer do all the rebbe matching for you and so when you do that the clutch engagement is very smooth obviously because the engine and transmission are matched perfectly so if I want to downshift the third gear you know done it's super smooth you don't really feel that it's amazing how well it does if I want to count chip in the second gear it blips it up super smooth engagement and that's a really fun feature and it makes the shifting gears really smooth so it can do it using that feature or if you're good enough driver obviously but that said the clutch is a little bit less smooth to engage versus the Mustang still fairly smooth but it's not quite as smooth as the Mustang as far as gearing the Mustang and the 370z actually both have really aggressive gearing in fact gears 1 through 5 in both cars are very similar the difference is in the sixth gear so the Mustang chooses to have a pretty high overdrive gear so you drop the ribs quite a bit and you can decent fuel economy the 370z keeps 6-ski regressive so it's just all-out every gear you're in i like the method that the mustang does because you know how often do you need to be in sixth gear and flat out like you're going so fast at that point so it is nice to have it for fuel economy i think that's a clever solution that said this does still get slightly better fuel economy and the Mustang it's got a smaller engine it weighs less and it does do slightly better not a huge difference but a little bit better fuel economy even though that Mustang does have clever gearing so overall which transmissions better it's hard to say I really love the rep matching in the Nissan 370z but on the other hand I love the clutch in the Ford Mustang GT so both of them fantastic transmissions and I really do like the gearing in both transmissions so that brings us to number five the engine and so the Nissan here a v6 revving up to 7,500 rpm and you've got 350 horsepower in the nice Mel spec version if you are in the Mustang GT you've got a 5 liter v8 naturally aspirated and that's going to be giving you 435 horsepower revs up to 7000 rpm so the Mustang of course far more torque II doesn't read as high revs to 7000 versus 7500 and the Nissan definitely takes advantage of gearing in order to compensate for the lack of torque versus you know a much larger engine so it doesn't feel like it doesn't have torque cut does a great job of putting down power you know if you drop it in the third it pulls pretty hard if you were to drop it in second pulls even harder so it's a good transmission in order to compensate for the lack of torque both engines pretty powerful I think overall the you know decision to compromise on power with the v6 engine versus a v8 engine is worth it in the 370z because you can pull some weight out and so even though it has less power you know it is a really fun car to drive and you know I don't think it's lacking at all in that department this car is seriously quick so both engines great as well both engines and both transmissions I really do like on both of these vehicles now the final category and probably the most important comparing these two cars which car is more fun to drive and I have to say I think it's the 370z and there's a lot of reasons for that first of all the steering in this vehicle is absolutely phenomenal you know you get all the feedback you want you get you know a great response and turn in phenomenal steering in the 370z which leads to a car which is more fun to drive that's the same case with the Subaru BRZ no the steering in that car is so good that it makes the car really fun to drive even though it doesn't have a lot of power this actually does have power it's got really aggressive gearing which I like and it makes it super fun to drive you know drop it down into third drop it down in a second give it a gas and this thing just hauls it's super fun it's unbelievable you know the amount of power this thing puts down because you know 350 horsepower 3400 pounds it doesn't necessarily sound that fast but this thing feels super fast one of the other differences that I noticed between the 370z and the Mustang is just how much more raw of an experience the 370z is it's really not afraid to sacrifice comfort in the name of performance and I really like vehicles that do that you know the Mustang it's great it can perform well and it's also super comfortable and it makes them sacrifices in order to be comfortable the 370z it really doesn't you know this is a driver's car through and through it's loud on the interior it can be bumpy at times harsh at times the shifting isn't all that smooth but you know when you're going for it when you're driving in a canyon road this thing communicates so well with you it's got so much power to put down and it's just such a blast to run through the gears and I also really love that downshift rev-matching it's a great feature and this car just overall is a ton of fun so thank you guys for watching if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave those below you now I do have full reviews of both the 370z and the Mustang g/t so if you're curious about those feel free to check out the linkshello everyone and welcome in this video we're going to be comparing the Nissan 370z with the Ford Mustang GT now both of these vehicles can be purchased for a little over 30 grand or they can be optioned up to the mid 40s like this nice mellow 370z which I'm in currently which sits over 46,000 dollars now we're going to be comparing six different areas between these two vehicles the weight the steering Commerce the transmission Commerce and the sixth one the sixth one yeah I can't remember the sixth one oops number one starting off with weight now both of these vehicles aren't particularly light but the Nissan does have a big advantage about 300 to 400 pounds lighter depending on the trim so the base 370z it's about 3,300 pounds this nice motion which I'm in is about 3400 pounds whereas the Mustang is 3,700 pounds and you know that is a significant difference where you are going to feel you know a little bit more agile in the Nissan Z it's got a bit more dynamic handling to it than the Mustang because of that weight loss now the benefit of this weight loss is how it manifests itself in the steering for the 370z and so that's kind of the big one up of this I think over the Mustang is that the steering feels a lot sharper in the Mustang I was actually pretty surprised how good the GT Mustang felt it does have pretty good steering it's got nice weight to it it builds you know it does have the different steering modes which is kind of he in sports cars because you know as a sports car you just want one setting the best that gives you the most feedback you don't want artificial feedback we're differing weights where the Nissan it just kind of holds it in with one design there's no modes and it gives you a really sharp response one of the things I like the most about it is just how quickly you know when you turn in the vehicle reacts and I think a lot of that has to do with the upgraded suspension in this 370z Nismo versus the regular one I haven't driven a regular 370z but the steering in it is very sharp very communicative and you know it really lets you know what's going on with those tires which I really enjoy about the 370z the Mustang isn't bad you know it's not a bad steering system I was pretty impressed with it considering its weight but the Nissan has the one up there just in you know how the way builds in a corner how responsive it is when you turn in and how much feedback you get from the steering in Nissan versus the Mustang moving on to number three the interior and I think the Mustang comes out ahead here it's got what feels like a much more modern interior it's got a lot of electronic gauges that give you all kinds of information but also importantly it's got some practical aspects to it such as it has better visibility out the back it's got better visibility looking to the sides checking your blind spot and it also has telescoping in the steering wheel which you don't have in the 370z so both of them they have great seats Recaros fantastic seats to sit in comfortable well bolstered but in the 370z it's a bit dated in here in comparison and you know it would be really nice to pull the steering wheel out a little bit for taller folks who have to have the seat far back because of their long legs so that's just one gripe and also you know the visibility and the interior of the 370 isn't quite as good another kind of unfortunate thing is that you have this is the top-of-the-line 370z this is the most expensive one you can buy you've got these three blanks here behind the gear shift four buttons you know which are functions and other vehicles it may be the convertible top heated seats things like that but it's unfortunate you know that you're in the most expensive model and then you're looking at blanks while you're driving so that's kind of unfortunate not a huge deal it will be kind of cool if they just had like maybe a place to hold your phone or something instead to put there rather than the button blanks but not a huge crack overall I do like the interior of both cars I really wish though that you could telescope the steering in the 370z number for the transmissions so the transmissions in both vehicles are pretty nachi the biggest difference I noticed is that the Mustang has an extremely smooth clutch the clutch engagement in the Mustang pretty much anybody can get in that car and you can shift gears and accelerate from a stop without any jerkiness at all it's brilliantly smooth that's a super smooth vehicle now the 370z on the other hand it's not quite there as far as the clutch the transmission is great the clutch engagement isn't that smooth in comparison but it can make up for it because it has automatic downshift rev-matching so with the 370z you can just let the computer do all the rebbe matching for you and so when you do that the clutch engagement is very smooth obviously because the engine and transmission are matched perfectly so if I want to downshift the third gear you know done it's super smooth you don't really feel that it's amazing how well it does if I want to count chip in the second gear it blips it up super smooth engagement and that's a really fun feature and it makes the shifting gears really smooth so it can do it using that feature or if you're good enough driver obviously but that said the clutch is a little bit less smooth to engage versus the Mustang still fairly smooth but it's not quite as smooth as the Mustang as far as gearing the Mustang and the 370z actually both have really aggressive gearing in fact gears 1 through 5 in both cars are very similar the difference is in the sixth gear so the Mustang chooses to have a pretty high overdrive gear so you drop the ribs quite a bit and you can decent fuel economy the 370z keeps 6-ski regressive so it's just all-out every gear you're in i like the method that the mustang does because you know how often do you need to be in sixth gear and flat out like you're going so fast at that point so it is nice to have it for fuel economy i think that's a clever solution that said this does still get slightly better fuel economy and the Mustang it's got a smaller engine it weighs less and it does do slightly better not a huge difference but a little bit better fuel economy even though that Mustang does have clever gearing so overall which transmissions better it's hard to say I really love the rep matching in the Nissan 370z but on the other hand I love the clutch in the Ford Mustang GT so both of them fantastic transmissions and I really do like the gearing in both transmissions so that brings us to number five the engine and so the Nissan here a v6 revving up to 7,500 rpm and you've got 350 horsepower in the nice Mel spec version if you are in the Mustang GT you've got a 5 liter v8 naturally aspirated and that's going to be giving you 435 horsepower revs up to 7000 rpm so the Mustang of course far more torque II doesn't read as high revs to 7000 versus 7500 and the Nissan definitely takes advantage of gearing in order to compensate for the lack of torque versus you know a much larger engine so it doesn't feel like it doesn't have torque cut does a great job of putting down power you know if you drop it in the third it pulls pretty hard if you were to drop it in second pulls even harder so it's a good transmission in order to compensate for the lack of torque both engines pretty powerful I think overall the you know decision to compromise on power with the v6 engine versus a v8 engine is worth it in the 370z because you can pull some weight out and so even though it has less power you know it is a really fun car to drive and you know I don't think it's lacking at all in that department this car is seriously quick so both engines great as well both engines and both transmissions I really do like on both of these vehicles now the final category and probably the most important comparing these two cars which car is more fun to drive and I have to say I think it's the 370z and there's a lot of reasons for that first of all the steering in this vehicle is absolutely phenomenal you know you get all the feedback you want you get you know a great response and turn in phenomenal steering in the 370z which leads to a car which is more fun to drive that's the same case with the Subaru BRZ no the steering in that car is so good that it makes the car really fun to drive even though it doesn't have a lot of power this actually does have power it's got really aggressive gearing which I like and it makes it super fun to drive you know drop it down into third drop it down in a second give it a gas and this thing just hauls it's super fun it's unbelievable you know the amount of power this thing puts down because you know 350 horsepower 3400 pounds it doesn't necessarily sound that fast but this thing feels super fast one of the other differences that I noticed between the 370z and the Mustang is just how much more raw of an experience the 370z is it's really not afraid to sacrifice comfort in the name of performance and I really like vehicles that do that you know the Mustang it's great it can perform well and it's also super comfortable and it makes them sacrifices in order to be comfortable the 370z it really doesn't you know this is a driver's car through and through it's loud on the interior it can be bumpy at times harsh at times the shifting isn't all that smooth but you know when you're going for it when you're driving in a canyon road this thing communicates so well with you it's got so much power to put down and it's just such a blast to run through the gears and I also really love that downshift rev-matching it's a great feature and this car just overall is a ton of fun so thank you guys for watching if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave those below you now I do have full reviews of both the 370z and the Mustang g/t so if you're curious about those feel free to check out the links\n"