Here you go. I recorded this while driving the 2016 Mustang GT350R at the Texas Motor Speedway on Monday. This car is legit.
Consider me officially green with envy! The GT350R is currently my "halo" car. More details on driver feedback and likes/dislikes please! 
I am working on an article, but the basics are this- Holy balls.
I ran the track in 3rd and 4th. It pulls hard, corners harder, and has insane grip. I pushed it really hard, I think there were a couple of seconds to be shaved off the lap times, but that is mostly in the line, not the car. There was not a single thing I didn't like. The seats are a little tight for my fat ass, but you want that in a track car. The Hellcat has loose seats, and you end up hurting after a few laps. Steering weight was perfect (it is adjustable), It just went. The previous chassis handled well, but would get loose if you pushed it too hard, and once it got loose, it was all over (see any burnout or car show video featuring S195 Mustangs), but I REALLY like this new chassis. It had incredible track manners. It is the only car I drove that day that could chase down a Viper. Comparing track times, my hottest lap in the GT350R was 44.51, in the Viper GTC was 44.62. I really think I could have shaved a second or two off the Mustang laps if the track had been clear, the second lap with the Viper was pretty hot until the viper slowed down at the end.
The pro driver who was with me in the Viper ran a 44.3ish lap and a 41.94 lap.
For the record, I drove the following performance vehicles- Hellcat Challenger, GGT350R, Viper GTC, ATS V (another amazing car), CTS V sedan, Tesla P90D, and Volvo XC90 (bad ass SUV).
I ran the track in 3rd and 4th. It pulls hard, corners harder, and has insane grip. I pushed it really hard, I think there were a couple of seconds to be shaved off the lap times, but that is mostly in the line, not the car. There was not a single thing I didn't like. The seats are a little tight for my fat ass, but you want that in a track car. The Hellcat has loose seats, and you end up hurting after a few laps. Steering weight was perfect (it is adjustable), It just went. The previous chassis handled well, but would get loose if you pushed it too hard, and once it got loose, it was all over (see any burnout or car show video featuring S195 Mustangs), but I REALLY like this new chassis. It had incredible track manners. It is the only car I drove that day that could chase down a Viper. Comparing track times, my hottest lap in the GT350R was 44.51, in the Viper GTC was 44.62. I really think I could have shaved a second or two off the Mustang laps if the track had been clear, the second lap with the Viper was pretty hot until the viper slowed down at the end.
The pro driver who was with me in the Viper ran a 44.3ish lap and a 41.94 lap.
For the record, I drove the following performance vehicles- Hellcat Challenger, GGT350R, Viper GTC, ATS V (another amazing car), CTS V sedan, Tesla P90D, and Volvo XC90 (bad ass SUV).
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Damm, officially jealous.
OK, now I want reports on all of them! The wife and I went to the Tulsa auto show and the cars that impressed us the most were the Mustang, Challenger (bang for the $), and Lexus GS-F. The only SUV's that impressed were the LX-570 and especially the XC90 T8 Motion.
I drove a Viper at Leguna Seca, along with many other cars. Its corning ability is *relatively* poor.
I would stay away from the Lexus. It looks like it has performance potential, but it has nasty understeer and mediocre braking.
The GTR is badass, it is a track beast. I prefer American cars, but I could own a GTR. Its been a couple years since I tracked one, but it was a visceral experience. I would still choose the Mustang GT350R.
The Viper can corner quite well if you drive it right. It is a true race car, you have to tell it what to do, whereas the GTR just does it, you just hold the wheel. The new Viper has MUCH better driver assists than the previous two versions. The old Viper with no assist was a monster, the first gen of assists were not really much help. The new one is drivable without having to be a professional.
The Tesla is an incredible car in it's own right. Ridiculous acceleration, handled well on the track and on the highway, it has self-drive mode. I never thought I would like self-drive, but I really do. It felt weird, but you get used to that.
The ATS-V is a luxury beast. It sounds so friggin' good, 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, 100 in about a second more. If you don't shift as soon as you hit the throttle, it redlines, then redlines for the 2-3 shift. I have some killer video of it on the highway. I hit 108 on the ONRAMP for pete's sake!
The GTR is badass, it is a track beast. I prefer American cars, but I could own a GTR. Its been a couple years since I tracked one, but it was a visceral experience. I would still choose the Mustang GT350R.
The Viper can corner quite well if you drive it right. It is a true race car, you have to tell it what to do, whereas the GTR just does it, you just hold the wheel. The new Viper has MUCH better driver assists than the previous two versions. The old Viper with no assist was a monster, the first gen of assists were not really much help. The new one is drivable without having to be a professional.
The Tesla is an incredible car in it's own right. Ridiculous acceleration, handled well on the track and on the highway, it has self-drive mode. I never thought I would like self-drive, but I really do. It felt weird, but you get used to that.
The ATS-V is a luxury beast. It sounds so friggin' good, 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, 100 in about a second more. If you don't shift as soon as you hit the throttle, it redlines, then redlines for the 2-3 shift. I have some killer video of it on the highway. I hit 108 on the ONRAMP for pete's sake!
After days in an IndyCar, the Viper wasn't much fun...but I know what you mean!
No thoughts on the hellcat? The GT350R is a bad car to be sure. Just wonder how attainable those things are going to be with dealer markup BS.
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