CAN THE NEW TOYOTA SUPRA TAKE ON THE FORD MUSTANG GT'S MUSCLE

It's a head-to-head battle of two different yet remarkably similar vehicles. It's time for the new Toyota Supra to take on the all-American muscle of Ford's 5.0-litre Mustang GT.

With the arrival of the new Toyota Supra to the shores of sunny South Africa, it faces a raft of competition from various manufacturers. But, considering its price point, it's just a handful of change more expensive than the Ford Mustang GT. In fact, the current top-of-the-range Ford is the limited edition Fastback Bullit at ZAR995 400, while the Toyota tops out at ZAR1 072 300.

Which makes this head-to-head test by the chaps at Throttle House the perfect opportunity to see just what each one is capable of.

It seems like a weird duo when lining them up next to each other but, besides their engines, they're both two-door, rear-wheel-drive automatics. The muscle car sports a 5.0-litre, naturally aspirated V8, while the 'Gerpanese' (see what I did there) Supra boasts a turbo-charged 3.0-litre inline-six.

The Supra is obviously lighter, but the Mustang has more torques. They're also set up differently, with the Toyota happy to have its tail let go for controllable drifts. The heavier Ford is more planted and requires fewer inputs from the driver.

So, the question is two-fold; which is faster in a drag race, and which is quicker around a track?

Ultimately though, there are two distinct camps of fans. For those of us sitting in the middle though, there's merit to be dished out for both. The American delivers what is expected of it, but the more people drive the Supra, the more they express how much better it is to its BMW Z4 relative – and that's a good thing.