2012 Roush RS3 Car News and Review

The last time we drove a Roush Mustang – a 2010 427R – we declared that the company had set the bar for Mustang tuners around the country. But that was nearly two years ago. Since then, the pony car landscape has evolved immensely. Ford itself revamped the entire Mustang lineup, introducing the new 412-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 Mustang GT, dropped weight off the Shelby GT500 with a new aluminum block 5.4-liter V8 and successfully launched the track-ready, BMW M3-fighting Boss 302. Every Mustang that comes from the factory now offers more performance than ever, and a $ 50,000 aftermarket Mustang from a couple of years ago with a paltry 435 horsepower simply can’t compete with an OEM-developed ‘Stang.

But Roush hasn’t been sitting idly by. Its respond to hottest factory options from Ford comes in the form of the 2012 Stage 3 Mustang. Offering up 540 supercharged horsepower, a fresh look and Roush’s legendary suspension tuning, the RS3 is perhaps the company’s most appealing Mustang yet. But does it still have the magic of Roush’s previous pony cars?