Back in 1970, CR put a high-performance Boss 302 through its paces, as the magazine was and is wont to do. More recently, the staff put a 2011 V6 Mustang to the test, and so they decided to put the results head-to-head. This despite the fact that there's an all-new Boss Mustang on the block -- perhaps they haven't had a chance to do their own rigorous tests yet. Given that the Boss 302 packed a 4.9-liter V8 engine versus the 2011's 3.7-liter V6, the performance results are surprising; that is, until you consider the numerous technological advances that have happened in the last 30 years.

Yes, thanks to all our modern performance-enhancing technology, the new V6 is both quicker off the line, with a 6.2-second sprint to 60 mph versus 8.0 seconds, and faster, running a 14.8-second quarter-mile versus the 302's 16.0-second time. And let's not even talk about fuel economy, with the modern version reaching 24 mpg overall compared with a paltry 11 mpg for the Nixon-era Boss.

Full results after the jump.

From Consumer Reports:

"Keeping in mind that testing methods and engines have come a long way in the last 40 years, and that horsepower ratings are now more conservative than they used to be, here's a look at how the Mustangs stack up."

*Horsepower figures based on testing standards established by the Society of Automotive Engineers.