[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by BrianL

Nice write up and congratulations on the purchase! Must be a very different feel coming from a Volt.

Yes, the manual is a Tremec.

Originally Posted by metros11

Well the Volt was an entirely different experience from anything else I have driven. With that said, after the Camaro is paid off, the next purchase for a daily is a Bolt.

This was my garage just before I bought the Camaro. The Volt is my wife's second Volt. We still have that. The Bolt belonged to the Marketing Manager for Bolt. We switched cars for a couple weeks last year at Thanksgiving. He needed a bigger car for a long drive so I swapped him the Cadillac XTS that was assigned as my company driver.

[douglas2742]

Originally Posted by metros11

I just want to preface this post by mentioning that I'm not a brand loyalist. I grew up in my younger years tinkering with a SR20 powered FWD Nissan, moved on to a Saabaru wagon and then went electric with the Volt. Each experience was unique in it's own right, but the V8s really started grabbing my attention about three years ago when I saw the '13-'14 revisions of the S197 Mustang. From there my interest spread into the Challengers, Chargers, Camaros and the Chevy SS, each offering something different in it's own right. I can appreciate the Dodge products for what they are, straight line muscle car beasts. But that's not exactly what I'm after. I own a share of a Lemons/Chump racer, so I much prefer the twisties as oppose to the quarter mile strip. In that regard the choice comes down to two, Camaro SS vs the Mustang GT.

I don't have to tell you guys, the Camaro is hard to beat. It has it's flaws, just like any other car, but it has owned the Mustang for a while now in the performance department. I was really waiting for the '18 refresh to make my mind up about the Mustang, wanted to see what Ford had to offer. So today I finally had the opportunity to test drive a brand new GT with the Performance Package back to back with a 2018 Camaro 2SS, both with a manual transmission. Here are my observations...

Butt dyno: This will come as no surprise, they were very very similar in terms of power, but the delivery was definitely slightly different.
The Mustang feels smoother, and has a longer rev range. The Camaro is somewhat brute, but not necessarily in a bad way. Even.

Joystick: The shifter on the Camaro is good, very good. But the Mustang's is absolute butter. So smooth and precise, they've done a great job there. And I found my foot adapting to the Ford's clutch a lot quicker. (Advantage) Mustang.

Sights: The Mustang is obviously a lot easier to see out of. The seating position in the pony is also more upright. The Camaro is a straight up sports car. You sit lower, the car sits lower, the A-pillars block more of your view. The rear is 'forget it', but you get the backup camera in both cars, so you have what you need when you need to go backwards. Mustang.

Sounds: The Mustang GT did not have the active exhaust option like the Camaro, but that didn't stop it from signing some fine tunes. It really was heavenly. The Camaro belted out some great songs as well, but... Mustang, by a slight margin.

Turning: No magnetic control in either car. Truthfully I didn't have the opportunity to push either of them into the corners. They both felt compliant and adequate, met my expectations. Even (although we all know Camaro wins this on the track).

Slowing down: Ford Brembos vs Chevy Brembos. I think the Mustang's fronts are 6 pod in PP trim, where the Camaro get 4 pods in stock form. Honestly, they felt similar. Even.

Livable space: When I first test drove a Camaro I brought my kid and his booster seat. I knew about the unusable back seats as far as adults are concerned, but needed to ensure the kids fit. They do. I expected the Mustang to surpass the Camaro in this category by a large margin, but not so. It would still be extremely hard to place an adult comfortably behind the driver. And let's talk about the trunk. The Mustang has a bigger opening, sure, but the extra space it has on the sides is really not that usable. The Camaro opening is smaller, but the trunk is probably as deep
if not deeper than the Mustang's by a few inches. Even.

Breaking necks: This will probably upset a bunch of people, but don't get too butt hurt. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. IMO, the new Stang is gorgeous. Vader front is growing on me, the rear is delicious, especially with the new PP wing, which is 100x better that the Camaro's. The Chevy though is not far behind in some aspects. The front is killer in it's own way, and not necessarily less attractive than the Mustang's. The rear... well. Let's just say it looks good with the blade spoiler and NPP exhaust, I'll leave it at that. Mustang.

Fun: Both are fun on the street, that's the bottom line. How can you not have fun in these cars... well okay, maybe the speed limit prevents it, so take it to the track... Even.

$$$$$: Since the 6th gen came out, all I've been hearing about is what a bargain the Mustang is over the Camaro. Well... a base Camaro SS stickers at $37,995. Let's say you want a base Mustang GT, minus the calculator screen, so you step up to the 201A package and get the same things that a base Camaro gets. You're at $37,995. Not a coincidence. Even.

At this point you're probably wondering, when all this nonsense is going to end, so without further adieu... <drum roll>

Verdict: I bought a Camaro.

Bottom line, the Chevy is a much better value overall. You get more toys for your money. If you spec out the SS 1LE and a comparable Mustang GT PP L2 (almost the same price), the Mustang is missing the trans and diff coolers, rev matching (although they do have no-lift), HUD, NPP exhaust (separate option), and the PDR option. But most importantly it's also missing a warranty that extends to the track.

If I'm buying a legitimate sports car I want to take it to the limits at the track and do so with the comfort in knowledge that the manufacturer stands behind their products.

I totally prefer the look of the Camaro, and what sold me was the chopped roofline/short windows design. It reminds me of my favorite car growing up in the '50's - a chopped and channeled customized '50 Mercury. I just think the design is sexy as hell.

[Cgocifer]

Originally Posted by douglas2742

I totally prefer the look of the Camaro, and what sold me was the chopped roofline/short windows design. It reminds me of my favorite car growing up in the '50's - a chopped and channeled customized '50 Mercury. I just think the design is sexy as hell.

Does looked chopped. My Dad owns a chopped, channeled, smoothed, dropped 1950 Merc .;-)

[douglas2742]

[metros11]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

This was my garage just before I bought the Camaro. The Volt is my wife's second Volt. We still have that. The Bolt belonged to the Marketing Manager for Bolt. We switched cars for a couple weeks last year at Thanksgiving. He needed a bigger car for a long drive so I swapped him the Cadillac XTS that was assigned as my company driver.

How did you like the Bolt compared to the Volt?

PS. Picked up my 1LE today. I'm in love... It will be hard watching in hibernate this winter.

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by metros11

How did you like the Bolt compared to the Volt?

PS. Picked up my 1LE today. I'm in love... It will be hard watching in hibernate this winter.

My wife says that when the lease is up on the Volt, she may want to switch to a Bolt. She uses almost no gas in the Volt and would use absolutely zero gas in the Bolt and still get everything done she needs to get done. She also likes the cargo area packaging better (more shopping? )

It is scary quick. The Volt is no slouch, but the Bolt is actually a bit quicker. Me personally, I'd go for another Volt because it is more stylish, is still very cargo friendly since it is a hatchback, and is uncompromised for the occasional 500 mile trip. But this will clearly be her call, since my vote will be parked next to whatever she decides. Kinda cool that our garage has the quietest car in the neighborhood parked next to the loudest car in the neighborhood.