[Provoste]

2nd Out of a serious field, only the McLaren 720S beat it. The ZL1 1LE finished ahead of the 991.2 GT3 & the Mercedes AMG GTR in its “group”.




http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...r-of-the-year/

The ZL1 just sucked it up, lap after lap, like the Labrador that keeps chasing a stick for as long as you’re willing to throw it. It’s one of those great cars that demand little from a driver but reward anyway. Those with less experience on the NCM track never felt intimidated, and those with bulging notebooks testifying to seat time in similar cars felt like they were really getting under its skin.

And, of course, it is fast. The Camaro clocked a lap time of 1:32.15, beating the 911 by 24 hundredths. And did we mention the price? We try not to in this competition. But when a machine costs half as much as a 911 GT3 and is faster around a racetrack, while plastering a grin across the face of everyone who drives it, the fact that said car is such a bargain makes it even more noteworthy.

All in, the GT R’s impressive lap time showcases what an incredible job AMG has done turning the so-so GT into a proper driver’s car, and the 911 is as nuanced as it ever was. But the egalitarian ZL1 1LE won us over. Underdog, you say? Überdog, is more like.—Chris Chilton

THE FINALISTS

And then there were four—the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, Honda Civic Type R, Lexus LC 500, and McLaren 720S. You’d be hard-pressed to choose a broader-spectrum anti-biotic for creeping automotive disinterest, yet at the core, each of these cars expresses a similarly uncompromising approach to performance-focused engineering. They’re loaded with things that you only notice after long examination: the heavy-duty steering knuckles on the Civic, the combination knob/switch used by the Lexus to adjust the shocks and relax the stability control, the knee bolstering on the Camaro’s center console, the way the TFT dashboard on the McLaren Fosbury-flops out of the way for unimpeded vision on a racetrack. You can have opinions about the Civic’s aero package or the McLaren’s socketed headlamps, but you can’t say that our final four don’t bring their A game in nearly every aspect that matters to a driver.

In years past, the PCOTY voting process has taken as long as four hours, often laced with impassioned speeches, tense disagreements, and uncomfortable bouts of soul-searching. Not this time. A single round of discussion and voting took a fraction of that. Our eight editors each assigned a ranking to the finalists. The rankings were added and averaged to provide the final results. Only two cars received first-place votes, and the mathematical distance between each place turned out to be unequivocal.

Two editors cast first-place votes for the Camaro ZL1 1LE, and no wonder. The big-box Chevrolet seems to vibrate from the tires up with a sort of manic pixie dream pony-car joyfulness. “Still big and heavy, but that makes it all the more impressive,” Okulski said. “The only limiting factor on track time is the amount of fuel in the tank—it could run for days straight.” If the C7 Corvette Z06 is a very good car, and the previous-generation Camaro Z/28 was a flat-out great car, then this combination is somehow even better than the sum of its impressive parts. Capable of running with $200,000 supercars, yet easily serviceable at your local GM dealer, the ZL1 1LE is a stunning statement of intent and an example of what America’s biggest car company can do when it lets engineers turn their dreams into reality. God bless it for existing.

[ChefBorOzzy]

The 720s is an absolute monster. Puts the Ford GT to shame in horsepower, acceleration, and EPA rating.

[Dethsupp0rt]

Given the Honda and Lexus were 3rd and 4th, I'm not sure I would put much weight behind any result except 1st place, which they probably got right.

The ZL1 1LE is great, especially at its price point, but to not even have the AMG GT R in the top 4 (despite it completely demolishing everything in the hotlap) kind of diminishes the credibility of the results.

[Sven59]

Originally Posted by Dethsupp0rt

Given the Honda and Lexus were 3rd and 4th, I'm not sure I would put much weight behind any result except 1st place, which they probably got right.

The ZL1 1LE is great, especially at its price point, but to not even have the AMG GT R in the top 4 (despite it completely demolishing everything in the hotlap) kind of diminishes the credibility of the results.

Context, they had 4 classes, they were the winner from each class.

[Provoste]

Originally Posted by Dethsupp0rt

Given the Honda and Lexus were 3rd and 4th, I'm not sure I would put much weight behind any result except 1st place, which they probably got right.

The ZL1 1LE is great, especially at its price point, but to not even have the AMG GT R in the top 4 (despite it completely demolishing everything in the hotlap) kind of diminishes the credibility of the results.

They clearly take one from each category:

Wildcard: Civic Type R
Grand Tourers: Lexus LC500
Track Stars: ZL1 1LE
Supercars: 720S

Agreed, format doesn’t make sense to me

[Frank237]

The McLaren... 9.9 sec 1/4 mile !!!!!

Holy F****ing Shit! That is simply amazing!

[Frank237]

Originally Posted by Dethsupp0rt

Given the Honda and Lexus were 3rd and 4th, I'm not sure I would put much weight behind any result except 1st place, which they probably got right.

The ZL1 1LE is great, especially at its price point, but to not even have the AMG GT R in the top 4 (despite it completely demolishing everything in the hotlap) kind of diminishes the credibility of the results.

I believe they take into account a LOT of other information other than the track data. The car is judged on other areas as well.

The Honda surprised me as well though.I think it's in the same class as the VW GTI , Sub WRX, the small Audi, etc. And that Class has almost always been dominated by the GTI. I've owned a few GTI's and they ARE an impressive car. If the Honda has pushed it off it's spot it's worth a look.

[kttxz06]

Um, the fact that the civic and lexus were in the top 4 makes me realize that whatever they put out from this point on will considered a fkn joke. dilly dilly.

[Artos]

I thought review was outstanding & very complimentary for GM regardless of the category crap...

[Ryephile]

Originally Posted by Dethsupp0rt

... kind of diminishes the credibility of the results.

Originally Posted by Road & Track

Our mission is simple: choose the car that impresses, surprises, excites, delights.

Given none of us have driven them all, how can we judge the credibility of the results? Especially given the criteria is 100% subjective. How do you discount someone else's opinion when you're ignorant of the subject? Sorry, don't take it personal, but doing an armchair analysis on their subjective selection is always a moot point. If it were as simple as "Who won the drag race", then it's black & white.

[Sven59]

Originally Posted by kttxz06

Um, the fact that the civic and lexus were in the top 4 makes me realize that whatever they put out from this point on will considered a fkn joke. dilly dilly.

You actually have to read the article to understand how it works.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Can'tHave2MuchHP]

The 720S is one brilliant machine. I'd take one in a heart beat. My top 3 on that list would be 720S > Huracan Performante > ZL1 1LE.

[Ryephile]

An interesting 2nd article, where they picked the ZL1 1LE as the car they'd chose to actually do a track-day:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...ng-comparison/

[bpang1234]

Originally Posted by Frank237

I believe they take into account a LOT of other information other than the track data. The car is judged on other areas as well.

The Honda surprised me as well though.I think it's in the same class as the VW GTI , Sub WRX, the small Audi, etc. And that Class has almost always been dominated by the GTI. I've owned a few GTI's and they ARE an impressive car. If the Honda has pushed it off it's spot it's worth a look.

Honda aimed the Type R at the Golf R, Focus RS and Subaru STI so I'm not surprised it is placed so highly. Every review I read is positive about the car.