2021 Camaro ZL1 (finally here) vs. 2018 Mustang GT Premium
 

Hey guys, as some of you know, I ordered a 2021 Camaro ZL1 back in December. I finally received it yesterday! I wanted to post a few pics and give my first impressions as owner. I'm a very detailed guy, and this is a long post, so read on (note that these impressions are subject to change as I get more time behind the wheel of the ZL1!):

My ZL1 is shadow gray metallic with the A10, the CF hood insert, Nav, and CF shift knob cover. My GT is a 2018 GT Premium with A10, PP1, MagneRide, and safe and smart. It also has some bolt ons and lighter aftermarket wheels.

From a performance standpoint, the two cars are miles apart. The handling, steering, chassis, engine torque, transmission, etc., are just on a different level in the ZL1. The GT is no slouch as spec'd., but the ZL1 is noticeably more "racecar" like than the GT. In a straight line in the sweet spot, I don't think my GT is that far behind, but the ZL1 would definitely beat my GT in a roll race and it feels more stable in turns (not that I've been able to push the ZL1 yet, but took it out last night for a spin and found a few turns). That said, I received the ZL1 with only 3 miles, so I'm being careful with break in and not exceeding 4k rpms so I haven't pushed it at all yet.

I need to drive them back to back, but I think the ride is a tad stiffer in the ZL1 than my GT, since my GT [also] has magnetic dampers it has a really good ride. It also could be the 19" vs 20" wheels - I need more back to back seat time between the two.

With that "racecar" like handling and chassis, I think come with the fact that in just a day, I've already noticed that the ZL1 is noticeably less practical than the GT. It's harder to get in and out, it has longer doors, some questionable ergonomic decisions in the interior, and is harder to see out of. I also wish the Recaro seats had adjustable lumbar support. That said, these are not really complaints, as I knew what I was getting into. Just more of an observation. An example of the ergo decisions are the angle of the door handles: they are a bit more user friendly in the Mustang being perfectly flat in the door plane. Also, my ZL1 has the speed limit indicator in the center gauge cluster which is nice - but it is TINY. I have 20/20 vision and can barely read it. Someone with poor vision won't be able to use it. They could have made it 50% larger without sacrificing anything.

Other random thoughts (brain dump!):

My GT has a Borla S type catback and the exhaust sounds better than the ZL1's stock exhaust (no surprise there).

I like the looks of the ZL1 better from the rear tires forward, but prefer the rear end styling of the GT. The front of the ZL1 is menacing, and my kids love it as well. I also really like the doors and side skirts on the ZL1.

The ZL1 transmission programming is better than the GT - from performance driving to just putting around town. The GT bangs into gears a bit more, while the ZL1 is more smooth at light throttle.

My wife and daughter says the "shadow gray metallic" actually looks like a dark denim blue. It changes depending on the light. But it only looks gray at certain angles in certain lighting and dark gray at night. There's definitely a blue undertone in the paint. I like it, and It's growing on me even still (I just looked at it in the garage and it looks awesome).

If I had to choose one to drive across the country, it would be the GT as so far, I find it more comfortable and practical than the ZL1. If I had to choose one to drive on twisty roads, for sure the ZL1.

My GT has the mid level 9 speaker "premium trim" stereo, and I replaced the terrible rear deck speakers with a set of Focal two ways when I first bought it improving it significantly. While the Bose stereo in the ZL1 has more bass, I think my stereo in the GT as it sits sounds better so far (the rear deck speakers really helped). It has clearer mids and better highs (less harsh - again - the Focal two ways made a big difference there so it's not a stock to stock comparison). It also has mid range speakers in the doors and I think creates better spatial separation than the Bose. The Bose is good enough, and I think I can tweak the factory EQ settings to get pretty decent sound - I just haven't messed with it very much yet.

I "think" my GT Premium interior feels a little more "premium" than the ZL1. I think it's because the ZL1 uses more hard plastics than the GT. They both have hard plastics, don't get me wrong, but the GT uses less IMO. Design-wise, I like the looks/styling of both interiors.

The windshield goes further back in the GT relative to the seating position, and the roof is a lot shorter front to back, meaning more light gets in making it feel more open. My daughter this morning noted how tiny the rear windows are in the ZL1 compared to the GT.

I love the exposed CF hood insert. Highly recommend for anyone getting a ZL1!

And another observation: I haven't measured, but I think the engine in the ZL1 sits a little higher and slightly more forward (maybe 1") relative to the front axles than the DOHC engine in the GT. It could be different engine design, but the exhaust headers seem to be at least 2" lower in the GT, and the top of the manifold seems to be a couple inches lower than the s/c lid as well. The Coyote is wider, though, and takes up more space left to right. All that doesn't matter that much, as even with the s/c and additional coolers, the front/rear weight distribution between the ZL1 and my GT are the same (54/46, rounded). For comparison, the '20 GT500 is 56/44 (rounded).

I like the front brake cooling ducts in the ZL1 - they are quite large and are in the lower front air grille. My 4th grader liked that he could see all the heat exchangers in the ZL1 through the open front (that is pretty cool).

Anyway, it's no mystery here that I really like my GT, and I want to be clear that I'm not dogging the ZL1 with any of the above observations. It is an amazing performance machine. Those are simply my first impressions between the two cars but may change over time! I can't wait to start taking it out on the twisty roads (tomorrow!)! Enjoy some pics:

Congrats on the new purchase. I'm sure you will have more insights as you get more seat time. Great time of the year to take delivery, too.:thumbup:

Might as well post pics of the GT :) good review so far!

Oh yes, thanks for the reminder (I meant to but forgot to post 'em trying to get that review done quickly)!

LOL, you do not have to explain to anyone that you're not dogging the ZL1. Anyone who has been on here knows that you are very detailed and very pragmatic in your reviews. So if anyone thinks you're dogging the ZL1 then they don't come on here much. LOL!! Plus everything you have said is very in line with what we all know and love/hate about the ZL1.

The biggest strength in the ZL1's favor is the high level of performance you get from an out the box bone stock factory warranty intact perspective along with a lot of the cool features. You are simply not going to get this kind of performance at this price anywhere. With that in mind, all of us owners fell in love with this amazing car and forgave it's shortcomings. LOL!! Again, getting in and out of the car is a bit rough. I honestly feel like I look like Kramer when I'm getting out of it, haha!! In fact, if there are attractive ladies anywhere within eyesight, I will not attempt to get out the car unless they are not looking...because I look goofy as hell getting out of it. Which is why I give the ease of getting in and out high marks to the Chally and Stang. However, once you are in, you're locked in and held tight and it feels like you're in a race mode cockpit jet or something. So I'll give the interior seating to the ZL1 over the others.

You observations on the performance are spot on. The ZL1 is glued to the ground. And it is a monster at accelerating. The trans is much smoother AND instant than the GT. But the GT does sound much better even stock to stock. The ZL1 doesn't sound horrible. It's just that the GT sounds REALLY good.

All in all I think you made a great choice and I look forward to reading more of your reviews. I think you should also start a journal on your car as I am sure you will be modding it. BTW, are you keeping the GT afterall??

Congratulations, the car looks menacing, and once broken in, you'll see how much it really has.

The speed limit can be displayed on the HUD in a much larger font, although I find the limit in the gauge cluster perfectly readable (and I'm 40+).

Your ZL1 also has magnetic ride. Stiffness varies greatly from Tour through Sport to Track, and then you have the additional PTM modes, too. In addition, you can lock any setting independent of the drive mode, so you can have 'Tour' suspension with 'Sport' exhaust and 'Track' steering wheel in 'Sport' drive mode, for example.

Lumbar support would be nice, I'm considering an aftermarket solution for my seats. I hear you on the interior, but I absolutely love the design and the cockpit feel. The door with the handle angle and placement works absolutely fine for me. Window button placement is subpar indeed, and some of the hard plastic could be better. I don't really notice any of these unless I'm trying to be picky, though, the ambient lighting with the carbon fiber dash panel makes up for some of it anyway.

You open the door, slowly rotate your purdy butt to the left, put your feet out and spring up :laughabove:

Idaho, you’re posts are always good to read. Congrats on the ZL1! What’s good for you is you can drive whatever car fits your mood.

Haha! Unfortunately, I'll probably end up selling the Mustang, I just don't have room for both in the stable right now.

I didn't realize the speed limit could be displayed in the HUD - that's nice to have a little larger, but so far I've tended to prefer the HUD w/ the rpms, gear, g's, and speed.

I messed w/ the suspension setting some tonight (along w/ the exhaust sounds).

Thanks! I can drive either for now, I'll likely end up selling the Mustang.

Great looking ZL1! I think any of the GM metallic colors look great - they tend to have a subtle color shift and pop so well in the sun.

With the mag ride, I've been leaving mine in tour mode on the street. Sport really does firm it up quite a bit.

Popped over to M6G cause it had been a while since I visited and I figured you'd have a thread going over there - man those guys were salty at you for considering a ZL1.

Some nice cars there!

I agree that the one thing that the ZL1 needs from the factory is better exhaust. What are your plans there?

Thanks! No plans as of right now. I would like a Borla S type someday like I have on my Mustang, but they are a pretty penny...$2200+ w/ the NPP valves. :confused0068:

I went with MBRP on my ZL1 as they were pretty inexpensive. Matter of fact, I have been going with MBRP on most of my cars. Anyway their stainless steel catback is nice and loud especially o startup but has no drone. And it deletes the valves. You get a bracket with the kit to bolt the valves onto. Then then bracket bolts onto a part of the body under the car so it is out of the way but not loose and clunking around.

The biggest difference with the ZL1 (and possibly all Camaro) stock exhausts vs the Stang is that with the ZL1 you will have to cut the stock exhaust on both sides about 1-2 inches past the cats. So it is annoying as Hell. I had to go to Advance Auto, rent a manual cutting tool, and then go back and forth around trying to cut the exhaust. It took some time (about 30 minutes) but I was able to cut it and install the catback. You gotta be careful not to cut it too short or too long as the exhaust will sit weird. And I believe you'll have to do this with every catback for the ZL1. Not sure. But all in all the install took me about 3 hours with hand tools and on ramps. Again, it is a nice looking cheap good quality exhaust. That is one way to go.

Hung out with my friend today that owns the GT350, thought I'd get a pic of me with both cars: