Originally Posted by Idaho2018GTPremium
The GT350 and GT350R are every bit the "sports car" that any Camaro is, so that's not really a definitive factor for the Camaro.
I would argue the Mustang sells better than the Camaro for a number of other reasons. A few being: name recognition and heritage; livability: i.e. better ergonomics, better visibility, bigger trunk, bigger back seats, etc., (it's been easier to see out of than the Camaro since the fox body days - I had a 3rd gen and 4th gen Trans Am - you couldn't even see the hood in the 4th gen!), lower cost base V8 option (up until the LT1 Camaro was introduced last year), styling (subjective, but I think most people would argue the Mustang looks better than the Camaro - I realize not this crowd), more comfortable for daily driving.
Challenger sells better for many of those same reasons, although not necessarily the name recognition or heritage - as those are on par w/ the Camaro IMO. Dodge also does more marketing and pushes the boundaries (Hellcat, Demon, Redeye) that grabs attention. The ZL1 grabbed attn. back in 2017, but nothing since. The ZLE doesn't quite speak to the public like a wild 797 hp Grand Tourer widebody that weighs almost 4,600 lbs and looks pretty cool going down the road.
Sure, the base SS is better handling the the base GT and PP1, and the SLE is about as quick around a track but better balanced than the PP2, but we're talking about only a tiny fragment of people that care about those minute differences. A PP1 w/ MagneRide is really good - I can attest, that's what I have. It's a blast on back roads. A PP2 is really good (except for tramlining). The GT350R is exceptional. Randy P. called the GT500 CFTP a true Supercar (not Supercar killer). It's not like the Mustang is hurting for track prowess.
That's where the Camaro faithful fall short nowadays. They hang their hat on that the SS goes around a track better than a PP1, or that the SLE is potentially slightly quicker around a track than the PP2 (both wearing Cup 2 tires), but that doesn't matter that much, really, in the grand scheme of things. Most people want a cool car that accelerates well, looks good, and is fun to drive and easy to live with.
In order for those great Camaros to exist (ZL1, ZLE, Z28, etc.), GM needs to sell enough of the base models and SS models to keep the nameplate going. I hope it does, because competition breeds improvement, on both sides.
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