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Old 07-06-2018, 01:42 PM   #1
Brooklync7
 
Drives: 2016 Dodge Charger Hellcat
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Zl1 test drive leaves me confused and dissapointed

So I’ll start off by saying I’m a hardcore gm fanboy. At least I thought I was.

My previous cars have been a 99 c5 corvette coupe, 2006 c6 corvette coupe, 2014 corvette stingray, and a 2011 gen 2 cts-v coupe. I really loved them all. My last gm car was my 2014 stingray.

My wife and I had our first child so it was time for a 4 seater. I went with my current car a 2016 Charger Hellcat which I absolutely love. Being as my son very rarely spends any time in my car I was thinking that a zl1 Camaro would do the trick. I came ready to leave the dealership with the zl1. Title and all keys in hand.

Took it for 2 test drives drove it hard and easy and I just wasn’t impressed which is very surprising given all the incredible reviews and fanfare around this car. I was expecting a z06 kind of drive, given they have the same power plant and it honestly felt nothing like the c7 z06. It honestly felt slow, and to tame. I know that’s a crazy thing to say but that’s just how I felt when driving it. It wasn’t the mean car I was expecting. The handling on the other hand was unreal! Seriously an incredible handling car.

I am really lost as to why the car felt so underwhelming. Could it be that the 6 speed manual is just outdated at this point and I’m just used to a superior auto like the zf8 in my hellcat? I honestly never though I would consider a zl1 in an auto but gears in the m6 were so longgggg and I’m getting the feeling that the car would feel more powerful in an auto.

Visibility is my biggest gripe with the car. I’ve had a lot of cars in my life but have never driven a car with worse visibility. I’m sure I could get used to it but damn.

If this is anything like the corvette forum I’m sure I’ll get beat up here, but please don’t think I’m trolling because I’m not. I’m wondering if I test drove a bad seed, or if I should give the auto a try, or if I’m not alone in my thoughts.

Most likely most of you hate the Hellcat but I drove home in that car appreciating it more than I have in a while, alll the while thinking damn if only it handled a little more like the Zl1 lol.
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Old 07-06-2018, 01:47 PM   #2
collinms
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooklync7 View Post
So I’ll start off by saying I’m a hardcore gm fanboy. At least I thought I was.

My previous cars have been a 99 c5 corvette coupe, 2006 c6 corvette coupe, 2014 corvette stingray, and a 2011 gen 2 cts-v coupe. I really loved them all. My last gm car was my 2014 stingray.

My wife and I had our first child so it was time for a 4 seater. I went with my current car a 2016 Charger Hellcat which I absolutely love. Being as my son very rarely spends any time in my car I was thinking that a zl1 Camaro would do the trick. I came ready to leave the dealership with the zl1. Title and all keys in hand.

Took it for 2 test drives drove it hard and easy and I just wasn’t impressed which is very surprising given all the incredible reviews and fanfare around this car. I was expecting a z06 kind of drive, given they have the same power plant and it honestly felt nothing like the c7 z06. It honestly felt slow, and to tame. I know that’s a crazy thing to say but that’s just how I felt when driving it. It wasn’t the mean car I was expecting. The handling on the other hand was unreal! Seriously an incredible handling car.

I am really lost as to why the car felt so underwhelming. Could it be that the 6 speed manual is just outdated at this point and I’m just used to a superior auto like the zf8 in my hellcat? I honestly never though I would consider a zl1 in an auto but gears in the m6 were so longgggg and I’m getting the feeling that the car would feel more powerful in an auto.

Visibility is my biggest gripe with the car. I’ve had a lot of cars in my life but have never driven a car with worse visibility. I’m sure I could get used to it but damn.

If this is anything like the corvette forum I’m sure I’ll get beat up here, but please don’t think I’m trolling because I’m not. I’m wondering if I test drove a bad seed, or if I should give the auto a try, or if I’m not alone in my thoughts.

Most likely most of you hate the Hellcat but I drove home in that car appreciating it more than I have in a while, alll the while thinking damn if only it handled a little more like the Zl1 lol.
Go drive the A10 car and be blown away. I came from a modded 2012 ctsv and it's better in all respects.
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Old 07-06-2018, 01:50 PM   #3
Brooklync7
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by collinms View Post
Go drive the A10 car and be blown away. I came from a modded 2012 ctsv and it's better in all respects.
That’s what I’m thinking at this point. I think while driving manual is my preference in a car like this, autos today are just way to superior to standard transmissions. I hated the a8 in the gen 3 V and corvette though which was very slow and dim witted. Hopefully go got the a10 right without the torque converter issues in the a8.
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Old 07-06-2018, 01:54 PM   #4
collinms
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooklync7 View Post
That’s what I’m thinking at this point. I think while driving manual is my preference in a car like this, autos today are just way to superior to standard transmissions. I hated the a8 in the gen 3 V and corvette though which was very slow and dim witted. Hopefully go got the a10 right without the torque converter issues in the a8.
I am blown away with how good it is. Be sure to put the car in track mode on your test drive. Please report back when you do because I have a feeling you will be amazed by it. I was never really into camaros, I was a corvette guy but the transmission was 50% of my buying decision. Yes, it's bad seeing out of the thing but with time it feels normal. Put the suspension in tour or sport. Track mode suspension is pretty damn firm.
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Old 07-06-2018, 02:08 PM   #5
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Several of my previous cars were over 600hp (just sold a Gen V Viper GTS).

I have a new '18 Black ZL1 with the A10.

The A10 is spectacular on the ZL1 and nothing about a Hellcat transmission is superior. The A10 is very smooth, state-of-the-art and fast and can often mask the speed. I highly recommend the A10 in urban/suburban environments where you will have substantial traffic.

Would I love another 100hp? Of course, why not! However, I will wait to see if GM drops the LT5 in the ZL1 next. Until then, I love this car! It looks like a F22 Raptor and a Transformer!

The Charger and Challenger are different types of car. These cars are based on a very old chassis and are not designed with the same engineering as the ZL1 to be an actual sportscar/GT. That said, the Hellcats, Redeye and Demon have impressive power plants.

The back seats on the ZL1 are small so be prepared.

There is a reason more than one type of car is available (each to their own), so just choose the car you like best!
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Old 07-06-2018, 02:23 PM   #6
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Perhaps the dealer placed the car into valet or teen mode for test driving.

The Hellcat has 100 more HP, but weighs over 800 lbs. more.

Apples and oranges. ZL1 is a true world class sports car, Charger Hellcat is a muscle car. Both do what they do well.

It, as Stealth7 mentioned is a personal decision.
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Old 07-06-2018, 02:23 PM   #7
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I was a hardcore T56 guy before my ZL1 A10 and I told myself I would never own another auto (this was 10 years ago). I can say that I would have to retract my statement because I do love the A10, light years ahead of the old 4L60E I was used to before I went 6-speed.

I would suggest driving an A10 car, in track mode like mentioned above and try to do some spirited driving on your test drive (if they allow you to). My A10 is great putting around town at RPM's below 2500 but I feel it really feels awesome when you get it above 2500 RPM with moderate to full throttle and let it do it's thing.

A few other points I wanted to make were the ZL1 is so balanced and well mannered at high speeds that you may be going much faster than think. 100mph ZL1 speeds feel like a 65mph cruise in my Silverado. Also, maybe it' s in my head, but I think my car feels much stronger after I hit 3500 miles on the odometer. I can consistently hit 0-60 times on the street in 3.5-3.6 seconds and last weekend ran about a dozen 1/8 mile runs at 7.5 @99mph in the midwest heat.
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Old 07-06-2018, 02:26 PM   #8
kaamacat
 
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One thing I've noticed in the ZL1 is, the seats do "absorb" a good amount of the hp/tq you might feel in something like the corvette had. The Viper I just came from you figure was about the same HP/TQ, granted lighter. The Sabelt seats in the Viper being MUCH thinner had you a bit more connected to the body of the car for that "seat of the pants feeling" as they say. The ZL1 is doing the deed, you just may not/do not feel it nearly the same way. I think the C7 seats are exactly the same for the most part.

I knew going into the ZL1 1LE what to expect, but for what I wanted (something with a less consumables cost for track events and its not a daily driver), it fit the bill nicely, and, I really did like my Gen5 Zl1.

Its one of those things... I get in something and know in that first mile whether or not it's a car I can live with.
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Old 07-06-2018, 02:43 PM   #9
Brooklync7
 
Drives: 2016 Dodge Charger Hellcat
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Touching on a couple of points referenced above. When I said the Hellcats a8 was superior I was comparing it to the m6 in the Camaro not the a10 which I haven’t driven yet. That being said the zf8 is far superior to the GM a8.

My test drives were both in track mode and valet mode was definitely not a factor lol.

I am looking forward testing the a10 but I always felt like the zl1 deserved a manual, maybe one with closer gear ratio however.
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Old 07-06-2018, 02:47 PM   #10
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If the car doesn’t connect with you then its the wrong car. Plenty of other machines out there.
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Old 07-06-2018, 02:53 PM   #11
Brooklync7
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND View Post
If the car doesn’t connect with you then its the wrong car. Plenty of other machines out there.
Your absolutely right, which is where the confused part of my title comes in. Given my history with cars I was expecting to fall head over heals in love with it, and just didn’t at all. Maybe I’m broken
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Old 07-06-2018, 03:05 PM   #12
Brooklync7
 
Drives: 2016 Dodge Charger Hellcat
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Quote:
Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND View Post
If the car doesn’t connect with you then its the wrong car. Plenty of other machines out there.
Btw my cousin just picked up a 2018 m5 last week and wow just wow. You’ll love it.
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Old 07-06-2018, 03:07 PM   #13
F1FTY

 
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Originally Posted by Brooklync7 View Post
Your absolutely right, which is where the confused part of my title comes in. Given my history with cars I was expecting to fall head over heals in love with it, and just didn’t at all. Maybe I’m broken
It's possible the power difference wouldn't manifest itself on a test drive alone.

...and maybe it's just not the right car for you too. It's all good.
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Old 07-06-2018, 03:22 PM   #14
DangerZL1


 
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If you're worried about rear visibility, the 2019 model will have the rear camera mirror standard providing an unobstructed rear view.
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