Matthew DeBord/BI
Can the Camaro beat out the 'Stang?
- The Ford Mustang GT and the Chevy Camaro SS are two of the USA's most famous muscle cars, but both icons have been updated for the modern world.
- I drove both and was impressed with the staying power of their old-school V8 engines - but also the new technologies that Chevy and Ford have deployed.
- Ultimately, I preferred the wilder Mustang GT, but the Chevy Camaro SS might be easier for some drivers to live with day-to-day.
Muscle cars are often characterized as uncompromising, given that these all-American machines are designed to serve up serious speed in a straight line.
But the truth is that for much of their multi-decade reign on the roads of the USA, that speed has been crude. Loud and proud, but if you asked a muscle car to gracefully negotiate a corner, well ... you'd have been far better off with a Porsche.
That's all been changing in the 21st century, however. With the Mustang and the Camaro, Ford and Chevy have engineered hybrids of a muscle car and a sports car. OK, they can't quite do it all, and if you want a car that's brilliant in the curves, German might still be your best bet. But Porsches and BMWs ain't cheap. Mustangs and Camaros aren't, either, but their price tags are many thousands below European coupés that match up on horsepower.
Over the past year, I was lucky enough to be flipped the keys to both a Mustang GT and a Camaro SS, both rocking potent V8 engines, and outfitted in flashy colors. So did I favor the bright yellow 'Stang or the hot orange Camaro SS?
Read on to find out.
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