Chevy Camaro SS Vs Ford Mustang GT Vs Dodge Challenger R/T Comparison

MotorTrend

We pit the much-anticipated Chevy Camaro SS against its strongest competition: the Ford Mustang GT and the Dodge Challenger R/T.

Transcript

00:00 Gentlemen, this is the comparison test you've been waiting nearly four decades for.

00:05 And trust me, even if you weren't born yet, if you're a motoring enthusiast, you've been

00:09 waiting.

00:10 Because behind me are three of America's most iconic pony cars.

00:14 And they've only just been resurrected as a trio to fight again in the 21st century.

00:20 To my left, the Ford Mustang.

00:22 It never went away, but for 2010 it's been freshened with some new bodywork.

00:26 Under the hood is a 4.6 liter V8 making 315 horsepower and made it to a five speed manual

00:32 transmission.

00:33 In the center, the one that we haven't seen since 1974, the Dodge Challenger.

00:38 Returned last year, but for 2009 is available a new RT package with 5.7 liter Hemi V8 making

00:45 376 horsepower and made it to a six speed manual transmission.

00:49 Great looking body kit too, I must say.

00:51 And of course, the one everybody's been waiting for since 2002, the F car that disappeared

00:56 the all new 2010 Chevy Camaro.

00:59 This is the SS with 426 horsepower, 6.2 liter V8 made it to a six speed manual transmission.

01:06 We've got all three today together for the first time here in America.

01:09 And we're going to find out for the 21st century, which is the pony car that rules.

01:12 Now we're in the Dodge Challenger RT.

01:40 This one is the big bruiser of the bunch.

01:42 Weighs over 4,100 pounds.

01:44 Big broad shouldered car, real man's car.

01:48 It's got a nice 376 horsepower, 5.7 liter Hemi under the hood.

01:53 Goes down the road very, very nicely, I must say.

01:56 It is not, however, as sharp edged as the Ford Mustang GT.

01:59 And it doesn't have the overall power and poise of the new Camaro SS.

02:04 All three of these babies are fast.

02:06 The Dodge Challenger RT weighs almost 600 pounds more than the Ford Mustang.

02:11 And a good 300 pounds more than the Camaro SS.

02:15 Nonetheless, the big Dodge rips to 60 miles an hour in just 5.1 seconds.

02:20 And knocks down the quarter in 13.6 seconds at 104.9 miles per hour.

02:26 Not surprisingly, with all that weight, the broad shouldered Challenger finished last in

02:30 our handling tests.

02:32 Stirring up just 0.82 G max and eating 27.5 seconds at 0.63 average Gs to negotiate our

02:40 figure eight test.

02:42 Braking performance follows a similar pattern.

02:44 The big Challenger RT needing a full 135 feet to rein in forward motion from 60 miles an

02:49 hour.

02:50 Uncle Isaac Newton kind of predicted this one.

02:54 In this test, he finishes third, but it's hardly last place.

02:58 This is a very finely done cruising car.

03:01 It's got great straight line speed.

03:03 And it's the kind of car you'd like to take across the country on a long trip.

03:07 Lots of room inside.

03:09 Very comfortable ride.

03:10 And as I mentioned, this fantastic powertrain.

03:13 Lots of torque.

03:14 Very effortless to drive.

03:15 On the negative side, the interior is a little bit familiar.

03:19 We've seen this before in the Chrysler 300.

03:21 The steering wheel is almost exactly the same.

03:24 Outside, however, the Challenger is extremely successful.

03:27 I think of the three cars here, this one is the one that most channels the cars of yore.

03:32 You can almost see in that banded grill the Challenger that raced in Vanishing Point.

03:37 It's a very faithful reincarnation of the original Challenger.

03:40 And yet it does look modern.

03:42 It's not an exact copy.

03:44 Editor in chief Angus McKenzie sums up so well about the Dodge Challenger.

03:48 It's got a hugely endearing personality.

03:51 Even though the Challenger starts to fall apart dynamically above seven tenths, you

03:54 can't help but like the figure.

03:56 It's sort of like a heritage soft tail Harley Davidson.

03:59 A carefully crafted, easy to own reminder of a simpler, sunnier America.

04:05 Well, this new Ford Mustang GT really is the embodiment of the word pony car.

04:11 It feels a good 25% lighter than the Camaro and about 50% lighter than the Challenger.

04:16 Of course, it's not.

04:18 But it has that very lively feel that a pony car should have.

04:22 In fact, this may be one of the finest handling ones we've ever driven.

04:25 With this track package on the GT, the Mustang really bites in hard, almost like a race car

04:31 when you're going for turns.

04:33 Very, very impressive.

04:34 All of us have commented on that, driving it through the mountains up here.

04:37 And it frankly surprised us how good this old platform has performed.

04:41 The Mustang GT carries the least impressive on paper physique, just 4.6 liters making

04:47 315 horsepower.

04:48 But like a bantamweight, it packs a hell of a punch.

04:52 Nearly 600 pounds lighter than the Dodge, Ford's pony rockets to 60 miles an hour in

04:57 a mere 4.9 seconds.

04:58 And it holds that edge for the quarter, nipping the lights in 13.5 seconds at a trap speed

05:05 of 104.2 miles per hour.

05:08 Bewearing only conventional binders, the low mass Mustang GT hammers to a stop from 60

05:13 miles an hour in just 108 feet.

05:16 The lightweight, track pack enhanced Mustang GT posts the defining stats on handling tests.

05:23 Maximum grip is a neck wrenching 0.95 G and the GT circled our figure 8 in just 25.5 seconds

05:31 at 0.70 G average.

05:34 Of course the Mustang as you all know has a live rear axle.

05:38 Compared with the independent rear suspension of the Camaro for instance, it doesn't seem

05:42 a huge detriment.

05:43 Yes, when you're going over some of the really rough stuff, the Camaro is just a little bit

05:48 better settled than the Mustang.

05:49 But the Mustang is pretty good.

05:51 And as I said, the front end grip is so impressive when you turn in.

05:55 You see I just made a bear breathe on the steering wheel and it just takes a set, it

05:59 doesn't understeer and it's a real joy to drive fast.

06:02 Some of the negatives about it, although we love the look of the interior, Ford has done

06:06 a great job making this a very stylish place to do the business of driving.

06:10 It's put together as well as a couple of the other cars in this test, the Challenger and

06:13 the Camaro.

06:14 For instance, there's a terrible wind leak right here, the door seal is not, the window

06:18 glass is not sealed against the door well.

06:20 And the way the trunk fits frankly is just not up to par.

06:24 There's big gaps in the body panels that we wouldn't have expected of a finished production

06:28 car.

06:29 But overall, this remains a very, very attractive piece and frankly we're just amazed at how

06:34 good Ford has made this old technology work.

06:37 The Mustang GT with track pack blew us all away with its sublime steering, incredible

06:43 front end grip, stylish cockpit and beauteous V8.

06:47 As our Ed Lowe notes, "That's what impressed me most.

06:51 Ford's two competitors had the advantage of sampling 45 years of Mustang DNA, yet they

06:56 still couldn't pull out a runaway win."

06:59 I think what strikes me most about driving this new 2010 Camaro SS is how grown up it

07:04 is.

07:05 It's got a lot of kick obviously, 426 horsepower, great 6-speed manual transmission, but it's

07:12 also quite a refined car.

07:14 Nice steering feel, good ride, the engine's very smooth, very tractable.

07:19 This is a car I could definitely see myself cruising across the country in quite comfortably.

07:24 But when you hustle it hard, it really comes into its own.

07:27 The poise is just a little bit better than the Mustang's.

07:30 I noticed that when the road was getting unsettled a little bit while we're driving up the mountains,

07:34 the Mustang might step out a bit here or there, whereas the Camaro would stay planted.

07:39 The Mustang has a little bit sharper front end feel.

07:42 The Camaro tends to roll in a little bit more, but it takes a good set, it holds on hard,

07:47 it's very rewarding to drive fast.

07:49 Despite its 3,859 pounds, born of the Camaro's use of a pre-existing Zeta structure, 0-60

07:56 miles an hour takes a mere 4.7 seconds, quarter mile just 13 seconds flat at 111 miles per

08:03 hour.

08:04 The Camaro SS trails the Mustang GT in our handling test, but it's close behind.

08:09 Maximum lateral acceleration, 0.9 G, and it runs through our cones at 25.8 seconds at

08:16 0.80 average G.

08:19 Blessed with four big Brembo brakes, the Camaro SS, though heavier than the Mustang, notches

08:25 up the braking wind, stopping from 60 miles an hour at just 105 feet.

08:30 The interior's quite nice on this Camaro, too.

08:33 The material's a little bit higher grade, I think, than the Mustang's.

08:36 It's very well executed, maybe not quite as overtly stylish as the Ford, but you've got

08:41 to admire the way that GM has put this car together.

08:44 All in all, a very impressively done interior.

08:47 So we've been to the test track.

08:48 We've driven all three cars on highways, mountain roads, our full repertoire of driving environments,

08:53 and we've picked a winner.

08:55 Our unanimous choice is the 21st century pony car, the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS.

09:01 Considering all the ways GM could easily have got the Camaro wrong, it's nothing short of

09:05 a triumph how unquestionably the company got it right.

09:09 The Camaro might trail the Mustang in handling sharpness, and there's no doubt it finishes

09:13 last for cabin and trunk volume, but you don't pick your pony for the size of its saddle

09:18 bags.

09:19 Graced with massive power, excellent fuel efficiency, unfailing refinement, and show-stopping

09:25 good looks, the Camaro SS nails every essential for its segment.

09:30 What's more, it's priced to steal.

09:34 Base sticker for the one that says manual, just $39.95.

09:38 And that's why 35 years after the Dodge Challenger, the Chevy Camaro, and the Ford Mustang last

09:44 met, the Chevrolet Camaro comes out on top.

09:47 [Music]

09:54 (upbeat music)

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