ZL1 baby

Not sure of this has been posted yet, but Inside Line ans Car and Driver both did comparison tests with the '13 GT500 and the '12 ZL1.

Seems like raw horsepower isn't everything anymore.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 vs. 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Comparison Test

The Caranddriver.com test isn't online yet, just the mag, but they came to the same conclusion

Guess that puts an end to that debate...for now at least

 

ZL1 has been doing well on the handling, driving experience/subjective tests the GT500 has been cleaning up all the speed performance tests.

Big HP and the ability to tackle a world class road course are impressive for magazines and internet bench racing but in the end these are still street cars. And they will spend a lot more time in garages, parking lots, traffic, car washes and in front of coffee shops than at Laguna Seca or Englishtown.

 

The Mustang wins the 1/4 miles and the 0-60 and almost a tie on the braking. The camaro wins on the slalom and has higher cornering g's. So the mustang is the better strait line performer where as the Camaro is better in the turns. Not really a conclusive win for either side. Both cars have their strengths over their competitor.

 

Yeah but one of the problems for the Shelby is that the Camaro is nicer to drive every day by most accounts.

 

Motortrends comparo

And in this comparo the GT500 beat the ZL1 by .5 at the track.

The ZL1 has been getting the nod in subjective tests, but I suppose the question is who cross shops the ZL1 and GT500 since these cars tend to be shopped by well heeled nutswingers.

I do **** off my Mustang buddies though when I tell them that the ZL1 is a better value proposition since it comes comprehinsively equpped and you need about 6.5k in options to meet the ZL1 (8k with the Recaros) in content.

 

Yup, Apples to Orange comparison. Both cars have branched out away from a real head to head sort of deal.

I think both have their pros and cons. I find the poor visibility of the Camaro to be a big drawback for daily drive-ability. However, as a person whose driven a CTS-V, the magnetic suspension is wonderful on even the worst Michigan pot-holed roads. I've found no other car to even compare it to.

 

is it really any surprise that the lighter car that has 70 more horsepower is faster in a straight line?

 

No, but it is a surprise they didn't do anything involving brake cooling ducts, though.

 

Here is a summary of the reviews we have seen so far:




Would like to point out that I didn't make this image. Just a simple reference for the objective data from the test.

 

Obviously that image was made by a Mustang fan...

In my younger days, I'd have likely said the same thing. But I've come to realize that things like steering feel, brake feel, and just general "how it drives" characteristics do count for a lot.

It used to drive me nuts when the 911 would get chosen over a Vette in a comparison (for twice the money, of course) when the Vette could mop the floor with it in performance tests. But in reality, on the street where most of us drive, I'm not going to notice 0-60 in 4.5 secs vs 4.3 secs.

With these two cars, I'm sure the GT500 doesn't feel like a school bus, it just doesn't feel quite as responsive and buttoned down as the Camaro. Similarly, the ZL1 isn't a boat anchor, it's just not quite as crazy quick as the GT500 (particularly above triple digit speeds). So, brand loyalty aside (which is what will really drive the decision for probably 95% of people who are in the market for one of these), for me it really would just come down to subjective things, like styling (inside and out), features, steering, braking, ride, sounds, and just general overall level of fun. In reality, though, it would be tough to overcome the GM that's been in my blood for so long, while it would also be difficult to walk away from 662 hp and the bragging rights that go with it (since I'm not likely to take either car to a race track)!

I love 'em both. In my younger days, I would have had a tougher time admitting that.

 

And hosted on a Ford enthusiast website.

Perhaps they should change this website's name to Camaro Enthusiasts and Ford Fanboy Trolls?

 

This is important. In fact the last video I saw which I think was Motor Trend had the driver comment that the GT500 was not remotely as consistent around Laguna Seca because the brakes were such crap that they started to fade after the hero lap and times took a dive. ZL1 was more consistent, and in fact was ahead on telemetry until the very last straight. Pobst said "The Camaro is track ready," and regarding the GT500 "I don't like the braking, it doesn't generate confidence..." He did note that if it had better brakes it would be the better track toy.

Basically everyone says that the GT500 can't keep up on winding roads if there is any hint of bumpiness, which makes sense since it has a much less sophisticated suspension (here I am mainly referring to the limited adjustable dampers vs MSRC).

Interestingly, in the comments for that review there was some clown talking about how "driving confidence" was stupid and if you gave it to a driver "with some *****" the GT500 would win every test. I like comments like these, especially considering it is highly unlikely that guy has ever driven a 580-660HP car anywhere near the limit. It reminded me of when GM took the C6 Z06 to Nurburgring for the first time and Jan Magnussen commented that the lap time was as fast as they could get because he was too scared to go any faster, or something to that effect. It had more power than the original spec dampers and tires were good for, with much less downforce than the racecars

In any event, GT500 is probably better for those that may want to mod a garage queen and maybe even race on a smooth road coarse. It is definitely better at drag strip.

 

^^^^

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That driver runs Leguna Seca a lot, and he got one hell of a first lap with the GT500, beat the ZL1's best time by .5 seconds. But after the first lap the laps times started decreasing significantly and he was not confident on the break peddle at all. Not a good thing on Seca because its has a lot of straights to pick up good speed before most corners.

Also I think we should note that driver was in a SVT equipped GT500, you can tell by the wheels. So it most likely had the Track Pack as well. Which is $7k more than the ZL1

 

More to your liking then?

 

The only two reasons I can think the GT500 stunk here was the limit to brake diameter due to smaller wheels in the front (the GT500 comes with 6 pot front binders but only 19" wheels) and due to the live axle preventing the use of anything more than a single piston sliding caliper rear (not entirely convinced thats the case for not using them but I've been told the C-clip axles prevent the use of something better).


The ZL1 does come with a set of nice two-piece rotors in the front as well - <sarcasm>sigh would have probably been a 10,000 dollar option on the GT500 to get the same iron/aluminum rotors up front as well.<sarcasm>

One thing I did notice about Randy Pobst though, he did have a big grin on his face with the GT500 toward the end.