[nester7929]

To preface this, the purpose of this thread is not to foster bickering between fanboys. As this comparison was done completely on my own without drawing from rag reviews or anything like that, I'd hate to see it thrown into the million-page Mustang thread. Especially with the time I spent doing it. This is not to promote one car over the other, but is a guide to others like myself who are fans of all muscle cars and find themselves on the fence.

I drive a 2006 Mustang GT. Back in Jan '06 when I bought it, my choices were limited to either the Mustang or the GTO. While I did love the power the GTO offered, I didn't care for the bland styling. So I pulled the trigger on a GT, and haven't since regretted it. However, now that the GT has over 60k miles on it and the muscle car wars have heated up again, I felt the time was right to look at potential replacements.

Because I only have around 30-35k to spend, I decided to look at the Camaro and the Mustang 5.0. While I would have loved to test a Challenger (it has my favorite body style of the three), my price range is a bit below the high premium that the SRT-8 commands, and the R/T doesn't seem to hold up against either of Dodge's competitors (at least not on paper).

2010 Camaro SS:

I actually had a chance to drive this a few weeks ago, but wanted to pit it against the new 5.0 before I wrote about it. I have wanted a Camaro ever since the concept first made an appearance a few years ago. After gazing through showroom windows for several months, I finally got a chance to drive one when my friend offered me a test drive in his SS.

The first thing I noticed is how small the cabin is. Which is awesome. I'm 5'6", so it's not very often that I get into a car that actually fits me. The interior quality is fantastic, with the most comfortable leather seats I've ever sat in. My only gripes are frequently noted ones, and they are the shapes of the steering wheel and shifter knob. I understand that the designers wanted to keep them like the concept, but form should never take precedence over function when it comes to simple driving controls. A simple steering wheel with a comfortable shifter knob is key, and honestly I feel GM made a mistake in this area. Overall though, the interior is fantastic.

However, if I wanted a perfect interior, I'd have gotten a Mercedes. The real reason everyone gets this car is found under the hood. And it sure doesn't bother to hide itself. The LS3 makes its presence known, and the IRS and 6-speed combine with it to create the most driver-friendly car I've ever been in. This is a touring car, plain and simple.

I do have two minor issues with the performance. One is the weight. It doesn't feel like a truck, and it's not like the LS3 has difficulty moving it, but you can definitely feel the weight holding the car to the road. The other is skip-shift. The whole point of getting a stick in the first place is to have complete control over your vehicle, and skip-shift takes a dump on that notion. From what I understand it's actually pretty simple to remove the feature, and were I to get an SS, it would be the first thing to go.

Overall, I loved it, and would have no problems shelling out the cash to own one.


2011 Mustang GT:

My current 2006 Mustang GT is amazing. It represents the rebirth of the muscle car era, and a turning point for Ford in general. It's a beautiful deep blue color and wears white stripes. The Ford Racing headers and catback give the ol' 4.6 an awesome throaty tone, and when you open it up on the highway, it lets you know it can handle anything you throw at it. My Mustang; an American classic if there ever was one.

Today I drove a 2011 Mustang GT.

My Mustang sucks.

I was a little surprised when I heard Ford was actually going to take the horsepower wars seriously this time around, and even more surprised when they resurrected the 5.0/302. So when my dealer called and told me they got in a demo 5.0 with a stick, I was there within the hour.

First off, the interior is greatly improved. Quality leather, awesome sound system, etc. What really sets it off is the ambient lighting throughout the interior. The cupholders, the gauges, the underdash, and even the door sill plates light up in whatever color you choose. Unfortunately, Ford still hasn't felt the need to offer a tilt-adjust to the back of the seat. In my experience, my perfect seat position always seems to be right between two of the offered positions. Perhaps an 8-way adjustable seat is an option, I don't know, but I sure missed it on this one.

What I don't miss is the 4.6. This Mustang is fast. The 5.0 is a godsend for Mustang fans, and the sound is incredible. I was drooling in the demo car imagining how it would sound with a catback. Also, Ford finally decided to put in a 6-speed. While they're about a decade late to that party, I'm still glad they did it. The throws on it are pretty short too. It handles surprisingly well despite having the live axle setup, but I want to know why Ford is still putting stagecoach axles on their cars. While you can throw it through the curves just fine, it doesn't offer the smooth ride the Camaro does. However, it does feel lighter, which goes a long way in terms of handling.

Overall, Ford made a killer machine. It feels more like an SVT vehicle than a standard Ford. People who don't give the Mustang a second glance need to look again, because this time around the Mustang is fierce competition.



I'd like to say there was a clear cut winner, but I'm ruling this one as too close to call. The Mustang is slightly faster and has more user-friendly controls, but the Camaro rides smoother, has the most comfortable leather, and is slightly less expensive. Both respond amazingly well to driver's actions, and I would spend my hard-earned money on either one of them. If someone put a gun to my head and said I had to choose one, I'd probably go with the Mustang since I'm already used to them, but I'd be content with buying a Camaro as well.