Ok. For the sake of discussion, and because its very slow here today, I combined all the acceleration stuff (and top speed) into "acceleration", and came up with this (just as useless, but fun) little matrix. It shows "wins" for each category based on the 4 magazine's results:
Acceleration:
GT500 = 4
ZL1 = 0
Not reported = 0
Most "wins" = GT500
Braking:
GT500 = 2
ZL1 = 1
Not reported = 1
Most "wins" = GT500
Skidpad:
GT500 = 1
ZL1 = 1
Not reported = 2
Most "wins" = Tie
Slalom:
GT500 = 1
ZL1 = 2
Not reported = 1
Most "wins" = ZL1
Road Course:
GT500 = 2
ZL1 = 1
Tie = 1
Most "wins" = GT500
Broken down that way, in raw numbers, you end up with the following:
GT500 wins 3 (Accel, braking, Road course)
ZL1 wins 1
Cars "tie" on 1 (skidpad)
Final results = 3-1-1
I leave off gas mileage because its not a performance metric in the same sense as those above, and most folks don't buy these cars for mileage (though it is something I always consider...regardless of what kind of vehicle I'm purchasing).
Of course, those things that can't be measured include ride comfort, level of ability needed to obtain x or y numbers, and what is often called the "feel" of the car. Other things that are often ignored include visibility, available options , how well a car is equipped in base trim, cost of ownership, mpg, warranty, etc.
Let us not forget personal preference on looks and brand loyalty (abundant on BOTH sides...in spades)
As always, we draw our own conclusions.
