2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS vs 2016 Ford Mustang GT: Old War, New Warriors

The latest duel between longtime rivals.




CHEROKEE LEGEND SAYS THE APPALACHIAN hills were created after the waters of a colossal flood receded and the Great Buzzard, tired and flying low, struck the soft ground with his wings. The flapping in the mud dug the hollers and formed the hills.
We're slicing through this territory, fall leaves flying in our wake, to write the next installment of another old tale: Camaro versus Mustang.

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PHOTOS: 2016 Chevy Camaro SS vs 2016 Ford Mustang GT


The pony-car war has been going on for nearly 50 years, an eternity in our world of ephemeral marketing, but it's never been as interesting as it is right now. The new Camaro SS, lighter than before, faces a restyled Mustang GT that debuted just last year with a vastly improved suspension. Both Michigan-made machines pack powerful V8s, but they're clearly engineered for more than revving at red lights. They want to chase each other through switchbacks and pivot through hairpins. So, we left the gridlines of Michigan behind for the Chattahoochee-Oconee and Cherokee National Forests, which straddle the spine of Appalachia through Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. On the map, the roads in these parts appear to have been inked by a drunken tattoo artist during an 8.4-magnitude shaker. They include the famous Tail of the Dragon, the most notorious curvy road in the country.
"The Tail is actually the worst stretch," says associate editor and third-generation Knoxvillian Zach Bowman.


People down here seem to like pony cars. Or one of them, at least. We can hardly stop for gas without having to confirm for a crowd that, yes, this is the new Mustang. No one has anything to say about the Camaro SS. That's probably because from 10 feet away, it looks just like the one it replaces. Ford designers worked harder than their Chevy counterparts to breathe new life into old cues. The Mustang's vertical three-bar taillights, for instance, look like they came out of a 3-D printer, whereas the Camaro's traditional horizontal lights are, as ever, flat pieces of plastic.

Maybe, though, it's just the gravity of the 9.6 million Mustangs built since 1964, twice the number of Camaros. If you haven't owned one, you know someone who has. Bemused by the Mustang's popularity, I point out the Camaro to a woman in her midfifties who'd wandered over to admire the Mustang while leaving the nozzle pumping in her F-150. "I like Fords," she smiles back from behind her big hair.
Too bad for her, because under the Camaro's familiar façade is an emphatically different car. A switch to Cadillac's light and rigid Alpha platform cuts the Camaro's curb weight to 3760, down about 150 pounds from the last-gen model. If the outgoing Camaro was a two-door Chevy SS, the new one is an ATS-V coupe with a V8 option.


Richard Pardon

The interior is not quite a Cadillac's but has nonetheless made huge strides. Two analog gauges and the general shape of the instrument panel are the only reminders of the old Camaro. A configurable digital screen between the speedometer and tachometer can display navigation directions, more gauges, and vehicle settings. The center screen that controls the radio and navigation system is tilted downward, like a flat-screen television on a failing wall mount. Presumably done to cut down on glare, it looks odd, even if the screen is responsive and easy to use. Metal bezels on center heating and air-conditioning vents turn to adjust the temperature. Very elegant. Very Audi.
Traffic through the Tail of the Dragon is remarkably heavy for midweek. Temperatures in the high 70s have brought out flocks of Softtail Fat Boys, who lean clumsily through 318 curves, their throbbing songs carrying down hill and dale.
Our rides play nicer tunes. You can get a turbo four or a V6 in both the Camaro and Mustang, but you don't want them for the same reason you don't drink nonalcoholic beer—even if the flavor's close, the point is lost.




The Camaro's 6.2-liter V8 comes straight from the Corvette with a healthy 455 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque. It sounds every bit as good here as in the Corvette; just tick the dual-mode exhaust ($895) option. A push of the mode selector behind the shifter swings open the flaps in the exhaust, changing the volume from quiet to riot.
With twice as many valves and four times as many camshafts, the 435-hp 5.0-liter Coyote V8 in the Mustang nearly matches the Camaro's oomph. Thrust comes on early and doesn't taper off, even at the 7000-rpm redline. But Ford smothers its V8 melody. Pony cars should celebrate the V8; every kick of the accelerator pedal should make you want to find an American flag to salute. Show me your power, Coyote! I want to hear you. I want to feel you. But, no: In the Mustang, I'm the guy at the Who concert wearing earplugs.
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The Dragon spits us out onto faster and relatively empty Route 143 in North Carolina. We follow the jagged shoreline of Lake Santeetlah, formed when a hydroelectric dam stopped up the Cheoah River in 1928. Speeds rise and the poplars and hemlocks blur. Time to pay attention.


Especially since it's still tough to see anything outside the Camaro. Not the sky, not the treetops, and, in the rearview, not the Monroe County, Georgia, sheriff's Dodge Charger that's following us. But this Camaro reacts like a smaller and lighter car. Communication through the small-diameter steering wheel is as clear and detailed as in the ATS-V. The ride is a wonder. Magnetorheological shocks, offered for the first time on the SS, tighten as you progress through the drive modes, from recliner comfy to qualifyingly stiff. Commit to a corner and the Camaro hunkers down, grips, and pounds its way to the exit. On the skidpad, there's nearly a g of cling. If there's body roll, I don't notice.
The eight-speed automatic gearbox shifts with the smoothness and quickness of a dual-clutch transmission. In Sport and Track modes, it's so aggressive and smart you'll think the ghost of Mark Donohue is taking over. (Don't worry, you can still get a stick.)
By the time we stop for lunch in the old logging hamlet of Tellico Plains, Tennessee, it's obvious the Mustang, even with the Performance package, can't match the easy composure of the Camaro. There's more slop in the suspension. Contact patches feel smaller, as if someone put too much air in the tires. There's less interaction between the tires and the steering, too, and the nose doesn't leap to apexes as eagerly. It all feels slower and less connected than in the Camaro. Turn, pause, wait for the chassis to take a set.



Brakes? Ford trumps Chevy. The Performance package binders bite hard and never tire. The Camaro stops just fine but lacks the pedal feel of the Mustang. We also love the Ford's manual gearbox, which accepts quick shifts without a peep from the syncros. There's magic in the connection between the engine and transmission that our auto-equipped Camaro can't replicate, especially since taps of the paddles behind its steering wheel often go unanswered.
But if we're going to eat forest in either of these two, we're more likely to do so in the Mustang. Bowman can't believe that a car that felt so right last year is now "loose and wallowy."
After two days driving over the relief left behind by the Great Buzzard, there's no doubt the Camaro, with its Cadillac platform and Corvette engine, is the thoroughbred of its class. We can't believe it. The Camaro is almost too composed. The balance is sublime. It's refined and exciting. Has this once fat lout of a car become a bona fide sports car?
Did that just happen?
It happened.

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Road and Track

 

Great post BBMike. will be interesting how Ford answers the call of the 16 Camaro SS and LT1 for sure.

The more I see on the net the more I am happy with my choice in a new car purchase. At this point I dare say i know more about the camaro than my sales person does. :-)

 

 

Hi `Tadd, below is another test from Motor Trend for you & member's to enjoy

Motor Trend
Julia LaPalme, Christian Seabaugh11/23/2015

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I'll never forget the first time a fourth-gen Camaro SS rolled up on me in my 2000 Mustang GT. It was late at night. The roads were clear. He revved. I revved. Adrenaline surged. The light turned green. The Camaro ripped away from the light. And I—a college kid just days into driving stick—got left in the dust.
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It was late at night. The roads were clear. He revved. I revved. Adrenaline surged. The light turned green. And I got left in the dust.
It's tough to compete with Chevy's power-to-weight advantage.
The Mustang seems relaxed as it gallops ahead, humming at 2,000 rpm at 75 mph.
We want the car with the ponycar spirit, the one that makes adrenaline surge.
© Provided by MotorTrend 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS VS Ford Mustang GT MT homepage Since the Chevrolet Camaro's introduction in 1966, it and the Ford Mustang have faced off at countless other stoplights—and atMotor Trend more than 20 times ( see how the cars have evolved over the years here ). To say it's been contentious is an understatement. Mustang versus Camaro is among the greatest of rivalries. It's Celtics-Lakers, Rangers-Devils, Patriots-Everybody. The two sides have lots of history, and it ain't always friendly. Ford and Chevy have escalated the arms race, throwing more performance capability on the latest cars than ever before. Last year, the fifth-gen Camaro SS 1LE delivered an upset to the then-new Mustang GT Performance package. The Camaro's subjective and objective performance wowed us. With a new Camaro on the scene, the pressure's on Ford for revenge.
Not much separates our 2016 Ford Mustang GT Performance package from a 2015 model we previously tested—even the Triple Yellow Tri-Coat paint is the same. The S550 Mustang is among the most potent and capable yet. Under its long, sleek hood is a Coyote 5.0-liter V-8 putting down 435 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. Power is routed through a six-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels, just as God intended. That's not all the artillery the Mustang brings to the fight. The Performance package adds six-piston front Brembo brakes, a Torsen limited-slip diff with a 3.73:1 rear axle ratio, stiffer front springs, and 19-inch wheels wrapped in sticky Pirelli P Zero tires, among other items.
© Provided by MotorTrend 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS VS Ford Mustang GT front three quarter in motion The changes to the Chevy are more extensive. Much smaller than before courtesy of the Cadillac ATS' Alpha platform and a diet, the sixth-generation Camaro is now the flyweight of the segment, weighing in at 3,672 pounds to the Mustang's 3,825. The Camaro's weight advantage is complemented by an edge in power, too; the Corvette's LT1 6.2-liter V-8 churns out 455 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque in this spec. As in the Mustang, power is routed out the back through a six-speed gearbox and to the ground with some sticky tires, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3s here.
I might've fared better back in college in my car's successor. True to its drag racing roots, launching the modern Mustang couldn't be easier. Ignore launch control (it'll just slow you down), rev the Coyote to 3,000 rpm, dump the clutch, and get ready to start shifting. Sixty mph happens in 4.6 seconds at the tippy top of second gear, and the quarter mile comes in 12.9 seconds at 110 mph even. Although that performance is phenomenal by my 2000 Mustang GT's standards, it's tough to compete with the Chevy's newfound power-to-weight advantage. Feathering the clutch off the line is the fastest way to 60 mph in the Chevy, hitting the mark in a staggering 4.0 seconds (0.4 second faster than a 2015 Camaro SS 1LE) and running down the strip in 12.4 seconds at 114.6 mph.
© Provided by MotorTrend 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS VS Ford Mustang GT side Only in the past generation have the Mustang and Camaro seen a keener focus on handling, and it shows on these ponycars. The Camaro is faster, rounding the figure eight in 24.1 seconds and averaging 0.85 g in the process. Doing so couldn't be easier. The Camaro's steering is quick and precise, the big Brembos allow you to dive into the corner late, and the broad gearing and mega torque curve mean you can do the whole lap in second gear. Traction control is unobtrusive, so there's no real need to turn it off. That said, if you leave it on, you're missing the whole point of having a ponycar. The Camaro is a wonderfully controllable drift machine with the nannies shut off, the tail easily gathered back up by minor throttle adjustments.
The Mustang isn't as quick, and getting good performance out of it is harder work. The Ford laps the figure eight in 24.4 seconds averaging 0.82 g, but it's hard to escape the fact that it shares much with the last Mustang. "Feels like an old Mustang," testing guru Kim Reynolds said. "Feels heavy. There's a lack of damping in the body motions with high pitch and roll rates." In English: You're bouncing around a lot. You're shifting a lot, too, just cresting into third as you enter the corner before shifting back down to second. We like rowing our own gears as much as the next guy or gal, but rushing through the gears in the Ford is frustrating. The gearbox is notchy and narrow; it doesn't like to be hurried. As for going around a corner slowly, say with the tires smoking and the tail hanging out, well, the Mustang will do it, but balancing the Ford there, I reckon, is as difficult as keeping a U-2 spy plane from stalling at the edge of space. You're on the ragged edge, and if you're not careful, the rear end will quickly and without warning come around on you.
© Provided by MotorTrend CANYON CARVERS: It used to be that you wouldn't want to take a Camaro or Mustang on twisty roads. We're happy to say that those days are long gone. This Mustang isn't about the ragged edge, though. As the badge on the trunk says, it's a GT. At that it excels, and it starts inside. "It feels like Moray Callum and the team tried really hard," tweeter-in-chief Ed Loh said. "The soft-touch padded dash and door panels with contrast body-color stitching are nice touches." The optional Recaro buckets are appreciated, too—they're supportive, comfortable, and help give the driver a commanding view of the road. On the highway the Mustang seems relaxed as it gallops ahead. Humming at 2,000 rpm in sixth gear at 75 mph, the Ford has enough juice to pass slower traffic without shifting. The steering wheel stays on center, wind and road noise are well-managed, and the ride is remarkably comfortable. Cruising in the Mustang lets you appreciate the little things it offers, such as the aircraft-style switches, metal trim, and the new Sync 3 infotainment system. Combine all that with the Mustang's big trunk, and it isn't hard to imagine yourself cruising from New York to L.A. in the Ford.
The relaxed demeanor disappears when you start chucking the Mustang into corners. Driving hard and fast down country roads requires a fair amount of work. The pitching, rolling, diving, and surging that revealed themselves on the figure eight are amplified as you bounce down poorly maintained public roads, and although steering feedback itself is fine, actual feel is a bit wooden. It's not all bad, though; that Coyote motor sounds great as it revs out. The close gear ratios give the impression of speed and ensure that you'll get to hear all of the V-8's bark as you roll through the rev range.

The Camaro, true to the Super Sport badge it proudly wears on its rump, is more back-road-oriented than the Ford. The Camaro loves being driven hard and fast down straights before getting chucked through tight corners. Feedback through the small flat-bottom steering wheel is exceptional, and the gearbox feels much like the current Corvette's, minus the seventh gear. The Camaro SS is the car the Cadillac ATS-V should've been. Loh was a big fan of the Chevy's engine note on our back road loops. "The Camaro is more my speed," he said. "It's freer-revving with a higher pitch that makes me think race car. The Camaro hits nearly 80 mph in second gear and is screaming as it nears the limiter. The Mustang takes an extra gear to get there, which Christian says makes it feel faster—even though it's not."
© Provided by MotorTrend 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS VS Ford Mustang GT rear three quarter The Chevy feels a bit rougher going down the highway. Wind and road noise are higher, and the ride is ever so slightly less compliant. Visibility, a major complaint about the last Camaro, remains a bit of an issue. You sit high up in the Ford, but in the Camaro you are still down low with high sills and visibility limited by a too-tall gauge pod. "It's better than in the previous-gen but still not as reassuring as the Mustang," Loh said. "But hey, it does make the SS more badass-feeling, which is what people want in a ponycar."
Visibility aside, the new Camaro's interior is a huge improvement on the outgoing model. Although there's less going on in here than in the Mustang, the bits you spend most of your time touching, chiefly the steering wheel and shifter, all have a nice high-quality feel to them. The simplified center stack also lends to the premium feel of the Chevy. I really liked the canted high-res infotainment screen, which is well-placed and easy to use and incorporates Apple CarPlay. Loh really dug the large A/C vents. "They not only look like jet engines, but the knurled metallic ring on each adjusts temperature and fan speed. Hidden in plain sight yet intuitive."
Picking a winner between these two great ponycars is less intuitive. "They're close enough that preferences of ergonomics, visibility, and engine noise could easily put one ahead of the other," Loh said. "But when it comes to at-the-limit performance, the Camaro simply out-handles the Mustang. As it says on their badges, the SS is a super sports car, and the Mustang excels as a grand touring car."
The Ford Mustang GT is pure class—the Yankees in their pinstripes. Yeah, it can hustle through the corners if it has to, but it's far happier cruising between stoplights or on the open highway, and you'll be far happier doing the same.
The Camaro SS, on the other hand, is the 2004 Red Sox: beards, brawn, and a bloody sock. You wanna smoke that expensive sport sedan at the stoplight? Want to drift around the corner onto your street? Want people to turn their heads as you roll up onto the scene? The Camaro SS is your guy.
As for us, well, Loh sums it up. "In terms of which is more impressive, which one I'd use to shock my friends or go supercar hunting on a lark, it's the Camaro," he said. "It's faster, and sharper-handling, yet has a more sophisticated, sinister swagger. The Mustang growls. The Camaro howls."
© Provided by MotorTrend 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS VS Ford Mustang GT front end in motion 02 We want the car that best embodies the ponycar spirit. We want the car that can go the fastest, turn the hardest, be the loudest, and look the baddest. We want the Chevy Camaro that makes our adrenaline surge and leaves stoplight competition in your rearview. If it just so happens to be great out on the open road, well, that's the icing on the dust-covered cake.
1st Place: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS

Superior performance at the strip and in the corners makes this the muscle car we want.
2nd Place: 2016 Ford Mustang GT Performance package

The one we'd pick in a heartbeat to drive across the U.S.A.
2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS 2016 Ford Mustang GT (Perf Pack) POWERTRAIN/CHASSISDRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, RWDFront-engine, RWDENGINE TYPE 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads90-deg V-8, alum block/headsVALVETRAIN OHV, 2 valves/cylDOHC, 4 valves/cylDISPLACEMENT 376.1 cu in/6,162cc302.1 cu in/4,951ccCOMPRESSION RATIO 11.5:111.0:1POWER (SAE NET) 455 hp @ 6,000 rpm*435 hp @ 6,500 rpmTORQUE (SAE NET) 455 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm*400 lb-ft @ 4,250 rpmREDLINE 6,500 rpm6,500 rpmWEIGHT TO POWER 8.1 lb/hp8.8 lb/hpTRANSMISSION 6-speed manual6-speed manualAXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 3.73:1/1.87:13.73:1/2.43:1SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll barStruts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll barSTEERING RATIO 15.8:116.0:1TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.32.7BRAKES, F; R 13.6-in vented disc; 13.3-in vented disc, ABS15.0-in vented disc; 13.0-in vented disc, ABSWHEELS, F; R 8.5 x 20-in; 9.5 x 20-in, cast aluminum9.0 x 19-in; 9.5 x 19-in, cast aluminumTIRES, F; R 245/40R20 95Y; 275/35R20 98Y Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3255/40R19 96Y; 275/40R19 101Y Pirelli P ZeroDIMENSIONSWHEELBASE 110.7 in107.1 inTRACK, F/R 63.0/62.9 in62.3/64.9 inLENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 188.3 x 74.7 x 53.1 in188.3 x 75.4 x 54.4 inTURNING CIRCLE 38.4 ft40.0 ftCURB WEIGHT 3,672 lb3,825 lbWEIGHT DIST, F/R 54/46%54/46%SEATING CAPACITY 44HEADROOM, F/R 38.5/35.0 (est) in37.6/34.8 inLEGROOM, F/R 44.3/29.9 in44.5/30.6 inSHOULDER ROOM, F/R 55.0/50.4 in56.3/52.2 inCARGO VOLUME 9.0 cu ft (est)13.5 cu ftTEST DATAACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.7 sec1.7 sec0-40 2.42.40-50 3.13.40-60 4.04.60-70 5.05.80-80 6.37.10-90 7.78.90-100 9.310.80-110 11.412.9PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.82.2QUARTER MILE 12.4 sec @ 114.6 mph12.9 sec @ 110.0 mphBRAKING, 60-0 MPH 104 ft109 ftLATERAL ACCELERATION 1.00 g (avg)0.96 g (avg)MT FIGURE EIGHT 24.1 sec @ 0.85 g (avg)24.4 sec @ 0.82 g (avg)TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,400 rpm1,700 rpmCONSUMER INFOBASE PRICE $37,295$35,695PRICE AS TESTED $38,600 (est)$47,350STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/yesYes/yesAIRBAGS Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front kneeDual front, front side, f/r curtain, front kneeBASIC WARRANTY 3 yrs/36,000 miles3 yrs/36,000 milesPOWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 yrs/100,000 miles5 yrs/60,000 milesROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 5 yrs/100,000 miles5 yrs/60,000 milesFUEL CAPACITY 19.0 gal16.0 galEPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 14/26/18 mpg (est)15/25/19 mpgENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 241/130 kW-hrs/100 miles (est)225/135 kW-hrs/100 milesCO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.10 lb/mile (est)1.06 lb/mileRECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premiumUnleaded premium*SAE Certified

 

Thanks BBMike! I just can not get enough info LOL.... Miss having a sport car for sure

I resolve to spend all summer at shows and in the garage (and well go to work too LOL)

 

Hi `Tadd, I'm happy 4 U 4-Sure... I'm sure that `Space would be super happy 4 U also.

I think Chevy has a Hit with the Camaro this year. Everything I've read is positive & the number's back it `up...

If I stay state side I am seriously considering looking for a V-6 Camaro with the track pkg & a six speed manual. I think, no I know I'd get in serious trouble with a S.S., + plus it would cost lots more + insurance & new tires every week (lol)...

I'm looking forward to seeing yours and reading all about it Tick > Tick > Tick...getting closer