I remember growing up in the 80's always wanting a Chevy Camaro V8. Of course lack of sufficient funds and high gas prices always kept me away from a purchase. Closest I came was a rusty used 1977 Chevy Nova (305) V8 with double exhaust, but wow did it move.
Back to the battle.
The 2016 Mustang GT packs under the hood a Coyote 5L V8 engine producing 435 hp @ 6,500 rpm and 400 lb-ft of torque @ 4,250 rpm. Engine power is mated to a 6 speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels.
Now for 2016 Camaro SS receives Corvette’s LT1 6.2 L V8 producing 455 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 455 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm. Like the Mustang engine power is mated to a 6 speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels.
Another factor at play is the weight difference, at at 3,672 pounds (1665 kg) the Camaro is much lighter than the Mustang which comes in at 3,825 pounds (1734 kg).
The 2016 Mustang GT has a 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) time of 4.6 seconds, quarter mile comes in 12.9 seconds at 110 mph (177.03 km/h).
The 2016 Camaro SS has a 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) time of 4.0 seconds, quarter mile comes in 12.4 seconds at 114.6 mph (184.43 km/h).
While the Mustang laps the figure eight in 24.4 seconds averaging 0.82 g, it is bettered by the Camaro. Camaro will complete the figure eight in 24.1 seconds and averaging 0.85 g.
Spec wise on paper it looks like the Camaro SS has an slight advantage over the Mustang GT. Although is it worth paying almost $9000 more for that slight extra performace? ($47,350-$38,600 US dollars)
Full specifications:
| 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS | 2016 Ford Mustang GT (Perf Pack) | |
| POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS | ||
| DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT | Front-engine, RWD | Front-engine, RWD |
| ENGINE TYPE | 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads | 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads |
| VALVETRAIN | OHV, 2 valves/cyl | DOHC, 4 valves/cyl |
| DISPLACEMENT | 376.1 cu in/6,162cc | 302.1 cu in/4,951cc |
| COMPRESSION RATIO | 11.5:1 | 11.0:1 |
| POWER (SAE NET) | 455 hp @ 6,000 rpm* | 435 hp @ 6,500 rpm |
| TORQUE (SAE NET) | 455 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm* | 400 lb-ft @ 4,250 rpm |
| REDLINE | 6,500 rpm | 6,500 rpm |
| WEIGHT TO POWER | 8.1 lb/hp | 8.8 lb/hp |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed manual | 6-speed manual |
| AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO | 3.73:1/1.87:1 | 3.73:1/2.43:1 |
| SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR | Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar | Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar |
| STEERING RATIO | 15.8:1 | 16.0:1 |
| TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| BRAKES, F; R | 13.6-in vented disc; 13.3-in vented disc, ABS | 15.0-in vented disc; 13.0-in vented disc, ABS |
| WHEELS, F; R | 8.5 x 20-in; 9.5 x 20-in, cast aluminum | 9.0 x 19-in; 9.5 x 19-in, cast aluminum |
| TIRES, F; R | 245/40R20 95Y; 275/35R20 98Y Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 | 255/40R19 96Y; 275/40R19 101Y Pirelli P Zero |
| DIMENSIONS | ||
| WHEELBASE | 110.7 in | 107.1 in |
| TRACK, F/R | 63.0/62.9 in | 62.3/64.9 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 188.3 x 74.7 x 53.1 in | 188.3 x 75.4 x 54.4 in |
| TURNING CIRCLE | 38.4 ft | 40.0 ft |
| CURB WEIGHT | 3,672 lb | 3,825 lb |
| WEIGHT DIST, F/R | 54/46% | 54/46% |
| SEATING CAPACITY | 4 | 4 |
| HEADROOM, F/R | 38.5/35.0 (est) in | 37.6/34.8 in |
| LEGROOM, F/R | 44.3/29.9 in | 44.5/30.6 in |
| SHOULDER ROOM, F/R | 55.0/50.4 in | 56.3/52.2 in |
| CARGO VOLUME | 9.0 cu ft (est) | 13.5 cu ft |
| TEST DATA | ||
| ACCELERATION TO MPH | ||
| 0-30 | 1.7 sec | 1.7 sec |
| 0-40 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| 0-50 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| 0-60 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
| 0-70 | 5.0 | 5.8 |
| 0-80 | 6.3 | 7.1 |
| 0-90 | 7.7 | 8.9 |
| 0-100 | 9.3 | 10.8 |
| 0-110 | 11.4 | 12.9 |
| PASSING, 45-65 MPH | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| QUARTER MILE | 12.4 sec @ 114.6 mph | 12.9 sec @ 110.0 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 104 ft | 109 ft |
| LATERAL 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 rpm | 1,700 rpm |
| CONSUMER INFO | ||
| BASE PRICE | $37,295 | $35,695 |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $38,600 (est) | $47,350 |
| STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL | Yes/yes | Yes/yes |
| AIRBAGS | Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee | Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee |
| BASIC WARRANTY | 3 yrs/36,000 miles | 3 yrs/36,000 miles |
| POWERTRAIN WARRANTY | 5 yrs/100,000 miles | 5 yrs/60,000 miles |
| ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE | 5 yrs/100,000 miles | 5 yrs/60,000 miles |
| FUEL CAPACITY | 19.0 gal | 16.0 gal |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON | 14/26/18 mpg (est) | 15/25/19 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 241/130 kW-hrs/100 miles (est) | 225/135 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 1.10 lb/mile (est) | 1.06 lb/mile |
| RECOMMENDED FUEL | Unleaded premium | Unleaded premium |
| *SAE Certified | ||
Source: MotorTrend.com, for the full article with wonderful photos: http://www.motortrend.com/news/2016-chevrolet-camaro-ss-vs-2016-ford-mustang-gt/
