2015 Ford Mustang GT vs. 2015 Chevrolet Camaro SS - Head 2 Head Ep. 58
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MotorTranscript
00:00 (dramatic music)
00:02 - Oops, fail.
00:13 (engine revving)
00:19 (laughing)
00:24 - This is the manliest thing I've ever done in my life.
00:29 (rock music)
00:31 - Well, here we are.
00:39 The new, exceedingly modern looking 2015 Mustang
00:43 with, wait for it, an independent rear suspension.
00:46 And in the other corner,
00:47 and it's probably not much of a surprise,
00:50 we also have the Camaro SS.
00:52 These two have been going at it longer
00:54 than some of you watching have been alive.
00:56 Thing is, they've never been better.
00:58 They both have around 430 horsepower,
01:00 they both have six-speed manuals,
01:02 and they both like to play.
01:04 Both of these cars feature
01:08 their respective performance packages.
01:10 For the SS, it's the 1LE,
01:13 which puts in a 391 final drive ratio,
01:15 new dampers, larger anti-roll bars, a strut tower brace,
01:19 and it also takes the ZL1's wheels and tires,
01:21 wheel bearings, tow links, shock mounts,
01:23 fuel pump, and steering wheel.
01:25 The GT's performance pack adds a 373 final drive,
01:29 larger radiator, strut tower brace,
01:31 larger rear anti-roll bar, new springs,
01:33 bigger wheels, and staggered tires.
01:36 It also gets major Brembo brake upgrades,
01:38 15-inch rotors with six-piston calipers up front.
01:42 Interestingly, despite being smaller
01:44 in overall vehicle footprint,
01:45 the Mustang isn't that much lighter than the Camaro.
01:48 Mustang weight has increased this generation,
01:50 and while our highly loaded premium trim here doesn't help,
01:53 we were surprised to see only a 72-pound difference
01:56 between the two cars.
01:58 Pony car diehards might be disappointed
02:17 that you can't find a winner
02:19 just with straight-line performance.
02:23 On this particular test day,
02:24 they essentially tied, reaching 60 in 4.4 seconds.
02:29 The Mustang was slightly faster at the corner,
02:37 passing it a tenth faster
02:38 and 1.7 mile an hour higher in trap speed.
02:42 In braking performance,
02:43 the Camaro began to strut its tire grip,
02:45 stopping eight feet shorter from 60 miles an hour.
02:49 (engine revving)
02:52 Around the figure eight,
02:55 the Camaro just slightly beat the Mustang
02:57 by two-tenths of a second in its lap time.
03:01 The Camaro's average lateral acceleration
03:06 was two-hundredths of a G higher.
03:09 (engine revving)
03:11 Here we are in the new Mustang GT.
03:25 I've been very excited to drive this car
03:27 because it looks like such a dramatic departure
03:31 from the Mustangs that we've known and loved.
03:33 The styling alone tells you this car
03:35 is going to be very different.
03:38 The interior, too, it looks similar to Mustangs of the past,
03:42 but it's a much better place to be.
03:44 The materials are a lot better, everything's nice to use,
03:47 and there's this idea that there's this bit more technology
03:51 everywhere you look.
03:51 I mean, for crying out loud,
03:52 we have adaptive cruise control in a Mustang.
03:54 When did you ever think that was going to happen?
03:58 We also have independent rear suspension.
04:01 Finally, across all models,
04:03 no longer just confined to the occasional SVT
04:06 that they would do now and again.
04:09 And, well, how does it all come together?
04:11 Would it be disappointing to say
04:12 that this drove like a Mustang,
04:14 like we remembered it to be?
04:16 I don't know, and that's kind of what I'm juggling with,
04:19 because this reminds me a lot
04:21 of what I remembered Mustangs driving like.
04:24 When you start really pushing the car,
04:29 when you throw it into a corner,
04:30 when you use the brakes and the gas,
04:31 you feel the body pitch and roll
04:33 in a way that's entertaining and very Mustang-like,
04:36 but in a way that kind of makes you think,
04:38 well, I might've been hoping for a little bit more.
04:41 I do like this V8.
04:46 This drivetrain is really nice.
04:48 The way this V8 revs out, it feels free,
04:51 and I like the way the power swells in the high RPMs.
04:54 Like the 1LE, we have a Torsen differential,
05:05 and it's interesting, going from the testing,
05:07 driving these two really hard around the handling track,
05:11 how loose this rear end is versus the Camaros.
05:14 The Camaros really planted, it's stable
05:16 and easy to get out of corners quickly.
05:18 You have to be really mindful
05:19 with your throttle application on this car.
05:21 You kind of fight some understeer mid-corner
05:24 and have to fix it by applying power,
05:26 which gets you into kind of this oversteer thing
05:29 that you're always kind of fighting
05:30 the front and the rear end,
05:32 fighting the front on the steering,
05:33 fighting the rear on the throttle,
05:34 and it's fun, it's funny,
05:37 but it's not satisfying the way the Camaros is.
05:40 I like sitting in this Mustang more.
05:47 I like the outward visibility more.
05:48 I like the size of this car more.
05:51 I like the interior more.
05:52 The steering in this car does feel quite good.
05:57 The way you get around a turn,
05:59 jump on the throttle,
06:00 and the front end just sort of leaps up
06:02 and takes you to the next,
06:03 that can be really engaging.
06:05 I just think the Camaro might be slightly better controlled
06:08 when you're getting in and coming out.
06:10 It doesn't move around as much.
06:12 Because as nice as this is,
06:14 as modern as this feels,
06:16 I'm not having as much fun as I am in the Camaro.
06:21 (rock music)
06:27 (engine revving)
06:30 Let's just make this a comparison of performance packs,
06:43 'cause that's what both these cars have.
06:46 And for starters,
06:47 this one LE package is about $1,000 more
06:50 than the GT performance pack.
06:52 3,500 versus 2,500, thereabouts.
06:56 (rock music)
06:58 What if I told you that this performance pack
07:03 makes this car drive better
07:05 than the GT's performance pack makes that car drive?
07:09 This is a more fun car,
07:11 ultimately for so many reasons,
07:14 despite the fact that it's bigger
07:16 and despite the fact that it's heavier.
07:18 For starters, the shifter, steering wheel
07:20 are nicer to the touch
07:22 because they have GM's microfiber suede-like material
07:26 on them.
07:27 This engine sounds louder
07:29 and it's got that really nice, deep baritone roar.
07:32 I like how the Mustang's engine revs out
07:40 and how the power builds,
07:42 but this just hits you solidly
07:43 and doesn't roulette until you upshift or until you lift.
07:51 What I love about this car is how it turns into a corner
07:55 and how much traction it has
07:56 throughout the entire cornering process.
07:59 It allows you a lot of correction mid-corner.
08:02 It allows you to get out really fast
08:04 because the rear end just digs in and powers out.
08:07 On the handling track,
08:09 this thing didn't resort to oversteer
08:11 nearly as much as the Mustang did.
08:13 And when it was, it was totally controllable.
08:15 In fact, you could say committed to the throttle,
08:17 fix your steering and it would drive out so beautifully.
08:21 Where the Mustang rolls and pitches around
08:24 when you break or add throttle or steer,
08:26 this thing stays solid.
08:28 It acts as one unit.
08:29 That's probably what's helping give it
08:30 that sense of precision and agility.
08:32 And a fast shift feels great in this car.
08:49 It really becomes a matter of
08:50 which one's the nicer car to sit in,
08:53 which one's the nicer car to drive.
08:55 I think the Mustang's a nicer car to sit in,
08:57 but this one is definitely a better car to drive quickly.
09:01 Actually, just in general.
09:03 To find out the ultimate in performance,
09:07 we went to the track.
09:08 Also, the Mustang changed colors.
09:10 Coming on the front straight at Willow Springs
09:13 in a brand new 2015 Ford Mustang GT.
09:18 This engine is smooth.
09:20 It's a pleasure just to hear this Mustang roar.
09:23 It has better high RPM power than it did last year.
09:29 I like the shifter, it's light, quick.
09:34 Flat out around the bull.
09:36 Running it out in third gear and up to fourth.
09:40 Shifts can be done very quickly.
09:42 The synchros are terrific.
09:43 Tell you what else too,
09:46 I can just feel how strong the body structure is.
09:50 Less chassis flex, less vibration.
09:53 The Mustang is just much better behaved
09:57 than it was just last year.
09:59 It's got independent rear suspension.
10:01 In the new Mustang,
10:02 it's settled down the back of the car tremendously.
10:06 The Mustang put down power before very well
10:08 with its live axle, and it still does.
10:11 But the real advantage is in this much stiffer body.
10:15 Much stiffer body structure, very impressive.
10:18 The interesting thing about the suspension
10:21 is that it is very firm on the street,
10:24 but on the track here, it feels soft, cushy,
10:27 rolly, too soft really.
10:29 Floating through the fast, bumpy turn one.
10:34 We really could use more shock for track work.
10:38 We're a lot softer than the Camaro 1LE.
10:41 Mostly shocks, a little bit springs.
10:43 Even though we have the performance pack.
10:46 Brake pedal is firm, really slows the car down.
10:52 Just a wee bit of over sensitivity to some of the bumps.
10:55 The ABS can sometimes get confused.
10:58 Not unusual for a street car on the racetrack.
11:01 Driven smoothly,
11:11 it's easy to hang on to the Mustang in the corner.
11:14 Fun car, more fun than ever really.
11:20 This version has taken a full step upstream.
11:25 Just a far more refined and sophisticated car
11:28 than the Mustang has ever been before.
11:40 We're entering the pit straight away
11:41 in another of a dying breed.
11:43 The manual transmission big V8 pony car.
11:47 Camaro 1LE.
11:49 Really good turn in.
12:03 The Camaro is more firm than the Mustang.
12:06 The shocks are serious, they're track ready.
12:09 Camaro really puts the power down.
12:11 It's tight, good strong shock damping.
12:14 We're glued to the track,
12:16 much more so than in the Mustang, which is a little soft.
12:19 Steering feels great.
12:22 Cornering grip is great.
12:23 We're really pulling some Gs.
12:25 I'm sure it's over one G in the corner.
12:27 Camaro really good in the transition
12:31 because it's properly damped.
12:32 Whereas the Mustang is a lot more floaty.
12:35 (car engine roaring)
12:38 Notice how little on counter steering.
12:42 We stay hooked up in the Camaro.
12:43 Puts the power down.
12:46 The front end has loads of grip.
12:49 Big fat Goodyears.
12:50 They're very aggressive tire.
12:53 Well suited to track work.
12:54 Brake pedals firm.
12:58 You know what?
12:59 It's not as firm and doesn't bite as hard
13:01 as the Mustang brakes.
13:03 But the ABS seems more comfortable
13:05 with the challenges of giant bumps
13:07 like we encounter in that kink.
13:09 This whole Camaro 1LE is a much more track focused car
13:15 than the Mustang GT with the performance pack.
13:19 Kind of about what you want out of a car.
13:23 (car engine roaring)
13:27 (car engine roaring)
13:30 It's like having 90% of a Z28.
13:40 Does all the same things as a Z28,
13:42 just not as fast.
13:44 The Camaro is just playing more fun on the racetrack.
13:47 (car engine roaring)
13:51 (car engine roaring)
13:54 (car engine roaring)
13:57 (car engine roaring)
14:00 (car engine roaring)
14:04 (car engine roaring)
14:07 (car engine roaring)
14:19 (car engine roaring)
14:26 (car engine roaring)
14:30 (car engine roaring)
14:33 (car engine roaring)
14:43 (car engine roaring)
15:00 (car engine roaring)
15:04 With near equal straight line performance,
15:25 what determined this head to head
15:27 was how fun each car was on the road
15:29 and how well they performed at the track.
15:31 They were after all equipped with performance packs.
15:34 We like the Mustang,
15:36 especially the high rev character of its powertrain
15:38 and how refined its interior feels.
15:41 And if the Camaro weren't here,
15:42 we'd be singing the Mustang's praises.
15:44 Alas, everyone who drove the Camaro just preferred it.
15:48 While its interior still feels cramped
15:50 and hard to see out of and somewhat low budget,
15:52 the 1LE's driving experience is more sports car
15:55 than pony car with precise steering,
15:57 willingness from the front end
15:58 and a terrific overall balance.
16:00 Yes, it's bigger and it's heavier,
16:02 but it's also faster around a racetrack
16:04 and more satisfying on the road.
16:06 In this comparison of performance packages,
16:08 the Camaro's handily trounces the Mustang's.
16:11 And for that reason,
16:12 the Camaro wins this episode of Head to Head.
16:14 (car engine roaring)
16:17 (car engine roaring)
16:20 (car engine roaring)
16:23 (car engine roaring)
16:26 (car engine roaring)
16:46 (car engine roaring)
16:49 (upbeat music)