Shelby GT350R or Camaro ZL1: KBB’s Practical Review
KBB looks at the ups and downs of the pony-car rivals.
Are you ready for more Mustang vs Camaro comparison tests? They’re coming, whether you’re prepared or not, but Kelley Blue Book’s Shelby GT350R vs Camaro ZL1 test above takes a refreshing tact to the half-century-old debate. KBB’s Micah Muzio and Zach Vlusak do some of the characteristic A vs B stuff, like drag racing and track testing. However, they also list out the pluses and minuses of each car in a clever summary, near the end of the video.
Muzio and Vlusak do a fair comparison, and that’s all fine and good. However, when it comes time to decide between the two, they acknowledge that the battlefield lines have long since been drawn. For the most part, you’re either on the Mustang side or the Camaro side; there’s not much neutral Switzerland for pony cars. Except the Challenger people, who are out doing donuts and breaking off chintzy interior trim pieces.
CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Comparo
Anyway, on paper, the ZL1 is pretty much a no-brainer. As tested, it sat a few thousand dollars cheaper than the GT350R, which had 124 fewer horsepower. The Camaro’s supercharged LT4 spits out a totally insane 650 horsepower, compared to the Shelby’s flat-plane-crank, naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V8 with 526 ponies. As KBB point out, though, how much horsepower do you really need? More than 500 is enough to have a good time, especially since, as they point out, the Coyote 5.2L sounds like… well, we won’t ruin it, but it’s a funny and apt description.
The checklist at the end proves entertaining and probably as useful as anything you’ll get from a magazine review. Do you mind: horrendous visibility (Camaro)? A certain-to-break front spoiler (Mustang)? A crappy electronic hand-brake (Camaro)? A terrible armrest position (Mustang)? A useless infotainment shelf (Camaro)? A trying clutch pedal (Mustang)? An optional 10-speed automatic (Camaro)?
Both reviewers ultimately point to one car that tips the scales toward “fun.” Since you’re reading this on a Mustang site, you can probably guess how that leans.