JonBoy

I like the exterior of the Camaro - very muscular and purposeful. It's just too big of a car for my taste right now. Great for if I need the extra room but otherwise, too bulky for a sports car. That interior is horrible, too (though not as bad as a Mustang).

Still, as others have pointed out, cars like this highlight what a bargain a Corvette Z51 is. More grip, better brakes, lighter weight and generally a better car for less money.

Slithr

The Vette is a better buy only if you don't need the rear seats. If you want something to track and need the seats the Camaro isn't a bad choice. IMHO between the Camaro and the Mustang it's the tires that make most if not all of the difference. Ford needs to be sure the new one has more room for tires, especially in the front.

SpudRacer

Personally I love the exterior design of both the Ford & Chevy pony cars. And it's impressive what each has been able to do with a mass produced powertrain and chassis at the price point. My only complaints are the rather shabby interiors in both cars and the rather portly weight. But again, these cars are designed not as a purpose built sports car like a 911. Their design mandate covers the gamut from V6 grocery getters to the Z28 and Boss. No room in the budget for lightweight exotic materials. The interiors must be profitable in a $25K V6. And cutting edge tech gadgets don't really fit the design mandate for the most part. These are blue collar aspirational cars. Nothing wrong with that.

With all that said, they aren't the cars for me right now. But I do think they are a stunning achievement when you take everything into consideration. Much like the Corolla and Civic have been stunning achievements in reliable, affordable transportation for zillions of people for decades. That's impressive too. Hopefully Ford & Chevy find a way to bring the size and mass down over time. The new Mustang as everyone knows is rumored to do just that.

ElTianti

This. Absent my need for a back seat, I would have kept my S2000. Even the 1LE wasn't yet available when I got my Boss 302, let alone a Z/28. If you want car with a back seat and can be track a few times a year, it's tough to beat a Boss 302. Time marches on and there will always be something faster, but that doesn't diminish the fun and thrills the Boss 302 has to offer.

deepbluejh

Yeah I really don't get what Chevy is trying to do with a Camaro at this price point. For this kind of money, the Corvette is a far better platform to build on.

If Ford wants to push the Mustang into Corvette territory, then I say that is their folly. No need to make the Camaro something it was never intended to be though.

closetgeek

You're not in the minority. A lot of people feel this exact same way with the GTR

SpudRacer

Waaay back in the 60's and early 70's Mustangs and Camaros evolved to the point in that day where they could be driven to a track, raced, and driven home. And they kicked azz in a stoplight drag race. And these fire breathing Pony cars were not that far off the performance of exotics of that day while being within reach of an aspiring young gearhead. Whereas a Vette or European exotic was totally beyond reach for the average guy coming back from Vietnam or a newly licensed electrician. Ford and Chevy didn't sell a whole lot of these fire breathing Pony cars which is why they are collectible today. But the existence of those hot cars created the whole Pony car aura that helped sell a ton of lesser Pony cars over the past 40+ years.

I think that's why Ford & Chevy build these hot variants. They won't sell a ton of them. But they will sell all they make to nostalgia buffs or people who just like hot Pony cars. And the aura will rub off on the brand. They will sell lots of other cars because these cars exist to showcase the technology and performance of the brand. Or at least that's the theory. Not sure it's still valid.

FISH22

Jesus, a 305 tire on the front?

WolfpackS2k

Other than the Camaro faithful, ppl that want a back seat. And this car has a LOT more advantages over the Boss than just the tires. Lots of downforce, carbon ceramic brakes, the magnehetorical (sp?) suspension. Oh yeah & a 7.0 liter monster under the hood.

TheDonEffect

Yeah I agree, these hot versions tend to demonstrate what the cars are capable of doing. That said, I can't wait to see the new iterations of these cars, if the rumors are true about the smaller and light stangs, and chrysler reintroducing the cuda which will replace the challenger and should also be smaller and lighter, the future looks bright.
Now I understand that a mustang cant replace a vette, and this is coming from a vette fan, this new stang looks very promising, relatively lightweight, 400+hp v8, IRS, back seats, etc. We shall see...