Repair-It

If life consisted of nothing but straight lines, the Challenger Scat Pack would be your winner. The car nerd world is still catching its collective breath from Dodge dropping the 707-horsepower Hellcat bomb. But by focusing all our attention on that animal, we missed the fact that the Dodge Boys are selling a car with 485 naturally aspirated ponies for less than $40K.

The problem with the Scat Pack, like all Challengers, is its heft and girth. The car is massive. Says associate editor Rory Jurnecka, "The Challenger feels like it smothers the road. It's big and wide and wants to wrap every inch of tarmac in a giant bear hug." The Challenger is about 400 pounds heavier than the others, and Chevy and Ford are on the just barely acceptable side of big-boned. For you numbers freaks: Challenger, 4235 pounds; Camaro, 3886 pounds; Mustang, 3814 pounds.

To wit: Challenger, 485/475; Camaro, 426/420; Mustang, 435/400. The Scat Pack hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and pummeled the quarter mile in 12.6 seconds at 112.3 mph. The Mustang GT was barely in second place, hitting 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and running the quarter mile in 12.8 seconds at 112.2 mph. It is interesting to note the trap speeds of these two. That Mustang 5.0-liter engine revs high and comes on strong near the finish line. The Camaro also hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and lost the quarter mile to the new 'Stang by a tenth of a second, 12.9 seconds at 110.5 mph.

We're not sure what to make of the new Mustang's looks. While I'm happy it's not slavishly retro, I think the new metal represents a swing and a miss. The headlights are wrong. Mustangs have always -- save for Vanilla Ice's Fox-body -- had big, round eyes. This one doesn't. The three of us also observed more people checking out the Camaro, and in particular the Challenger, than the all-new Mustang. It's somehow sort of anonymous. Weird, right? Also, there's way too much front overhang. But that's what happens when your wheelbase is 5 inches shorter than the Camaro's, even though the cars are only 2 inches apart in length. Rory sums up why the brand-new Mustang didn't win this way: "I'm angry because Ford didn't benchmark the Boss for the new Mustang the way Chevy benchmarked the Z06 for the new Stingray." I agree, and I'm going to go a step further: I'm disappointed. Specifically because the Mustang GT has packed on 196 pounds of heft compared to the last GT Track Pack we tested. That's considerable.

To be fair, the new 'Stang was quicker around our figure eight than the car it replaces, at 24.7 seconds compared to 25 flat. And 24.7 seconds is how long it took the Hellcat to run the figure eight, as well as the Alfa Romeo 4C. The old Boss 302, too. Trouble for the Mustang GT is that the heavier, less powerful Camaro 1LE ran it in 24.5 seconds. Not a huge difference, mind you, but faster is faster. Also, there's a reason we don't just publish numbers and call it a day. For instance, our figure-eight meister, Kim Reynolds, called the 1LE "a wonderful car," while he unleashed a very un-Kim-like string of colorful language at the Mustang. Under throttle, the rear end wanted to step out, and if you lifted, the Mustang would default to understeer. There was no smooth way to run the figure eight.

The Mustang most impressed the three of us on the freeway. This is where the IRS pays off bigtime. The ride was much better than in the other two ponycars. I know you commenter types will say different, but if you're honest with yourself, cruising on the freeway is where most of us spend the bulk of our time. Says Rory, "Plenty of passing power. I'd road-trip this car, no problem." When we cruised next to the beach, the Mustang more or less tied the Challenger. The 'Stang's ride is better, but with the windows down there's not much to hear, whereas the Scat Pack's mega V-8 howls.

Out of these three ponycars, the Camaro SS 1LE is better on both a canyon road and a racetrack. Sometimes these things are that easy.

The 1LE is way too high-strung to transform into a beach cruiser, and the ride is beat-you-up rough on the freeway. Easily the worst of the three in terms of day-to-day comfort. Of course, a Camry is even more comfy.

The biggest difference between the Camaro and the others on the fun-to-drive portions of tarmac was confidence. The three of us were all inspired to push the white and black Chevy harder than we dared in the Mustang or the Challenger. Says Seabaugh, "The 1LE is unflappable. So. Much. Grip. It's so planted to the ground that it might as well be magnetically attracted to the road." Rory adds quite a bit more: "Wow, this thing feels small and light -- which, for a Camaro, is nuts! The car is so well-balanced; it's neutral most of the time with easily provoked -- and controlled -- oversteer. Brakes feel strong with no fade. Zero body roll, well-controlled damping. The 1LE filled me with confidence. The Camaro SS is hands-down the best driver's car of the group." My notes said things like, "Superb steering. Could handle 100 more horsepower, easy. So much grip, so much confidence -- outstanding! How much per month?" Rory showed up at the rodeo in the 1LE, got out of the car smiling, and said, "I'm thinking about buying one." Chevy and the Camaro team have turned a massive corner.