2010 Mustang GT vs 2010 Camaro SS

Some wars have been waging since the dawn of society with race vs. race, religion vs. religion, king vs. king. Other battles that are more short-lived but still remembered to this day like the Battle of the Alamo or the Battle of Waterloo. We just stumbled into such a battle that’s been waging on the streets for almost 50 years now. There has always been that epic battle between the Camaro and the Mustang spanning back to the late 60′s and revived today. This week at txGarage we were able to get a hold of a 2010 Camaro 2SS and a 2010 Mustang GT Premium, what else is there to do but race!

The Camaro:

The Camaro was brought back for the 2010 model year after being killed off in 2002. When redesigning the Camaro GM was going for the “retro” look to compete with the styling of the Mustang introduced in 2005. You just can’t beat the looks and styling of the new Camaro, it’s really one of the best looking “retro” interpretations out today. The car is low and wide, with great proportions and menacing looks. The interior is all modern with some retro looking gauges. Sliding into our test Camaro, your bathed in black and inferno orange, ambient lighting, accent stitching, and a plethora of buttons and knobs. The best part of the Camaro’s interior is the steering wheel, it is fat and has good hand placement and also has easy to uses and access controls. The biggest gripe I have with the interior is the huge plastic panel on the doors that swoop around the dash. In my opinion, for a $36,000 car they could have easily wrapped that in leather and it would have made ten-times the difference. We were also equipped with the Boston Acoustic premium nine-speaker audio system loaded with all the acronyms of the audio industry. – AM/FM, CD, AUX Input, USB port, Sirius XM Radio – The leather sport bucket seats were comfortable, 6-way power adjustable, and could heat your rear if the horsepower doesn’t already have you sweating.

The 2010 Camaro SS is armed with the LS3 6.2 liter V8 engine with SFI (Sequential Fuel Injection) and bolted to a 6-speed manual transmission. This combination gives you an instigating 426 horsepower and 420 lbs-ft of torque with a reasonable 16 MPG city and 24 MPG highway. You won’t have time to worry about your fuel economy though when you’re going from a standstill to 60 mph in only 4.6 seconds and cursing down the highway, the difference between 60 mph and 80 mph is a twitch of your big toe. To stop this 3,849 pound Camaro they equipped it with Brembo performance brakes with discs at all four wheels. The Camaro also comes with performance suspension, but to us it never really felt sporty just rough. To put the power down our test car was furnished with 20″X 8″ front wheels and 20″X 9″ rear wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tires.

After digesting it all I’d have to say that the Camaro SS is far above what the Camaros of the past have been, and we are forever enamored by the looks of the exterior and interior of this 2010 Camaro. It did take me a day to get used to the Camaro’s clutch, I would like it to be heavier and release lower, and the shifter could have felt more mechanical but that’s a personal preference of mine. In the end the biggest problem with the new Camaro remains to be the Mustang.

The Mustang:

In 2010 the Mustang received two major changes that were desperately needed; most importantly of the two was the interior. The materials used and the looks of the inside of the Mustang has been a neglected afterthought for decades, so when we heard that the interior quality was going to be the main focus of the 2010 Mustang we forgave Ford for leaving the 4.6 liter engine that’s just as old. Our test car was a Grabber Blue GT Premium and the updated interior featured black leather trimmed sport seats with exposed blue stitching and a blue racing stripe down the center of the seat. The materials used in this car are on par with most Ford vehicles of today but are miles above the older Mustangs. Leather wrapped steering wheel, aluminum gear shifter, along with soft touch materials ensure that your touch points in the car are all pleasurable to the hands. This car also featured the Shaker 500 audio system and SYNC voice activated system with the usual SYNC goodies.

The second thing refreshed in the 2010 Mustang is the exterior. Although the dimensions of the car are mostly unchanged the looks are dramatically different, to Mustang enthusiast. It really looks like they stretched the skin of the Mustang over its muscle to expose the power and give it a more athletic stance. I love the rear end, which seems to be the hated segment from most Mustang enthusiast I’ve talked to, with the sequential tail lamps. I also love the new “Power Dome” hood; I think it looks much more muscular than the “fake” ram air hoods. The engine is the tired old 4.6 liter 3V OHC V8 tuned to the max with 315 horsepower and 325 lbs-ft of torque. Although it’s the same old engine, the 4.6 is a great, bullet proof engine that has served Ford well for years, and you still get good power for the 3,550 pounds the Mustang weighs in at. You also still get the five-speed -manual in our case- transmission with great mechanical shifting and an easy good feeling clutch peddle. Of course it has already been announce that the 2011 Mustangs will hallmark a new 5.0 engine with all the newest power and fuel saving technology. Look for that to push over 400 horsepower.

We can’t wait for the 2011 to be penned into our calendar to test but all in all the 2010 Mustang has impressed. It has the great looks a muscle car should have, it has the wheel smoking power a muscle car should have, and now it has a great comfortable interior the Mustang has always needed.

Back to the Battle:

Although they are both modern day muscle cars aimed at the same target audience, the Mustang vs. Camaro comes down to personality and preference. The looks of the Camaro are amazing and will turn more heads right now than most cars on the road, but the Mustang is not repulsive to the eyes by any measure. The Camaro is a fast beast that can burn rubber with the best of them, but the Mustang with 100 less horsepower has less weight and can match the Camaro in any situation. The interior of both cars are modern and comfortable. So which to choose? We liked the Mustang over the Camaro for the driving experience it offered. The shifter and clutch, steering and suspension, and engine and exhaust note won us over in the Mustang. It should still go without saying, though, that the Camaro is a great car and if we didn’t have the Mustang sitting in the driveway we would have been just as happy thrashing it around Texas.

Stats: 2010 Camaro 2SS

• 6.2L LS3 V8 SFI
• 6-Speed Manual Transmission
• As Tested Price $36,765
• 16 City / 24 Hwy MPG
• 426 HP @ 5900 RPM420 lbs-ft torque @4600 RPM
• Curb Weight 3,849 lbs.

Stats: 2010 Mustang GT Premium

• 4.6L 3V OHC V8 Engine
• 5-Speed Manual Transmission
• As Tested Price $33,830
• 16 City / 24 Hwy MPG315 HP @ 6000 RPM
• 325 lbs-ft torque @ 4250 RPM
• Curb Weight 3,550 lbs

Day 7 2010 Shelby GT500

Day 7 with the 2010 Shelby GT500 was by far the most fun we had all week. We worked hard and tried to get lots of video and pictures of the car to show to you guys. As we talk about in the video, after tearing up the streets of Texas for a week in the GT500 we were never faced with an obstacle that the car couldn’t handle. Ford, SVT, and Shelby have made a great car with this one and we cant wait to check out the 2011 GT500 with the all aluminum block!

Till then, check out our video!

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Check out Days 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 - 5 and check out our review!

2010 Shelby GT500

When you think about the history of Carroll Shelby, his racing, and his cars, there is no doubt that performance Mustangs pop into mind. As a matter of fact, Shelby Mustangs have been ever improving for the past 45 years making Shelby one of the most signed names on a car in the world. Carroll graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, Texas making him a Texas boy who’s heart never went to far from home. The Terlingua Mustang was named after the town where Shelby decided to open a ranch with Dallas friend David Witt.

No wonder the Shelby Mustangs fit in so well here in Texas, no matter if your driving down a long highway to the middle of nowhere or a back windy country road, this car does it all. In the 2010 GT500, this was apparent to us at txGarage as we never wanted to get out of the car. And although this thirsty beast needed to stop for fuel more often than we would have liked, it just gave us another reason to burn rubber out of a parking lot.. There really isn’t a lot that I could find wrong with this GT500. Yes the fuel economy wasn’t that great; yes the interior was still a little cheap for spending $51,000 – although it has improved greatly – and yes the ride was a little harsh and the clutch was heavy; however, all this stuff would be whisked out of your head as you smash down on the throttle sending the back wheels into a panic looking for grip and finally being far down the road from where you were a few seconds ago. The GT500 isn’t, by far, the most powerful car money can buy and it doesn’t put that power down as well as other cars out there, but for the shear and raw emotion and theater of it all, you simply cannot beat this thing. Never have we been so scared – entertained – in a production car. The shear madness of it is worth every penny! The looks are just about the most menacing you can find but when you climb into the cockpit, its actually quite comfortable and nice. The SYNC system is a great addition to all Fords and we still got great use out of it in this car, although it took us 3 days to even bother with touching it. The practicality, yes practicality, of this car can’t be beat as well. If I really had to pick one car to compare it to, it would be an Aston Martin for the British. Aston Martins are not the fastest cars you can buy for the money, but the pure emotion and beauty they portray are unbeatable. I think of the GT500 as the American Aston Martin: it’s beautiful and emotional. That is what makes the car so great, and on that thought its quite a bargain too.

The 2010 GT500 was built starting with the formula from the 2008 GT500KR. In 2011, the GT500 will be getting an all aluminum block right out of the Ford GT super car. The GT500 now has a steel block. Even if the power doesn’t go up, in which case there is no need, the car will be much lighter and hopefully add to the driving experience. Other potential down sides to the current GT500 are the all new 2011 GT with the reintroduction of the 5.0. This new GT will finally feature all the latest engine technology while also increasing horsepower and fuel economy. They already have a wonderful interior, and with a little shopping trip to Ford Racing, the 2011 Mustang GT could easily be made to run with the big boys of the Mustang brand. For the name -Shelby- and the looks of the GT500 though, it’s still a hard choice to pass up.

Mega Gallery: 2010 Shelby GT500

Mustang VS Camaro

Today we picked up the 2010 Mustang GT and the 2010 Camaro SS! We can’t wait to get them out together and get some good pictures and video! Look for that soon, also look for the upcoming video on the 2010 Shelby GT500.

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Day5 Shelby GT500

Today we went from rain to freezing weather to snow here in Dallas and unfortunately didn’t get the chance to shoot any video of the GT500 today. What I thought I would do, though, is take some time and relate our thoughts on the GT500 now that we have had 5 days behind the wheel. We also give a big shout out to some local guys in the car fanatic realm that we often talk to and who have helped us along our way. If we didn’t mention you, sorry we’ll get around to it!

Check out the video after the jump!

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Day4 Shelby GT500

Day 4 was pretty miserable out as it was raining all day long. The rain, though, gave us the opportunity to check out two features on the car that we have yet to discuss. The first of those would be the traction control system. The system works pretty well and will catch you pretty quickly if you become a little stupid in the rain. You would have to be driving stupidly to really engage the traction control system though as this 540 horsepower beast is actually quite good in the rain. Don’t get me wrong though, if your right foot and your nerves are strong you can most certainly have some fun with the traction control disengaged.

The other important area we really got the chance to sit back and reflect on is the interior of the car. With all the horsepower and great exhaust noises, we haven’t payed that much attention to the interior of the car but got that chance today. Traditionally, the Mustang has a horrible interior that is carried over into the SVT or Shelby cars. In 2010, the interior is where they spend most of their focus, making it more upscale and better quality. This quality is carried over into the GT500 with even more racing inspired quality to boot! Just look at the leather wrapped steering wheel with alcantara added for extra grippiness. The all important SYNC system is a great upscale quality in this car as well as the great Shaker audio system. The seats are two tone leather, also with alcantara added to the bolstering to help grip you in your seats. The ambient lighting around your feet and doors helps set a mood and look really good.  And lastly the shift knob, it has a great feel and great movement and was specially designed for this car.

Check out the video and let us know what you think. Keep checking in for day 5-7 and go back and watch days 1 – 2 – 3 if you haven’t already.

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Day3 2010 Shelby GT500

On day three, we took the GT500 out cruising a little more and finally produced some day shots of the car so that you can enjoy the beauty as much as we do. Today we are talking about power! The 2010 GT500 has the same 5.4 liter engine as the previous generation but thanks to some tweeks by the SVT guys this car now produces 540 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque. The engine is matched with a six speed, manual only, transmission and sits atop 19 inch wheels all around. Wrapping those wheels are Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber that helps keep that power on the road pushing this car from 0-60 in 4.3 seconds. The car also has a special package from Brembo that brings this beast to a halt with no fade.

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Check out the video from Day2 and Day1!

Day2 2010 Shelby GT500

Day two with the 2010 Shelby GT500 has not left us disappointed. We have gotten lots of driving time behind the wheel and are enamored by the power and beauty of this car. The interior is comfortable and a nice place to be, even on a long drive. The one complaint I would have with sitting in the car is that you cant enjoy the artistry of the exterior. No matter if you are outside or in though, there is no escaping the whining of the supercharged 5.4 liter engine or the burble of the exhaust out back.

Just remember, this is only day 2 so keep checking in for even more video and information on the 2010 Shelby GT500!

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Day1 Video 2010 Shelby GT500

Today we took delivery of the 2010 Shelby GT500. We are going to be bringing you daily updates right here on txGarage showing off the car and letting you guys know what we think about the car. We will also have updates on twitter, just follow us at twitter.com/txGarage. Keep checking in for more video all week and after our 7th day we will be putting up a full review and video!

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AV-X10

Last year Ford created a one-off Mustang named the AV8R as a tribute to the relationship between Planes and Mustangs. That one-off stang was auctioned off at the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) Gathering Eagles charity auction for a cold $500,000. This car featured a great aircraft inspired design with a 400hp supercharged V8 and a bunch of Ford Racing upgrades.

This year, with the success of the AV8R and the new body of the 2010 Mustang, Ford has given it another shot. This time at the EAA AirVenture auction in Oshkosh Wisconsin. The 2010 AV-X10 also has an aircraft inspired design with the “Star-and-Bar” glass roof, but is now equipped with a 550hp supercharged 4.6L V8. It also features the exhaust from a FR500S, the FRPP’s handling package will keep this pony planted, and it’s wearing the GT500’s 19” wheels, a GT500 rear spoiler, and a GT500 lower rear fascia. Inside are a short-throw shifter, illuminated AV-X10 sill plates, unique aircraft-themed instrumentation, custom bomber-jacket leather, and a special aluminum dash patter.

Although I think the 2010 Mustang looks better and more refined than the 05-09 Mustangs, I can’t help but to think that this car is not as good looking as the 09 AV8R. The color scheme and the yellow front end, I get what they are doing, but it just doesn’t look good. The rear end of the car, the glass roof with the “star-and-bar”, the interior all looks good. It’s just that front end… I’m just not digging it.

Let me know what you think!

2010 AV-X10 vs. 2009 AV8R:

YouTube:

[source: mustangblog]