Commute, Toy or Destroy – Chevrolet Camaro Vs. Ford Mustang Vs. Dodge Challenger
We are back with this week’s installment of AutoGuide’s newest, interactive weekly feature ‘Commute, Toy or Destroy’.
Once again, we present to you, our faithful readers, a choice of three vehicles. We are asking you to decide which one you would make your daily driver, which one would be used to rip up the drag strip and which one would you not even give your mother-in-law to drive.
Remember, that commuter car you must live with every day. The toy would be only available to you for occasional use on weekends and the final car would be the one you’d leave out in the hot Nevada sun to rot away.
This week we present three vehicles that could be the most argued and debated in America. Yes we are talking about Pony cars. So, which one of these V8, rear-wheel drive monsters will find a home as your daily driver, which one is going to become a weekend toy and which one will we left out in cold? And remember, no cheating and showing brand loyalty by picking one vehicle twice; all three must be selected.
Chevrolet Camaro
After returning in 2010 from a short hiatus, Chevrolet eased the Camaro back into show room floors with only regular (V6) and SS (V8) models available. But recently GM has shown it is serious with this Camaro and unleashed various asphalt annihilating monsters like the handling focused 426 hp 1LE, the 580 hp supercharged ZL1 and the upcoming racetrack ready Z/28 featuring a 7.0 L V8 with at least 500 hp.
Dodge Challenger
Although it may lack the one-off performance specials that the Mustang and Camaro offer, there is no denying that the Challenger is one seriously good looking car that has a road presence not match by many vehicles. Plus, the HEMI powered 470 hp Challenger SRT8 392 is a monster in its own right, and makes some glorious V8 music.
Ford Mustang
The Pony car that started it all is still on top of its game as it reaches a half century in production. The V8 Mustang GT rings in with 420 hp and the track ready BOSS 302 increases power to a healthy 444 hp. If that isn’t enough, you could always step up to the current king of the horsepower wars; the Shelby GT500. It produces a ludicrous 662 hp and backs it up with sinister looks.
A 20+ year industry veteran, Mike rejoins the AutoGuide team as the Managing Editor. He started his career at a young age working at dealerships, car rentals, and used car advertisers. He then found his true passion, automotive writing. After contributing to multiple websites for several years, he spent the next six years working at the head office of an automotive OEM, before returning back to the field he loves. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). He's the recipient of a feature writing of the year award and multiple video of the year awards.
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Easy peasy, SRT8 for my commuter it's got power,comfort and style, GT-500 track monster hands down what ever your flavor,GT Rally, SCCA,NASCAR,GT-C you name it.Lastly the Camaro would be the beater it doesn't have good viability, so-so power and mushy suspension. I've tried all and it's MOPAR or no car the Ford would have me doing 10 to life and a feature on every news channel about the great race against the new Highway Patrol cruisers. Ol' Carrol Shelby knew what he was doing when he invented the Cobra and Mustang GT 350 & 500!!
I think all of them are good in different ways, thats why they build different cars for different people style, but my favourite is the Challenger. Plus the new Hellcat Challenger is badass machine