Which modern, four-cylinder pony car: Mustang or Camaro?

In reply to racerfink :

I stand corrected. 3,414 is what I'm finding though from Motortrend

Revisited the pony and found it's 3,730 for the fastback manual, up to 3,932 for the convertible automatic

Honesty moment - power aside, I have no idea if 300 lbs is noticeable on the track

It is an interesting comparison.  If all goes well I start a new job later this month.  After a year or so of training I will have to move to a much smaller town than DFW in various areas of the western US.  I will probably be looking at about a 1 hr commute each way after moving.  Driving my truck daily would be expensive for fuel and maintenance and wear out a truck I plan to have a long time.  I'm really looking at lower mileage used cars that can handle 30-35k miles a year on the road.  These two choices are on my thinking list, but so are an ND, a GTI, a Civic Si, an Accord sport, a Focus ST or Fiesta ST, or the twins .....  and who knows.  I really want something that reliably achieves 30+ mpg on the highway is reliable and fun to drive. 

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

The 2018 2.0t my dad had would get 42mpg on the highway.  My 2016 3.6L has a 50 mile avg best of 36.2, in a car that’s run 13.909 @ 100.75mph at Bradenton (knocking off my friends 4.6GT in the process).

If you’re into autocross, the 2.0t is a terror in D Street, and I’ve seen one run a 12.9 at Bradenton.  He had a cold air intake, down pipe, and E-85 tune, and it took a full second off the factory 1/4 time.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

I saw a Coyote in an early Mustang here in central MS, so I know it is possible.  

Not the same car, but it is possible.  

As many of you pointed out, I sure did leave out some important information: weight

From the respective media sites for the 2021 models:

• The Mustang (2.3-Liter High Performance Package) comes in at 3730 lbs. with the manual, 3752 lbs. with the automatic.
• The Camaro comes in at 3627 lbs. with the manual, 3607 lbs. with the automatic.

So the Mustang is a little bit heavier than the Camaro, unless you go with the "base" EcoBoost Mustang, which weighs 3491 lbs. for the manual, 3511 lbs. for the automatic.

In reply to Colin Wood :

That 3,600# Camaro is the SS with a V8.  The base model 2.0t is approx. 3,350#.  The 2.0t 1LE is around 3,425#.

miatafan said:

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

I saw a Coyote in an early Mustang here in central MS, so I know it is possible.  

Not the same car, but it is possible.  

And the first thing I notice is the shock towers are gone.

Not insurmountable, but it turns "engine swap" into "chassis fabrication/re-engineering".  An inline four looks pretty good if you don't want to go down that road.

racerfink said:

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

The 2018 2.0t my dad had would get 42mpg on the highway.  My 2016 3.6L has a 50 mile avg best of 36.2, in a car that’s run 13.909 @ 100.75mph at Bradenton (knocking off my friends 4.6GT in the process).

If you’re into autocross, the 2.0t is a terror in D Street, and I’ve seen one run a 12.9 at Bradenton.  He had a cold air intake, down pipe, and E-85 tune, and it took a full second off the factory 1/4 time.

My 3.6L Colorado has a 50 mile best in the high 20s I think but has an average of 19 over its 26000 mile life (mostly in town).  It gets 21 avg highway at 70-75.  A 3.6 Camaro might be high 20s at 70.  I can see that.

Colin Wood said:

As many of you pointed out, I sure did leave out some important information: weight

From the respective media sites for the 2021 models:

• The Mustang (2.3-Liter High Performance Package) comes in at 3730 lbs. with the manual, 3752 lbs. with the automatic.
• The Camaro comes in at 3627 lbs. with the manual, 3607 lbs. with the automatic.

So the Mustang is a little bit heavier than the Camaro, unless you go with the "base" EcoBoost Mustang, which weighs 3491 lbs. for the manual, 3511 lbs. for the automatic.

I've co-drove a 2019 Camaro 2.0t at a pro-solo autocross and when it was weighed with a full tank of fuel it came in at 3340, and something like 50.5/49.5 weight balance. The Camaro has a significant weight advantage over the Mustang. There's a reason the GM guys won CAM at the autox nationals in a 2.0t Camaro.

foshjowler said:

Colin Wood said:

As many of you pointed out, I sure did leave out some important information: weight

From the respective media sites for the 2021 models:

• The Mustang (2.3-Liter High Performance Package) comes in at 3730 lbs. with the manual, 3752 lbs. with the automatic.
• The Camaro comes in at 3627 lbs. with the manual, 3607 lbs. with the automatic.

So the Mustang is a little bit heavier than the Camaro, unless you go with the "base" EcoBoost Mustang, which weighs 3491 lbs. for the manual, 3511 lbs. for the automatic.

I've co-drove a 2019 Camaro 2.0t at a pro-solo autocross and when it was weighed with a full tank of fuel it came in at 3340, and something like 50.5/49.5 weight balance. The Camaro has a significant weight advantage over the Mustang. There's a reason the GM guys won CAM at the autox nationals in a 2.0t Camaro.

Yes there is, but I'm sure having the resources of GM available on a daily basis didn't hurt.  Even in autocross budget and resources play a role.  

foshjowler said:

Colin Wood said:

As many of you pointed out, I sure did leave out some important information: weight

From the respective media sites for the 2021 models:

• The Mustang (2.3-Liter High Performance Package) comes in at 3730 lbs. with the manual, 3752 lbs. with the automatic.
• The Camaro comes in at 3627 lbs. with the manual, 3607 lbs. with the automatic.

So the Mustang is a little bit heavier than the Camaro, unless you go with the "base" EcoBoost Mustang, which weighs 3491 lbs. for the manual, 3511 lbs. for the automatic.

I've co-drove a 2019 Camaro 2.0t at a pro-solo autocross and when it was weighed with a full tank of fuel it came in at 3340, and something like 50.5/49.5 weight balance. The Camaro has a significant weight advantage over the Mustang. There's a reason the GM guys won CAM at the autox nationals in a 2.0t Camaro.

That's pretty light especially with a full tank. Was the car modified in any way, ie lighter wheels, seats, etc.

In reply to 67LS1 :

That’s right about where I’d expect a 1LT 2.0t to be.  

67LS1 said:

foshjowler said:

Colin Wood said:

As many of you pointed out, I sure did leave out some important information: weight

From the respective media sites for the 2021 models:

• The Mustang (2.3-Liter High Performance Package) comes in at 3730 lbs. with the manual, 3752 lbs. with the automatic.
• The Camaro comes in at 3627 lbs. with the manual, 3607 lbs. with the automatic.

So the Mustang is a little bit heavier than the Camaro, unless you go with the "base" EcoBoost Mustang, which weighs 3491 lbs. for the manual, 3511 lbs. for the automatic.

I've co-drove a 2019 Camaro 2.0t at a pro-solo autocross and when it was weighed with a full tank of fuel it came in at 3340, and something like 50.5/49.5 weight balance. The Camaro has a significant weight advantage over the Mustang. There's a reason the GM guys won CAM at the autox nationals in a 2.0t Camaro.

That's pretty light especially with a full tank. Was the car modified in any way, ie lighter wheels, seats, etc.

Probably heavier than what rolled off the factory. Wheels/tires are 305s all around, upgraded calipers, and a few extra body moldings. Mine is probably a little lighter since I just daily and autox it, and he does track things with his, so needed upgraded brakes and the extra aero helps him. Otherwise they're the same car, just different years.