GT350R vs. ZL1 on Everyday Driver on Velocity

I've seen what the ZL1 can do at the track in the hands of a competent driver. It hauls ass. It is for sure faster than an R, but I will take an R over a ZL1/Z 1LE any day.

The Goodyear Supercar 3R ZL1 tires are every bit as good as the Cup2's. I should have taken a picture but at the SF Auto show they had the two cars parked next to each other, the tires looked identical. Between the c7Z and the ZL1 the only advantage the Z06 has is the weight and wider foot print.

Epiphany said:

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Crying shame the GT350 didn't come with a setup like this. Especially when certain export only S550 cars do. Ford really needs to get their ass in gear.

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Even my '04 WRX has one of those in the trunk......:shrug:

Sadly I've had to use it in beach sand dunes. Too much belief in the AWD and not enough common sense as an early 20-something a decade ago.

1mic said:

I've seen what the ZL1 can do at the track in the hands of a competent driver. It hauls ass. It is for sure faster than an R, but I will take an R over a ZL1/Z 1LE any day.

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I would take the R as well, but only because of looks. I still don't like the Camaro's styling. The last generation was horrible, while this one is a lot better, but I'm still not 100% sold on it.

FYI....episode airs again on March 17

Alain said:

They should have matched an R against a ZL1 1LE. I wonder how that would have influenced the review.

I'd pick an R over a standard zl1 any day. Zl1 1le might be a tougher choice

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Motor Trend did one of there episodes driving the ZL1 1LE with Randy Pobst, They mentioned they preferred the 350R similar to what they mentioned when driving the standard ZL1.

We were on the edge of choosing the ZL1 1LE after driving many ZL1's and GT350's then we had a chance to drive the 350R... that sealed the deal.

HR213 said:

Motor Trend did one of there episodes driving the ZL1 1LE with Randy Pobst, They mentioned they preferred the 350R similar to what they mentioned when driving the standard ZL1.

We were on the edge of choosing the ZL1 1LE after driving many ZL1's and GT350's then we had a chance to drive the 350R... that sealed the deal.

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You’re one of the few that have gotten the chance to drive the ZL1 1LE as well as the R !!!

Can you somehow put into words what made you choose the R? As much as I’m fighting the urge to buy a track car I’m still interested in finding out the differences between both.

nordique14 said:

FYI....episode airs again on March 17

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What channel?

I believe it is the velocity channel

Zombo said:

Now that the cat is out of the bag...

It was a '16 R with Electronics Package and ZL1 with the A10. Most likely, both were private owner cars as the ZL1 had a tow hook installed. They drove the cars around the back roads, probably as much of us do; getting on them when the opportunity arises.

Both cars were considered fantastic, supercar territory - they thought 10 gears is too much, and would have preferred the 6M. They also criticized the R for choppy ride and handling over bumpy roads. At that point in the show, I thought the ZL1 had it, but in the end, the ZL1, though extremely capable, was a bit subdued in comparison to the frantic GT350 - they like frantic.

Obviously, I only touched on what they discussed. A standout to me was their choppy ride complaint, probably a result of the stiffer springs, et. al of the R package. I wonder if a GT350 would have quelled this objection.

Regardless of the "winner", it's an episode (and show) worth seeking out...

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Did they take the shipping blocks out:lol:

Friendly reminder

Looking forward to this, have my auto-record set!

Thanks for the reminder!

I know what I'm watching tonight after I kick the guests out the door! I might have to bring up politics or religion to hasten their departure

Alain said:

Can you somehow put into words what made you choose the R? As much as I’m fighting the urge to buy a track car I’m still interested in finding out the differences between both.

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It is hard to explain. For both my wife and I there many items that pushed us to the R. The instant power was addictive but there is a disconnect between driver and vehicle (sound/feel/vision/looks) with the ZL1 and 350R. We have no bias between either brands and was actually hoping the ZL1 1LE would sway the decision.

One item to note. If you are a instant HP junkie then the ZL1 will be the choice but it will need a full header back exhaust to fix the banana in the tailpipe sound they have now. Maybe if they had a exhaust to wake up the senses, redesigned back end, improved visibility we would have chosen the ZL1 1LE.

Thx! Just ticked the box on the dvr.

Funny thing. I just typed dvr and it tried to autocorrect to DCT. Machine learning ftw!!

HR213 said:

It is hard to explain. For both my wife and I there many items that pushed us to the R. The instant power was addictive but there is a disconnect between driver and vehicle (sound/feel/vision/looks) with the ZL1 and 350R. We have no bias between either brands and was actually hoping the ZL1 1LE would sway the decision.

One item to note. If you are a instant HP junkie then the ZL1 will be the choice but it will need a full header back exhaust to fix the banana in the tailpipe sound they have now. Maybe if they had a exhaust to wake up the senses, redesigned back end, improved visibility we would have chosen the ZL1 1LE.

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Thank you for answering my question. Looks wise, the zl1 1le is right on par with the R. The big wing in the back fixes the issues I had with the stock zl1’S rear end look. The stance on both cars is on the money. And neither one is ahead of the other in my eyes as far as interior styling (although the Recaros in the R are much better looking).

I don’t really need an instant horsepower monster, I have that with my Hellcat (which I am keeping) so that is not a consideration for me when comparing the Chevy and the R.

I have to agree with you 1000%, the exhaust note on the Zl1 leaves ALOT to be desired in my opinion. It’s not even in the same ball park as the R !!

Every time I watch a YouTube video of the Zl1 I cringe when I hear it take off. Banana in the tail pipe is a funny but accurate description.

I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how GM managed to make such a powerful engine sound so bad. That is what has kept me from getting the ZL1 1LE, I can’t stand the way they sound.