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2020 GT500 vs Hellcat vs ZL1 - How They Compare Off The Drag Strip [Edmunds Comparison Review]

Jarstang

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What do you get when you have a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, a Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye Widebody and a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500? The ultimate muscle-car comparison.

The Camaro ZL1 and the Challenger Hellcat are established players in this space, but the arrival of the GT500 resets expectations from modern muscle cars. The ZL1 1LE is a hardcore racetrack-oriented beast, while the Hellcat Redeye has the bragging rig
hts of 800 hp and comfort for the daily commute. What does the GT500 add to this trio? Watch and find out.

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Classic Lover

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Please explain how the hellcat lost the practicality test? The mustang has no back seat. Tires on the seats really? Over all a good video, but that was dumb. Also how do you not know by now that the challenger has 5 seats, not 4. The car has been out for like 13 years.
 

millhouse

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Please explain how the hellcat lost the practicality test? The mustang has no back seat. Tires on the seats really? Over all a good video, but that was dumb. Also how do you not know by now that the challenger has 5 seats, not 4. The car has been out for like 13 years.
The mustang can store more dead bodies, plain and simple.

And the track test was a joke.

Most interesting comment I found was how much they felt the ZLE's tires were far superior than the sport cup 2's.
 

Laststandard

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Most interesting comment I found was how much they felt the ZLE's tires were far superior than the sport cup 2's.
Well, those are the tires it comes with from the factory so..? Do you want them tested as-is from the factory or not?

At this point it's looking like most of the $20k for the CFTP was spent on Carbon Fiber instead of Track Package.
 

millhouse

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Well, those are the tires it comes with from the factory so..? Do you want them tested as-is from the factory or not?

At this point it's looking like most of the $20k for the CFTP was spent on Carbon Fiber instead of Track Package.
I’ve long said the ZLE had superior tires. Most Camaro folk seemed to claim “but cup2!” Was just making a point.
 

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Laststandard

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I’ve long said the ZLE had superior tires. Most Camaro folk seemed to claim “but cup2!” Was just making a point.
I think that comes more into play on the PP2 / 1LE front.
 

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The trunk - in particular, the opening - on the Camaro is absurd. When I was cross shopping a ZL1 convertible, the trunk attributes, and that included: the tiny opening, the general storage __and__ the real deal breaker, the difference in space/configuration based on the top position was a huge hit on owning one.
 

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I think that comes more into play on the PP2 / 1LE front.
Perhaps. It's still a valid talking point for and ZLE comparison.

Make no mistake, this will NOT be an excuse if the GT500 CFTP fails to beat the ZLE. It just goes to show that the ZLE by no means has any tire disadvantage over the mustang...and (by this account) quite the opposite.
 

Laststandard

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The trunk - in particular, the opening - on the Camaro is absurd. When I was cross shopping a ZL1 convertible, the trunk attributes, and that included: the tiny opening, the general storage __and__ the real deal breaker, the difference in space/configuration based on the top position was a huge hit on owning one.
How much do y'all regularly carry in the trunk? I've had no issues getting my track day bin, 10x10 canopy (back seats folded down, of course), camp chair and other misc stuff I need for track days in the trunk. Grocery store trips are fine, other than getting a little spirited on the drive back home and dumping the bag contents all over the trunk... Hell, I even stuffed my bike back there once.
 

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I think this pretty much sums up the cars pretty well. The GT500 is clearly the most well rounded of the group and can do it all the best. If all you want is a dedicated track car the ZL1LE is a great value.

I have driven the Hellcat a few times (it’s been a few years) and it’s a comfortable and fun to drive, but really is not something I would enjoy as much on some back roads.
 

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I think this pretty much sums up the cars pretty well. The GT500 is clearly the most well rounded of the group and can do it all the best. If all you want is a dedicated track car the ZL1LE is a great value.

I have driven the Hellcat a few times (it’s been a few years) and it’s a comfortable and fun to drive, but really is not something I would enjoy as much on some back roads.
I agree 100%. They are all three very cool cars with a lot of capability, and it's nice that we have the option of choosing which best suits our wants and needs.

I'm sure Ford could have put in the fixed Multimatic shocks similar to the Camaro in the GT500, but they chose not to for whatever reason, and hard core track performance is compromised because of it. Not by much though.

Any track that takes less than 40 seconds to go around doesn't seem like there'd be much opportunity for any of these cars to really use their power. I wonder if a Miata would beat all three on that circuit.
 

ZRacerLE

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My perfect garage:
Base GT500 - daily driver
ZLE - track car
Redeye - drag racer (slicks only)
 

Classic Lover

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I like all three of these cars, the gt500 is great but really not a good daily car with the CFTP, the ZL1 1LE is too hard core. The base 500 or ZL1 are alot better for that, however I think the hellcat is going to be the most reliable car here over time. The platform is proven and I would be scared to put alot of miles on a DCT car. I like the look of the 13-14 gt500 better anyway.
 

Arkarius

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I’ve long said the ZLE had superior tires. Most Camaro folk seemed to claim “but cup2!” Was just making a point.
To be fair a lot of the ZL1 folks I've seen don't like the stock ZL1 tires because they don't hook until you heat them up a bit and are super skittish in the rain. The ZLE tires belong on a race track, period.

I think the stock regular ZL1 tires are fantastic for the street and light track duty, myself. I've never had a problem with grip pushing them on back roads, which usually have steep cliffs on one side.

Would love to see both sets on a Mustang and Camaro vs the cup 2's for a real comparison. Several versions of the cup2's even.

The video was laughably bad, but I guess we have to take what we can get at this point.

I think this pretty much sums up the cars pretty well. The GT500 is clearly the most well rounded of the group and can do it all the best. If all you want is a dedicated track car the ZL1LE is a great value.

I have driven the Hellcat a few times (it’s been a few years) and it’s a comfortable and fun to drive, but really is not something I would enjoy as much on some back roads.
Pretty much sums up my thoughts on the cars too. While the Cats intrigue me, I would definitely go for the Mustang if I wanted something more comfortable than the Camaro.
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