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Kermut

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Hey long time no see, now that I have my car I lurk around here much less frequently...

So I have a '21 Mach 1 6MT without the HP, and today I made a new friend with a gentleman with a Camaro ZL1 6MT, and he was kind enough to let me drive his car and I reciprocated. Driving was on Oklahoma back roads (with a good mile of fresh pavement)

Thoughts:

ZL1
- The ZL1 is unsurprisingly the faster car off the line
- The supercharger whine is pretty cool
- Camaro visibility, while admittedly terrible, isn't as bad as I remember from last time I drove one. Navigating a parking lot would be a nightmare, but for on the road driving, it was sufficient.
- The shifter on the Camaro is significantly less notchy than the Mach, with shorter throws. Clutch pedal effort was also surprisingly light

Mach
- The Mach sounds so much better. Supercharger whine and all is cool, but even the stock exhaust on the Mach in track mode is so much more vibrant/deep/interesting
- Mach visibility is much better than the Camaro, to the surprise of no one
- While the ZL1 is for sure the faster vehicle, my perception of speed/acceleration wasn't all that different
- Back seat is more usable than the Camaro
- While the driving was mostly straight line, I didn't feel like the handling of the Camaro was significantly improved over the Mach

Overall, for cruising down country back roads, I thought the two cars were about equal. I realize that's not true for the track, but I felt it worth sharing.
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RobZ71LM7

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Was the ZL1 a 1LE? I’d have to have both to make the switch.
 
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Kermut

Kermut

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Was the ZL1 a 1LE? I’d have to have both to make the switch.
I'm guessing so? He seemed like he picked all of the options when he ordered the car (carbon fiber hood insert, etc), but I forgot to ask

What was the zl1 owners opinion of the mach?
Hah I didn't ask. I'm sure he'd rather keep the ZL1 because he kept bringing up track times, but he genuinely enjoyed the Mach, and I think agreed with my impressions. When he first sat in the Mach he was "whoa I can see so much!"
 

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Hey long time no see, now that I have my car I lurk around here much less frequently...

So I have a '21 Mach 1 6MT without the HP, and today I made a new friend with a gentleman with a Camaro ZL1 6MT, and he was kind enough to let me drive his car and I reciprocated. Driving was on Oklahoma back roads (with a good mile of fresh pavement)

Thoughts:

ZL1
- The ZL1 is unsurprisingly the faster car off the line
- The supercharger whine is pretty cool
- Camaro visibility, while admittedly terrible, isn't as bad as I remember from last time I drove one. Navigating a parking lot would be a nightmare, but for on the road driving, it was sufficient.
- The shifter on the Camaro is significantly less notchy than the Mach, with shorter throws. Clutch pedal effort was also surprisingly light

Mach
- The Mach sounds so much better. Supercharger whine and all is cool, but even the stock exhaust on the Mach in track mode is so much more vibrant/deep/interesting
- Mach visibility is much better than the Camaro, to the surprise of no one
- While the ZL1 is for sure the faster vehicle, my perception of speed/acceleration wasn't all that different
- Back seat is more usable than the Camaro
- While the driving was mostly straight line, I didn't feel like the handling of the Camaro was significantly improved over the Mach

Overall, for cruising down country back roads, I thought the two cars were about equal. I realize that's not true for the track, but I felt it worth sharing.
As a owner of both I agree. The biggest difference is the torque from the 6.2. The Mach has to be revved to make the power. ZL1 is instant. I still prefer driving the Mach. The sound and the driving experience is just more raw. I do have the ZL1 1LE and it is a track weapon.
 
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Twizzty

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Yep, I miss revvvving the mustang out and that sound...man I miss that. What I don't miss is the lack of low end torque for everyday driving as the Camaro has that and then some.

You also get used to the visibility quick but what you don't get used to is the trunk. I've never had a trunk you can't even fit one set of golf clubs in without putting down the back seat, crazy!
 

ShadesOfBloo

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...He seemed like he picked all of the options when he ordered the car (carbon fiber hood insert, etc), but I forgot to ask
Chevy gave us an easy way to identify the 1LE: That huge carbon fiber wing.

Other cues include the tires having the a 305 section width at all 4 corners in the front,
and instead of MagneRide it just has a stiff-ass suspension.

If it had a wing, and your teeth let you know when you hit a bump, it could have been a 1LE. 😁

1LE, I could be anything I wanted.png
 
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Bruce Jr

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the better story would have been a Camaro SS 1LE vs. Mustang Mach 1 w/handling package (both manual transmission); this is not really a fair comparison IMO!
 

Strokerswild

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the better story would have been a Camaro SS 1LE vs. Mustang Mach 1 w/handling package (both manual transmission); this is not really a fair comparison IMO!
Except the cost of the ZL1 and Mach 1 are startlingly close....
 

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Charlemagne

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Except the cost of the ZL1 and Mach 1 are startlingly close....
They discount stuff that people don't want to buy. Mustang is great, buyers know it, Ford knows it, dealers sadly know it too (but not all).
 
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Strokerswild

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They discount stuff that people don't want to buy. Mustang knows great, buyers know it, Ford knows it, dealers sadly know it too (but not all).
Oh, I get it. But if you're not a total brand fanboy and truly look at the two from a bang for the buck standpoint, it's hard to beat that ZL1.
 

EFI

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So, the moral of the story is water is wet. I don't think anyone was surprised by your results.

Still, good stuff to hear and I do wonder if it was the 1LE or not. My guess it wasn't, as that's a whole different animal and any sane person would notice a huge difference in performance between that and the non-HP Mach.
 

gimmie11s

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Nothing in the review is particularly specific to the Mach 1. They are mostly "Mustang" points.

And I'd have to disagree on the sound. Coyotes generally sound like ass compared to the GM offerings. But hey... "sound" is purely subjective.

Guy at work has a zl1 1Le and that is a bad bitch.. no 2 ways about it!!
 
 




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