Pepsi vs. Coke? McDonalds vs. Burger King? Paper or Plastic?

As humans, we enjoy comparing things and then arguing until our lungs have ruptured. Cars, like any other topic under the sun, are not spared from these intense examinations. Anywhere there are these comparisons there are rivalries. Some are pushed upon the competitors and then there are the rivalries where each party loves to hate the other. The Chevrolet Camaro vs. the Ford Mustang is one of the latter rivalries. Since 1967, these competitors have fought, won, and lost in the battle for pony car supremacy. The Carlocate.com Crew is risking life and limb to step into this fierce rivalry and even our tight-knit, expert, staff stands divided as we debate ad nauseam the merits of the 2011 Camaro SS 2SS vs. 2012 Mustang GT Premium for you the reader.

At any trim level, both the 2011 Camaro and the 2012 Mustang are going to be competitive. For the purpose of convenience this blog has chosen to pit the Camaro SS 2SS and the Mustang GT Premium head to head. 

vs. 

Ford 2012 Mustang GT Premium:

Ford’s 2012 Mustang GT Premium is one of those cars that will make you smile when you see it pass. That is unless you own a Camaro. Then there’s a high probability that your eyes just got a whole lot wetter. For decades, the Mustang has touted its dominance in the American muscle genre and now, more than ever, it deserves your undivided attention.

While the Camaro does have a slight edge in the departments of horsepower and torque (426-hp vs. 412-hp, 420 lb/ft vs. 390 lb/ft), the 2012 Mustang GT Premium gets better miles per gallon than its fuel-abusing counterpart. Couple the roughly $279* ($1396* over 5 years) dollars a year a Mustang owner saves on gas, with the $1,575 initially conserved from the difference in MSRPs and you’ve got yourself some spendin’ money. That’s money you can invest in a new 40’’ plasma for your man-cave, a year’s supply of brew, or even your new 2012 Ford Mustang. ‘Nuff Said.

Chevrolet 2011 Camaro SS 2SS:

When you look at this car you think muscle car. If you opened up the man’s dictionary regarding cars and found muscle car you’d see the Camaro as the definition and the words epic, monster, and beast as synonyms of the word. This car comes stocked with a 6.2 L V8 engine that puts out a titanic 426hp at 5900rpm with 420ft-lbs of torque at 4600rpm. This engine torments the dreams of import drivers or Mustang drivers forced to compete with a smaller and lesser engine. With a 4.6second 0-60mph and 10.5 second 0-100mph the Camaro is one fast customer. While the Mustang has the same speed for 0-60mph, it falls behind on the road to 0-100mph and posts a slightly slower time than the Camaro. A 112.3in wheelbase with independent, coil spring, multi-strut suspension in the front, and 4.5-link suspension in the rear gives the Camaro a stable base and solid handling for a car of its size. The Camaro SS 2SS is slightly more expensive than the Mustang GT Premium at $35,270 compared to $33,695 and is less fuel efficient. In the end though, the axiom you get what you pay for holds true here as the Camaro SS 2SS is definitely worth the cost of an upgrade from the Mustang GT Premium.

So now it’s up to you to decide…who wins this ultimate showdown?  Or is this rivalry destined to go on forever?