Camaro Stomps Mustang Repeatedly in Fifth Gear Drag Races
Even in fancy drag strip mode, this new Mustang can’t come close to outrunning a Camaro in a straight line.
By now, we’ve seen a million (give or take) Camaro versus Mustang tests, races, and head-to-head comparisons. And yet, they just never get old. After all, we are talking about two of the most legendary nameplates in the automotive world. Two cars that have sparred endlessly with each other for decades. So, of course, we couldn’t help but check out this recent straight-line showdown put on by the good chaps behind U.K.’s Fifth Gear.
Sure, there’s undoubtedly a full comparison test between these two American sensations. But this clip cuts straight to the important stuff – which car can outrun the other from a dead stop in a proper drag race. But this is Britain, of course, so their race spans 400 meters, which is actually roughly two feet short of a quarter mile. Regardless, we don’t think that extra couple of feet would have made a difference, anyway.
Our Mustang driver, Tiff Needell, certainly seems confident right off the start, thanks in part to the car’s ringer feature. “I had high hopes for my Mustang because it’s got a nifty little trick up its sleeve,” Needell said. “Drag strip mode combines launch control with a softening of the rear dampers which allows the backend to squat and maximize acceleration.”
His Camaro driving opponent, Jason Plato, could care less about that seemingly advantageous feature, however. “I’ve got none of that drag strip nonsense. What I’ve got is what you really want in a test like this, and that’s more pulling power.”
Yes, the Camaro certainly has more torque than the dual-overhead cam Coyote V8 in the Mustang. But it’s also quite a bit lighter, which obviously helps. On the first of three runs, Needell does itself no favors by smoking the tires and losing by multiple car lengths. In all fairness, he got a slight jump on the start, but not much. Needell dials back the launch rpm from 5,000 to 4,000 on the next run, but it makes absolutely no difference.
On the third and final run, Needell ditches drag strip mode completely. And well, that didn’t change anything, either. “I tried everything and I’ve been thrashed each time. By any other standards, the Mustang is quick. But it simply couldn’t match the Camaro.” And is anyone really surprised by that simple fact?
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