US car manufacturers are undergoing change at the moment, and competition against Toyota and Honda is high. Lists of the top ten car manufacturers that were posted across the Internet in July 2010, named only General Motors and Ford for US manufacturers.
The rest were Japanese, German, and Italian. Regardless of popularity; stateside, three cars from the much more raging past are making marks that are not comparable to economic, stay with-in the lines Japanese sedans.
2011 Chevy Camaro
The 2011 Chevy Camaro is based at $22,000 and achieves roughly 29 miles to the gallon on the highway. It's got 300 plus horses under the hood, and for a small 3.6 L V6, the 312 horse power speaks for itself. The first Camaro born in 1967 had an inline six that outputted 140 horse power with a three speed manual Saginaw transmission.
The V8 had 240 horse power. It now runs at 426 horse power with a 6 liter engine. The competition was the Ford Mustang, and many Camaro fans say there is no comparison.
2011 Ford Mustang
Ford was the first to revamp their muscle car. The 2011 shows aggressive lines and is fiercely flaunting at its $23,000 base price. The six cylinder is at 305 horse power and manages 31 miles to the gallon. The 8 cylinder weighs heavy carrying a 5 liter 412 horse power engine.
So, Ford is getting better gas mileage. To combat this, Chevy has made the upper end Camaro capable of running off of four cylinders instead of eight if owners want to conserve fuel. In 2012, Ford is releasing a Boss version of the Mustang housing the classic 302 block and 440 horses in the stable. What is Dodge going to do?
2011 Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger was the response to Chevy and Ford when the American muscle cars first hit the street. The Challenger has been brought back to cross swords with the Camaro and to keep the Mustang in line. The 2011 Dodge Challenger employs HEMI technology in an SRT, six speed, sport package as the top grade, with 425 horses.
The six cylinder boasts that it has a 40 horse power advantage over the Ford Mustang six, and is priced the same as the sixes for the Mustang and Camaro. The Challenger is the worst out of all three for fuel consumption. However, the lines are reminiscent of the seventies. Its not a Plymouth, Barracuda, but it will steal some Mustang viewers like it did in 1964.
Not everyone can be a Steve McQueen and drive a Mustang GT390. However, the sixes are within reach. They may not size up to the fuel economy and practicality of the Japanese cars, but believe me when I say your kid won't mind squeezing into the back seat of a Mustang, Challenger or Camaro and being dropped off at school behind an Accord.
Tobey Strauch - I graduated from Iowa State University with a Masters in Industrial Systems Engineering. I have traveled around the world to England, ...
