I’ve gone through a number of vehicles through my years, primarily 4 cylinder motor vehicles with a couple forays into 6 cylinder territory. Historically I have been a fan of the 4 cylinder due to fuel efficiency, size, and affordability. I always have, and still have, a soft spot for the 4 cylinder sportscar. They tend to focus more on handling and driving skill in my years of estimation. That is why to this day I have owned both a Subaru BRZ and Mazda Miata, which are key Japanese 4-cylinder sports models on the market today.
What I have not experienced is the rumble and raw emotion associated with the V8. I have ridden in a few, namely my wife’s 90s Pontiac Firebird and my neighbors Camaro IROC-Z. Neither vehicle left a lasting impression on me, although that Camaro was pretty sweet. Aside from that, I have seen what is capable from the Dodge Charger.
So there are a few major players when it comes to modern V8 platforms: GM, Mopar, and Ford. Here in America, they make up the lion’s share of the market. I can appreciate all manufacturer offerings fairly equally, although there are many who swear by one versus the other. I am fair and impartial given that I have never owned a V8 vehicle. For the sake of discussion, let’s say I am in the market for one. In all actuality, I play with the idea of owning a V8 vehicle all of the time, but the idea of getting at most 15 MPG city seems ridiculous. Additionally, knowing my personality, I would probably get closer to 10-12 MPG because I tend to have a heavy foot and I mean… its a V8, come on.
The key vehicles I look at are the Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro. They are 2 door V8 sportscars–they compete directly with each other. The Charger exists, but only as a four door vehicle–unlike the Chargers of times past. Additionally, the Corvette exists, and it is damn sweet, but with the new release of the C8, it is a bit out of reach at this point. I suppose older Corvettes are on the table with the right deal, but if we compare new manufacturer’s offerings apples to apples, let’s go with the aforementioned key three.
The modern Challenger platform has been around since 2008 and really has not evolved all too much. I want to compare it to the Nissan GTR in that it has been around just about as long without any significant improvements–it just is. That being said, I guess if it ain’t broke don’t fix it?
The SRT Hellcat with its 700+ HP just seems insane to me because again… is gas mileage a joke to you? Between that and tires, I might as well be loaded with money to just light on fire. Now the R/T (5.7L) and R/T Scat Pack (6.4L) look enticing…
The Mustang has a rich history and we are on generation six today (from 2015). The Mustang GT variant is the 5 liter V8 model which is being discussed. Ford has a supercharged Shelby GT500 to compete with the Hellcat and a more MPG-friendly EcoBoost 4 cylinder.
The Camaro has been around about as long as the Mustang and has a similar rich heritage. Although they have 4-cylinder models, there are many V8 options to include the LT1, 1SS, 2SS, and ZL1. I admit that I have not researched this model very much as I am predisposed towards liking the other two models more. The Camaro is absolutely still on the table.
As of today, I would probably go for the Mustang over the Challenger, but in reality all three of these V8 options are neck and neck. I don’t know enough about any of them to truly make any educated decision. It sure is fun researching them, though. Also, as alluded, there are options of looking at the used market which opens up Corvettes and vintage model vehicles if I’m willing to do a little work.