Ford Mustang vs. Chevrolet Camaro vs. Dodge Challenger: Running Down the Final Generation of Modern Muscle

The Ford Mustang currently reigns supreme as the last muscle car standing, with the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger each bowing out as their respective brands shift their focus to SUVs and future electrification.

That doesn’t mean people aren’t still cross-shopping Mustangs, Challengers, and Camaros. Each of these models offers its own strengths and weaknesses, swapping the lead back and forth in the power, styling, and overall performance departments. In some cases, it might come down to personal preference, but in others there are clear advantages to going with Ford over Chevy, or Dodge over Ford.

Here’s how the Mustang vs. Camaro vs. Challenger question breaks down when looking at the most recent examples of each of these popular muscle cars.

Redesigned for 2024, the Ford Mustang EcoBoost rewards buyers with 315 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque from a 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. A 10-speed automatic is the only available gearbox, and buyers can add a High Performance package that tweaks the suspension, upgrades the brakes, and adds a limited-slip rear differential to help improve handling and overall performance. In a straight line, the EcoBoost will hit 60 mph in just under five seconds.

Until recently, the base 1LS Chevrolet Camaro Turbo made use of a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder that’s good for 275 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the Mustang, a V-6 model is also offered, and it posts 335 horses and 284 lb-ft of twist. There are eight-speed (turbo four) and 10-speed (V-6) automatics available as options, and a six-speed manual available for both motors. The 1LE track package is a worthwhile upgrade for performance fans. The V-6 is the quickest of the two 1LS models, needing just a couple ticks over five seconds in the sprint to 60 mph.

The Dodge Challenger SXT features a 3.6-liter V-6 that’s good for 303 horsepower and 268 lb-ft of torque, yoked to a standard eight-speed automatic transmission. With a 0–60 time of 6.0 seconds, it’s just a little slower than the Camaro 1LS, but it has the advantage of offering all-wheel drive in the GT trim, which neither Ford nor Chevrolet can match with their muscle cars.

The Mustang GT steps up to a 5.0-liter V-8 that delivers up to 480 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque (with the performance exhaust option) and adds a six-speed manual gearbox to the order sheet (along with a Performance package of its own that includes MagneRide adaptive suspension and Brembo brakes). The GT can hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds.

The Chevrolet Camaro SS includes a 455-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 that also spits out 455 lb-ft of torque. Transmission choices remain the same as they did with the V-6, and the 1LE package is still on the table to transform the SS into the best-driving muscle machine in its peer group. You’ll see 60 mph in the Camaro SS in just 4.1 seconds.

The Dodge Challenger’s 5.7-liter V-8 does its best, with 375 horsepower and 410 lb-ft torque on tap, but the car’s heavier platform sees it nuzzling up against the five-second mark when scorching its way to 60 mph. Fear not, Mopar fans: The Scat Pack option installs a heftier 6.4-liter V-8 that churns out 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. With the motor under the hood, 60 mph arrives in a scant 4.0 seconds if you choose the available eight-speed automatic (a six-speed manual gearbox is also in the cards).

The Ford Mustang Dark Horse doesn’t do much to boost its horsepower figures over the Mustang GT, posting 500 ponies and an identical 418 lb-ft of torque. Its forged engine internals, long list of suspension and aero upgrades, and other driveline improvements are intended to make it a track terror instead of a stoplight dragster, and that’s further reflected by the 5.0-liter V-8’s higher redline. It’s still quick, of course, with a 4.1 second 0–60 run locked up inside its drivetrain (when choosing the 10-speed automatic over its six-speed manual).

The Camaro ZL1 overwhelms the Dark Horse with 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque from a supercharged version of Chevy’s 6.2-liter V-8. The 10-speed automatic offers the wildest acceleration, with a 3.5-second run to 60 mph, but it’s the 1LE Extreme Track Performance package and six-speed manual gearbox that together make the ZL1 the most effective racetrack warrior on the modern muscle car scene.

The Dodge Challenger’s SRT Hellcat family of supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engines sits at the top of the Detroit power pyramid. The “weakest” link in the chain delivers 717 horsepower, with 797 horsepower (Redeye) and 807 horsepower (Jailbreak, Super Stock) editions also available for street use. Look for 0–60 in the mid-three-second range, depending on transmission choice (six-speed manual or eight-speed auto) and model (with widebody editions offering additional grip).

The Ford Mustang’s sheetmetal isn’t quite as retro as it once was, but squint and you still see the mix of 1968 and 1970 design cues that continue to play a role in what the coupe and convertible look like. Ford has kept these nods to the past alive in the cabin, as well, where a fully digital gauge cluster can be made to resemble the original Mustang’s read-outs, or even the Fox body dashboard from the 1980s.

The Chevrolet Camaro offers the blandest looks of the three, at least until you get to the extroverted ZL1 1LE festooned with spoilers, splitters, and vents. Inoffensively styled, the Camaro is the most diluted of the trio in terms of having strayed from its ’60s-themed origins. It also offers an interior that’s more cramped than its rivals and is famously difficult to see out of due to its gun-slit window glass (with the convertible delivering at least a reprieve from claustrophobia).

The Dodge Challenger is the undisputed king of old-school styling. Its beefy looks haven’t changed all that much since it was first introduced in the late-2000s (aside from the introduction of the widebody model), and they have the side effect of giving the Challenger a livable rear seat that makes it more practical than any other modern muscle coupe.

Tech highlights for the Ford Mustang across its various models include:

• No-lift shifting
• Track apps
• 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster
• 13.2-inch infotainment screen
• Line-lock
• Launch control (manual transmission)
• Remote Rev feature

The Chevrolet Camaro is a slightly older design and doesn’t quite match the Mustang’s technology quotient. Still, it’s available with:

• Dual mode exhaust
• Head-up display
• Performance data recorder
• Launch control
• Wi-Fi hot spot

The Dodge Challenger lags the Camaro and the Mustang as the elder statesmen of the group. Still, Challenger drivers can avail themselves of the following tech gear:

• Power Chiller charge cooler
• Line lock
• Launch control
• Trans brake
• All-wheel drive (V-6 models)

• The Ford Mustang currently starts at just under $31,000 and escalates all the way past $57,700 for the Dark Horse.
• The Chevrolet Camaro, in its final 2024 model year, started at around $30,000 and climbed to almost $80,000 for the ZL1 convertible.
• The Dodge Challenger, which was last on sale for 2023, featured a $33,000 entry-level window sticker and topped out at almost $100,000.

• You want a new car warranty
• You are seeking the most tech you can find in a muscle car
• You don’t mind being down on horsepower

The Ford Mustang is the winner of today’s muscle machine wars, as it’s the only one left standing after Chevrolet and Dodge have retired from the game. It’s a formidable performance package even at the low end, and despite the Dark Horse not delivering over-the-top power, it has the tools needed for track fun.

• You want the best-driving modern muscle car
• You need a supercharged convertible
• You can find a good one used

The Chevrolet Camaro’s platform is by far the most rewarding when put through its paces on a racetrack, and power fans won’t be disappointed by the supercharged grunt offered by the ZL1. You’ll need to do a reality check to see if you can deal with its hard-to-see-out-of cabin before you seal the deal. And, remember, it’s not in production anymore, so you’ll be shopping used.

• You’re a big fan of its old-school looks
• You need a comfortable daily driver
• You want the most powerful muscle car available

The Challenger might be gone, but it’s far from forgotten—especially if style and practicality are just as important as overwhelming firepower. Not the most athletic performer, the Hellcat editions of the Challenger have yet to be matched for their sheer ferocity. While this, too, is out of production, you might still be able to find an unsold 2023 or 2024-model-year example new on a dealership lot out there, albeit likely not one of the rarer Demons or powerful Hellcat variants.

• The Mustang EcoBoost leads the entry-level pack with 315 horsepower, compared to 275 horsepower for the Camaro Turbo and 305 horsepower for the Challenger SXT.
• The Mustang GT delivers 486 horsepower from its 5.0-liter V-8, which is also more than the 6.2-liter V-8 in the Camaro SS (455 horsepower) and 5.7-liter V-8 in the Challenger R/T (375 horsepower).
• The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Jailbreak and Super Stock decimate offer 807 horsepower, which decimates both the Camaro ZL1 (650 horsepower) and the Mustang Dark Horse (500 horsepower).
• The Chevrolet Camaro’s platform is the most athletic on a race course but the least comfortable as a daily driver. The Dodge Challenger is the chunkiest of the trio but the best option if you need a back seat. The Ford Mustang sits in the middle of those two extremes.
• The Ford Mustang takes the lead when it comes to advanced technologies, particularly inside the cabin, but the Chevrolet Camaro’s Performance Data Recorder is useful for track fans.
• The Dodge Challenger’s Power Chiller is the only active charge cooling system available with a muscle car.