Now, the Chevy Camaro and the Ford Mustang have been gunning for each other since the 1960’s, when they were first launched. Over the last couple of years, the battle has been more intense than ever, with each brand coming up with newer and more powerful variants to try and eke out additional market share. In the last few quarters, sales of the Camaro have been higher than the Mustang. The Camaro convertible is the latest addition to the muscle car wars and fills a critical hole in GM’s lineup. With its long hood, short rear, and low roofline, the Camaro is a striking vehicle – and in convertible form, it gets even more attention. It is without doubt the sexiest muscle car on the market today, and its appeal increases with each appearance in the Transformer movie franchise.

The Camaro’s cabin is a well-executed balance of heritage and modern design. Deep, recessed gauges, located in square housings are reminiscent of the classic Camaro interior. The instrument panel gauges include both speedometer and engine rpm, with a driver information screen located between the large gauges. Our test car had the optional, console-mounted gauge package that includes oil pressure, oil temperature, volts and transmission fluid temperature. Useful information, however the gauges are located low down and are hard to read while driving. The Camaro does have an optional head-up display that provides information on the windshield directly in the driver’s line of sight, which works well in most lighting conditions and is a good safety enhancement. The Camaro has a large retro steering wheel with buttons for the radio, etc., that are built-in, but hard to reach because of the deep dish design. But the rear seats do have more room than the XKR, although they’re still best used only for your children – or pet Beagle in this case! A point to note, though, is that there is virtually no roll-over protection in the convertible. So, even though there is plenty of performance on tap, taking the car to the racetrack is a bad idea.

With a 6.2 liter V8 that produces 426bhp, the Camaro is no slouch. This is the same engine that was introduced in the Corvette in 2008. In a straight line, performance is solid, and the 6 speed manual is a great tool to assist with burnouts. While the engine is impressive, the gear shift lacks the tactile feel that I experienced when I tested the Dodge Challenger SRT8 some time ago.

Whenever a car loses its roof to become a convertible, engineers have to work hard to ensure that chassis rigidity is not lost in the process. GM has added four strategic reinforcements to ensure the Camaro’s structure remains firm. These include a tower brace under the hood, a transmission support reinforcement brace, and front and rear underbody braces. While the chassis seems solid on smooth roads, uneven surfaces do result in some amount of cowl shake, which is slightly disappointing. According to GM, the suspension setup of the coupe and convertible are unchanged, which means that the ride is comfortable, rather than outright sporty. Through the corners, there is a certain amount of body-roll, however the large 20-inch wheels with sticky rubber provide plenty of grip. Steering feel is a bit underwhelming, and certainly not in the same league as the XKR. Without traction control, the Camaro will oversteer out of corners, and it can be a bit of a handful – largely a result of its barge like dimensions. The Camaro is a big vehicle with a wheelbase of 112 inches that weighs in at 1,850kgs. Compared to the XKR, the Camaro SS convertible is over 130kgs heavier! And what it means is that you need a large run-off area to have enough confidence to really push the Camaro. It does have Brembo brakes that work well. However, on our test car they were squealing – probably because of extensive prior abuse at the hands of fellow journalists.

All said and done, though, the Camaro has a lot going for it. It’s very powerful, looks menacing, and is well priced. Yes, its weight prevents it from being fun through the corners, but it’s a great cruiser that also sounds fantastic. That coupled with its heritage and uber cool looks means that it’s a car that you simply can’t ignore.

So, is it worth buying an XKR when you could conceivably get a similar experience in a Camaro for less than half the price? Well, the XKR may be twice as expensive as the Camaro, but then again it’s probably twice as good!