So I had a guy at work try and convince me that the new Camaro is a better looking car than my XKR, and a better performing car. While he admitted the interior wasn't "quite" the same in appointments, he is of the opinion that it is only slightly less so.

At first I just chuckled, thinking he was joking with me, but it became apparent to me as he continued that he was serious.

I did not know how to react.

So what opinions do we have on this????

 

Four words: "You can't buy taste..."

 

He doesn't have a clue, there is no comparison.

 

Ah, self delusion, ain't it grand... Now I do believe the Camaro is a good looking car FOR THE MASSES. But you my friend own a true masterpiece.

Think of the XKR as the Mona Lisa and the camaro as a velvet dimestore print of a grinning partually toothless Elvis Presley with his arms outstretched over an 18 wheeler...

 

Believe it or not, there are actually some that consider Denny's a 4 star dining experience

 

Looks are without question which one is the winner. As for performance depending on the model camaro he may be right. A good friend who I race with has a Lingenfelter modified SS he ran better lap times than I did in my XKR, We then switched cars and I was able to run faster in his car than mine.

 

As a three week owner of my XK, I just cant see the "visual" comparison.
The XK chassis is pure art (in motion or otherwise). So much so that it can cause problems with gawkers on the highways. Often I have drivers approaching quickly in the fast lane and once they see the XK, they slow down, drop back two car lengths and admire it for a minute, then proceed on by with an occasional thumbs up....
An ego boost to be sure, but annoying as heck to have fast lane traffic become so unpredictable thanks to the XK's rarity and good looks.... Sometimes I wish they would just keep going so I can lane change without concern...

Don't think a Camero will ever get the same reaction...

my 2 cents

 

It's all personal taste.

Wonder what the owners of Aston-Martin think of XK's?

 

Smile and nod, my friend, smile and nod.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and thank goodness we don't all have the same opinions. If we did then everthing I like would cost more, because if everyone else liked it also, demand would drive prices up.

My aunt thinks the only drinkable wine is White Zinfandel. Great, I hope lots of people agree with her.

 

The more I learn about the XK, the more convinced I am that it is a bona-fide muscle car all the way. I wish you could have the opportunity to run up against one of these camaros on the great german highway. Your co-worker would then have to re-think his stance on the issue.

 

I'd let him drive you XK on the highway and around town; then see what he says. There are a lot of paper drivers; they read the stats and that's that.

An STI is no Ferrari, no matter what the G-tech says.

They are two different cars and they may offer similar performance, but that's where it ends. Camaro is a nice car and best sounding out of that genre.

 

The ZL1 is going to be a brute of a car. I had been saving money to buy a Convertible Camaro -- and once they came out I went to drive one. I came away underwhelmed. Personally, I think they're fantastic looking cars from the outside. But from the inside, it's not just materials, the ergonomics are terrible. Gauges in weird places. No Nav option outside of onstar. And at the time they said no Convertible ZL1 and I wanted a convertible. So I took my cash and got an XKR instead. It's an absolute beauty where the camaro is a brute. They both have their place. It's just that the XKRs place is in my garage!

 

I'm sorry to weigh in again and appear to be bagging on the camaro. They were awesome cars back in '69, with the Z/28 which had the huge valves in the 302 version, and the rat motor versions. Even some later models with the gaudy double bumper to bumper racing stripes were pretty tough, but my goodness, the new ones being compared to a Jaguar? I'm struggling to see that, and I wish GM all the luck in what they do. 18436572, the small block firing order-memorized it the first time I saw it stamped on an intake or something. Loved those old chevy cars-but outperforming the Cat, forget trying to convince him otherwise. BTW, what is the firing order on the 4.2L V-8???????

 

Start leaving ads from the local LASIK clinic on his desk.

 

Forget about the Camaro. The vette would be a closer comparison. I have a '99 vette vert. Sleek and sexier than the current angular Camaro (think Cadillac) but imo XKR is the sexiest.

 

Well, rscultho, seeing that you're in Atlanta, I think it might have been appropriate to have told him: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" *

Your colleague is a perfect example of the old sayings: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", and "One man's meat is another man's poison." You didn't say what kind of car he drove, but after seeing your XKR, I suspect he secretly wishes he had one, too. [Unless he has the incurable NASCAR mindset (that's a Southern thang).]

Seriously, though, comparing an XKR to a Camaro is like comparing apples to oranges. Or, more appropriately, aluminum to steel.

As for the new Camaro's exterior design, to me, it's a cartoon car right out of the movie Cars. Sure, it turns heads when you first see it because it looks so different from anything else on the road. But is it good looking? No - it is a grotesque caricature of the classic '60s Camaro, way too big and out of proportion. There is no way that anyone in their right mind can say, based on any objective artistic criteria, that the Camaro is beautiful. Macho - yes; beautiful - no.

The new XK/XKR is another matter, entirely. No explanation needed here, on this forum, since that's why we bought our cars. Not merely beautiful; absolutely stunning! Both inside and out.

As for performance, that depends on what you're talking about. For me, performance is how my XKR makes me feel every time I get behind the wheel, crank it up and hear the exhaust (I pulled fuse 19 and love it!); the comfort, ride quality, fit and finish, and everything else that makes it a thrill to drive.

BTW, you couldn't pay me enough to drive a Camaro!



Footnote:
* if you didn't recognize the quote, it's the last line spoken by Clark Gable/Rhett Butler in "Gone With The Wind", one of the best films of all time about the South and the Civil War.

 

When I first saw the Camaro, I thought they were great looking cars until I sat in it. More plastic inside than a California Blond. No offense towards those of you with gorgouse female companions. Anyway, as they were sold like hot cakes here, their numbers on the road here got greater and the new wore off. I worked for GM and go down there from time to time to visit. They had 4 new Camaros in there with ABS/Brake problems. Off the truck, they had no brakes. Even a new Pace Car Convertible with no brakes. I was told it had been sold 5 times that day until the new owners would get there and find out it didn't have brakes.

I've owned numerous muscle cars, Jaguars, Corvettes and so on. But this XK has all the package rolled into one. I do find most Camaro drivers are rubbernecking just to look at my Jaguar. I actually had a guy stick his cell phone out of his window the other day and take a pic of it. Everyone has taste in cars. Some just have bad taste.

 

Camaro is a reformed muscle car in some sense but it doesn't become a patch on an XK or XKR

 

I understand that we buy XK/XKR Jags for various reasons but 5 sec 0 to 60 time has never number 1 in my book. Yes I like the Super Charged thrill of the R cars and marvel at how many hp the Europeans can squeeze out of sub 5 liter engines.

But - 400/500+ hp engines are now a dime a dozen and sub 6 sec times are quite common.. Jags are about relative long distance, relative high speed transport in relative stile and relative comfort. Note the word "relative" please. The bias is and always has been Gran Touring and "balance" of the driving elements is what has set Jag apart all these years.

You offer a man the choice of a brand new max tricked out Camaro or a new Jag XKR. The guy who chooses the Camaro would be your basic giggling, drooling idiot.

 

Thanks for reasserting my own opinion.

I work in a high level of management IT and have to keep a very politically open appearance. The new Camaro is his dream car...so that probably tells us a lot about him. I couldn't slam the door on his dream...

Someone above asked/wondered what Aston Martin owners thought of Jaguar owners...I think the XK/R is closer to the DB9 that the Camaro is to the XK/R. Outside of the Aston's being *very expensive*, I am not sure if you get that much more car than a Jag...I could be wrong. Maybe I need to go test drive a new DB9...

When you start talking the difference between $100K and $180K, you usually start talking about levels of service and pampering that comes along with the product/car.