Sounds of speed: Upon start-up, all three cars let drivers know they mean business. Turn the key and the rumble of the engine and the exhaust spring to life.
If you like subtle, the Hemi in the Challenger is your thing. Even revved up on hills, it's never a piercing scream.
If you want everyone to know you're coming, buy the Mustang. The whole car shakes from the rumble of the engine. My inner 11-year-old enjoyed putting it into neutral in tunnels and revving the engine.
The Camaro falls somewhere in the middle.
Shifting: The Camaro's six-speed stick gives new meaning to the term muscle car. The first time
I pushed in the clutch it pushed back, hard. But I warmed to it after a couple of drives, although the pleasant leather-wrapped shifter does involve throws both long and truck-like.
If you are silly enough to pay a thousand bucks extra for a Challenger with an automatic, buy a Cadillac or something like it. You can flip through the gears by pushing the lever side to side, an unrewarding feature. Zzzzz.
The Mustang shifter is a delight. Not only is it an adorable ball, but the throws are close and the shifter easy to move.
Impress friends and family: Sturgis Kid 4.0, at age 11, is my outer 11-year-old, and he is definitely the focus group for these vehicles. We had a blast as I plastered him in the seat getting up to highway speeds.
Really, all three cars are fast, too fast for the real world. Cruising at 70 is a stroll for any of them.
The Camaro was challenging but did give me some sense of control. Still, it was large and bulky, and visibility-limited.
Without the ability to change my own gears, I felt as if I never got the Challenger to live up to its full potential. Controlling a full-out racing start was difficult.
