2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 vs. C8 Corvette: Which Is Faster?
2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 2022 Chevrolet C8 Corvette speed comparison highlights:
- Though the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is more powerful than the C8 Corvette, it’s heavier and slower in a straight line
- The C8 Corvette is also faster than the regular ZL1 on the track
- The 2022 Camaro ZL1 1LE is faster than the Corvette around a racetrack, though
While muscle cars used to be all about that ¼-mile life, some modern ones jump back and forth across the sports car line. And few demonstrate that better than the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, particularly in 1LE from. But therein lies the dilemma, because Chevrolet’s ‘actual’ sports car, the Corvette, has gotten even sportier as the mid-engine C8 Stingray. So, if speed’s your game, which Chevy wins?
The 2022 Camaro ZL1 is still the fastest Chevrolet Camaro
| 2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 | |
| Engine | 6.2-liter ‘LT4’ supercharged V8 |
| Horsepower | 650 hp |
| Torque | 650 lb-ft |
| Transmissions | Six-speed manual 10-speed automatic |
| Curb weight | ZL1: 3907 lbs ZL1 1LE: 3820 lbs |
| 0-60 mph time | Manual: 3.7 seconds (Car and Driver) Automatic: 3.4 seconds (Car and Driver) ZL1 1LE Manual: 3.5 seconds (Car and Driver) |
| 1/4-mile time and trap speed | Manual: 12.0 seconds @ 122 mph (Car and Driver) Automatic: 11.5 seconds @ 125 mph (Car and Driver) ZL1 1LE Manual: 11.7 seconds @ 124 mph (Car and Driver) |
The sixth-gen ZL1 is quite simply the most powerful street-legal Chevrolet Camaro to ever leave the factory. For some, like the mad wizards at Hennessey, even that’s not enough. But this is a supercharged Camaro that can hit 60 mph in under four seconds even with a manual. And with the automatic, the ZL1 can keep up with more expensive, lighter-weight sports cars. Hence why Car and Driver put the 2022 Camaro ZL1 on its Editor’s Choice List.
Chevrolet hasn’t changed the Camaro ZL1 significantly since its 2017 release, so the 2022 model is virtually identical to the older ones. But apart from cutting some copper from its Brembo brakes, changes weren’t that necessary. And speaking of brakes, the ZL1 isn’t just a 2022 Camaro with a supercharged engine.
Firstly, the ZL1 comes standard with adaptive magnetorheological shocks, an electronic limited-slip differential, GM’s Performance Traction Management system, and model-specific Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. Also, the sixth-gen ZL1 is lighter and stiffer than the fifth-gen model, making it significantly more agile; almost uncannily so, Car and Driver muses. Plus, it comes with heated and ventilated well-bolstered front sports seats, a heated steering wheel, and a large center touchscreen.
Add all this up and you have one of the best muscle cars on sale today. Not to mention one of the fastest.
The 2022 Chevrolet C8 Corvette is faster in a straight line
| 2022 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray | |
| Engine | 6.2-liter ‘LT2’ V8 |
| Horsepower | 490 hp (standard) 495 hp (Z51 Performance Package) |
| Torque | 465 lb-ft (standard) 470 lb-ft (Z51 Performance Package) |
| Transmissions | Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| Curb weight | 3535 lbs |
| 0-60 mph time | 2.9 seconds (Z51, Car and Driver) |
| 1/4-mile time and trap speed | 11.2 seconds @ 122 mph (Z51, Car and Driver) |
Unfortunately for the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, if we’re going by 0-60 and ¼-mile results, the C8 Corvette wins. Thanks to its mid-engine layout and fast-shifting DCT, the C8 rockets down the dragstrip faster. Furthermore, if you lined up the 2022 Corvette and Camaro ZL1 at a set of real-world stoplights, the ‘Vette would likely pull away. It beat both the automatic and stick-shift ZL1s’ 5-60 mph times in Car and Driver’s testing.
In addition, the C8 Corvette Z51 served up a faster lap time than the ZL1 at Car and Driver’s annual Lightning Lap. The C8 ran a 2:49 lap while the ZL1 needed 2:50 to do the same. One second might not seem like much, but that’s a sizable gap in motorsports.
However, it’s worth noting that the 2022 Chevrolet C8 Corvette is faster than the ‘regular’ Camaro ZL1. The ZL1 1LE, though, is a different story.
Around a track, the ZL1 1LE stings the C8 Stingray
The 2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE isn’t more powerful than the regular ZL1, but it is significantly sharper.
For one, it rides on lighter, smaller-diameter forged aluminum wheels wrapped in grippier Goodyear tires. Also, the ZL1 1LE ditches additional weight by swapping magnetic shocks for Multimatic spool-valve ones. In addition, it comes with an aggressive carbon-fiber aero package, adjustable rear anti-roll bar, and a rear subframe devoid of rubber bushings for maximum stiffness. And while the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE isn’t manual-only anymore, the manual model’s sixth gear is still shorter than the one in the standard ZL1.
As a result, the ZL1 1LE isn’t just faster than the standard ZL1 around a racetrack—it’s faster than the C8 Corvette. Remember how the C8 ran a 2:49 at Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap? The ZL1 1LE recorded a 2:45.7 lap—that’s faster than the C7 Corvette Grand Sport, even. Furthermore, the ZL1 1LE beat the C8’s Nürburgring time, too. The mid-engine Corvette ran around the Green Hell in 7:29.9; meanwhile, the sharpest Camaro did it in 7:16.04.
So, yes, in a straight line, the 2022 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray is faster than the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. But if you put a ZL1 1LE and a C8 on the same track, the Camaro is coming home victorious.
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