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MotorWeek turns back the clock with the 1994 Mustang and Camaro

The Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro have battled it out for pony car supremacy for as long as most of us can remember, and the latest examples of both coupes continue to offer buyers impressive performance for their price. MotorWeek's Retro Review series remembers a classic battle in that fight in a video that pits the 1994 Mustang GT against the Camaro Z28 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. MotorWeek smokes the tires on both of these coupes at the speedway and shows off how they handle on track. Both vehicles come away with their own advantages in the challenge. The red Mustang packs Ford's 5.0-liter V8 with 215 horsepower and a five-speed manual gearbox. The MotorWeek crew praises the vehicle's stability at high speed and the ease of driving it around the track. The Camaro wins on power with a 275-hp 5.7-liter V8, and the show lauds the Chevy's six-speed manual. Check out the video to relive one entertaining skirmish in the ongoing pony car war. Related Video:

November U.S. new car sales mixed as automakers deepen discounts

DETROIT — Major automakers posted mixed U.S. November new vehicle sales on Friday and predicted a competitive December as they rushed to sell vehicles and boost their numbers before 2017 ends. Automakers are trying to sell down 2017 model-year vehicles, offering high discounts to consumers as the year-end nears. In 2016, the industry reported record annual sales of 17.55 million units. According to consultancies J.D. Power and LMC, discounts have been above 10 percent of the average transaction price for 16 of the past 17 months, a level experts say is unhealthy and unsustainable. The November sales results come as the National Automobile Dealers Association said on Friday it expects new vehicle sales to decline to 16.7 million units in 2018, after dropping to 17.1 million for the full year in 2017. If that forecast comes true, the race to move new vehicles off dealers' lots will only intensify next year. Brandon Mason, a director at PwC's automotive practice, said a worrying trend for the industry was a rising number of subprime loans. He said subprime levels are at just over 20 percent of originations, against more than 30 percent prior to the Great Recession, but recent increases remain a concern. "That's a bit of a red flag," Mason said. "It's something to keep an eye on as we move into 2018." November results by automaker: General Motors: Sales fell 2.9 percent, with sales to consumers flat against the same month in 2016. Much of the decrease was driven by lower fleet sales. GM said strong SUV and crossover sales pushed its average transaction price for the month above $37,000 for the first time. The level of unsold cars, which has been a concern for analysts and the industry, rose slightly to 83 days' supply, from 80 days at the end of October. "More vehicles are sold in December than any other month, and we are very well positioned because we have momentum in so many segments, but especially in crossovers," said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of sales operations. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: Fleet sales are low-margin, and FCA in particular has targeted a significant reduction in this type of sale in 2017. It posted a 4 percent overall decrease in sales for November, but fleet sales were down 25 percent while sales to consumers were up 2 percent on the year. Ford: The No. 2 U.S. automaker reported a 6.7 percent increase for the month, with fleet sales up nearly 26 percent and retail sales 1.3 percent higher than in November 2016.

2022 Chevy Silverado ZR2 vs Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX Spec Comparison

The 2022 Chevy Silverado refresh brings a new top dog off-road Chevy, the Silverado ZR2. It has the biggest V8 available, flashy looks, trick suspension and other off-road goodies. And naturally, that means people will be comparing it with the other top-rung off-road trucks, the Ford F-150 Raptor and the Ram 1500 TRX. As such, we've assembled the specifications available so far to see how the three super trucks compare. Having just been revealed, there are a few things we don't know about the ZR2, such as fuel economy and some other suspension details, but we know quite a lot. And from what we know, the ZR2 has some interesting positives and negatives compared to the other trucks. First, it's pretty clear that the ZR2 isn't as extreme as the Raptor and TRX. We wouldn't be surprised if Chevrolet insists they aren't direct competitors. Specifically it has the least power and torque by a fair margin, the smallest tires and the least ground clearance. Still, it's not completely fighting with an arm tied behind its back. It's the narrowest by a significant margin, which is good for tighter trails. It also has the best towing and payload capacity, and the approach, break-over and departure angles are quite competitive despite the "little" tires. It's also the only one to boast a locking front differential in addition to a rear locker. The Raptor can be had with a limited-slip front differential, and the TRX only gets an open front differential. Check out all the specific numbers in the chart below, as well as additional stories on the trucks featured below. Other reviews and deep dives about the new Silverado, F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 Reveal In addition to the new ZR2, the Silverado line also gets new interiors, an upgraded four-cylinder and other updates.   2021 Ram 1500 TRX First Drive Review Our review of the Raptor's chief competitor, the mighty TRX. That just sounds like we're talking about Jurassic Park.   2021 Ram TRX Suspension Deep Dive and RTI ramp test Follow along with engineer Dan Edmunds as he takes you under the TRX and explains everything there is to know about its suspension -- and how it's able to do what it does.