It’s a shame that the only thing more powerful than a Detroit muscle-car war is a dud economy. But recession or no, with the introduction of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, all three of Detroit’s automakers once again have a performance coupe in the showroom, and we’ve been eagerly sorting out how they rank.

Same, but Different

Often called pony cars because Ford’s Mustang started the segment way back in 1965, Detroit’s mass-appeal performance cars get their stuff from big engines in medium-size cars. Their other defining characteristic — affordability — comes from spreading cost over a three-tier range. At the entry level is always a smaller engine and softer suspension for daily driving comfort, reduced costs and bearable fuel economy. Today, such cars are V6-powered and, as always, generate approximately 60 percent of pony-car sales.

Next is the bread-and-butter V8 version, typically with a mildly warmed engine and enough style to tell the neighbors you didn’t buy the secretary’s car. Think Mustang GT or Camaro SS.

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New Generation Muscle Cars

Topping the list are notably more expensive, limited-edition premium cars with fire-breathing engines and take-no-prisoners performance. These are the tire-smoking legends of supercharged fame. They get lots of attention in the press, but are more wheel spin than traction when it comes to the corporate bottom line. The two current examples are the Dodge Challenger SRT-8 and the just-released Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

Crooked Start

Purely by chance, the current pony-car crop doesn’t line up evenly at the bench-racing starting line.

At , the Dodge Challenger is well-established with a base V6, mass-appeal 5.7-liter V8 R/T and limited-edition SRT-8 versions. But following Dodge tradition, the Challenger is aircraft-carrier huge, meaning its engines are burdened with a significant weight and aerodynamic drag penalty.

The Mustang’s base V6, the 4.6 V8-powered GT and spanking new supercharged Mustang Shelby GT500 also follow the classic “good-better-best” lineup. Here, the 4.0-liter V6 is showing a little age. The GT’s V8 is right at the heart of the market, while the newly upgraded GT500’s supercharged 5.4 V8 is a quest to best the Chevrolet’s all-new Camaro.

Chevy’s just-released Camaro delivers the base LS and LT V6 and performance-happy SS V8 models, but its highly anticipated Z28 flagship now appears stillborn. Developed and ready for production, the exciting Z28 is not likely to appear while General Motors is under such scrutiny that President Barack Obama is dictating who’ll run the company.

A V8 World — Usually

Normally one could discount the entry-level V6 models as too mundane to matter in the pony-car segment. Such is definitely the case with Dodge’s anemic V6 Challenger. It’s simply too little engine in too much car. And while the Mustang V6 is well ahead of the 6-pot Challenger, it’s also not the stuff of legend. Certainly an adequate runabout, the 4.0-liter is a bit of a buzzer by today’s standards.

Compare the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang

Then there is the 6-cylinder Camaro. A smoothly sophisticated, 7000-rpm wailer, the first-rung Camaro engine tests well, posting acceleration numbers and have-some-fun thrust more in line with a small V8. Its 29 mpg fuel economy is a major plus in a 304-horsepower engine, too. The downside is a lack of low-rpm heave for casual maneuvering while cruising this 3,700-plus-pound, 6-cylinder car. For the performance enthusiast, the $22,995 V6 Camaro is a close call, and many will learn to love it. But red-meat eaters won’t consider it, and rightly so in this torque-happy market segment.

Finally, we reach the heart of the comparison, the V8s. Let’s immediately set aside two of the heavyweights: the Shelby GT500 and the Camaro Z28. The Camaro is out for the simple reason it doesn’t exist. Too bad, as matching it up with the GT500 would be a clash of titans.

Discuss: 
What do you think of the modern-era muscle cars?

The 2010 Mustang GT500 is most definitely in production — we just drove it — and it’s amazingly good. Sporting a supercharged 4-valve double-overhead-cam 5.4-liter aluminum V8, the uber-Mustang bangs out the quarter mile in the mid-12 seconds at up to 115 mph. This is the stuff of big-block legends, but with a 22 mpg highway fuel-economy rating, quiet cockpit and grown-up sophistication. The only issue is price. Hovering in the high $40,000 range, the top-tier GT500 isn’t mainstream enough for our prime-time discussion.