A good friend of mine has a ZLE and I had a chance to experience it. Its a little extreme but I think thats my expectation at this point of my life. If I end up buying a ZLE, I will be swapping the stock tires which might improve the ride a little and this wont be my DD.
I see that you traded your ZLE for a 4BW. What are your thoughts on driver engagement with this switch.
I actually had a standard ZL1 that comes with magnetic ride instead of the DSSV suspension and the Goodyear F1 Supercar tires on 20"s instead of the 19" 3R slicks.
As far as the ZL1 vs the 4BW, they are obviously quite different cars so it really just comes down to that you want most of the of car and how you plan to use it.
From a driving perspective:
Visibility - Camaro visibility is pretty terrible. Sure you can get used to it and the rear view mirror camera helps but you still feel like you are looking out a tank and it takes away some enjoyment IMO. The 4BW with its 4 doors and great seating position is much better in this area.
Handling - the ZL1 feels like a proper race car, so if you are looking primarily for a track vehicle the ZLE/ZL1 is the more dialed in, hardcore track car. That said, the 4BW feels much more nimble. I prefer the slightly smaller proportions of the 4BW over the Camaro. The steering in the ZL1 is pretty heavy, even in Tour mode. There is a lot of weight over the nose with that big LT4. The steering in the 4BW is much more tunable. In Tour is really light, I keep it in Sport, Track it is quite heavy. I also prefer the 4BW steering wheel itself, better grip, button layout with all the updated V mode, PTM controls. You also get Magride 4.0 in the BWs, which is noticeably better. I can truly tell the difference between the suspension modes now, not so much on the Camaro.
Seats/Interior - the Camaro gets some really good heated/ventilated alcantara Recaro seats but the the BW interiors are much nicer IMO as you would expect from a Cadillac vs. Camaro. However, they come at a pretty significant cost on the Cadillac. For example, $5500 add-on to get leather with ventilated seats that comes standard on the ZL1.
Tech - I love the updated gauges, front parking sensors (once I get the darn retrofit), brake by wire and the ability to dial in the pedal firmness.
Performance - the ZL1 is obviously faster but really only in the 60-130mph range. The 4BW is a low 12 sec car and the ZL1 is mid 11s stock. So on the street the 4BW feels plenty quick and fun with the M6 transmission. The ZL1 with the M6 has really tall gearing, which I really don't like on the street. 60mph in 1st, 83mph in 2nd, 113mph in 3rd. It is great on a road course but if you like to wind out the gears on the street it you need to find some space for it to stretch its legs. The 4BW Tremec is geared like a standard Camaro, which enables you to wind out them out a little bit more but still a challenge on the street. If you are looking at the A10 then they perform pretty much the same. The ZL1 uses the 10L90 with higher torque handling capacity and the Camaro/4BW gets the 10L80. Fast shifts, great trans but just not engaging enough for me in a car like this.
Sound - ZL1 with the supercharger whine is the better soundtrack but the 4BW is not bad. It has great control over the sound with the exhaust valves. I think the 4BW sounds better from outside the car than inside. With the windows down it sounds decent to me but there is no competing with a V8 exhaust note. If the 4BW had the LT1 V8 it would be perfect IMO. That said, the LF4 turbo V6 seems to respond very well to tuning. You can make some big power with this V6 if you are so inclined.
Wheels/Tires/Brake - the ZL1 gets 20"s with Supercar F1, the ZLE 19"s with 3Rs and the 4BW gets 18"s with these well behaved street friendly Michelin PS4S tires, which deliver a much more comfortable ride than the ZL1 and they cost quite a bit less to replace and last a lot longer. They all get 6 piston Brembos up front and 4 pistons in the rear, the rotors and calipers are a little bigger on the Camaros to handle the additional speed and weight. They all feel like they stop on a dime with their sticky tires.
I really enjoyed the Camaro but I prefer the 4BW more. It is just more enjoyable and comfortable to drive on the street. It is a more usable car and ticks more boxes for me right now. If you are looking for something more hardcore and plan to hit the track a lot then the ZLE is the better car IMO, especially if you hit tracks with higher speeds. The ZL1 is better if you plan to daily drive it more since the suspension won't beat you up as much and don't need/want all the aero (big wing, canards, etc.). The 4BW is the better all around performance sedan and the 5BW is the ultimate performance sedan but the cost of admission is quite a bit more than the Camaros or C7 Z06 with the LT4.
