If you’re in the market for a rear-wheel drive sports car with a manual transmission and don’t want to plunge yourself into debt for your entire life, the BMW M2 and Chevrolet Camaro 1LE are two of the best options.
Although the two achieve similar driving thrills, they do so in vastly different ways and to the uninitiated, may not seem like rivals at all. After all, the Camaro dwarfs the M2 in terms of size and prior to its sixth-generation, was rarely noted for providing stiff competition to anything other than a Mustang or Challenger.
However, Motor Trend recently discovered that the new Camaro and in particular the 1LE model with the V6 engine that produces 335 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque, is more than capable of rivaling the best German cars, including the M2, which boasts a 3.0-liter straight turbo churning out 365hp and 343 lb-ft.
In their comparison test between the Camaro and M2, both are taken to the canyons and the racetrack and given a thorough rundown to discover which is the best driver’s car.
The result? Find out for yourself after the jump.