Throwback: Test-Driving The 2010 Camaro V6 And SS V8

Forbes

a day ago

Unless you've got a time machine set to 1973 and you're wearing Hai Karate aftershave, it's tough to properly test a car calling itself a 'Camaro.'
Nashville, Tennessee, USA - July 13th, 2010: A 2010 newly designed red Chevrolet Camaro, with retro ... More design of the 1960s and 1970s
But GM's ride is nostalgic in name only. I test-drove the V-6 version of this 5th-generation Pony car back and forth from Manhattan to the New Jersey shoreline over a week and found my own personal Mod Squad, 2010-style. A great car is a great car, in other words, no matter what year it appears.
It was a total 'Jersey Shore' reality-show experience. I was Mr. 'How youse doin?' everywhere I went, driving barefoot and drawing compliments from other drivers, beachgoers, the cops and passerby and happily filling the car with people, sand, beach chairs, blankets and increasing amounts of garbage.
I took it easy on the highway, knowing this was the lesser-powered trim and keeping an eye on both my miles per gallon and the law. Still, even with 6 horses, it was easily the grooviest chariot of my year, and the sticker starts at a ridiculously cheap $21,000, meaning you can buy a car to match each of your outfits if you so choose.
When my SS V-8 test model arrived, I knew this was the superior trim as soon as I got behind the wheel, laid on the pedal and zipped around plodding minivans in the left lane on freeways and having a loud good time.
Scottsdale, United States - November 3, 2011: A parked black 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, the Camaro is ... More a popular muscle car from chevrolet especially the older models. The newer ones have a completely redesigned body style.
A swift downshift from of any of the 6 gears produced instant warp speed, handling is surprisingly and pleasingly tight (in the V-8 model, less so in the V-6) and it makes a respectable 24 averaged combined city/highway miles per gallon.
The V-8's exhaust note implies a pleasing raspberry for whoever you've just passed, and I actually felt people gave the Camaro a little more respect than some of the German and Italian exotics I've tested. For one thing, you know a guy in a $225,000 Lambo probably isn't going to get out of his car if you get into a beef. But a Camaro guy, smoking the tires and blasting thrash music---well, let's just say people gave me a more little leeway than they might've had I been rocking a Rolls dressed in a business suit.
Wisely ditching the crappy, plastic design of the 4th generation Camaro I tested in 2001 which died a deserved death in 2002, GM started anew when building the Camaro, all except for its basic platform which it shares with the now-defunct but fierce Pontiac G8 sedan.
The new Camaro's fierce-looking body comprises acres of metal, a front end that comes to a point as sharp as the back of Brian Setzer's pompadour, three needless but snappy trim lines forward of the rear quarter panels and a non-functioning hood scoop. Its windows are just a little too small, implying exclusivity but actually impeding vision, particularly through the windshield.
The cockpit's snug, too - if you grew a holiday belly last year, get rid of it before buying this car and if you're much over 6 feet, bust a hole in the roof or get ready to slouch. I did manage to jam three musicians, one of 'em over 6'2 and well upwards of 200 pounds, into the cockpit for a photo shoot, and our brief close proximity prompted the big guy to say, 'We should smoke a cigarette after this.' Cockpit snugness was my only complaint, though, and I got used to the small windows. A convertible concept version of the car exists; at press time, rumors of a 2011 launch abound and were not confirmed or denied by GM reps at press time.
The 2010 Camaro comes in five trims; LS, 1LT, 2LT, 1SS, and 2SS. The V6 is a 3.6-liter job producing 304 horsepower, and is available on the LS and LT trims. The SS versions get a 6-speed manual tranny with 426 horsepower---a huge leap---and a 6.2-liter V8, so you've got some major extra balls on the highway. Automatic SS trims get a 6.2-liter V8, but you sacrifice 25 horses. This trim also features GM's Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation. See? It's not just a frivolous guzzler after all. And, at a starting price of $30,995, the V-8 version won't deliver a smackdown to anyone's wallet, good news if you took a portfolio hit in the stock market plunge of '09.
An RS Package for LT and SS models includes special trim and bi-xenon headlights, and on LT versions, 20-inch wheels. All Camaros are available with 21-inch wheels, though. Rear-obstacle detection is standard on the 2LT and 2SS models and optional on the 1LT. Other available goodies include a wireless cell-phone link, USB port, satellite radio, and remote engine start.
The sound system is particularly rich and crisp and the iPod hookup makes listening a far cry from the 8-track experience some of us enjoyed in the 70s. You can also purchase a Transformers Special Edition package that includes trim inspired by the movie of the same name.
This orange Transformers Chevrolet Camaro was spotted in a Wheaton Maryland parking lot at night. ... More The Transformers Camaro is based on the popular Transformers movie series. The Chevrolet Camaro is one of General Motors most popular muscle cars combining power with relative affordability. (Exact year unknown)
The optional Brembo brakes with visible calipers are fierce, and though it took me a good day or two to trust the car despite its hefty 3900 pounds, once I got used to it, I wrangled this hunky machine over country roads, parkways and the streets of New York with full confidence and had a plain, simple, stupid weeklong ball.
In a current world of automakers reeling from financial dents, recalls and other woes, the new Camaro brings back an element sorely missing from today's market - fun.