Ken Lingenfelter<\/a>\u00a0before I went to test the SS from Albuquerque to Phoenix.<\/p>\n\u201cCall me when it\u2019s over,\u201d he said anxiously. \u201cI want to know how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Well, Ken, Gen 6 doesn\u2019t disappoint. Gen 5 was no slouch, but the Alpha platform was designed to compete with BMW and Mercedes, for goodness sake. You know this is the best-handling pony ever from the first turn of the wheel. The electronic steering feels connected to the asphalt as if by a magnet.<\/p>\n
The twisted Arizona mountain roads to Payson east of Phoenix are a long way from Woodward Avenue\u2019s drag strip \u2014 and the days when pony cars were just straight-line muscle. Whether rotating through 120-degree hairpins or blitzing rocky passes, the big coupe felt much smaller than its 3,685-pound girth.<\/p>\n
My hands moved in small increments. No sawing at the wheel. No sudden corrections. The car goes right where you point it, and the result is a much quicker \u2014 and safer \u2014 car. Where the Mustang (and previous Camaros) are a ball to drive, you feel them working hard. The Camaro\u2019s handling is effortless.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong, the Chevy is no ATS \u2014 but its DNA is there.<\/p>\n
As is the Corvette\u2019s. The SS\u2019s LT1 engine is the same 455-horse stump-puller found in the C7 \u2014 complete with rowdy, dual-mode exhaust system (unfortunately, the bulky manual trannies feel the same too). Squeeze the throttle and it will effortlessly eclipse triple digits. Both cars are the work of gifted designer Tom Peters. Both are sculpted with hard edges as if cut with a chisel. Both share design elements: Roof \u201cMohawk,\u201d deeply scalloped sides, horizontal LED daytime running lights.<\/p>\n
Standard on my Bright Yellow, $38,585 SS, the LEDs are sinister. Coupled with the narrowed front grille and enlarged lower intakes, the Camaro has effectively evolved from the wildly successful, \u201960s throwback of 2010 to a modern, halo design for downstream Chevy sedans. With its narrow greenhouse, huge blind spots, massive wheels, and brooding cowl, this is an uncompromised concept car brought to life.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve amplified its proportions,\u201d says the soft-spoken Peters, mobbed by Camaro groupies at the Albuquerque intro. \u201cLike the T-shirt on a muscular physique.\u201d<\/p>\n
Want to know what a front-engine Lamborghini would look like? This is it.<\/p>\n
Much has been made of the Camaro\u2019s gun turret-narrow windows. But the Peters\u2019 team boldly emphasized art \u2014 letting the car\u2019s digital, driver-assist technology handle the blind spots.<\/p>\n
Want to see out the back? Buy a Mustang. Want to look like you hijacked a car from a sci-fi movie set? Buy the Camaro. That said, the Mustang\u2019s extreme makeover has been flying off the shelves as existing owners traded in their old ponies for the fresher styling. The Mustang\u2019s gorgeous, less-severe looks should wear better over time. If you want a V-6 cruiser, Mustang gets the nod. If it\u2019s performance you want, the Camaro V-8 will walk all over the Ford \u2014 and kick sand in the face of the odd Bimmer as well.<\/p>\n
Existing Camaro owners unmoved by Gen 6\u2019s sports car handling (\u201cWho pulls Gs in the Dream Cruise traffic jam, man?\u201d) may not feel the urgency given its evolutionary, not revolutionary, styling (though blessedly, the fake side shark gills have disappeared).<\/p>\n
They should think again.<\/p>\n
Chassis aside, the most dramatic change to the new Camaro is its interior. This is one muscular smart phone. GM has been on the cutting edge of in-car technology and the Camaro is a digital leap over its rival. For our western journey, the SS came without a nav system. No sweat. My wife just mated her iPhone to Apple Car Play and we were in business. She also worked on her iPad thanks to the car\u2019s standard 4G WiFi. In remote western New Mexico, we called OnStar ($300-a-year subscription) for directions and restaurants.<\/p>\n
Muscle cars are just for guys? Mrs. Payne lounged comfortably in the quiet, connected passenger seat \u2014 only protesting when I explored the car\u2019s .98 G-load capabilities with mountain cliffs just feet away.<\/p>\n
The dashboard is a big leap over Gen 5 as well, though its spare design leaves little room for storing anything beyond two cups. The instrument cluster is a fully digital display stuffed with useful information, and the aviator-style climate controls anchoring the console are the coolest things this side of an Audi TT.<\/p>\n
With its sophisticated chassis, Lambo styling (look up the Urus), and interior controls, the SS is a worthy alternative to rear-drive luxury coupes like the BMW M4 and ATS-V \u2014 but for $30K less. On my way into Phoenix I stopped by the famed Bundurant School of High Performance Driving where the boys informed me Bondurant is divorcing Chevy for Dodge school cars. A pity that. As much as students will enjoy Hellcat power, it can\u2019t touch the Camaro\u2019s nimbleness around the cones. And not just the SS. At over 30-mpg freeway and just 3,338 pounds \u2013 a staggering 390 pounds lighter than Gen-5 V-6 \u2014 a coming turbo-4 will make Gen 6 a serious autocross contender.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s for another time. For now we revel in the battle of V-8s. Camaro has answered Mustang. Mustang has unleashed its 8,000-RPM Shelby GT350 monster.<\/p>\n
What say you to that, Camaro Z28? The anticipation builds again.<\/p>\n
2016 Chevy Camaro<\/p>\n
Vehicle type:\u00a0Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, four-passenger coupe<\/p>\n
Price:\u00a0$26,695($38,585 SS as tested)<\/p>\n
Power plant:\u00a02.0-liter, turbocharged inline-4 cylinder; 3.6-liter V-6; 6.2-liter V-8<\/p>\n
Power:\u00a0275 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque (turbo-4); 335 horsepower, 284 pound-feet of torque (V-6); 455 horsepower, 455 pound-feet of torque (V-8)<\/p>\n
Transmission:\u00a06-speed manual; 8-speed automatic<\/p>\n
Performance:\u00a00-60 mph, 3.9 seconds (SS V-8, Car & Driver)<\/p>\n
Weight:\u00a03,685 pounds<\/p>\n
Fuel economy:\u00a0NA<\/p>\n
Report card<\/p>\n
Highs:\u00a0Precise handling; Corvette power<\/p>\n
Lows:\u00a0Blind spot the size of Rhode Island; useless door storage<\/p>\n
Overall:\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We\u2019ve all been waiting for this one. I got my first, tantalizing taste of the all-new, 2016 Camaro\u00a0at Belle Isle in May, Chevy\u2019s counter to the all-new, 2015 Ford Mustang. It\u2019s always been thus. Over the Muscle Car War\u2019s five decades, Mustang has traditionally made the first move \u2014 just as it launched the first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17524"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17524"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17525,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17524\/revisions\/17525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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