2010 Camaro For 4 Days

My son and I visited New York last week and when we saw the 2010 Camaro in the rental lot we turned around and paid for the upgrade.

2010 Camaro V-6 Automatic

We picked the car up Thursday night and returned it on Monday. Granted, Sunday we took the train to the station to head into Manhattan so it did not get much use that day. But here is my opinion of the car with the 200+ miles I put on it.

Overall

I like the car. You should know that I am a Camaro fan having owned a 1993 Camaro Z-28 and a 1967 Camaro RS Convertible. The car looks great, but you pay a big price for that. This car had the worst visibility of any car I have ever driven… ever. If you get claustrophobic you will hate this car.

The ride was as good as my BMW 335i and grip was amazing. However, steering feel is non-existent and it feels heavy. It is not a nimble coupe like my 93 Z was. Power from the V-6 is adequite, but the weight of the car always makes you think the engine is being strained. It felt like the transmisson was slipping, or the torque converter was too loose. You have to rev the engine too much for good thrust and the engine makes a lot more noise doing it than you would expect for the thrust returned.

I really wanted to like this car, but it makes me want to test drive a 2010 Mustang. The problem there is that the Mustang with a V-6 is a dog, and you would have to compare this car to the V-8 Mustang which hardly seems fair.

Performance

Like I said, the engine seems overworked by the weight of the Camaro. Leaving the transmission in drive the car is sluggish. Put the trans in sport mode and in maintains gears longer, which helps, but it still feels like it should be quicker. Manual mode doesn’t help much. I think a tighter torque converter with slightly short gearing might make a big different in feel. The trans is the weak link hear. Shifts are so slow that any thoughts of a sports car are removed. Does anyone make a shift kit for this trans yet? It needs one. Full throttle from rest gives plenty of speed, but this is the only way it feels good. 1 gear downshifts while cruising increase engine speed and noise with no increase in thrust. You have to push the pedal enough for at least two gears to get any thrust increase and that comes with a significant increase in noise.

There is enough power for the average person. If you are buying this car for style than it is fast enough. But overall I would prefer less noise and more push in the mid range of highway passing at 50-80 mph. I am sure the V-8 does not have this problem.

Ride and Handling

The ride is excellent. Even over pot-holed NY streets it was never a problem. The tires also have a massive amount of grip. No matter how hard I tried I could not get the tires to squeal. The car corners quite flat as well. However, steering response is slow and the car just feels heavy. It reminds me of the drive I took in a Challenger STR8, a big heavy cruiser. Nimble is just not in the new Camaro’s vocabulary.

Mileage

I really wanted to prove the 29 MPG this car gets on the EPA cycle. I could not. But this was as much a problem of New York traffic as anything else. The first morning I averaged 24 mpg in the suburbs of Long Island. That dropped to an average of 19.9 mpg with a drive out on the island in rush hour traffic. I drove out to New Jersey and maintained the 20 mpg overall for the first tank of gas.

I filled up in New Jersey before driving back to Long Island. I reset the mileage assuming this was my best chance… it was around 11:00 PM on a Saturday. Sure enough the trip computer climbed its way up to 28.4, then bounced between 28.1 & 28.4 for about 5 miles. There is no instantaneous mileage readout to help me hypermile the car, so I think this was as good as it was going to get. At this time the GPS had me switch from the Garden State Parkway to the New Jersey Turnpike. I have not lived in New York in over 20 years and it was too late before I realized the GPS was taking me through the Lincoln Tunnel and Manhattan rather than the bridge to Staten Island. Oops. I spent 2 hours in gridlock traffic before we emerged on Long Island. The total trip took 4 hours 15 minutes back to the hotel. The average for the entire trip from Jersey… 20 mpg.

So, I averaged 20 mpg the entire time I was in New York. If you live there you can comapre that to what you get with your own car. In Texas I am sure I could average 25 mpg, and would love to see if I could break the 29 mark on a trip to Dallas (I hit 31.7 mpg in my BMW 335i on my way to Dallas a couple of months ago, and it is rated at 27 by the EPA).

Interior

As I said, this car has the worst visibilty of any car I have ever driven. To the rear is a joke. The view out the rear view mirror looks like looking through a tunnel. Forget looking over your shoulder as you back up, there is nothing to see but the interior of the car. The A pillars are also huge and create blind spots on either side of the windshield. Plus the side windows are so narrow they add to the claustrophobic effect the interior provides. Rear seat legroom in non-existent with the front seats all the way back. I an 5′ 10″ and I had the seat pretty far back. A friend that is 6′ 3″ rubbed his head on the headliner, but the car was equipped with a sun roof which clearly took up 1 – 2 inches. Without a sunroof my friend would just fit, but I could not see him driving a car long term he could just fit in. Up to 6 feet you will do fine, above that you should get a long test drive before buying.

I like the interior. Yes, the gauges on the front of the console are virtually impossible to read quickly, but who cares. You can read them once in a while. So racing this car is out, but for everyday driving I found most of the gauges to be acceptable… except the speedometer. The orange pointer is so wide that it is difficult to accurately tell how fast you are going within less than 5 mph. 60 or 65? Stare long enough to see if it is 65 when you notice that cop car while your in a 55 zone and it could be too late for you. This is all about style. You sacrifice practicality for style with almost everything about the Camaro.

Speaking of practicality and its effect from styling… the truck is a nice size truck… with a tiny opening. You will not be carrying large objects. Not for a problem with the size of the trunk, but for the hole you must stick them through. We could not load our two soft luggage bags at the same time. Stick one bag in and slide it to the side or back then put the next item in. Keep doing it this way until you have a month’s work of close in the trunk.

The interior lighting it excellent. At maximum the dash lights are too bright late at night. This is a good thing. On almost every car I have ever driven I always leave the dash fully lit. I turned down the lighting on the Camaro. I really like the mood light in the doors that come on with the dash lights (and dims with the dash lights as well). This is style that didn’t cost anything in practicality.

And now for the seats. The seats in the Camaro we drive were by far the most comfortable seats I have ever experienced in an automobile bar none. I know this because when we ended our 4+ hour drive back from Jersey my back felt as fresh as when we left. You should know I have class two bulging discs in my back. When we drove to Dallas in the 335i I played with the lumbar support quite a few times during the trip (also about 4 hours or so). I did not have to touch the Camaro’s seat controls once during the 4 hour drive. That’s good because there was no lumbar control for the Camaro. And I didn’t need it. How cool is that.

Conclusion

The Camaro is the most comfortable, least practical Camaro I have ever driven. All that means nothing. This car is acceptable for its purpose. It looks great and can be enjoyed for miles and miles. Would I buy one. If I were single I would have to test drive the Mustang. I would also test drive a manual transmission with the V-6 in a Camaro to see if that makes up for the mild performance problems. Then there is the V-8.

I like this car… and I would put it on my short list of cars in its price range if I did not have kids.

Camaro To The Rescue

I like how The Times says the Camaro is the Muscle Car to the Rescue for General Motors.

Makes me want to run down to a Chevrolet dealership.

Camaro Outsells Mustang

Rejoice Camaro Fans! The Camaro wins… for now. As reported my Automotive News, Chevrolet sold 9,320 Camaros to Ford selling 7,362 Mustangs during June 2009.

The last time Camaro beat the Mustang in sales was in 1993. Two things were different then. 1) I bought a Camaro is 1993. It was all new and a great car. 2) Ford’s Mustang was old and awaiting a redesign that would come the following year, 1994.

This time I am not buying a Camaro (because I can’t afford a new car at this time), and Ford has a new Mustang in dealers at the same time as Chevrolet has a new Camaro.

I would not expect this to continue. Remember, Chevrolet had 14,000 deposits for the Camaro before the first one was delivered. There are a lot of Camaro fans out there releasing their pent-up frustration. Some, like me, will not be able to buy a car, and others will. Once that initial band of Camaro fans runs out the car will have to survive on its own.

The 1993 Camaro was better in every measure of performance than the new for 1994 Mustang. But the Mustang has always out sold the Camaro. Even when the Camaro was better. Chevrolet has to be a lot better to out sell a brand like the Mustang.

At least we Camaro fans have a small victory.

With GM’s approval to sell the good parts of itself to a “new” GM maybe the Camaro will be around for a few years.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS vs. 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T vs. 2010 Ford Mustang GT

Motor Trend sub-captions their comparison as “The Comparo We’ve Waited 35 Years to Write.” The rest of us call it “The Comparo We’ve Waited 5 Years to Read.” That’s right, we have all been waiting for this since the 2005 Mustang came out. The Big Three (not so big anymore) in a Pony Car shootout.

There were no surpises in the outcome of the test. But you should read it. It adds up about right. I would put the Challenger in second place for myself. But I am older and actually do care about back seat room with two sons growing faster than weeds.

The Camaro wins the comparison for all the right reasons. And I am a Camaro fan myself having owned a 93 Camaro and a 67 Camaro. If I was really in the market for one of these it would be a hard choice between the Camaro and the Challenger. Here are my points:

Camaro - Definitely the performance champ, but more important than this comparison test is the performance from the V-6 Camaro. Motor Trend tested all 4 Camaros (V-8 manual/auto & V-6 manual/auto). The V-6 Camaro is the runaway hit compared to the other car’s V-6 offerings. I would love a V-6 Camaro with an auto. A quick enough, nimble enough car with lots of style. It would be fast enough for driving on the street (the only place I drive) and would make a great car to pass on to one of my sons when they are older.

Challenger - I think the Challenger wins in the styling department… on the exterior. The interior is blah, and that is a big concern. I drove an SRT8 version and can attest to the fact the car is BIG. I also had my son get in the back seat of a R/T at a car show and the back seat is livable. I would definitely get the 5.7 Hemi R/T. A very fast cruiser on the street, where I do my driving. I firmly believe the Challenger equipped with a Hemi will be the highest valued car in 25+ years. It will be made in lower volume than the other Pony/Muscle cars, and none of the others have a great sounding name for their engines. Yea, it’s got a HEMI! That sounds a lot better than, Yea, it’s got a LS3.

Mustang - I really like the Mustang, and it only took Ford 5 years to listen to me about the sequential taillights. Apparantly they did exactly what I predicted back in 2003 with the styling. Yes, I said 2003. I predicted long before the ’05 Mustang hit the streets that they would add styling queues from the 69-70 Mustang at the first redesign of the then new Mustang. The bulge in the quarter panel and the headlight change are right from the 69-70 model Mustangs. Unfortunately the Mustang is not in the same class as the other cars. The lack of independent rear suspension and the cheap feeling interior are just too much for an aging 45 year old man. I want more sophistication in a mid $30K car than the Mustang provides. I have driven my brother-in-law’s 05 Mustang Convertible a few times and it feels cheap. This worked in the 60′s, but it doesn’t work for us old-timers reliving our youth. I could see getting a Bullitt edition Mustang, but at that price the other two are more compelling and have a better chance of becoming future classics. Well, they all have the same chance, it’s just that I think the others will be worth more in V-8 trim in the distant future than the Mustang (Shelby editions do NOT count).

That’s my basic take on this. I will probably go into more detail in a formal article on my web site in the near future. I should just test drive each car at a dealer and declare for myself which is the best Pony/Muscle Car of the 21st Century.

No Camaro Convertible or Z/28… For Now

You read that right. GM is postponing the convertible version of the Camaro, as well as the 550 hp Z/28 version, according to Automotive News. This is in an effort to save money in the short run. I would guess that the convertible will make the 2011 model lineup in late 2010.

Production as begun. GM has 14,000 orders to fulfill before they will be lingering on lots for just anyone. We should start seeing production cars on the streets of Anytown USA in a couple of weeks.

Camaro Gets 29 MPG

That’s right… the EPA has rated the 2010 Camaro with a V-6 engine at 29 MPG Highway (18 MPG City), as reported by Automotive News. Remember, this is for the base Camaro… with 304 hp. The V-8 version of the Camaro is rated at 16/25 MPG city/highway.

Camaro On The Streets of Detriot

Waiting for the new Camaro?

Automotive News tells of how GM is letting employees test drive the cars in Detroit.

It should be in showrooms in April.

New Camaro Z/28… Maybe, Maybe Not

As Motor Trend reports, here is what the Z/28 version of the Camaro will look like:

That is… if GM builds it. The car is on hold, and it is questionable whether a company in the trouble GM is in, begging for help, should build such a car.

I tend to agree. Although I am a massive Camaro fan, and would love this baby in my garage, GM needs to stick to getting a firmer grip on building a better product line, not a lone supercar.

The Camaro is an important car. It should help drive traffic to the showrooms. The Camaro should be a bit of a halo car to get people in the dealership, even if they end up buying something else.

GM has lost sight of this. In the hey day of the 60s it was common for someone to go to a dealership to look at a Camaro or Corvette and buy a Chevelle or Nova with the same engine. A more practical car with most of the passion of the car they wanted. GM doesn’t do this anymore. They have left the Camaro and Corvette to be niche market vehicles. Nobody looks at a Camaro and buys a Malibu anymore.

This 550+ hp Camaro will be priced so that only the rich can afford it, especially when greedy dealers jack the price up another $10-20K. Chevrolet is supposed to be the bargain brand of GM. Oops!

Building a Super Camaro will not help sales of more traditional cars. However, the Camaro itself as a V-6 and V-8 coupe are important for the image of Chevrolet. The super versions should wait until the company is on stronger ground… assuming it survives at all.

2010 Camaro High Resolution Photos

This page contains an excellent group of high resolution images of the 2010 Camaro you can use for a desktop background on your computer. There are 32 images of the Camaro in 4 resolutions each. Enjoy!

If that is not enough check out this page with 40 high resolution pictures. There is a lot of overlap between the two, but just so you have all the photos you are looking for.

Camaro

2010 Camaro Pricing Details

I am a little late with this, but I just discovered this excellent post with a very detailed price chart showing each model of Camaro, all the options and MSRP vs. Invoice vs. Employee pricing.

A must read if you are thinking about getting one.

Camaro Pricing

First Drive Of V-6 Camaro

That’s right, Motor Trend drove a “near” production ready V-6 Camaro, with both the six speed manual and 6 speed automatic (video & text). They sumed it up in three letters: W-O-W! I think this is going to blow away the V-6 Challenger SE.

2010 Camaro Public Reveal Photos

Click here to see some pictures from Chevrolet’s public reveal of the production Camaro. Unfortunately they are low resolution images, but it’s better than nothing.

2010 Camaro Specifications

Here is a link to Chevrolet’s actual specifications for the new Camaro. It is a PDF document, so the usual applies you need Acrobat Reader, blah, blah, blah.

It has the engine specifications, transmissions, wheels & tires, curb weight, etc. Decent stuff rather than just rumors.

You can also see all the colors the Camaro will be available in here. Some colors will cost extra. The web site shows what looks like an artist’s rendering of the car, with the usual computer generated colors. It can’t compare to what they will look like in person. I am really interested in seeing the Camaro in Red Jewel Tint Coat. This sounds like a candy color from the old days. That would be really cool.

Enjoy!

2010 Camaro Details

Note: If you got here searching for pictures of the 2010 Camaro, you should check out this page with over 50 hi-res photos.

Yes, we have some real details about the 2010 Camaro. My new issue of Car and Driver arrived today and it has a production “ready” version on the cover. Production ready means the sheet metal is production, but the car is still a preview of what’s to come and C&D did not get to drive it. Here is a blip from C&D’s web site:

Camaro: The icon returns for 2009 with three trim levels and three engines. The base LS and mid-level LT get GM’s direct-injection V-6, good for 300 hp and, Chevy claims, 26 mpg on the highway. The top-dog SS is powered by one of two 6.2-liter V-8s; the L99 makes 400 hp and mates with an automatic transmission, while the LS3 pumps out 422 hp in conjunction with a Tremec manual. All trannys have six forward ratios, and the car is available with modern amenities such as Bluetooth integration, rear parking assist, and USB connectivity. An available RS package adds aesthetic menace to LT and SS models.

The article I read can be found here.

I have heard more details and rumors. Here is what I know or suspect:

• Expect the new Camaro in showrooms in March 2009 as a 2010 model year car.

• The 422hp version will be rated at 23 mpg highway. Besting the Challenger SRT8 which is rated at 20 mpg on the highway (and includes a $1,700 gas guzzler tax).

• Chevrolet expects to beat the Challenger SRT8 in a race, so expect the 422 hp version to be faster than 4.8 seconds to 60. Basically the Camaro V8 will weight about 200 lbs less than the Challenger.

• The V6 Camaro should weight about 3750 lbs, so they should be a little quicker than the Cadillac CTS (which also uses the 300 hp direct injection V6). Expect 0-60 times very close to 6.0 seconds with the V6.

• The Camaro’s interior is going to be a lot more “nostalgic” than the Challenger’s. Dodge skimped on the dash going with a parts bin dash. The Camaro will get the 4 gauge cluster at the front of the console like the 68-69 models. One of the gauges is going to be a readout for torque. Yes, I said torque. I can’t wait to see a torque gauge in action.

Get more pictures of from Car and Driver here.

Don’t forget to get a look at GM’s leaked pictures of a production ready Camaro Convertible here.

New Camaro Pictures

I see that people are still getting to my site searching for the new Camaro. If you have not read my article covering my predictions for the new Camaro you owe it to yourself to do so. It is a fun read. Since you came by I thought I would at least provide you some pictures I have saved. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think. Thanks… and your welcome!

Also check out this page for over 50 hi-res pictures of the new 2010 Camaro.

Vista and Outlook 2000… Don’t Do It!

Checking the statistics on this blog I see that the vast majority of the vistors get here by searching for one of two things.

1. Running Office and/or Outlook 2000 on Windows Vista.
2. Anything to do with the all New Camaro coming in 2008 (probably as a 2009 model).

For all the Outlook/Office 200o people I have some advice. Don’t do it. I have written a step by step guide to getting this working, and dedicated that to a page in this site (see the link to the right called Outlook 2000 on Vista). I have not counted them, but I bet I have over 200 comments on this site about Outlook 2000 running on Vista. Even with all that I just can’t recommend doing it. Please, do yourself a massive favor and upgrade to Office/Outlook 2003. I would not go so far as upgrading all the way to Office 2007. It is so different that you will spend a lot of time looking for featured you always knew where they were.

For you Camaro fans… I can’t wait. I am a huge Camaro fan, but I don’t think I will be able to get one.  My wife keeps telling her brother to grow up when he mentions it, and I am 12 years older than him. Is a 44 year old too old for a Camaro? My main problem is that my kids keep growing and are going to have a harder and harder time fitting in the back of a Pony car.

New Camaro Wish List (Predictions)

Checking the stats for this blog, I see a lot of you come here searching for information on the New Camaro. Well, I have written a two part series on my predictions for the New Camaro on my web site. Last month on my web site I wrote an article looking back at the predictions I made for the then new 2005 Mustang. I wrote the Mustang predictions about a year and a half before the Mustang arrived.

Now I am doing the same thing for the New Camaro. I wrote an article stating some of what I think will be in the new Camaro, but more importantly what Chevrolet should do when building the Camaro. Call it a wish list. The new Camaro is due out sometime late next year as a 2009 model. Chevrolet still has time to read my article and know what will make the Camaro great… and more importantly… make it a success.

New Mustang/Camaro Predictions

I am in the process of writing a couple of article on the New Mustang and Camaro. I already posted the article on the “new” Mustang. This first article was actually a recap of previous predictions I made about the Mustang before it came out. For my September Car Corner article I plan to make similar predictions for the all new Camaro coming in 2009. I hope you’ll come back and read that article.

Chrylser Offers Lifetime Powertrain Warranty

I read this heading from Automotive News:

The Chrysler group is providing a lifetime powertrain warranty on all 2006 through 2008-model Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles delivered after July 25. The warranty applies only to the original purchaser or lessee. It is not transferable to subsequent owners. Owners must have the powertrains inspected once every five years.

This is the warranty for me. I still own my 1993 Camaro. I am tempted to buy a new Camaro or Challenger when they arrive on the scene. I would love this, and it would definitely play a role in choosing between a Chevrolet Camaro and a Dodge Challenger.

I would want to know what was included. For instance, my 93 Camaro Z28 overheated and dumped water on the distributor cap and rotor, ruining them. Would this be covered by such a warranty? If so then sign me up.

Camaro – Old, New, And…

Note: The stats show this page getting the most hits on this blog (as of writing this note). If you are looking for pictures of the New Camaro you should look at this page where I have posted a view hi-resolution images.

I was checking the stats for my blog, and there has been a shift. Outlook 2000 and Vista were by far the most searched for terms that led people to this site. And, because of that I built the Outlook 2000 on Vista page.

So what’s the shift. Well, if you haven’t guessed by the title of this post or the pictures above… it’s Camaro. Camaro, New Camaro, 2007 Camaro, Concept Camaro. These are the search terms you are using.

Let’s set one thing straight. I am pretty sure the new Camaro will be a 2009 model when it appears. And I am thinking hard about getting one. I am also planning an article in the Car Corner column of my main web site. that will take some educated guesses as to some of what will be available, and list some wish list items I would like to see. Expect that in September.

For those that want art… well I have provided the three pictures above for you. 1st is my 1967 Camaro RS Convertible (which I sold in 2003), 2nd is my 1993 Camaro Z28 (which I am the original owner, and still have) and 3rd is a Concept Camaro. If Chevrolet can match my wish list (come back in September) I could be tempted to trade in my Mini Cooper S Convertible. Feel free to click on the images for their full size versions.

Now that I am aware that people want to see Camaros, I will have to try posting more Camaro stuff.