2010 Chevrolet Camaro: Enough to win over a Mopar fan?
While the Ford Mustang has always been very popular and Chrysler was about to launch its superb Dodge Challenger a few years ago, the engineers and designers at GM had to bust their humps to find a fast and economical alternative. It wasn’t enough to simply pull out the previously moth-balled Camaro name. They needed something powerful, visually and technically speaking.
When your favourite journalist (or at least my mother’s favourite journalist) saw the Camaro concept car unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2006, let’s just say he wasn’t impressed, especially after having seeing the Challenger that was greatly inspired by the original model. As for the Camaro, it’s definitely inspired by the past but with an obvious touch of modernism.
Challenger vs. Camaro
I recently had the chance to drive a Camaro RS and I must admit that although I still feel that this car’s lines don’t have either the charm or the meaning of those of the Challenger, it’s still without a doubt the most viable solution under the circumstances. I’d be willing to bet that the Challenger attracts Mopar-mad baby boomers (Mopar is the name often given to products from the Chrysler Corporation mainly from the 50s, 60s and 70s) than any other clientele. As for the Camaro, there’s no question that it’s better armed to target clients that aren’t focused only on nostalgia. Its appearance in the film Transformers has no doubt played a part in that.
Several months ago, I test drove a Challenger SRT8, a car that’s as illogical as it is powerful. I may as well admit it right off the bat, I fell in love with it. I must say that I have always been a fan of Mopar products. The Camaro that I recently test drove was an RS version equipped with a 3.6-litre 304 hp V6, which is no slouch. It had a six-speed automatic transmission with a manual mode. I may be a ripe 48-year-old and I might find that there’s too much technology in cars and that they are often unnecessarily powerful, the fact remains that for me a Mustang, a Challenger and a Camaro are duty bound to have a very high performance engine. So, before I say that I prefer the Challenger to the Camaro, I’ll wait to test drive the SS version of the Camaro with its 6.2-litre, 426 hp V8 equipped with a Tremec six-speed manual transmission.
Note that the Camaro’s V6 is powerful enough and that most people prefer it to the V8, and well they should. It posts respectable numbers, going from 0-100 km/hr in 8.4 seconds, and an 80-120 km/hr acceleration takes 5.4 seconds although we could expect better. I can’t say that I was impressed by the automatic gearbox, especially in manual mode, and shifting from gear to gear took a little too long. Moreover, it gears up all by themselves in this mode, which hinders sportiness. Strange. And then, the engine sound is not terribly intoxicating. During our week-long test drive, we maintained an average of 14.3 litres per 100 km, which is a tad too high, but then again, we didn’t exactly take it easy on the accelerator...
Now those are tires!
The big Pirelli P Zero tires (245/45ZR20 in the front and 275/40ZR20 in the rear) come from the SS and guarantee excellent handling. In sport conditions, the stability control does not intervene at the slightest touch of the wheel, and when it does intervene, it does so discretely. It can be deactivated completely, thus letting the tail end loose when you come out of turns, which, we can’t remind you enough, must be done only on a race track or in a safe place. If only the seats held their occupants a little better, the ride would only be better. Speaking of seats, we should say that they’re all comfortable, even the backseats! However, only people without heads, elbows or legs will truly be able to appreciate them…
Obviously, the Camaro’s style makes it desirable. And if you like backing up without looking and risk getting chewed out by other drivers every time you leave a parking spot because you didn’t see them, the Camaro will be even more desirable. Where the Camaro scores points over the Challenger is with its frankly exceptional dashboard. The Challenger’s dash looks far too much like the Chrysler 300’s while the Chevrolet’s is very original, especially with the four little gauges (oil pressure, battery strength, oil temperature and transmission temperature) on the central console that are reminiscent of the 1969 model. Oh yeah, I can’t forget to mention that the long and heavy doors are hard to open, especially if the car is parked on an uphill slope.
With the Camaro, Chevrolet strikes directly at the Dodge Challenger and the Ford Mustang. If, a few years ago, the Camaro didn’t get the attention that it deserved in the General Motors family, things have certainly changed now. Like back in the day, the war of the muscle cars is back on between the former big three - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, and the grey beards couldn’t be happier!