Putting the emotions aside, it wasn’t hard to understand why Chevrolet dropped Camaro in the fourth generation. Its engines were too thirsty for the standards of the new millenium, its outdated construction made it more expensive to built than it was supposed to be, and its design was just getting lost in all those attempts of catching up with the new trends. Therefore, when the automaker figured that the “retro” part should be the design and the modern part should be everything else, Camaro got back in the game. In nowadays, the company’s job is pretty much to keep everything going well. It might sound simple, but there are decades of experience to prove that this is one of the most difficult tasks one can perform in the automotive industry.
Like what Dodge and Ford have done with Challenger and Mustang, Chevrolet sculpted a gorgeous combination of vintage and modern. Camaro’s traditional lines are all there, from the vertical front fascia that preceeds a long hood to the rear end with muscular fenders and a short third box. However, the front grille received the automaker’s new corporate design for lights and grilles, the sides look more imponent, and the rear features sleeker lights and a much wider place for the license plate. The convertible sibling uses a cloth top whose fully-automatic operation opens or closes it in 18 seconds and at up to 30 mph. Chevrolet claims it retains the coupé’s stiffness, damping, legroom and even the 200-pound weight loss compared to the outgoing cars.
Wait, weight loss? Yes. And if you’re a true car fan, you know what does that mean: new platform. Camaro became underpinned by the same Alpha architecture which made Cadillac’s ATS and CTS so good to drive. The package of improvements also include stiffer structure, slightly smaller external dimensions (not even the wheelbase escaped), several components made of aluminum, and equipments such as Brembo brakes and Magnetic Ride active dampers. The latter are available for the SS trim, as well as bigger calipers and wheels, and even better tires. Since Camaro has already taken several steps towards being a global car, its manufacturer decided to dedicate its best technology to enable it to compete with direct rivals from around the world.
Going to the cabin, the vehicle becomes great without being surprising. The two-tone coating uses contrasting color for the stitching, several inserts in red, and very few chrome inserts – this is the car for those who want sportiness, not any attempt to look fancy. Between standard and optional equipments, there are climate control with circular air vents – the central ones’s rings adjust fan speed and temperature –, upgraded materials, five color schemes for the coating and 24 for the customizable lighting, electronic parking brake, flat-bottom steering wheel, inductive charger for your phone, and two eight-inch screen – one for the instrument cluster and another for the infotainment system. There are also ten external colors and several additional accessories.
Remember when it was mentioned that Camaro should leave its “vintage side” only to the design? This was obeyed once again regarding performance. The new base engine is the same turbocharged, four-cylinder 2.0 that equips the aforementioned Cadillacs. Delivering 275 hp and 295 lb-ft, it’s claimed to take the coupé to 60 mph in less than six seconds and to make 30 mpg on the highway. The following option is a heavily reworked version of the 3.6-liter V6 that already appears in several Chevrolets. Aside from the mechanical tweaks, it received the cylinder-deactivation function, and now reaches 335 hp and 284 lb-ft. Those can be paired to either a six-speed manual transmission or an eight-speed automatic, and come with the lesser LT and 2LT trims.
Since Chevrolet will wait longer to talk about ZL1 or Z/28, the sportiest Camaro you can purchase at launch is SS. This one gets the same LS1, 6.2-liter V8 that equips Corvette Stingray, but with 20% parts of its own – it generates 455 hp and 455 lb-ft. There will be the same gearbox options, but provided by different units. Depending on which engine you choose, there will be active noise cancellation and engine-audio enhancement (the latter bundled with an optional Bose stereo) or induction-noise resonators and active exhausts. Everything to make you enjoy the most of a driving behavior improved by technologies such as selectable modes, magnetic shocks, and stability control. The all-new Camaro will go on sale later this year.