This
review first appeared in the May 2016 edition of the Northern & Central
California Cruisin’ News published
out of Folsom, California – mg
In the affordable high-horsepower
department, loyalties typically are divided between Mustang fans and Camaro
fans. That would figure given the
decades-long history of the two makes.
What is kind of hard to believe is that the Camaro
disappeared for a few years after the dawn of the current millennium. Thankfully, sanity returned in 2010 with a
much-anticipated, fifth-generation Camaro.
For Gen Six and 2016, there’s much to like.
My tester was the comparatively modest 2016 Chevy Camaro LT coupe, with a turbocharged, four-cylinder engine rated at 275 horsepower. And the starting price was well less than $30,000, darn near a steal in the head-turning sports car class.
Even though my ride was not a
thunder-producing V-8 blazer with more than 450 horsepower, I was more than
pleased with the tester’s enthusiastic performance and fabulous engine growl
making its ever-loving way into the cockpit.
Camaro engineers shaved significant weight – reportedly 200 pounds – off the previous-generation Camaro, and Gen Six has a more-rigid structure. For me, this translated into the Camaro handling slalom runs and high-speed lane changes with effortless ease, without me having to yank hard on the steering wheel.
Chevy promised a more agile, nimble Camaro
this time around. Promise kept.
And here’s how you know that the car is still
cool: when passing motorists give you a thumbs-up, or Camaro groupies salivate
all over your car when it’s parked in the supermarket lot.
Yes, seriously, these were common
occurrences in my short week with the rear-driving Camaro coupe.
Which is to say that it looks good. No mistaking the current-generation Camaro for
another model, and that’s saying something in the current age of look-alike
automotive hardware. The Camaro has the
double-tier, wide, get-outta-da-way front grille, which gives way to a hood
line and raked windshield that look long enough to dock a hot-air balloon. The back end has a decidedly sporty chop that
is entirely appropriate for this Camaro.
Interior comforts are far advanced from the
early Camaros I knew as a youth. The
tester was downright opulent, with plentiful comfort/convenience features to
keep me satisfied. A lot of chrome and
flash inside the vehicle, lending a fighter-jet feel from the driver’s seat.
Flat-bottom steering wheel. Loved it.
Fuel mileage was pretty lovable as well in
this segment, coming in at 22 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the
highway.
Overall, the Camaro upgrades give it plenty
to keep up with rival Mustang in the bragging rights game. Best part: The Camaro still rocks the road.
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