Before we jump into the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro,
a thoroughly modern rework of America’s most popular muscle car, we
need to answer a question: What good is a 21st century muscle car,
anyway?
In
an era where Americans have forsaken cars for SUVs, especially those
with just two doors, sports cars in general command a fraction of the
market they once held in their late ‘60s and early '70s heyday. Compared
to the volume of Chevrolet’s other passenger cars and pickups, Camaro
production is a side line.
But
the reason for this new Camaro lies beyond any spreadsheet. For
starters, there’s Motown bragging rights: since its 2009 rebirth, the
Camaro has annually outsold the Ford Mustang.
Just under two-thirds of the 500,000-odd Camaro buyers in those years
were people whose previous vehicle was not a General Motors product. And
mainstream Chevy owners rarely drive cross-country to show off their
customized cars and watch a new model get unveiled, as several hundred
did today in Detroit.
All
of which explains the strategy behind the 2016 Camaro. It’s not a
revolution or a reboot; all of the features that made the previous-gen
Camaro a hit have been preserved, and Chevy engineers have addressed
some weakness and moved to counter Dearborn’s latest volley.
Start
with the engines. There’s now three choices, all of them new to the
Camaro. The SS now features the LT1 6.2-liter V-8 from the Corvette
Stingray, tuned here to about 455 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque to
give its Kentucky cousin just a little breathing room. The new 3.6-liter
V-6 now makes 335 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque. And a new entry-level
trim employs the corporate 2-liter turbo four-cylinder with 275 hp and
295 lb-ft; all three can be matched to either an eight-speed automatic
or six-speed manual (which has rev matching when guiding the SS.)
These
choices were designed in large part to counter Ford’s decision to make
the Mustang’s Ecoboost four-cylinder turbo the mid-level choice of its
range. While the Camaro’s four cylinder will be outgunned by the
'Stang’s base 300-hp V-6, Chevy engineers are betting that those buyers
aren’t shopping purely on spec sheets anyway, and that those who are but
can’t make the jump to the traditional V-8 will prefer the Camaro V-6
and its 20 extra horsepower over the turbo pony car.
As
for the style, in person the new Camaro looks slightly smaller, as if
its sheetmetal had been vacuum-packed over the chassis. There’s more
Stingray influence in the lines, but the real difference is the change
in the chassis underneath to GM’s updated Alpha setup. While that’s
technically the same chassis as the Cadillac ATS, only 30 percent is
shared with the Caddy; Chevy engineers needed a wider track width for
the performance they wanted. (Only two badges carry over from the
previous Camaro.)
That
swap means the new Camaro weighs 200 lbs. less on average than the old
model; in the V-6, that’s closer to 300 lbs. The new SS supposedly
outhandles the previous 1LE upgrade trim, and even the 4-cylinder will
hit 60 mph in under six seconds — quicker than the original 1967 Camaro
SS. “You’re going to immediately feel the mass differential in the car,”
says chief engineer Al Oppenheiser.
About
those weak spots: The interior on the older Camaro wasn’t popular at
launch and hasn’t aged well, but the new one comes off as far more sleek
and thought out. For those who still prefer disco, the LED light strips
in the doors and dash will change colors based on driving modes, and
cycle through the rainbow for “car show” mode. GM designers took note of
complaints about poor visibility up front and lowered the dash, moving
the vents to the bottom of the center stack with trick controls around
the bezels.
All
of these changes did not fix one deficiency in the Camaro: Rear
visibility, which was poor in the current model, not only failed to
improve but may have gotten worse. Yes, backup cameras are standard and
warning aids are optional, but sitting in the old and new back-to-back, I
could almost swear the rearview mirror got smaller.
That won’t matter to the Camaro true believers, who prefer to think of
the accelerator as the main tool for controlling what’s behind them.
While many details including pricing weren’t released yet, and the new
Camaro won’t start rolling from its new home in Lansing, Mich., until
late this year, the 2016 edition should not just answer its fans’
questions, but a few prayers.
