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Automotive Industry
DRIVEN: Chevy Camaro Comes Back, Only Better
Head-turning style and agile performance puts Chevy's pony car back in the game.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted July 30, 2009   Phoenix, AZ
Camaro's chiseled form brings back the style of the original Chevy sports coupes. The RS styling package sharpens the look. (Photo: Chevrolet)
Camaro is back at last, four long years after Chevrolet teased us with an auto-show concept car.

During that time, arch rival Ford Mustang has been redone twice, and Dodge Challenger made a high-profile return to the muscle-car fold.

Also, the bottom fell out of the automotive market and General Motors went bankrupt, resuming operations as a downsized shadow of its former self.

But Camaro is back, and that’s a good thing. The 2010 Camaro may seem redolent of the old GM, but it’s also a significant part of New GM’s portfolio as it struggles toward recovery.

While recapturing a strong piece of Chevy history, Camaro also shows how far the General has advanced in recent years in technology and design; Camaro is raw and sporty enough to recall its glory days yet refined enough to appeal to modern drivers.

The raised haunches resume an important styling element for the retro styling. (Photo: Chevrolet)
Camaro is a thoroughly enjoyable car, as fun to drive as it is to look at, with a gregarious personality that seems to appeal to everyone. Though fairly large and heavy by today’s sport-coupe standards, Camaro proves agile, stable and balanced on the highway or city streets.

Compared with the last few generations of Camaro, the new version is light years ahead, like comparing a modern piece of weaponry to an ancient firearm. New for Camaro is a sophisticated independent rear suspension instead of a solid rear, a disappointment for the drag racers among us but a boon for ride quality and handling finesse.

And the interior shows GM’s new-found attention to quality, comfort and design.

All the focus may be on the SS model, with its booming 426-horsepower V8, but the V6-powered LS or LT provide plenty of satisfaction. The six-banger may lack the thunderous roar of the V8, but it packs 304 horsepower, plenty strong enough for quick getaways. Zero to 60 acceleration is just over six seconds, according to GM, not bad for a 3,700-pound car.

The V6 models are real-world cars, too, with EPA fuel mileage of 18 city and 29 highway, compared with 16 and 25 for the SS.

I drove an LT version with V6 and six-speed automatic, likely to be the most-popular configuration. While I would have preferred the available six-speed stickshift, I found the test Camaro plenty responsive for fast driving and quick maneuvers. Again, the drag racers might be disappointed in the V6, but hey.

Camaro’s styling seems to have hit the spot for car enthusiasts and casual observers alike, retro in the sense that it’s reminiscent of the 1969 styling, everybody’s favorite, but with modern proportions and details.

It’s meant to look fun and be fun, so the bright-yellow LT that I drove was right on the money. My only disappointment is that the tester wasn’t one of the recently announced Transformer versions, in homage to the movie that Camaro starred in. That would have been too cool.


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Bob Golfen

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