First Impressions: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro

Lately, one of the things you've all undoubtedly heard enough about is the Camaro. For god's sake, Chevrolet brought an entire tanker load of modified Camaros to SEMA in virtually every imaginable form.  Yenko Camaros, Camaros that look like Trans-Am's, evil Camaros, Red Camaros, there was probably a Camaro with wings.

And the new Camaro has been getting a lot of press everywhere, really.  And for good reason - it's an extremely attractive car that people actually want to buy, rather than settle for, which seems to be par for the course in today's automotive market.  But all the attention is really sort of centered around the SS model, which is the high-performance one powered by the 6.2L LS3 Corvette engine.  So of course people are going to like it; it's got a stonking big powerful engine and rear wheel drive.

What you probably haven't heard a lot about is the base model.  That's because in the past,  base-model V6 Camaros have been... how do I put this nicely... absolutely awful.  Deplorably, undeniably, insanely awful.  They rode and handled like crap, sounded like crap, accelerated like crap, looked liked crap, and generally marked you out of the herd as a secretary or hairdresser.

Up to now, the most powerful base model Camaro has been the final-generation, which had a 200bhp V6.  Err, that was a 3.8L engine.  So not exactly impressive, or fast, or even reliable despite the low moving parts count.  What with it being a pushrod 2 valve V6 and all.

So while most of the press has been going nuts over the 422bhp Camaro SS, what they've really been missing out on is the V6 Camaro.  I know, that sounds like madness.  But hear me out.

I got the chance to ride around in extensively, as well as perform some instrumented testing in, a brand-new 2010 base-model Camaro.  You might not be shocked to learn it was actually my friend's rental car, you can probably go pick one up for the day from your local Avis dealership.  This meant it was stripped, had a V6 and an automatic transmission, tiny wheels, cloth seats, and not a whole lot of gizmos and gee-gaws.

You'd expect it to be completely terrible, just like every other V6 Camaro that has come before it.  I'm here to tell you, you'd be wrong.

For one thing, let's start with the engine.  The last V6 Camaro used the Buick 231, a 3.8L iron-block anachronism that used a single cam in block operating a pair of pushrods per cylinder, bumping two big dumb slow valves.  This new one has a 3.6L twin-cam 24 valve V6 made entirely of aluminum, which benefits from both full variable valve timing as well as direct fuel injection.  Result?  304bhp at 6400 rpm, and 273 lb-ft of torque at 5200.  Those are peaky numbers, but they're  big numbers.  To put it into perspective, the last Camaro Z28 cranked out 305bhp from it's all-aluminum 5.7L LS1 engine.  And while the peaks are higher up and the torque is lower, that's still a lot of power.

Unfortunately, this isn't the Camaro as you've always known it.  For one thing, it won't do a proper burnout on dry pavement.  Brake-torque it to lock up the torque converter and mash the gas?  Nope, traction control can't really be defeated, and there's not enough torque to smoke them real hard anyway.  Donuts?  Nope, stability control kicks in even with TCS off and kills the fun.  Foot to the floor 90° right-hander?  Nope, it just sticks and goes.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku36u0gRP_o

And go it does.  The twin-cam V6 emits quite a lovely noise as it pulls to the 7000rpm rev limit, and the GM 6-speed automatic does an OK job of banging off shifts, although the same can't be said for the paddle shifters, which are slow to react and generally pretty worthless.  Testing using PocketDyno, an iPhone-based data acquisition program that uses the phone's accelerometers, showed some impressive numbers.  The V6 Camaro puts out an estimated 244rwhp (which is about right considering estimated drivetrain losses) and reaches the 60 mark from a standstill in 5.8 seconds with minimal brake-torqueing.  Here's the results of the best PocketDyno run, which was conducted on a closed course by a professional driver in Mexico.  Some say he's allergic to water.  Some say he dreams of harmonic balancers.  We call him The Mike.

Max acceleration: 0.85 gMax distance: 1320.75'Max Velocity: 102.28mphMax Power: 244rwhp (182kW)

Reaction Time: x60': 2.24s330': 6.091/8 mile: 9.23@80.03mph1000': 11.92s1/4 mile: 14.17@102.26

0-10: 0.460-20: 1.270-30: 2.160-40: 3.110-50: 4.360-60: 5.800-70: 7.310-80: 9.220-90: 11.370-100: 13.64

As you can see, this isn't your secretary's old Camaro.  This thing's got some balls.  Now combine that with the fact that it almost gets 30mpg on the highway and can happily run on 87 octane, and you've got a pretty killer powertrain, slushbox or not.  I can only imagine how much more fun it'd be with a clutch pedal.  Still, who thought the day would come when V6 Camaros would run low 14-second quarter miles?

Ok, enough about the performance merits of the base-model Camaro. What's the rest of the car like?  You can't really get through impressions of the new Camaro without discussing it's aesthetic appearance.  This car is gorgeous.  It's both retro and modern at the same time, something the Challenger simply can't manage to pull off, with all sorts of nice details that you can really only appreciate in the flesh.  It's got big fat haunchy rear fenders that look menacing in the side view mirrors, demonic looking headlights that scare the Buick out of the left lane pretty quickly, it's low and wide and evil looking.  It's perfect.

But what it really is... is form bashing function into a barely recognizable state.  Those gangster-mobile proportions mean that you've got about the same visibility as a tank.  You can't even hang your arm out the window because the door goes up about to your shoulder.  Visibility is simply awful.  That long hood seems to stretch on for days, so you are never 100% sure where the corners of the car are.  Sitting inside it is like being in a bunker.

Now, I have to say, I'm not a fan of the interior design.  There are some neat elements, but mostly it just feels cheap inside.  The dashboard is a seemingly endless expanse of cheap, black textured plastic that clashes horribly with the relatively classy metal-look IP.  The controls are straight-forward enough, and the head unit's display is a model of clarity, but the speedo and tachometer are buried inside little tunnels with thin radial labelling, making them damn hard to read.  Ergonomic faux pas include cupholders that would cause your Big Gulp to bump your elbow every time you shifted into second, fourth, or sixth (if you got the stick; not really an issue with the automatic), an auxiliary port that's harder to find that an interesting celebrity, door handles that can't be reached from the back seats at all, a lack of a tilt-and-slide feature on the seats for rear-seat ingress and egress...  the list goes on.

But, it's cool-looking in there.  Plus, there are niceties like cruise control, satellite radio, a sunroof, power driver's seat...  the basics.  And if you're buying a Camaro to stroke the dash, you're certainly missing the point.

Ride and handling is hardly worth mentioning; this base-model rental Camaro was fitted with cheesy 17" wheels and all-season tires, so an autocrosser it is not.  No matter how low to the ground you are, a 3781 lb vehicle is never going to feel like a Lotus.  Unless it's a GT-R.  Which, again, the V6 Camaro is not.  The brakes are perfectly adequate for the power output, and the steering is likewise unremarkable.  What is remarkable is how boring the Camaro feels compared to it's recently departed chassis-mate, the four door Pontiac G8.  Go figure.

Then again, leverage the impressive performance, fantastic head-turning looks, reasonable fuel economy, and $22,680 price against these relatively minor complaints.  The conclusion I come to is, who cares?  This car represents an amazing value for the performance and fun.  Especially when compared to it's competition.  It's a little more expensive than a V6 Mustang, but with a base Mustang you're getting an ancient engine that only makes 210 asthmatic horses.  You can't even get a V6 Challenger with a stick shift, and would you even want to?  Sport compacts like the GTI and Civic Si may be more refined than the V6 Camaro, but they're nowhere near as fast, and they certainly won't attract as much attention.

The question used to be, why bother getting a Camaro if it doesn't have a V8?  And while I still agree that there is no replacement for a V8-engined Camaro, at least if you opt for the bent-six Camaro, you no longer have to hide your face in shame - or make excuses.  Secretary's car?  Sure, but they've never had it this good.

Overview

Make: ChevroletModel: CamaroBase Price: $22,680Price as Tested: $23,880

Engine: 3.6L DOHC 24v V6, VVT and DIPower: 304bhp@6400rpmTorque: 273lb-ft@5200rpmRedline: 7000rpmFuel/Mileage: 87 octane, 17/29 mpg city/highway (V6)

Estimated RWHP: 244bhp0-60: 5.80 seconds0-100: 13.64 seconds1/8 mile: 9.23 seconds @80 mph1/4 mile: 14.17@102.3 mph

For: Impressive powertrain, stunning looks, great value, surprising performance, cheap gasAgainst: No burnouts, not a V8, cheap interior, ergonomic missteps and visibility issues, overweightBuy this if: You're trying to relieve the sixties, but you're sixtyDon't by this if: You're a EurosnobAlso Consider: Mustang GT, Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8, Nissan 370Z, Mazda RX-8, used 'VetteOverall: 4/5 starsVerdict: No longer embarassing; in fact rather impressive.