Playful pony has morphed into a world-class machine in its latest incarnation
It still has the attitude of supersized Hot Wheels car, for better or for worse, and you still can’t see out of the back of it. But compared to what came before, the 2016 Camaro is a wholly different beast — even if it looks, at first glance, like a fifth-gen that’s benefitted from a personal trainer and a style consultant.
Strip away the familiar (if evolved) sheet metal, though, and you’ll find a new platform lurking beneath. Gone is the Holden-developed Zeta, displaced by the Alpha underpinnings it shares with rear-drive Cadillacs. With the new platform comes substantial weight loss (the last 2015 Camaro SS we drove weighed 3,908 lbs; this one is just 3,685) and an interior design and material quality upgrade.
It seems like only the good stuff has been carried over, like the available magnetic ride control (vital on the post-apocalyptic streets of
None of this is a revelation, exactly. We knew much of it before the Camaro’s launch last year, and figured the rest out soon after. But this is the first time I’ve actually spent any real time in one of the 2016 models. The verdict? It’s genuinely impressive inside and out.
I’m even willing to overlook the lack of rear visibility.
I say this despite getting the keys in the middle of winter, which is generally a bad time to get to know any rear-wheel drive coupe. Pirelli Sottozero winter tires were a nice gesture, but ice and snow meant I wasn’t going to explore the car’s limits or be a quarter-mile hero this time around.
The 455 hp Camaro SS coupe sprints from 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds and is equipped with a six-speed manual transmission
Maybe that forced me to focus on the interior, which was always the one of the weakest parts of the previous Camaro. The plastic-heavy “retro” gauge cluster on the center console is gone, restoring the six-speed gear selector to its rightful place as the center of attention. Nothing comes off of accidental or cheap; the detail stretches from door panel to door panel.
The only awkward part is the central touchscreen, which is canted downward at an awkward angle. At least for me.
Still, Chevy was wise not to try to fix the stuff that didn’t need fixing. Once you stop admiring the door panels and push the starter button, the motor sounds predictably great — a growl building to a roar as the tach climbs, enhanced by the performance exhaust — and goes even better. Its 455 hp is easy to modulate thanks to a snug, satisfying shifter and a springy, but never aggressive or tiring, clutch pedal.
And regarding the crappy weather conditions: The snow/ice drive mode works wonders: The drop into second gear tends to send the car a little sideways — which, don’t get me wrong, is a lot of fun — but if you want things a little more civilized, change up the mode and focus on driving. The car somehow figures it all out and moves you in whatever direction you’re holding the steering wheel with minimal drama. I’d hesitate to call the Camaro an all-season car, even with proper tires, but you certainly don’t need to stash it in the garage once the snow starts falling.
The 455 hp Camaro SS coupe sprints from 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds and is equipped with a six-speed manual transmission
And even under the less-than-ideal driving conditions, it’s easy to tell that the Zeta to Alpha change is an important one. If you’re comparing the ’16 Camaro to the Challenger (which I have an irrational soft spot for, especially in the higher-powered trims), the previous Camaro or even the new Mustang, it’s not even close — the 2016 Camaro feels more balanced, more mature and more refined all around. Less like some weird muscle/pony car, more like an outright sports car.
You might be wondering if there are ways to trim a little off the $ 46,095 sticker, which is getting awfully close to Shelby GT350 territory. If you live in a place where they actually pave the roads, you could ditch the fancy suspension, and the ceramic white interior accent trim package could probably go…but I’d probably take it more or less like this, price tag and all.
And all in all, is the price really that high? I suppose that depends on your perspective. If you reflexively turn up your nose at any sports car not built in Germany, then yes, $ 46,095 for a Chevy will seem spendy. Until you compare it to anything from Germany, that is; a BMW M235i starts at close to $ 45,000, to name one example.
But if you’ve actually driven the thing, and experienced its combination of C7-esque confidence and old-school American brawn — classic V8-motivated goodness all wrapped up in modern finery — then it really doesn’t seem unreasonable at all.
— Graham Kozak, associate editor
The 455 hp Camaro SS coupe sprints from 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds and is equipped with a six-speed manual transmission
OTHER VOICES:
The key with the new Camaro is the weight loss. Everything gets better when you lose 300 pounds. The steering gets quicker, changes of direction are easier, it stops—and sprints to 60 mph—in a shorter distance. Oh, and it gets better gas mileage. I wish Chevy would let other automakers in on this little secret: less weight makes cars better.
The new Camaro surely looks better than the outgoing model. It’s less square, has more aggressive looking head and tail treatments and even the profile looks lower and meaner.
And then there’s the V8 engine, a full-blown, Corvette-equal 6.2-liter lump. I think this is the first time that happened. Power comes on smooth and pedal modulation is just right. Clutch weight too, it has some spring, but it’s not hard to push either. I need to feel like pieces are moving underneath and that it’s not some electronic-feeling thing that decides how fast to engage when I snap my foot off.
I’ve been a Mustang-over-Camaro guy my whole life, but being objective, I think this Chevy holds the crown, at least for this generation. Like Graham said, both feel more like straight-up sports cars than old school muscle, and I think we’re okay with that.
The price is insane though. Get the cheapest one with a V8 that you can find. Even better, wait a year and chop 10 grand off that sticker, then you’ll really have a deal.
— Jake Lingeman, road test editor
The 455 hp Camaro SS coupe sprints from 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds and is equipped with a six-speed manual transmission
OPTIONS: magnetic ride control ($ 1,695); dual exhaust performance mode ($ 895); ceramic white interior accent trim package ($ 500); Chevrolet MyLink audio system with navigation, 8 inch diagonal touchscreen, select Bluetooth streaming, Apple CarPlay capability with compatible smartphones ($ 495); 20 inch five-spoke black aluminum wheels ($ 200); front license plate bracket ($ 15)
