Muscle car news from ‘Murca, there’s now a new Camaro to take on the new Mustang. But before you get too excited and place an order, there aren’t any plans for an ‘official’ right-hand drive version. So if you want a muscle car in proper hand drive then the Mustang seems to be the only choice. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should dismiss the Camaro entirely though. Grey imports will undoubtedly find their way here and that could be a very good thing indeed.
Chevrolet are very proud of the sixth-generation Camaro, calling it the fastest, most nimble, and efficient in the model’s 40 year history. It sits on a new, smaller and stiffer platform with new or revised engines. A small but punchy 2.0-litre turbo petrol kicks off the Camaro range. This small engine is responsible for the “most efficient Camaro” claim. It’s good for 275bhp/205kW and 400NM. 0-100 km/h is done in under 6 seconds.
There’s an all-new 3.6-litre V6 with cylinder deactivation. This has 335bhp/250kW and 385NM of torque, which Chevy claims is the highest specific output of any naturally aspirated V6 in its class.
A Camaro wouldn’t be complete with a V8 option and for now the most powerful Camaro has a 6.2-litre V8 in the SS. This develops 455bhp and 617NM of torque. A 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic is available for all engine choices. When equipped with the Bose sound system, the engine note gets “enhanced” inside the cabin. Lovely.
The new Camaro comes with a Drive Mode Selector system, which adjusts various settings depending on the chosen mode: Snow/Ice, Tour, Sport, and Track on SS models. SS Camaros also get the option of Magnetic Ride Control suspension.
The Camaro also benefits from a new multi-link MacPherson strut front suspension and five-link independent rear suspension. No more leaf spring jokes here. Sitting on a new platform that’s 70 percent bespoke for the Camaro, it is 28% stiffer than its predecessor and 90kgs lighter. All Camaros get Brembo brakes.
Continuing the theme of ” new of the familiar” the design is an evolution of the fifth-gen car. Apparently only two things are carried over from the previous car; the rear Chevy logo and the SS badges. On the new car lines have been sharpened and edges made pointier. It still looks like a Camaro but in keeping with its contemporaries. The designers wanted it to look lower and wider than before, despite it actually being a slighter smaller car. I must say, the more I look at it the better the design gets.
It’s the same story inside. There’s a typically simple American design with lots of chunky dimensions and cartoonish details such as the “segment-first” LED ambient lighting with 24 different colour choices. It has a “car show” mode that goes through the entire colour spectrum when the car is parked. It wouldn’t be an American car with some pomp and ceremony now would it?
Other interior highlights include instruments of the analogue variety with a digital info screen in between them. On the centre console is a 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display of the MyLink system.
So that’s the new Camaro; edgier, lighter, cleaner, stiffer, and (literally) flasher than before. Michael Bay-style explosions are not standard. Would you pick it over a Mustang or a Challenger?
