2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2LT Coupe

This car is a blast that you would probably mistake for a high-line German or Japanese car when driving. -Photo © General Motors Corp.

T.Q. Jones 29.JUL.09

Here's another car we were prepared not to like, but that was based solely on the photos Chevrolet has been posting here and there for the last couple of years showing various mockup, pre-production and finally production versions of the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro.

None of those versions of the Camaro had the nostalgia of the retro Ford Mustang or the even more retro Dodge Challenger. Most people we talk to, even those too young to remember the original Mustangs, Challengers and Camaros, agreed that Dodge did the best job of updating the Challenger for the 2000s and most agree that Chevrolet built the worst "retro" ponycar.

Even the ten-year-old next door asked what the car was and, when we said it was a Camaro, responded, "it looks more like a Mustang." And, from the side or from the rear quarter view, he's right. But here's the thing: Chevrolet wasn't building a retro anything. The new Camaro is a by-golly new car, not just a new Camaro, and it is nearly as terrific as the new-in-2008 Chevy Malibu.

The new Camaro is offered with a choice of one of two engines and in three trim packages. Our test car was an LT coupe; the base model is the LS and the top choice with the big, bad V8 engine is (what else?) the SS. Chevy has always called the big-engine, bad-to-the-bone versions of any of their cars the SS, except the Corvette, which needs no embellishment.

Our test ride also had the RS appearance package and a few other nice options, but what's dynamite about the new Camaro is the car itself. The "base" engine is a 3.6-liter V6 that employs direct injection and produces 304 horsepower. The SS version actually has a choice of one of two 6.2-liter V8s, an L53 with 426 hp or an L99 with "only" 400 hp.

All versions are available with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission and all will run happily on regular 87 octane unleaded, though the V8s carry a recommendation of premium unleaded for increased performance.

Loaded up with the "impress the car reviewer" options, that is, just about everything, our test car carried a list price of $31,485. It even had 20-inch rims with very low aspect tires and a satellite radio system, plus a few things like remote starting, a power sunroof and a real (though compact) spare tire, which is an option.

The interior is high-tech, particularly the gauge package, though the bezels surrounding the gauges are roughly square and the main gauges (speedometer, tach) are round. Some designer was having a creative day that day. He or she would have been better served paying attention to detail, as the high-tech feel is rather undone by the glove box, which is the kind of fall-out-of-the-dash cardboard box that might have felt right in a mid-'70s Chevy pickup. The devil is in the details, GM.

But all that aside, this thing is a blast. It does everything well, and, like the Malibu, without the Chevrolet and Camaro badges you would probably mistake it for a high-line German or Japanese car when you drove it. Except that few of those go like the new Camaro; this thing is a rocket, going from zero to 60 miles per hour in 6.1 seconds and more impressively stopping from that speed in less than 130 feet.

The sport suspension is a must (we'd like to see "sport" or "performance" suspensions on American cars as standard equipment), but be careful with those 20-inch wheels and low aspect tires over any kind of bump; it's jarring.

In case you think we're avoiding talking about fuel economy, you're wrong. We were, in fact, saving the best for last. The V6 Camaros are EPA-rated at 18 miles per gallon in city driving and 29 mpg on the highway, and that's not an error: it's 29 mpg highway. The V8s are thirstier, but still earn ratings of 16 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.

We've been bragging on General Motors and most of the U.S. auto industry for the last couple of years as they have steadily improved fuel economy even though we kept buying non-fuel economy. Our test Camaro had fewer that 2,500 miles on it, but returned 27.5 mpg on a run down to south Texas that went through Dripping Springs and Blanco. We'd think 29 mpg or even a little better is doable on a pure interstate run.