In recent times, there has not been a single car as overhyped before its release as the New Chevrolet Camaro. The Concept Camaro was revealed back in 2006 at The Detroit Auto Show which now seems like a decade ago and went under a few minor changes before the official release as a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro.
The first thing you notice about the Camaro is the size – it is HUGE. General Motors has done a great job with the exterior styling of the car and attention to detail is visible from every angle.
The New Camaro is based on the Zeta Platform that was also used under the Pontiac G8 with some tweaks to provide that mean and aggressive look. The hood is fully enclosed with body panels while the windshield washer nozzles are hidden behind the rear edge of the hood. GM did make sure that all the changes it applied to the concept did not take that “flare” away from the Camaro.
Our test car was a 304 HP 2LT equipped with the RS package which will get you a whopping 29 MPG while still burning rubber on the streets. If you are looking for a daily driver then V6 Camaro is the way to go. As a matter of fact, Camaro RS actually comes with many exterior options such as red trunk and grille badges, 20 inch alloys, HID headlights and a rear trunk spoiler making it a SS look-alike.
Turn the ignition on and Camaro’s 304 horsepower, 3.6 liter, direct-injected V6 comes alive without much growl. Our test car came equipped with a 6-speed automatic and had a growl of its own. While driving around in D, the HydraMatic upshifts early in an attempt to maximize fuel efficiency. We drove around Atlanta in the “D” and found our test car averaging 27MPG in this mode.
Bring the Camaro to the backroads, shift into the S mode and you can really see the real beauty of this V6. Yes it doesn’t sound like a V8 powered SS but GM has done a great job with the exhaust note of this vehicle. It has a Nissan 370Z sound to its exhaust note and holds onto the gears for the longest time possible.
According to GM, Camaro does 0-60 in 6.1 seconds which puts it fairly well among other V6 sport coupes. If you want to go by our impression, we think Camaro V6 felt quicker than many other V6 coupes. The auto driving mode puts the driver in touch with the car like you would have never thought of from a V6 Camaro. Camaro comes with steering wheel mounted shifters so you can pretend to be driving like F1 racers.
The RS Package provides an upgrade to the interior of a regular Camaro. You get leather wrapped seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, Steering wheel mounted controls and tons of other features.
Camaro is a four seater and you can easily sit a family of four. Rear seats are comfortable enough for children with enough room for car seats for infants. Adults however won’t find the rear seats that comfortable. Rear seats can be folded down to provide extra room in the trunk space.
GM has done an excellent job with the instrument panel and gauges. They are simple, straight to the point and do the job. Gauges in the speedometer cluster along with radio/ac unit are very intuitive and perfectly lit. However, the supplementary console-mounted gauges are not really well located and appear to be more for looks than anything else.
Overall, we think General Motors has done an excellent job with the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro V6. It has the looks, power, handling and interior making it an excellent buy. Our “Rally Yellow” Camaro was turning heads wherever we went thus confirming that General has succeeded in its mission of reviving the Camaro!
