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Chevrolet's Camaro returns for 2010 with budget-friendly V6 and performance V8 models.
| Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet's ponycar comes back in early 2009 as a coupe that could flip its lid by the end of the year. It's a great nostalgia trip, but will there be a market for it?
What We Know About the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
As it was then, so it is now. The Camaro, born more than 40 years ago as Chevrolet's reply to the pioneering Ford Mustang, is coming out of retirement (since 2002) for a new fight with the namesake ponycar. It's set to bow for 2010 in two coupe models--V6 and V8. The V6 cars will be offered in LS or LT trim, and the V8 is dubbed SS. The LT and SS models will be available with a RS appearance package that includes HID headlamps with integrated halo rings, a rear spoiler, specific taillamps, and 20-inch wheels. Convertible versions join up about nine months later. Chevrolet recently confirmed these plans after splashy concept previews at the 2006 and '07 Detroit Auto Shows. Recalling the days when the Big Three were the big players, Dodge revived its Nixon-era Challenger (1970-74) for 2008.
General Motors decided to bring back Camaro when the redesigned 2005 Mustang fast proved a hot seller. But Mustang sales have lately cooled, despite the addition of potent pump-primers like the Shelby GT500. Blame record gas prices and renewed public concern over what thirsty vehicles do to the environment. Ford Motor Company's many well-publicized travails are another factor. All this leads some industry-watchers to think the new Camaro could end up chasing a vanishing market, especially as GM still has troubles of its own. Nevertheless, the project is a go. And though GM has reportedly hit the pause button on several other new rear-wheel-drive cars, it's unlikely to delay this one after two years of making so much noise about it.
Convertible or coupe, the reborn Camaros will be much like the concepts, only less exaggerated. Factory installed wheels, for instance, will be no larger than 20 inches max, versus the show cars' 21s and 22s. Trim and paint will be toned down a bit, but Chevy has said they are offering 10 body colors. Otherwise, styling will be the concept's blend of today's Chevy Corvette and cues from the 1969 Camaro, resulting in a more-modern look than either the current Mustang or Dodge Challenger. The new Camaros should also hew closely to concept dimensions. That means about 7.5 inches more wheelbase than the 2002 models, a similar amount trimmed from overall length, and about 5.5 inches more width. These changes should produce a roomier four-seat cockpit, though space in back (and in the trunks) will remain tight.
Also per ponycar tradition, the new Camaros will offer a budget-friendly V6 engine and two performance-oriented V8s. Models using the V6 employ GM's newer 3.6-liter twincam design with direct injection, as found in the Cadillac CTS. The V8 will be the 6.2-liter base-Corvette engine, but in two flavors. Manual transmission models get the LS3 version that is good for an estimated 422 horsepower. When equipped with the 6-speed automatic, the V8 is dubbed L99. The L99 is fitted with GM's gas-saving Active Fuel Management cylinder-deactivation, and should put out 400 ponies. If gas prices keep rising, GM's Bob Lutz has suggested the company may look at powering the Camaro with turbocharged 4-cylinder engines. If Chevy decides to offer the four, it might not be available at the start of production. In addition, the latest buzz says an ultra-performance Z28 version might appear for 2011. It would use a version of the supercharged 6.2-liter "LSA" V8 from the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V with horsepower in the 480-500 range. At launch, all Camaro engines team with six-speed manual or optional six-speed automatic transmissions. Four-wheel ABS disc brakes, traction control, and stability control will be standard on all Camaros. Coupes will have front thorax side airbags and curtain side airbags. Ragtops may come with jumbo seat-mounted front side airbags providing both torso and head protection.
We said "ragtops" for a reason. For the sake of affordability as well as tradition, Camaro convertibles will retain a folding soft top. A trendy hideaway hard-shell roof would have cost too much for GM's price target, and might have caused reliability and production headaches. As on the concept, the top powers up or down from a flip-up panel behind the cockpit-no need for a fiddly flexible tonneau to look your best, as on the last drop-top Camaro.
The 2010 Camaro convertible takes many design cues from the classic 1969 model (concept pictured).
| A Notable Feature of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro coupes and convertibles will be built at GM's plant in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, which has long ranked high in independent audits of vehicle quality, among the best in North America. Let's hope that record continues with the new Camaros.
Buying Advice for the 2010 Chevy Camaro
Convertibles never sell as well as sister coupes, and the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro convertible should be no exception. Even so, it's no more likely to be a future collectible than the fixed-top Camaro, especially if demand comes close to GM's projected 100,000-unit yearly total. And even if that proves optimistic, resale values of all new Camaros will probably depreciate like those of any volume-production new car. Buy one to drive and enjoy, but don't expect to make money on it in the foreseeable future.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro Release Date: Dealers should have new Camaro coupes by March 2009. Convertibles could appear by the end of 2009.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro Prices: The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro V6 LS coupe will start at $22,995, with the V8-powered SS coupe starting at $30,995. Convertibles will cost more, but we aren't sure what the price premium will be.
The 2010 Camaro convertible will retain a folding soft top (concept pictured).
Source: consumerguideauto.com
Article from consumerguideauto.com posted February 11, 2009 at 10:13 am.
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The 2010 Chevy Camaro is one of the most highly anticipated new vehicles to come along in years, and fans were chomping at the bit even before GM released official specs on its reborn musclecar. Once the General revealed that "base" versions will include a 3.6L, direct injected V-6 good for approximately 300 hp while the SS sports the monster 6.2L LS3 V-8 making 422-hp and 408 lb-ft of torque, however, that excitement grew to a fever pitch. And now it might just boil over -- official pricing on the 2010 Camaro has been revealed, and dealers are taking orders for the car starting today.
At the New York auto show back in March, GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz said that given its sophisticated underpinnings the new Camaro would be "premium-priced" compared with similarly equipped Mustangs. At the time this was interpreted to mean the Chevy would be at least $2000 costlier than the Ford, and it turns out that prediction was just about right -- V-6 versions of the musclecar will start at $22,995, while the SS sports a base price of $30,995 (both figures include a $750 destination charge). While these MSRPs represent a jump of $3000 and $4220 over the V-6 and V-8 Ford, respectively, a base Camaro puts out nearly the same power as the Mustang GT, while an SS tops it by more than 100 hp.
According to General Motors, more than 60,000 enthusiasts have requested information on the 2010 Camaro, and now the automaker is letting them put their money where their mouths are and drop some coin on the new car. Production is set to begin in mid-February with deliveries beginning soon after, but those who want to reserve a Camaro ahead of time can place an order now. In addition to standard StabiliTrak stability control, a four-wheel independent suspension, and available features like Bluetooth hands-free calling and USB connectivity, enthusiasts will also be able to pick from a range of visual upgrades and performance accessories, including 21-in. wheels, a ground effects kit, and a retro-styled Hurst shifter. These add-ons will be installed by dealers, and GM says in some cases its cost can be rolled into the car's monthly payments.
General Motors may be pricing the new coupe above its Ford and Chrysler competitors, but when the Camaro hits showrooms in mid-2009, it will become the new champ in horsepower per dollar -- a V-8 Dodge Challenger R/T runs roughly the same price as the Camaro SS, but with just 375-hp and 410 lb-ft of torque the Mopar offering is at a considerable disadvantage. A more worthy competitor would be the Challenger SRT8 with its 6.1L V-8 good for 425-hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, but at $41,695 it costs $10,700 more than the Chevy. In addition, if the automaker's claim that with active fuel management the Camaro SS will get 23 mpg highway while V-6 models manage around 27 mpg, the argument for GM's modern musclecar should be compelling.
Contact Doug Henry Chevrolet in Tarboro today to place your order for the 2010 Camaro.
Source: GM and Doug Henry Chevrolet in Tarboro
Article from Motortrend.com Posted October 13 2008 10:05 AM by Andrew Strieber |
