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Steve,
In June of 2009 I rented a brand new Camaro on a trip. First drive in the first one I ever saw in the wilds.

For fun at the time, I wrote up this auto journalist style road test impression report for my buddies and family. Forgot all about it until now so I dug it up. Thought you and your son might get a kick out of it.

Thanks,

Bill



2010 Camaro 2 Day Test Drive


On my latest trip, I decided to rent a new Camaro to thoroughly check it out. Picked a black one (of course) with a 300 hp V6 and 6 speed automatic. That was the only power option they had. First impression was as I have seen in passing and in photos, there are great viewing angles, and some angles the appear out of proportion. I love the aggressiveness from the front, even with the slight under-bite look. Overall it is just a bit too cartoonish to be right on, but it is I guess a nice interpretation of the 69. The one I had was rolling on standard 18" BF Goodrich Radial TAs. The 20" in my opinion make it look too much like a Hot Wheels car.

Once inside, the view out was fantastic. Compared to a Lamborghini. Compared to just about anything else, it was hard to see out of. The windshield pillar is so fat, and the outside mirrors are so big there is about a foot wide blind spot. After a few miles behind the wheel however, it became quite acceptable, and I quickly became comfortable with where the corners were, and remembered to hit turns at a good right angle, rather than having to do the merge type looking around. Seating was good, ergonomics good, climate control excellent, new XM radio controls and display convenient. Seat belts great compared to new Mustangs. The problem with the interior is the vast use of plastic. This car was a cloth seat version, so it never smelled like a new car. It smelled like a toy factory on a hot day. You would need optional interiors. There is enough plastic on the dash and door panels alone to build a whole subcompact car. The good side of that, surprisingly, was that there was zero glare off the dash when driving into the sun. Not sure how they did that, but it was very nice. Closing the door causes the window to slide up about an inch, so it seals up super tight. There was no wind noise at all on the highway. Very quiet and solid ride on the inside. Most new cars also can't be rode in comfortably with the window down due to wind buffeting, but this was just like an old car, you could put down the window and ride with your arm out. That was pretty nice in the evening.

Steering, Awesome. It had a direct responsive feel, not too heavy parking and not too light on the road. Not sure of the ratio, but it was quick enough. Wheel was a good size, but needed softer rim material. You may get that with an optional interior, at least I would hope.

Brakes. Excellent.

Transmission. In auto mode, uninspiring, as would be expected from a 6. There are so many gears, you never feel it change. Once I got the Manual Sport Mode all figured out, the fun began. The car changed completely when you could rev it into the torque band and control the shifts. The paddles need to be bigger so you can be flicking them in all wheel positions. They must not think people will be using them much, so the controls are like an afterthought. So if you were turning, and wanted to grab a different gear, you have to go search for it back at 9 and 3. I got ok at that, but the target is small.

Engine. Sweet. Torquey. I wish I knew what it looked like, but there is too much plastic shrouding under the hood to even get a glimpse. Rolling in first gear at 4000 rpm, mash the gas and it will spin these huge rear tires. A 6 cylinder! It sounds good too in the upper ranges. (Thus destroying my fuel mileage) The 300 hp in sport mode trans moves the car around very well. A V8 has to be a blast, but the lighter weight of this one made the curvy roads VERY pleasant to run. I expect the best scenario will be the 6 speed real manual trans. I asked for one and they looked at me like I was from outer space. Why would someone want a clutch in a rental car?!?

Presence. Fantastic. This car up staged everything on the road. Of course, it's probably the first one most people have seen, but you sure can't sneak around in it! EVERBODY waved, gave thumbs up, came over to talk about it. Hotel manager left the business to hang out in the parking lot. Cops waved and smiled. People would punch their friends and point so they would turn around and see it. It was cool to see so many people excited about a new American car. That will last probably until there are 20 of them in every neighborhood, but for now, it sure breeds excitement.

Back to the winding roads. I took it up to the park where they run the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. The only US sanctioned Grand Prix on real public roads anymore, and after a couple passes to check out traffic and safety, I put it in manual and unleashed it on a particularly nice section or two. WOW, they really got the handling, brakes, steering and roll control down pat. This was the best driving car I've been in for a long time under those conditions. Very impressive for a new US car. I was all smiles after that, then headed out for a nice dinner. Where it attracted another crowd.

So after 2 days, I had to drop it off. Averaged 21 mpg. It says capable of 29. Getting back in my Impala after the flight, I realized how much more I could now see, but it felt like a canoe on stilts. Get the interior plushed up a little, and I could fall for the new Camaro. Of course for $25k, you could have a real nice 1969, and have some $ left over to be fixing it all the time.