Greetings from beautiful San Diego, where I've come to drive the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro coupe. I drove down mid-day yesterday, figuring I'd have a quiet afternoon in the hotel to finish up my 2010 Lincoln MKZ review. But when I arrived, I got word from Chevrolet that there were a few Camaros available for a drive, and would I like to take one out for a spin? Um... hell, yeah!! Needless to say, the MKZ review kinda got left in a cloud of Road-Runner-cartoon-like dust.
Here's the catch: Driving impressions are under embargo (a gentleman's agreement not to publish) until later today, so I can't tell you what it was like just yet. In any case, I only drove a few miles in the SS model (426 horsepower, 6-speed manual trans, are you listening, Dodge Challenger SRT8?). Tomorrow I will (hopefully) get a chance to drive the 304 horsepower V6 model as well. I'll update this blog entry tomorrow evening, with a full review to follow soon after.
I did grab a few photos of the SS I drove. They aren't great pics, but fuzzy is better than nothing, and photos are not embargoed, so I've added them to my 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe photo gallery. As always, I'd love to get your opinion of the new Camaro, especially the interior (my photo here, factory photo here). You know where the Comments link is -- use it! -- Aaron Gold
UPDATE: Okay, the embargo has passed, so now it can be told. It's hard to give you the short version, because there's a lot to this car. In person, it's drop-dead gorgeous, at least on the outside. The interior left me a little cold. And the drive? Well, the six cylinder is fast, and the V8 is fast and loud -- there's no mistaking the roar of the Corvette-sourced 6.2 liter V8. In fact, the V8 soundtrack was my favorite thing about the car. (Well, that and the value -- $23k buys you 300+ hp and 0-60 in 6.1 seconds.) I think it's the best-driving of the three pony cars (Camaro, Mustang, Challenger). But it's not quite up to sports cars like the Nissan 370Z, which Chevy sees as a potential competitor. I didn't quite fall in love with it the way I did with the Challenger, and I didn't enjoy it as much as the last Mustang I drove... and that disturbs me a bit. But there's a lot more to this story, and I'll have it up and ready for you in a couple-two-tree days.
ANOTHER UPDATE: My 2010 Chevrolet Camaro test drive and review is now live. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Aaron Gold
Having owned 78, 80, 81 and 83 Z-28 Camaros…I can hardly wait!
The interior is not exactly what I would like… BUT the exterior looks pretty good to me…
Not going to sell any of the Corvettes in my garage however…I’m old school and require a 68-69 Chevelle….
Bob G
I hate the bowtie. I like the SS emblem on the nose much better but GM wants to cram that ugly bowtie down our throats. They’ve taken this brand recognition too far.
Other than that, looks hot.
C
I think discarding the idea of the lower console gauge pack really takes away from the final look of the interior, leaving it empty underneath. And removing that ‘aluminum’ trim from the dash-door panels really dresses it down and darkens it. Amazing how the little things can affect the big picture.
The exterior looks great, but the styling feature I couldn’t live with is the re-introduction of the trunk. Stupid idea. Sure, the trunk is ‘retro’ (that word is so overused in the auto industry now), but the opening is ridiculously miniscule, and you just threw any functionality the last generation Camaro had out the window. Nothing screams “I hate practicality” like a sports car with a trunk. Same reason I won’t buy a Mustang or 135i, or even an RX-8. Bravo, GM, you’ve successfully perpetuated the stereotype that “Americans want coupes.” Blah.
Really don’t like the gauge cluster. Typical of domestic makers going over-the-top on styling. Not crazy about the tail lights. Overall it’s a great looking car. I like it better than the challenger and mustang. fix the tails a maybe give a euro-style interior makeover (or even just steal from the G8) and I’d take a closer look.
I like it, inside and out. I would have preferred a few body-color touches on the interior, though. All gray is just too blah. Even body-color seat and door fabrics would have helped to create a sense of continuity from exterior to interior.
I wish they would make the Red concept an option, those headlights made the car look so mean…
I am interested to hear your thoughts on this one… I think I still prefer the overall look of the Challenger and believe it will be the less common car we see on the streets.
A stunning car viewed from any angle. The only thing I don’t like are the bright moldings around the tail lamps. I don’t see bright moldings used anywhere else on the car and they look out of place here. The instrument cluster looks odd compared to the rest of the interior.
As a former Camaro owner (94′) and always in love with the classic 60’s style, I’d have to say this new model runs a bit hot and cold for me. (Mostly hot, though)
With regards to the exterior I’d have to say I love it! Even from the rear it screams aggressive classic muscle car. Much more than the Mustang or the Challenger in my opinion. It also helps, for the true geek in me, that the front end is somewhat reminiscent of a cylon raider from the TV show Battlestar Galactica. (Now I’ve gone and branded myself as a propeller head instead of a gear head but hey, it’s who I am).
As for the trunk, and from what I’m guessing is a useless back seat, this feels more to me like a roadster competitor with an insurance break. The trunk opening is tiny rendering any practical hauling useless but it’s still useful for trips to the grocery store. Sure you won’t be putting any golf clubs in there but it’s not like you’ll have passengers so use the back seat instead.
Finally with regards to the interior and especially the console, this is where the cold runs full blast. Seriously, I can do without Wall-E starting at me from behind the steering wheel! And I agree with the other comments that the center console looks unfinished as it just drops off like that. And what is with those giant knobby dials? Was some engineer missing his wife that day and decided to make the controls look like a pair of breasts protruding from the dash?
So all in all, A+ on the exterior, B- on practicality, D on the interior.
That’s my two cents.
I’m an American, and I want a coupe. It’s a 426hp sports car, and you want the cargo space of a minivan I presume. I have a mustang, and the LAST thing that entered my mind when I bought it was “I wonder if I can fit 6 bags of groceries and surfboard in there”.
That being said, I like the exterior, but the interior I’m not keen on. What’s with the funny-looking gauge pods?
Now if the shift knob was available in white, with red stitching and the team logo of one’s choice, well…
I was going to leave a comment but I had to embargo it.
Really, Ross? Is that how you want to go about this? Try re-reading what I said, wise-guy. And this time, try comprehending it.
Never once did I comment on ‘cargo space.’ I merely stated my distaste for a trunk when a hatch will do so much better. I didn’t complain about a lack of space, nor did I request an increase in cargo capacity. I don’t care about your grocery bags or your surfboard, or even your ‘Mustang’, for that matter. Any educated person, especially auto-design engineers, will tell you that a hatch is more practical than a trunk, if not only for the fact that loading anything into the hold is so much simpler. And with a lift-over height as high as this Camaro’s, it would only make sense.
I could go into great length about the ’stereotype’ issue, but I won’t here. I’ll just say that you don’t have to get defensive over it, I called it a stereotype because it doesn’t apply to all of us, just some of us (you being in the latter category). Just because we’re both ‘American’ doesn’t mean we need to like the same thing.
On another note, by disclosing that the last thing you thought about was the practicality of your purchase, you’ve revealed yourself to be the typical ‘poseur’ Mustang owner. Nice. Good luck using all 426 hp of that Camaro on today’s crowded roads, big boy.
Yikes guys!! Try to calm yourselves. They’re just cars.
Hey DFI love the Wall-E comment
@mick & @ross, guys like you is what gives this column just a bit o’ spice once in a while. Thanks for being here.
Aaron, how about you getting one of those little video cameras and have somebody sit in the passenger seat while you drive and do some commentary? I think it would be inexpensive and entertaining as well as informative. Camera can go from you, to what your doing, gauges and whatnot, to the road. Anybody else doing that type of review? Most I see only show outside of car as it’s going by and the commentary is dubbed over the finished film.
Jimmy — It’s something I’ve fiddled with in the past — both audio and video recorded in the car. The problem is, I’m a perfectionist, and am never happy with the way things come out on the first try. SUVs guide Jason Fogelson and I have experimented with video, but getting producing a good video is really labor-intensive, especially the editing. The guys at Top Gear make it look so easy, but it takes a lot of people and a lot of hours to get that excellent 2-3 minutes. — Aaron
I, for one, would not be judging it so much on how Professional it looks as much as the content. The integraty and knowledge of the person in front of the camera is much more important to me. I watch a few tech podcasts. Some are better done than others for sure. But, when it comes down to it, it’s all about the info. Poke a couple up on youtube and see what kind of response you get. Kinda off the record like. Just twitter the post.
After checking out the update and pictures, the Camaro is typically plain inside and exciting outside…so much so, it’ll be my computer’s background for the next couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to taking the 6 cyl on some twisties in the near future.I only test drive what I can afford!
Looks more like a cross between a Mustang and a Corvette …nothing I’d be interested in…. like the older styles much better. Front of the car isn’t too bad.
Hatchback? Really? I think you missed the point! 304 hp with the small engine!
Just seems that the American Automotive companys will never, ever, IMO, learn.
This is supposed to be a sport car? Sits too high off the ground for my tastes and too rounded out.
The interior is chintzy, chintzy, as always it seems.
Apparently the big 3 (?) are too stuck up to take a look into foreign sports cars.
What in the world do you need that handbreak up top for? Only thing I can think of, is for drifting. Why not put it back on the floor?
Nope, not interested.
Wow, the 2010 Camaro.
It’s no wonder GM can’t sell cars. It took years and years to bring this ho-hum design to market. The interior is horrible, looks like a 1970’s AMC product. The exterior is ok, but the retro car look is done, GM missed the boat (again). It will probably sell well (for about a year). Then GM will trash it up with plastic wings and stripes and offer ’special editions’ to grasp onto any sales it can find. The glory days are gone GM. Leave the 60’s cars in the 60’s (if you survive).
Why do they keep pushing plasticky interiors instead of metal? With belts and airbags, padded plastic is unnecessary. And lose the me-too shiny aluminum/chrome “trim accents”. Painted metal to match body-color would evoke retro while eliminating dull plastic – haven’t they heard the grecian formula commercial, “no play for Mr. Gray”?