2010 Chevy Camaro SS: Youth Please Ignore

I'm 23, but I can easily remember that people said the same thing about the 2005 mustang redesign. You know what? It looked good then and it looks good now because it was a good design to begin with, not just because of nostalgia.

But you're missing a key point here...a lot of the current 16-25 year old currently or have previously owned the last-gen Camaro. In fact, I'd wager it's one of the more popular first or second cars for new drivers. In my case, I started out at 16 with a '98 Mustang and a friend down the street started with a '99 Camaro. As a result, I was/am really interested in the new Camaro...and sure, I think it looks tough.

My first car was a 1986 Buick LeSabre. Hey, it had quad headlights just like the Camaros of the day!

CAMARO LOOKS TUFF BRAH. PARKIN' ONE RIGHT NEXT TO THE TRAILER WHEN MY INSURANCE SETTLEMENT COMES IN

A lot of 20 year olds love the first gen Camaro. Some good designs are timeless.

I'm 20 and I think the Camaro looks tough.

That said, I wonder what the Camaro would have looked like if the car was kept in production and the redesign took a different path instead of the current "retro" look.

I'm almost 20 and I think the Camaro looks tough.

I will say that the older Camaro shown to me at least looks like any other 199X car with a boring aerodynamic shape that is unoriginal and indistinguishable from a Civic. The new retro body while I don't love it like some is instantly identifiable as a Camaro at any distance.

I don't know, look at the Mustang. It's retro, but I don't feel like it's trying to be in the 60's.

I'm 27, and I nearly bought a 2001 SS when I was shopping for a used car at age 22. My body shop training school restored a damaged low-mileage SS to perfection and was selling it for a great price. Alas, someone else bought it before I could get the financing in place so I ended up going for my current car, a 2002 Focus. Similar pricing, but huge difference. Thankfully, I didn't really regret the decision when the gas prices went up.

And yes, I think the current design sets it as more tough-looking than the previous generation. The previous generation was a bit too streamlined and it had these Chrysler headlights in the later years. I wanted the SS because of the great rumble from its engine, though.

Early 30s, had an '86 WS6 T/A in my early 20s, drive a G8 GT now. I think Chrysler has been on a roll with their "modern retro" RWD cars -- the Charger was my second choice car -- and I adored the Shelby GT-H 'vert I drove all over Texas a couple summers back, but to me the new Camaro is hideous on the outside and even worse on the inside.

I'm 20 years old and absolutely love both the new and old Camaros. Both of them are completely purposeful and just bad ass- tough if you will.

I love the older Camaros, especially the generation depicted above. The only problem I have with it is how long the car is and how the car only looks good in its top trim level, unlike the new Camaro which looks good in all levels, even the base one with Steel wheels. I actually just bought my first car and was going to by an F Body Camaro but I couldn't find one that actually looked good in my price range. I ended up by a clean low mileage '00 Mustang GT instead, but still love the Camaro.

Had I the choice (and money) though between the new versions of all the muscle cars (Camaro, Challenge, Mustang,) I know that I'd pick the new Camaro in a heartbeat. Not only does it have the modern take of a classic look, but it can also back it up. After all, there's no replacement, for displacement.

i go to a college with nearly 30,000 students. i have seen a lot of nice cars in the lots, including some new Cameros. Friends and people that i'm with, often remark about how cool the new Camero is, and how bad others look (specifically the Challenger). the people that usually make the remarks don't normally make remarks about cars and couldn't have cared less about most car designs in the past.

i like the look, and am trying to get one!

I have to disagree with your argument from the other end. My father went to college in the '60's and remembers when the original Camaro came out. To this day he maintains it was his favorite American car of all-time even though he never owned one. When I showed him one of the new Camaros his response was: "pathetic and over-styled". I think the new model appeals more to the YOUNG because they weren't around to see how much more elegant and clean the original Camaro was.

I'm 25 and I think the new Challenger looks tougher than the new Camaro.

I dunno why, but I see a new Challenger go down the road and I still can't help but go "Oooh...". It just looks muscular and confident.

The Camaro, on the other hand... Somehow the front end is underwhelming, the and ludicrously large 20" rims on the rear dwarf the haunches in which they're situated. To me, the new Camaro is a car out of proportion, which really surprises me. It looks good, sure. But it doesn't look great, especially as great as I thought it would. Judging on looks alone, it's not a car I would want to own. But hey, I'll allow that I just haven't seen it properly decked out.

I'll stick with ya Brian. I think the new Camaro draws heavily on the styling of the 60's. I also agree that the majority of buyers will be older men, particularly baby boomers. Not necessarily because younger men don't want one, but because the baby boomers are the folks with all the money. Good jobs are hard to come by these days, especially high school graduates. Even college grads are having a tough time making ends meet.

I think the polarizing styling of the Camaro is a sign that GM did something right. If they had designed a muscle car everyone could just look at and go 'eh,' they would've failed miserably.

Some people think the car is hideous, which is fine. But no one's going to look at a Camaro and think it's anything other than a Camaro. It sticks out like nothing else on the road.

The new Camaro looks great--muscular and distinctive.

The previous three generations go much better with a mullet.

'Nuff said.

I think styling wise the new Camaro is excellent; I just worry about the next Camaro. I'm afraid that they have backed themselves into a corner with this design. The new Camaro looks awesome, but it would be a shame if they used this for 8 to 10 years. I use the Mustang as an example of this. The 2010 Mustang was "completely re-designed" to look almost exactly like the retro stang it was replacing. How do you move forward with a retro design?

Who here even believes that GM is thinking of a new Camaro to release 5 years from now? They should be working on this today!

Although I do understand the topic at hand I can only agree with it to a certain extent.

I think the new Camaro combines the old with the new in a great way as it offers overly powerful large V8 engines like past Camaro's and brings an entirely new level multi dimensional performance to the table. The new Camaro attracts the Camaro faithful and yet has the potential to attract modern enthusiasts as well who prefer and demand a higher level of all around performance. The same with the Mustang. I think the Camaro and Mustang are perfect modern interpretations of the originals.

The Challenger however is the guilty one which falls short in my eyes as its simply a newer version of the original. It fails to bring a multi dimensional set of talents to the table and it fails to attract as many younger enthusiasts in the same way the Camaro and Mustang are capable of doing.

I'm 42 and honestly never cared for the 1993 - 2002 Camaro stylings. That era reminds me of when they came out with the redesigned GTO, it might of been a decent car, but when you looked at it it sure didn't have that GTO "look".

This whole retro-thing is ok, both the new Camaro and Challenger are decent cars, but I'd like to see something new from this generation. I've done bellbottoms, old-style muscle cars and tie dyed t-shirts, show me something new... show me more cars like the G8.

On the other hand, my 11 year old son loves the new Camaro, every time he sees one he says, "Look, here comes Bumble Bee".. ugh...

To me, the 2005 Mustang is a modern and better rendition of the original (can't say the same for the 2010), while the 2010 Camaro is overdone and overstyled. The original Camaro was not 'heavy' and 'fat', the 2010 is. Too bad.

If this is the type of design that caters to "old" people than I guess I am older than I thought. You don't have to know about the older camaros to think this car is attractive. I think Brian is making the mistake of assuming that the fact it references older designs automatically means it only appeals to those who were around to love those designs. I disagree completely. Do you think the teens who saw Transformers have any clue what a '69 Camaro looks like? No, but they still dug Bumblebee.

I never use to be a fan of retro design, mainly because I thought where do you go from there? Then Ford redesigned the Mustang and I love the new look. As for the Camaro I liked the concept but the more I see them the less I like them. I do agree with eidolways though, whenever I see a Challenger pass me I can't help but stare and love the design.

I'm only 18 and I think the Camaro looks tough. Ha!

Seriously though, I think I am right in saying it's one of the most unique looking cars on the road right now. And who knows? Maybe attracting the older audience with the looks was the plan all along - the younger audience would be drawn in by (dare I say it) Transformers.

I'm 35, and I'm a little disdainful of cars that are styled to look like they came out of the sixties and sold to nostalgic baby-boomers. It's a little like the constant (and pathetic) stream of movies and television shows we see that aren't just retreads of similar ideas that have come and gone, but retreads of the SAME FRANCHISE that has been around for 20, 30, 40 years.

It takes a lot of creativity to take a car that is aerodynamically styled to maximize performance and fuel economy and make it look new, modern, fresh. It takes considerably less creativity to just copy something and "update" it.

If I want a modern American muscle car, I'd take a Pontiac G8 over the Camaro any day of the week.

I'm 28 and I had a '99 Trans Am WS6. It was a great car. Camaros and Firebirds were THE cars to have back in '99 when I graduated high school. We would make fun of the kids that had Mustang GT's with their puny 215-260 horsepower. I have some hilarious photos with my friends and I posing together with our cars. Classic.

Anywho, new Camaro looks great (on the outside) but now I prefer the Mustang's look. More mature, and you can see out of the back of the thing.

@brian - "Even ten thousand replies of "I'm only 20 and I think the Camaro looks tough" won't convince me otherwise." Why not? Wouldn't that prove you wrong?

I think they did a pretty good job with the design, making it appeal to both young and old. The previous gen design probably didn't strike a chord with those that were around for the original, and personally, I always thought it looked like a slighly elongated Cavalier.

To say this car is nothing more than a slightly worked over repeat of the old design is a stretch. Nothing about the car's exterior looks remotely retro to me. YOu wouldn't necessarily know this car was based on a 40 year old car. The Ford Gt was a copy of an old design, not this.

The only Camaro I ever liked was the '70 with split front bumpers and big mouth grill. I always thought Firebirds looked so much better...the Formula 400s not the Trans Ams

I'm 26 and I think the Camaro looks tough

"The only Camaro I ever liked was the '70 with split front bumpers and big mouth grill."

I think that the second generation F-Bodies(pre-1974) were the best looking ponycars ever built(the 1967-1968 Mustang fastbacks run a close second). They were just stunning from a design standpoint. The IP design was also attractive and functional. I'll take a Z/28 with the RS package.

That looks like a 2002 Camaro SS! I want!

I am saddened by how many riced/blinged out Camaros I see in Southern California. R.I.P. F-body. :(

Hm I'm 22 and I hate all these retro muscle cars, but it's not because I don't appreciate the classics. These new cars try too hard to project an image of masculinity, but end up looking cartoonish. Cars that are attractive start with a nice functional shape and add subtle aggresive lines. These new muscle car designs started with the blockish forms of the 70's muscle cars they are based on, which are attractive because of their raw, rugged lines, smoothed them over using the cloud-like shapes that are now prevalent in American cars, and then attempted to recover the aggresive look by blowing certain elements (fender flares, hood bulges, and sharp cowl lines) way out of proportion. The end result is cars that look cartoonish and bloated, at the expense of handling.

26 and I think it looks good, but no, not distinctive like the old F-body. However, the F-body had its ugly sister the Firebird (6 nostrils on the hood? really?) which shared a similar shape, just like the current one has a similar shape to the current Mustang or even Challenger.

by the way, my comments apply equally to the 4th gen Camaro pictured. It looks like a bar of soap on wheels. I much prefer the 3rd gen, which I feel preserved the attitude of the original without trying to copy it. It looks like a car that belongs on a race track, not in a movie about talking robots.

I didn't much care for the last gen Camaro while it was in production but I pointed one out to my wife while we were driving a couple weeks ago and noted that I thought it had aged well. It didn't look like anything else on the road when it came out and in the years since it has grown even more distinctive.

"You know the stereotypes, they're all tweakers or jerks or pot heads" ....add to that "Tonys" (said like it's being said on the Sopranos) here in Jersey.

"I think that the second generation F-Bodies(pre-1974) were the best looking ponycars ever built."

Ill take a lowered black over black 1970 Camaro Z-28 with a custom twin turbo 302 V8, and a nice set of polished 18 inch rims.

This is the look I like WITHOUT the Chevy decal on the hood.

http://image.carcraft.com/f/10104881/ccrp_0710_02_z+1970_camaro_z28+side_view.jpg

The new Camaro looks tough. The design is an absolute success when compared to the mess called Challenger. I really like both the Mustang and Camaro; they are definitely the best of the retros to have come out in years. If only the Mustang has independent rear suspension and a better engine :p.

Original?! Remember the HONDA NSX!!!??? Intergrated spoiler, the B-pillar, the back windshield are FROM the NSX! The general shape is mostly derived from the NSX! Show some respect for your passion for cars! And why hasn't anyone else called this out!? Seriously...

http://timtrott.co.uk/wp-content/gallery/japfest-2008/046-honda-nsx-track.jpg

This design of the Camaro is completely evolutionary from 1970 to the one shown here. So to say its not derived on some car back in the day is not entirely true.

The only good looking Camaro was the first generation. For all the other ones I wonder why someone would waste their money. I understand that people often buy into the hype, but come on. I'd rather drive a Mustang II. With a 4-cylinder.

I'm 22 and I think the Camaro looks tough. Especially in black. Mmm, black.

@spaceywilly, I tend to agree. Generally, I'm not a fan of retro designs, and they tend to be caricatures of the originals. And as others have said, where do you go next after retro? Maybe back where they left off before coming out with the retro version?

I think the 3rd generation Camaro Z28 looked the best, particularly in the early to mid '80s. I had one, and I never got tired of its styling.

And although the 4th gens had more power and improvements, their styling was largely overkill. And the details were flawed. Among other things, extending the base of the windshield to where it covered up the back 3rd of the engine was not a good feature in the long term. This also necessitated long wipers, and their design just looked awkward.

"here's the thing about that last generation Camaro - love it or hate it the look was original. It wasn't derived from some other car from back in the day"

While you could see that as a positive, I also see it as a negative. Chevy has no "design language". There's a bowtie emblem, but otherwise every new generation of every car for the last 20 years has been totally different. When you see a BMW or Mercedes, you know what it is, whether it's brand new or 40 years old. You shouldn't attempt to go completely off the reservation with every new model, because then you have no common theme or brand identity. There have been occasional big hits, but most American cars of my lifetime (30 years) are unmemorable, if not downright ugly or weird.

Corvette is the exception to the rule for Chevy. You can tell that each generation belongs in the family, since the late 60's at least.

Of course, I could make the same complaint about Honda and Toyota, but they've overcome the problem with tremendous quality (the perception of it, at least). Now that all cars are "pretty good", "pretty reliable", and "pretty safe", design will be what sells. Time for GM and Ford to figure out their aesthetic and make people want them because they're just plain cool. (Recent products are encouraging.)

GM, I beg you - NEVER make the Corvette retro looking. Please!

While the 4th gen was an amazing car in it's day, today, the only ones which styling I really appreciate are the early Z28 and SS (93-97 with the deep set headlights) and the 35th Anniversary models. The normal 98-02 Z28/SS were monstrous performers, but something about them just didn't age particularly well, even on the clean ones I still see around.

I saw a yellow SS on the way home last nite...I almost lost my lunch! I followed it on the freeway for almost 10 miles and got a look at many angles. I now officially think it is just a bad looking car. It looks like it was designed by a committee. How many different styling cues can you put on one car? And after sitting in one and looking at the crazy interior it seems to be a pretty big joke. It is indeed striking and different but not even close to handsome.

I think its a great looking car and I think they did the right thing with the exterior. It has some cues, but its not a blatant copy. I mean, where does Dodge go from here with the Challenger? It relies entirely on the past which is fine, but I think it could have used a little more 2009.

I'm 21 and I think the new Camaro looks tough...

My first car was an '82 Z28, my second car was a '99 Z28, and I'd like my fourth car to be a new Camaro or Mustang.

My dad's first car he bought for himself new was a '69 Z28. Guess it runs in the family.

The last-generation Camaro is a complete disgrace to automotive design as a whole.
Who gives a crap if it's original.