My recent road trip to Palm Springs, California in our long-term 2010 Chevy Camaro SS wasn't quite the excursion of my Monterey run in our long-term Genesis, but it did reveal the road trip friendliness of Chevy's new muscle car.
This thing loves the highway.
Now, Palm Springs isn't exactly on the other side of the Earth from our Santa Monica office. It's about 125 miles due east on Interstate 10. Still, I appreciated the Camaro's compliant ride, its well-shaped seats and its above average cross-wind stability, which was truly put to the test our in the gusty California desert.
More than once we've complained about the Camaro's large size and high heft, but out on the open road, lumbering along at 1,900 rpm at 80 mph, that big long wheelbase and nearly two-ton curb weight are appreciated. They help give the car a locked down feeling, which makes a long drive less fatiguing on the driver. In the old days they used to call it road hugging weight. And while I understand its drawbacks (which are many), it's one of the reasons the Camaro is so good on a long drive.
Our long-term Dodge Challenger R/T is cut from the same cloth. Neither of these machines is rather intoxicating on a mountain road. They handle fine, but they are just too large and heavy to really carve up a twisting two-lane.
But they both thrive on the highway. On the open road. Out in the great expanse that is America.
I don't think I'd have it any other way.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
wrinklebump says:
03:16 PM, 11/27/09
Good god California grow some trees will you
uncanny_man says:
04:23 PM, 11/27/09
^^^ How do you do that in the desert?
cruiserhead1 says:
04:43 PM, 11/27/09
Joshua Trees, Yuccas, creosote, brittlebush... there is a lot of life out in the desert.
Just like most people that have the same blank look when examining the suspension or engine, once you know what you're looking at, it's a beautiful thing.
wrinklebump says:
05:14 PM, 11/27/09
Get back to me when you run out of water then maybe we'll talk
firstwagon says:
05:26 PM, 11/27/09
"Joshua Trees, Yuccas, creosote, brittlebush... there is a lot of life out in the desert. "
You gotta check out a forest.
greenpony says:
05:48 PM, 11/27/09
Cross-wind stability. I'm glad you mentioned that, because it's not something I often read about. How do the other vehicles in your fleet compare?
bimmerjay says:
07:25 PM, 11/27/09
"Get back to me when you run out of water then maybe we'll talk"
California has (half of) Lake Tahoe - one of the largest and cleanest alpine lakes by volume in the world - and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Not really worried about running out of water.
"Good god California grow some trees will you"
"You gotta check out a forest."
California is also home to the giant Sequoia (see: Sequoia National Park) and the California Redwood (see: Redwood National Park or Muir Woods). There are some stunning forests here.
"Neither of these machines is rather intoxicating on a mountain road."
... and one of the main reasons I wouldn't buy either.
vt8919 says:
09:19 PM, 11/27/09
How many people drive past that blue sign and think, "Well, I guess you learn something new every day!"
cruiserhead1 says:
10:53 PM, 11/27/09
Yeah that's the great thing about California, you can see the oldest trees in the world - no, not Redwoods- Bristlecone Pines. You can see the gorgeous desert landscape, beaches, mountain ranges and forests of many different kinds.
I think we are pretty lucky here.
Though, I'm sure many feel the same about their home state.
misterfusion says:
04:19 PM, 11/28/09
Are there seriously people out there who don't realize that California has forests?! Or for that matter, that Palm Springs is in, you know, the desert?
I like a good, solid highway cruiser, but I don't like riding down close to the road for really long stretches. For that reason (as well as visibility), it seems like I would prefer the Challenger over the Camaro for road trip duties. But in fairness, I have not driven either.
hondacura4 says:
06:56 PM, 11/28/09
From my experience a solid highway cruiser doesn't necessarily have to be heavy. My best friends 2005 MB C230 Sport 6MT sedan is a comfortable, solid cruiser yet it doesn't weight 4000lbs. However, Mercedes products are known to be long distance cruise missiles.
Good to see the current Camaro is actually comfortable to cruise in as the last generation was absolutely HORRIBLE in comparison. The driving position, brittle seats and high cowl made that car virtually impossible for me to get comfortable in.
yellowmiata says:
09:08 PM, 11/29/09
"They handle fine, but they are just too large and heavy to really carve up a twisting two-lane. But they both thrive on the highway. On the open road. Out in the great expanse that is America. I don't think I'd have it any other way."
Sadly, this post seems to lend credibility to the bias of IL and, perhaps, the kickbacks (private and public) from manufacturers. Here is a online magazine that heralds itself on praising cars that can hold the road in the straights and the curves, yet Scott "wouldn't have it any other way." Perhaps we need to move him to a drag-racing website?
1487 says:
07:16 AM, 11/30/09
since I rarely drive on tight two lane mountain roads (shockingly, not everyone lives in SoCal- who knew?) I think I would actually be able to enjoy a car even if its not super nimble in the twisties. The fact that much of America is flat and many people in this country like cars that are made for smooth interstate runs may indicate why this car has done well in spite of all the complaints about weight and poor visibility on winding mountain roads.
yellowmiata says:
12:54 PM, 11/30/09
1) Poor visibility hampers driving on more than winding mountain roads (pedestrians, curbs, other cars?).
2) Weight is the nemesis of cars' raison d'etre.
3) There are fun roads and corners in many areas of the country besides SoCal.
I agree that there are many who enjoy driving along the long straight roads of Texas (where I happen to live), however I'd wager that a majority of folks that read this site are interested in more than straight paths of travel.
The best part of 'Merica is that we're all entitled to our opinion. Some folks want a heavy car that has poor visibility and excels at driving a constant speed in a straight line. I'm not one of those folks.
Kevin