Whenever I cruise down the freeway in our 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, I think of our 2008 Pontiac G8 GT. The ride quality is remarkably similar.
The Camaro rides firmly, but there's just enough compliance tuned into the chassis that you never feel like you're making sacrifices to own a fast car. It's not harsh over major seams and ruts and it's not busy over the washboard sections. Undoubtedly, our car's Pirelli P Zeros deserve some credit, too.
I'm about to put 800 miles on our Camaro SS this weekend, and if nothing else, it should be a comfortable trip.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 13,100 miles
elantonius says:
12:11 PM, 03/11/10
I did a 9 hour sojourn from Tampa, Florida to Aiken, South Carolina for July 4th last year, to visit some family for the holiday.
Both my fiance and I came out perfectly comfortable...it's great as a GT...it's a pretty quiet ride and the smooth power delivery of a V8 is always fantastic out on the open highway.
Get out into the boonies of the open highway and a V8 becomes quite fun in other ways too ;)
stovt001 says:
01:43 PM, 03/11/10
Exactly. The Camaro is GT, not a sports car, and the suspension is tuned to that mission nicely. It isn't going to out-turn a Miata on a twisty mountain road, but it should be a blast on a long drive with some fun zones thrown in.
fundango says:
02:10 PM, 03/11/10
@stovt001
If the fun zone for a Miata is a twisty mountain road, what would you consider to be the corresponding fun zone for a grand tourer? Just curious...
stovt001 says:
02:47 PM, 03/11/10
A less technical road, but still winding and twisty. Fast sweepers and the like. It can even be the same road as the Miata. It may not be as specialized for that, and therefore simply not as good, but in a pinch a good GT should be able to handle a winding road in an enjoyable manner. Not as sharp as a sports car, but not as dull as a conventional family sedan either. A middle ground of sorts.
felonious says:
04:03 PM, 03/11/10
In motorcycle terms, a sport-tourer.
lowmilelude says:
04:19 PM, 03/11/10
800miles in a 400hp car? Yeah, I'd be asking Mr. Edmunds for the company card; because that Camaro'd be needin' some new rubber when I got back.
felonious says:
04:20 PM, 03/11/10
Erin, if it's not too personal, where are you headed? I'm going to Phoenix this weekend in the Flex's first road trip. :)
eriches says:
05:45 PM, 03/11/10
@ felonious: Also to Phoenix... for spring training games. :)
Dodgers at Angels in Tempe on Monday, Angels at Padres in Peoria on Tuesday. Planning to see any games yourself?
tmanz says:
06:58 PM, 03/11/10
Since they share a platform how much of the suspension is the same?
I miss the G8, I so wish they'd put the V6 and transmission from the Camaro in it before they gave up on it.
felonious says:
09:20 PM, 03/11/10
No baseball for me, I'm an NFL guy. I'm going to drop off my sister-in-law at her mother's house there. The family and I are going to spend Saturday at the zoo - it's pretty nice and the weather should be perfect. :) If you see a dark blue Flex with dealer plates, that's probably me!
deadviper says:
02:15 AM, 03/12/10
Sorry tmanz, but the pontiac name was synonymous with "shit on a stick", so as a pontiac, the G8 was doomed before creation. Even for a halo car (which the G8 was not) turning around a whole brands reputation is a tough job for just one model and a better base engine wouldn't have solved the problem.
elantonius says:
07:21 AM, 03/12/10
fundango: Well, a car like the Camaro (and the Mustang and Challenger, for that matter) is really built for stop lights. That's the car's natural element. A straight line rocket will almost always make a good grand tourer.
As for 'mountain carving'...living in Florida, the best I can get around here is a few winding two lane roads...Patterson springs to mind for Tampa residents. I actually think the Camaro is quite at home there; there's a lot of fun to be had in nailing the gas on the apex.
It's just not a Miata. In the Camaro, there's quite a lot of delta in your speed: slow down on the way in, get your apex, and then let the V8 rip. It also helps that Chevy made the traction control really configurable...and the tires and brakes are really standout good, so you have miles of grip to play with and plenty of anchor for entering the corner.
stovt001 says:
08:13 AM, 03/12/10
For another example, one of my driving routes along here is Glendora Mountain Road to East Fork Road to San Gabriel Canyon. The Camaro wouldn't be fun on GMR, but on the other two roads, which are wider and have faster, more sweeping curves, the Camaro would absolutely be in its element.
tmanz says:
10:13 AM, 03/12/10
deadviper, even if the better, Camaro, drivetrain in the G8 didn't save Pontiac it would have at least put one in my driveway :)