There are a lot of things to like about our 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS on a long road trip. A couple significant design issues would keep me from going out and buying one of my own, but I can't deny that this car is in its element speeding across the desert.
In addition to ride quality, seat comfort is very good. The front seats are roomy, yet still offer useful lateral support (unlike our Dodge Challenger). Minor symptoms of dead butt crept in on the trip out to Arizona, but I had no such complaints on the drive back to LA -- the driver seat is just about the right blend of soft cushioning and firm support. Meanwhile, my passenger snoozed blissfully alongside me, though he later reported that the Camaro's head restraints aren't as comfy as a Holiday Inn Express pillow.
We both enjoyed the sounds of the 6.2-liter LS3 V8 when you lay into it full throttle coming down an entrance ramp, and when you abruptly lift off throttle and hear the exhaust burp. I also find this to be the most user-friendly application of the Tremec six-speed manual I've driven to date. Clutch takeup is easy enough for daily use (far less vague than in the Challenger) and the medium-throw shifter moves through the gates well.
Alas, the terrible steering wheel got on my nerves by the time we reached San Bernardino on the drive out to Arizona. I tried some different grips, and ultimately found that a loose grip at 10-and-2 is the most comfortable way to hold this wheel. (I'd rather hold it at 9-and-3, but that's just not sustainable with this funky-rimmed wheel.)
My bigger complaint, though, is visibility. I don't really expect to be able to see well out the back of a coupe (see 370Z, Challenger, etc.), but not being able to see well out the front, either, is a major bummer. The affable Dan Pund has described the visibility/seating position in this car as being akin to a bunker, and I couldn't agree more. After 1,000+ miles, I still can't place the front corners of our Camaro and this makes parking more of a hassle than it should be.
With those rants out of the way, I can report that our 426-horsepower, rear-drive coupe averaged a solid 19 mpg on the trip. Of course, it helped that I wasn't in a hurry and also didn't seek out any back roads. Worst tank was 18.5 mpg. Best tank was 19.7 mpg.
And, oh by the way, if you're in Tempe to see Angels' spring training games, I recommend the prime rib at Monti's La Casa Vieja -- probably the best steak I've ever had at a restaurant.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 14,134 miles
leftnose says:
02:39 PM, 03/19/10
You call it dead butt. In my family we call that being butt sprung. The best long distance seats I've ever used were in an '04 Focus. I drove from LA to Chicago in three days and never got butt sprung.
rick8365 says:
02:40 PM, 03/19/10
She does track days, she knows how to heel-toe, she likes cruisin' in low slung, manual trans V8 coupes, launches the S5 with authority for the camera, travels to go see spring training games, comments on the team's roster, is a steak connoisseur etc, etc.
I hope that "passenger" knows what kind of company he's keepin'! ;-)
texases says:
02:45 PM, 03/19/10
Visibility's a deal-breaker for me, when the better-looking (to me) Mustang has great visibility and the upcoming competitive engines.
ed124c says:
03:25 PM, 03/19/10
I have driven my nephew's 2SS and I am always nervous in it, and not just because I fear crashing it. I just can't get comfortable with the driving position and the visibility in all directions is claustrophobic, even with the seat jacked up so my head is an inch below the roof. Part of my problem is that it is an automatic-- I haven't owned a car with an auto in more than 30 years, and when I rent cars it takes me a while to get comfortable.
bodyblue says:
03:36 PM, 03/19/10
The chevy has a butt only a mother could love.....GAG that is just about the most hideous angle I have ever seen.
slcmitch says:
11:51 PM, 03/19/10
So 19 miles to the gallon is the best it'll do on the free way?? That's a deal breaker ladies!
I'll wait for a 2011 Mustang GT.
cr_driver says:
09:36 AM, 03/20/10
Me too.
stovt001 says:
01:27 PM, 03/20/10
Actually, slcmitch, if you read the fuel economy update, you'll see the best average tank was almost 24 mpg. Erin somehow wasn't driving very efficiently, but other editors have done better.
thedream21479 says:
02:38 PM, 03/20/10
Me Three.
kingfish4 says:
06:46 AM, 03/21/10
All the more reason the G8GT is a better value. One you can see out of it, and two I have never gotten any less than 17.9 mpg, and had a high of 25.8 recently. I drive mainly on the highway, and average 22 mpg.
herrstreet says:
01:53 PM, 03/21/10
Chevy should go high-tech, ditch the V8 and turbocharge the 6 for 400+ hp. On premium it should lose maybe 1 mpg over the regular 6 and actually be torquier at lower revs than the V8 since it's got DI.
just my $.02
stovt001 says:
05:09 PM, 03/21/10
@herrstreet: What is hi-tech about turbocharging? The Camaro's V8 heritage is worth much more than 1 mpg, especially since the lower end 6 cylinder models are volume models in the long run anyway. Also the DI would do precious little for torque. The turbocharging would boost torque, but not so much the DI.
frank908 says:
05:53 AM, 03/22/10
Sure, the 1 to 2 miles more MPG the Mustang MIGHT eek out makes all the difference in the real world.
Well as I see it, that could save the Mustang owner five to tens of dollars over an entire year!
That could be put towards another bottle of McGuire's greasy tire dressing so yir Mustang will look all shiny and pirty.
If you're at all interested in a V8 engine in a passenger car (not a work truck for working purposes) at all, then you should automatically be disqualified for even being allowed to be worried about gas mileage at all.
It's just ridiculous.
1487 says:
05:53 AM, 03/22/10
"So 19 miles to the gallon is the best it'll do on the free way?? That's a deal breaker ladies!
I'll wait for a 2011 Mustang GT."
I think the SS is rated at 24mpg higway with the stick vs 25 for the Mustang Gt manual. Not a huge difference and you arent going to get 25mpg in a 412 hp Mustang if you cruise at more than 60mph.
I'd love to see a list of 400hp cars that get more than 20mpg in the real world. Certainly nothing with comparable hp from Germany is going to be more efficient. The M3 is rated at 20mpg by the EPA which means you aint getting 20mpg driving at normal highway speeds or in moderate highway traffic.