2010 Chevrolet Camaro: Rearward Visibility

You know what? I dig those older Camries. Matter of fact, I dig all eighties Toyos. Yep, I said it. That was back when they really were bullet-proof. If I had to drive one 20-something year old car of my choice across the country (and didn't have the luxury of a AAA or being followed by a tow truck), you can lay money on me choosing a Toyota.

if you use your mirrors correctly the C pillar size is irrelevant. If you're an experience parallel parker you dont look over your shoulder to park, especially if a car has back up sensors or a camera.

1487:

Parallel parking without looking over your shoulder is sometimes OK in cars without a backup camera? And how did you pass driver ed?

It is indeed possible to parallel park (or lane change) just with your mirrors. By no stretch of the imagination is it easier (or safer).

That is worse attempt justify a poor design that I have ever heard.

You can argue that this type of car doesn't need good visibility, that it's part of the deal.

Mustang proves that wrong. We can accept less then great but not poor.

@feloniousmonk Even their abundant fake interior stitching manages to somehow be endearing now twenty-five years later.

"Parallel parking without looking over your shoulder is sometimes OK in cars without a backup camera? And how did you pass driver ed?"

How often do you parallel park? They do not teach you how to look over your shoulder when teaching you how to drive. They teach you how to use mirrors. Looking backwards while going forwards is never really a good idea. I use mirrors to park, I dont try to look our the rear. Most cars today have huge C pillars so if you rely on craning your neck to park and drive you are in trouble.

firstwagon:

This isnt justification, its facts. PEople who keep harping on the Camaro's visibility need to drive a sedan or learn how to use mirrors. I've yet to find a sporty coupe with great rear sightlines. And that includes Mustang and challenger. And no, two door versions of sedans (i.e. Accord and 3 series coupes) don't count.

Cops should issue tickets for that. Seriously, that is a major safety issue.

@1487: I don't know about that. When I took my road test in 1999 I did not look over my shoulder when I was parallel parking and was scolded by the instructor. He said that was the only thing I did wrong, and something about Murphy's Law.

I drive my 2010 Camaro SS every single day. 1487 is right: properly adjust the mirrors and you have no blind spots; lane changing is perfectly safe. I've had it for over a year now and I haven't managed to be surprised by a car anywhere around me.

That being said, I do think the rear visibility is poor. The high tail of the car means that it's very difficult to judge distance between your rear bumper and any obstacle. Fortunately, Florida is not a heavy parallel parking state and they midstreamed backup sensors for the 2010 (although mine doesn't have them), but if I had the choice I would lower the beltline and trunk a bit.

Apparently the whole lot of you need to learn how to park:

http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/dmanual/chapter07-manual.htm#how-prk

"Looking backwards while going forwards is never really a good idea."

Why are you going forwards when you parallel park?

sniperruff: What? My comment about mirrors was pertaining to lane changes. In fact, I specifically commented that the Camaro is a pain in the ass to park because the high beltline and trunkline make judging distances to objects painful.

Now, to be honest, like any car you learn to get a feel for where it is in space, so you learn how to park without needing 100% visibility in a 360 degree arc, but I'm not going to pretend it's not annoying.

elantonius:

My comment was for 1487's remark about not looking over your shoulders when parallel-parking (or if you think about it, backing out from any parking spot). That only endangers everyone involved.

Blind spots (non-preventable) are definitely different then not being able to see from the back (preventable). I think the whole point of this post is also about the poor rear visibility of the Camaro.

I do have to say the Camaro is one of the best-looking Chevy products in recent years!