For my trip to Mammoth this weekend, I had put in a request weeks ago with key keeper, Mike Schmidt, for our 2010 Volvo XC60. With four people and all our gear and the car's all-wheel drive, it was the perfect vehicle for a snowboarding trip.

Fortunately only two of the four people had their own snowboards. Any more and it would have been difficult to fit through the ski pass-through in addition to all our luggage and bags of booze and food. Three boards in normal conditions (no foodie passengers) would have been fine and I'm sure skiers won't have the same concern.

As it was, our backseat passengers said they were very comfortable and didn't feel crowded in at all. "It's so luxurious!" they exclaimed, pointing out the interior materials and the cushy padding on the sides of the seats.

Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor at 13,640 miles

One nice thing about being in Arizona is that it's actually cool to drive a Chevrolet here. Further, people still get excited when they see a Camaro here, and several told me what a beautiful car I had.

While we were dining at Haus Murphy's (order the Paprika Schnitzel with potato pancakes as an appetizer) in Glendale, AZ (convenient if you've just come from a Padres' or Mariners' game in Peoria, AZ), we got the sincerest compliment of all. This blue 2010 Camaro 2LT with the optional RS package and six-speed automatic transmission sidled up to our 2SS long-termer.

You'll notice our Camaro friend pulled up farther than we did in his parking spot. Soon enough, he'll (or she'll) learn (as we have) not to do that.

Yes, indeed, this car is lower than you think it is (though aesthetically it would benefit from an even lower stance a la SLP's Camaro), and the black plastic guards will only help you so much.

Also, I don't care for the plain, single-piston, sliding brake calipers on the V6 Camaros. I think I have to have the V8 just so I can have 400-piston Brembo calipers.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 14,134 miles

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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.

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

 

I walked out to our 2009 Dodge Ram this morning and caught a glimpse of the paint just behind the cab of the truck. Is that orange peel? And it extends up the back of the cab and onto the roof. Nodody likes to see that.

Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 23,060 miles

Our long-term 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS and I have just returned from a 1,000-mile road trip to MLB spring training in Arizona. I still have my doubts about the Dodgers' pitching depth, but as I guessed before the trip, the Camaro has an excellent overall ride quality.

No matter what kind of surface conditions you're dealing with, the suspension copes well and remains composed. And somehow even with 20-inch wheels and fairly massive Pirelli PZeros (245/45ZR20 front, 275/40ZR20 rear), the car doesn't beat you up. The cabin stays quiet, too. We've mentioned before that the Camaro comes up a little short in the fun department on back roads, but for long hauls through the desert, our 2SS-RS Camaro's setup works well.

More speed cameras seem to have sprouted up in greater Phoenix (many of them "strategically" placed just before freeway interchanges where a burst of acceleration might be required to situate oneself in the proper lane). Fortunately, Arizona's department of transportation sees fit to give you a quarter-mile warning, so I just set the Camaro's cruise control every time a warning sign came up. The cruise is on the lower left side of the steering wheel and very simple to use -- power button, cancel button and a toggle switch that does set, resume and +/- speed.

And, best of all, the cruise stays on when you shut off the engine. So the next time you start up and see a speed camera warning, you're all ready to set it at 65 mph. Nice.

More on the trip in tomorrow's post.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 14,134 miles