2010 Chevy Camaro Test Drive

With today's economy, gas prices, and environmental consciousness it may in fact be uncouth to call the 2010 Camaro a muscle car. Instead, General Motors calls it a "fun, efficient sports coupe for the 21st century." But that doesn't change several undeniable facts: first, that the Camaro is back and has returned from its seven-year hiatus with cutting-edge technology, a killer LS-based V-8, and a level of overall quality never before seen on an F-body. Our beloved third- and fourth-gens can't hold a candle to the stringent standards to which the fifth-gen was subjected to before you or I could take delivery. It's perhaps the most ambitious F-body ever built, as GM is no longer just trying to stay one step ahead of Ford. This Camaro is built to take on the world. And how does it measure up? So far, so good.

They say horsepower never goes out of style, and I couldn't agree more. As I'm sure you are aware, GM pulled out all the stops with its powertrain design. The base motor cranks out 304 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque using a 60-degree V-6 aluminum block and heads, forged steel crank, 3.6 liters of displacement, dual overhead cams with continuously variable valve timing, and direct ignition for the most efficient combustion possible and a reduction of 25 percent in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. Of course, our favorite family of V-8s doesn't disappoint in the SS model either. The 10.7:1 all-aluminum LS3 (in manual trans models) boasts a five percent increase in valve lift over the Corvette's mill helping to achieve 426 horsepower at 5,900 rpm and 420 lb-ft at 4,600 rpm. The Active Fuel Management and variable valve timing-equipped L99 on automatic models uses the same 6.2L 90-degree block and high-flowing heads with 2.16-inch intake and 1.60 exhaust valves to churn out a peak of 400 hp (at the same rpm) and 410 lb-ft at a lower 4,300 rpm. The 10.4:1 L99 has a 6,000-rpm redline, 600 rpm below the LS3, but with VVT the midrange punch should be incredible. We can't wait to get both on a chassis dyno for comparison. And at 24 mpg (manual) and 25 (auto) on the highway [versus the V-6's 29 mpg], the V-8 models certainly dissuade its stigma of inefficiency.

Unlike years past, it seems GM did not want to leave any weak links, spreading its money around equally--even to the drivetrain. The manual transmissions are both very impressive, the Aisin AY6 in the V-6 is specially geared for performance with an extremely tall 4.48 First gear and a single 0.75 overdrive gear. Meanwhile, the SS gets the new Tremec TR6060, introduced in the ZR1, with steeper 2.01, 1.47 and 1.43 ratio 1-3 forward gears, 1.00 Fourth, and steeper 0.85 and 0.57 overdrive gears (as compared to the '02 F-body's T56). Word is that this little six-speed is rated to 600 lb-ft. The automatic transmissions are equally as impressive in the 6L50 (V-6) and 6L80 variants that easily trump our beloved 4L60E and 700-R4s of years past. Couple that with an IRS rearend that utilizes 30mm and 40mm halfshafts that puts the pitiful GTO and (first-gen) CTS-V to shame, and GM has truly put together a rock-solid combination that will easily surpass even some of its upscale foreign competition. The days are gone when your rear doesn't make it out of the burnout box alive, or a hard one-two shift is enough to cripple the trans.

With a drivetrain that allows for quite a bit of abuse, the new Camaro benefits from superior ride and handling as the result of its 4.5-link independent rear suspension. Much like the Vette, we anticipate only serious track cars will need a bushing and sway bar upgrade to illicit the reaction its owners require. The factory coilovers with progressive rate springs will no doubt have aftermarket replacements in no time. The revised front suspension (from the Camaro's G8 roots) will probably suffer the same fate, but overall open track and autocross enthusiasts should have more than enough adjustment available to the caster, camber, and toe angle (unlike our fourth-gens). Couple that with a 16:1 turning ratio, Brembo four-piston (335x32mm front, 365x32mm rear) brakes on the SS models, and the new Camaro is a brake pad swap and alignment away from being track-ready. We expect impressive skidpad numbers out of the 112.3x63.7-inch stance and 245/45/20 front, 275/40/20 rear Pirelli Pzero Z-rated summer tires on the SS's standard 20-inch wheels.