There was a time I considered myself a muscle-car fan, but that’s also the time I started growing my first facial hair and noticing girls. My car of choice back then was the Ford Mustang. More specifically, I lusted after a 1965 Mustang with the V8 engine.
I never owned that car, but the 22-year-old me scratched the itch with a 1994 Mustang. Not the same, I know.
In my years of being a muscle-car fanboy, the Camaro was never my thing. I associated it with ramshackle neighborhoods and saw them sitting on concrete blocks more often than on tires.
In my mind, muscle cars never matured past the testosterone-filled teenage drag-racing stage. But that could change this year.
The muscle car may have taken a long time to grow up, but with the 2016 Camaro, I think it’s finally become a man.
Let’s face it: With the new Camaro, Chevrolet has matured its muscle-bound teenager into a refined adult athlete. It’s not a muscle car anymore, it’s an honest-to-goodness sports car that has every chance of slaughtering its Mustang competition. And probably a Porsche and BMW here and there.
The slimmed-down Camaro V8 has lost roughly 200 pounds, while the V6 shed almost 300. It’s about 2 inches shorter than before and 1 inch lower and narrower.
That svelte frame rides on the same chassis that underpins two other ultra-performance machines, the Cadillac ATS-V and CTS-V. GM’s 8-speed paddle-shifted automatic transmission antiquates Ford’s slower and less efficient 6-speed. And the Camaro’s Corvette-derived V8 overwhelms Ford’s famed 5.0.
In addition, the Camaro’s interior might be better suited to an Audi and makes Ford’s feel like the inside of a Little Tikes ride-along truck.
Chevy’s newest sports car will arrive at dealerships in a couple of weeks. The first cars will be the 3.6-liter V6 LT and the 455-hp 6.2-liter V8 SS. There will be a total of six all-new powertrain combinations, including the standard 275-hp, 2.0-liter turbo 4-cylinder and a choice between a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission.
Pricing for the 1LT trim starts at $26,695, and the 1SS starts at $37,295. This seems expensive when compared to the Mustang, but compare the Camaro to a BMW M3 or the ATS-V, where it belongs, and it becomes a steal.
Our own Keith Griffin is taking part in Chevy’s Find New Roads event and will drive the 2016 Camaro on one leg across the country. Stay tuned for more!
Is a 2016 Camaro in your future? If yes, which engine? If not, what sports or muscle car would you choose instead?
-tgriffith
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from The CarGurus Blog http://blog.cargurus.com/2015/11/04/the-camaro-matures-into-a-true-sports-car
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