Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
 

 

Chevrolet's ponycar comes back in early 2009 as a coupe that could flip its lid by the end of the year. It's a great nostalgia trip, but will there be a market for it?

What We Know About the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
 

As it was then, so it is now. The Camaro, born more than 40 years ago as Chevrolet's reply to the pioneering Ford Mustang, is coming out of retirement (since 2002) for a new fight with the namesake ponycar. It's set to bow for 2010 in two coupe models--V6 and V8. The V6 cars will be offered in LS or LT trim, and the V8 is dubbed SS. The LT and SS models will be available with a RS appearance package that includes HID headlamps with integrated halo rings, a rear spoiler, specific taillamps, and 20-inch wheels. Convertible versions join up about nine months later. Chevrolet recently confirmed these plans after splashy concept previews at the 2006 and '07 Detroit Auto Shows. Recalling the days when the Big Three were the big players, Dodge revived its Nixon-era Challenger (1970-74) for 2008.

General Motors decided to bring back Camaro when the redesigned 2005 Mustang fast proved a hot seller. But Mustang sales have lately cooled, despite the addition of potent pump-primers like the Shelby GT500. Blame record gas prices and renewed public concern over what thirsty vehicles do to the environment. Ford Motor Company's many well-publicized travails are another factor. All this leads some industry-watchers to think the new Camaro could end up chasing a vanishing market, especially as GM still has troubles of its own. Nevertheless, the project is a go. And though GM has reportedly hit the pause button on several other new rear-wheel-drive cars, it's unlikely to delay this one after two years of making so much noise about it.

Convertible or coupe, the reborn Camaros will be much like the concepts, only less exaggerated. Factory installed wheels, for instance, will be no larger than 20 inches max, versus the show cars' 21s and 22s. Trim and paint will be toned down a bit, but Chevy has said they are offering 10 body colors. Otherwise, styling will be the concept's blend of today's Chevy Corvette and cues from the 1969 Camaro, resulting in a more-modern look than either the current Mustang or Dodge Challenger. The new Camaros should also hew closely to concept dimensions. That means about 7.5 inches more wheelbase than the 2002 models, a similar amount trimmed from overall length, and about 5.5 inches more width. These changes should produce a roomier four-seat cockpit, though space in back (and in the trunks) will remain tight.

Also per ponycar tradition, the new Camaros will offer a budget-friendly V6 engine and two performance-oriented V8s. Models using the V6 employ GM's newer 3.6-liter twincam design with direct injection, as found in the Cadillac CTS. The V8 will be the 6.2-liter base-Corvette engine, but in two flavors. Manual transmission models get the LS3 version that is good for an estimated 422 horsepower. When equipped with the 6-speed automatic, the V8 is dubbed L99. The L99 is fitted with GM's gas-saving Active Fuel Management cylinder-deactivation, and should put out 400 ponies. If gas prices keep rising, GM's Bob Lutz has suggested the company may look at powering the Camaro with turbocharged 4-cylinder engines. If Chevy decides to offer the four, it might not be available at the start of production. In addition, the latest buzz says an ultra-performance Z28 version might appear for 2011. It would use a version of the supercharged 6.2-liter "LSA" V8 from the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V with horsepower in the 480-500 range. At launch, all Camaro engines team with six-speed manual or optional six-speed automatic transmissions. Four-wheel ABS disc brakes, traction control, and stability control will be standard on all Camaros. Coupes will have front thorax side airbags and curtain side airbags. Ragtops may come with jumbo seat-mounted front side airbags providing both torso and head protection.

We said "ragtops" for a reason. For the sake of affordability as well as tradition, Camaro convertibles will retain a folding soft top. A trendy hideaway hard-shell roof would have cost too much for GM's price target, and might have caused reliability and production headaches. As on the concept, the top powers up or down from a flip-up panel behind the cockpit-no need for a fiddly flexible tonneau to look your best, as on the last drop-top Camaro.