[Scotsman]

I certainly don't think so...

One Sweet Pony: Soon, we’ll see if the new Camaro has the tricks to last
By J.P. VETTRAINO


By its spec sheet, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro looks like the ultimate evolution of the pony car. The big question is whether there are enough pony-car buyers to sustain it over the long haul.

Gasoline cost $2.30 a gallon when the world went ga-ga over the Camaro concept at the Detroit auto show in January 2006. It averaged over $4.00 nationally on July 21, when Chevrolet unveiled the production Camaro at its tech center in Warren, Michigan. Most projections suggest $5.00 per gallon by the time the car hits showrooms in spring, 2009.

With the spike in gas prices and tougher economic times, car buyers have moved toward the practical--and fuel efficient. Yet if Chevrolet is worried about the new Camaro, Chevy Vice President Ed Peper isn’t letting on.

“We’re excited about launching it now because so many people have been waiting for it,” Peper said at the reveal. “We’ve got style, value and fuel economy that’s ahead of the competition.”

Maybe Peper is right, because the new Camaro is a looker. With a wheelbase of 112.3 inches and a length of 190.4, it’s a bit larger than the Ford Mustang (107.1, 187.6). It’s also looks cleaner, perhaps prettier than the Mustang, but no less aggressive, and it looks more compact than the larger Dodge Challenger (116.0-in wheelbase 197.7-in length).

The production Camaro has virtually no body jewelry or adornment, save for a set of subtle, louver-like slashes stamped in front of the rear wheel wells. Its galvanized steel unibody is suspended with coil-over struts in front and a fully independent multi-link arrangement in the rear.

Inside, the new Camaro is even more obviously inspired by the original, right down to the quad-rectangular gauges at the firewall end of the center console. The main gauges are up-to-date, with crisp, electro-luminescent backlighting. The switch cluster in the center stack looks a bit bulbous, perhaps busier than we’d like, but overall fit and materials are high-grade.

The base Camaro engine is GM’s 3.6-liter four-cam, direct-injection V6, tuned to 300 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. That’s a 90-hp edge on the base 4.0-liter V6 in the Mustang, and 50 better than Challenger’s 3.5-liter V6. The specs suggest that, even with its 400-pound weight disadvantage, the base Camaro (3741pounds) will be quicker than the Mustang. Moreover, Chevy projects an EPA rating of 26 mpg highway with the standard six-speed manual or the six-speed automatic. For what’s probably considered a “muscle car,” that’s better than respectable.

The Camaro SS upgrades with the standard Corvette LS3 aluminum V8, but only with the six-speed manual. The LS3 generates 422 horsepower and 408 pound-feet of torque--essentially the same as the 6.1-liter iron-block Hemi in the Challenger SRT10, but less than the line-topping, supercharged Mustang Shelby GT500. Chevy expects an EPA highway rating of 23 mpg for the SS manual.

SS buyers who prefer the six-speed automatic will get a new small-block variant, designated L99. Peaks drop to 408 hp and 395 lb-ft, but the L99 is equipped with GM’s Active Fuel Management cylinder de-activation technology. That should improve mileage for drivers who can keep their foot out of it.

The SS also comes with sport-tuned suspension, four-piston, fixed aluminum caliper Brembo brakes front and rear, and 20-inch wheels with Z-rated summer-grade Pirellis.

Track numbers? Impressive, according to Doug Houlihan, GM’s chief engineer for global rear-drive vehicles. He said the V6 goes 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds, finishes the quarter mile in 14.5 and stops from 60 in 132 feet. The SS hits 60 in the 4.6-4.7 range, completes the quarter in 13.2 and stops from 60 mph in 117 feet.

Serial production begins Feb. 16 in Oshawa, Ontario. Initially, the Camaro will be offered in three trim levels: Base LS, with standard XM, OnStar and six airbags; LT V6 with more stuff and leather; and the SS. All three will offer an RS appearance package, with exact content specific to the trim level. On the SS, the RS package will add a unique wheel design and HID headlights.

We can expect a convertible by the spring of 2010, according to Peper, though the Chevy honcho was tight-lipped on other possible variants, including a higher-mileage model with GM’s 2.0-liter, turbocharged DI four. Peper was also coy about specific prices.

“Camaro will match our record of recent introductions,’’ he said. “We are going to deliver the best value in its competitive segment.”

Recent introductions suggest potential perils for the new Camaro. GM’s current crop of full-size SUVs are arguably the best, most refined ever, but gas prices have chased the market in the other direction and sales have more or less tanked. Yet Peper remains optimistic.

“Buyers still want emotion,” he said. “In the Camaro we have 21st century technology and a significant fuel economy edge on the competition.”

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl...685549631/1065