next generation camaro

[justgreat]

i'm a VERY infrequent poster to this forum but have been giving some thoughts to the next iteration of camaro and decided to share my thoughts and predictions on what lies ahead for the camaro.

to no one's surprise here, the camaro is a hit and therefore you don't messwith success, right? but the next gen camaro has some real challenges that it must meet inorder to be competitive and that brings me to it's biggest dilemma: size. since the current generation camaro was based on the pontiac g8 platform the engine choices were pretty clear: no 4 cylinder and a v6 and a v8....why no 4 cylinder? the car is too heavy and who the hell would have bought a 4 cylinder camaro? but times have changed in the last couple of years and gas prices being what they are, a 4 banger is a must for the base camaro for the next gen.

but getting back to the size issue of the car, it would be no problem for the engineers to design a smaller platform with reduced weight to make a 4 cylinder engine viable, but of course there's GOT to be a v8 as the top dog in the engine bay....cause size does matter, after all. and there's the dilemma, to design an engine cmpartment that will accomodate the heft and size of a large displacement v8 and yet still have a car light enough for a 4 cylinder to serve as the base poweplant. in terms of power output there's no reason why the top engine couldn't be a turbo or super-charged v6 making 425 hp and 400 torque....leno had something like that done with the 3.6 that was put in to his custom camaro with the gm engineers looking over his shoulder....so thepower is there from a v6, BUT....you gotta have the sound of a thumpin' barrel chested v8....there's no way around it.

so...here's my line-up for next gen camaro's engine line-up:

the base motor would be the eco tech 4 turbo charged, making 250 hp and torque....a good choice for both fuel economy and decent performance, assuming that the engineers keep the weight down to the 3000 lb range. to enhance fuel economy without sacrificing performance the e-assist version of the engine could be used.

the upgraded motor would be a v6....either the 3.0 making 270-290 hp and maybe 230-240 torque or the current 3.6. i'm thinking the 3.6 is the likely choice.

the top dog would be the current iteration of the vette motor. i don't see
gm putting in the new generation of the vette motor into the the next gen camaro. the corvette has lost so many sales to the camaro that i think gm will want to maintain some exclusivity to the vette from the camaro.

so there you have it...a 4 cylinder camaro and as long as the design team can keep the weight down, the 4 banger camaro should be a contender...it's imperative that gm make the camaro more fuel effecient and still offer decent performance...you gotta have both, to be a player.

jackg
06 sts6

[CraziGuy]

If there is a v4 camaro I will sell my camaro immediately. By the way a turbo v4 costs more on insurance than a regular v6.

[REDXIIIDave]

There's no such thing as a V4. Unless you're talking about a motorcycle engine.

[Kycamaross]

Which is exactly what killed Camaro, Trans-Am and various other so-called "muscle cars" in the late 70's, and 80's. First brought on by oil embargo's and then the car companies using the same logic you have used here, that a fuel efficient version was imperative to survive. When if fact, it had a reverse effect!! Using that kind of logic, and I do understand what you are saying, do you think a Corvette with a 4 cylinder engine would be a big seller? Yes, I know that it is not in the same class as the Camaro, however, a large majority of the current Camaro owners bought their cars for, yes, the styling, but also the HP. Even the 6's at 312 horsepower can move the weight of this car... Now, you brought up how to make horsepower out of 4 candles, but unless Chevrolet decides to cut down so much as to put the Camaro into the compact car catagory (not gonna happen), there is no way they can shave enough weight on this car to make a 4 cylinder appealing!!! I would think it's pretty safe to assume that nobody bought their Camaro for the fuel mileage. Yes, my SS sucks in the fuel efficiency, but I know that even the LT's and LS's are not the most fuel efficient vehicles on the planet.
I applaud your foresight and vision, but I just do not see GM dropping a 4 cylinder in the future generation of Camaro's. At least, unless the government drops such ridiculous, insane CAFE standards on the car companies!!!!, but by then, cars such as the Camaro, Corvette, etc. would be relic's of the past, because quite frankly, it would be an injustice to drop a 4 cylinder in these types of cars!!!!!!!!

[LS3 Machine]

Originally Posted by REDXIIIDave

There's no such thing as a V4. Unless you're talking about a motorcycle engine.

Or a Citroen?

Maybe a few other rare cars.

[Eric's Blue]

Originally Posted by justgreat

i'm a VERY infrequent poster to this forum but have been giving some thoughts to the next iteration of camaro and decided to share my thoughts and predictions on what lies ahead for the camaro.

to no one's surprise here, the camaro is a hit and therefore you don't messwith success, right? but the next gen camaro has some real challenges that it must meet inorder to be competitive and that brings me to it's biggest dilemma: size. since the current generation camaro was based on the pontiac g8 platform the engine choices were pretty clear: no 4 cylinder and a v6 and a v8....why no 4 cylinder? the car is too heavy and who the hell would have bought a 4 cylinder camaro? but times have changed in the last couple of years and gas prices being what they are, a 4 banger is a must for the base camaro for the next gen.

but getting back to the size issue of the car, it would be no problem for the engineers to design a smaller platform with reduced weight to make a 4 cylinder engine viable, but of course there's GOT to be a v8 as the top dog in the engine bay....cause size does matter, after all. and there's the dilemma, to design an engine cmpartment that will accomodate the heft and size of a large displacement v8 and yet still have a car light enough for a 4 cylinder to serve as the base poweplant. in terms of power output there's no reason why the top engine couldn't be a turbo or super-charged v6 making 425 hp and 400 torque....leno had something like that done with the 3.6 that was put in to his custom camaro with the gm engineers looking over his shoulder....so thepower is there from a v6, BUT....you gotta have the sound of a thumpin' barrel chested v8....there's no way around it.

so...here's my line-up for next gen camaro's engine line-up:

the base motor would be the eco tech 4 turbo charged, making 250 hp and torque....a good choice for both fuel economy and decent performance, assuming that the engineers keep the weight down to the 3000 lb range. to enhance fuel economy without sacrificing performance the e-assist version of the engine could be used.

the upgraded motor would be a v6....either the 3.0 making 270-290 hp and maybe 230-240 torque or the current 3.6. i'm thinking the 3.6 is the likely choice.

the top dog would be the current iteration of the vette motor. i don't see
gm putting in the new generation of the vette motor into the the next gen camaro. the corvette has lost so many sales to the camaro that i think gm will want to maintain some exclusivity to the vette from the camaro.

so there you have it...a 4 cylinder camaro and as long as the design team can keep the weight down, the 4 banger camaro should be a contender...it's imperative that gm make the camaro more fuel effecient and still offer decent performance...you gotta have both, to be a player.

jackg
06 sts6

Is this guy for real? Its NOT imperative that GM make a more fuel efficient car. Its imperative that they make a car that's cool as sh*$ and goes really fast. One that little kids yell at when you go by. One that pisses the guy in the Honda off at the red light. One that makes you annoy your co workers because you wont stop talking about it all the time. One that makes hundreds of car owners get together and hang out. One that makes you stop on a trip to take a picture of it because you found a great back drop. One that makes some chick (blah blah you know the rest.) So you, can take your ecco hip @$$ back to Woodstock. Im taking your Smart Car, your polar bear's habitat, and your ozone layer and having my way with them.

But I would like to thank you for being a vegetarian and lowering the demand for beef, therefore helping keep the price of beef down. Least you are good for something...

[sasquash1984]

Originally Posted by REDXIIIDave

There's no such thing as a V4. Unless you're talking about a motorcycle engine.

Right, also for the record a 4 banger is an inline 4

[insidethreat07]

Originally Posted by Eric's Blue

Is this guy for real? Its NOT imperative that GM make a more fuel efficient car. Its imperative that they make a car that's cool as sh*$ and goes really fast. One that little kids yell at when you go by. One that pisses the guy in the Honda off at the red light. One that makes you annoy your co workers because you wont stop talking about it all the time. One that makes hundreds of car owners get together and hang out. One that makes you stop on a trip to take a picture of it because you found a great back drop. One that makes some chick (blah blah you know the rest.) So you, can take your ecco hip @$$ back to Woodstock. Im taking your Smart Car, your polar bear's habitat, and your ozone layer and having my way with them.

But I would like to thank you for being a vegetarian and lowering the demand for beef, therefore helping keep the price of beef down. Least you are good for something...

[paultheman2007]

like what CraziGuy said if they Make a Inland 4 i will be selling my camaro because they dont make Mustangs like that so why the heck would chevy kill the camaro and just make it a two door cruze i know mustangs did have inland 4s but you see how long that last. GM for the NExt GEN make it right dont kill the camaro again.

[RocketCutlass]

Um, who buys a Camaro, or any other sports/muscle car, for the gas mileage? It's convienient that they get the mileage they get now, but thats not what matters if you want a car like that.

[Supercamaro64]

they had the 4 bangers on the lineup for the 3rd gens. they are pathetic pieces of crap. im sure that weight will be a very important issue for the next gen camaro, but turbo 4-bangers are for ricers. not muscle cars. a v6 is necessary, for the average, everyday buyer who just wants a camaro, cant afford a better one(no offense to any v6ers here), etc. and lately they even have some sick-nasty power. the v6s are pretty damn awesome. but having a new camaro with a turboed 4 cyl would just be embarrassing. people dont buy camaros for fuel efficiency. yeah, its a nice bonus, but not many camaro owners care much about that.

[abaucom21]

Topic next generation Camaro raised many interesting questions. If in fact next generation Camaro is going to be smaller do not think I would be interested but would have to save my opinion until I saw what it looked liked. I bought my 2011 2LT based on body style which includes overall size, not HP, not track times, not cornering at high speed. Did test drive a Mustang, did not care for the Mustang live axle setup for daily driving. Out of many thousands of other people who have bought Camaro's, perhaps I am a more typical Camaro owner.
Perhaps, sometime in the future, the Camaro will be offered with a state of the art, 4 cylinder engine. Fact is the government mandates fuel economy for a brand fleet and with great sales of the Camaro perhaps GM will be forced in the future to offer 4, and 6, and 8 cylinder engines.
As for me I like the current size of my 2011 Camaro, and presently would not want a smaller auto. I like the current V6 as when I enter and accelerate to speed I can merge into freeway traffic without effort at a fast pace that makes me smile.
I have two cars that I am very happy with for some same, and some different reasons:
My Camaro style is sleek & sporty, my 1998 Riviera is sleek & luxury.
My Camaro offers 312 HP @ 6,400; my Riviera offers 'supercharged' 240 HP @ 5,200.
My Camaro offers torque 278 @ 5,200; my supercharged Riviera offers torque 280 @ 3,600. Therefore, the Riviera offers more low speed torque with less effort.
2011 Camaro, smaller auto, is about 61 pounds heavier than my larger 2-door 1998 Riviera (big surprise for me!).
Bottom line, my Camaro feels like a sporty car, my Riviera feels like a luxury car and I love them both. Fact, daily driving and putting foot to floor, the Riviera moves out as fast as the Camaro when merging into freeway traffic. Fact, the Camaro gets better gas mileage, but did not buy either car for gas mileage.
Perhaps the next generation Camaro should loose some weight as I was a little shocked to learn the smaller sport Camaro is heavier than a larger luxury Riviera. I purchase a car for the styling, then overall performance. Please do not hate me comparing my two autos as I am a car nut and love them both. Reality is, day to day driving, both my 2011 Camaro 2LT and supercharged 1998 Riviera get me up to speed when merging onto a freeway, both without effort...fast and smooth.
I do think it is possible to see a turbo charged 4 cylinder, smaller sized Camaro in the future, just won't be in my future. I am a bit old school, started buying cars in the 1960s and grew up with big V8s. If only GM could make a V6 sound as sexy as an old school V8, I would in car nut heaven.

[Cam#7]

Originally Posted by abaucom21

Topic next generation Camaro raised many interesting questions. If in fact next generation Camaro is going to be smaller do not think I would be interested but would have to save my opinion until I saw what it looked liked. I bought my 2011 2LT based on body style which includes overall size, not HP, not track times, not cornering at high speed. Did test drive a Mustang, did not care for the Mustang live axle setup for daily driving. Out of many thousands of other people who have bought Camaro's, perhaps I am a more typical Camaro owner.
Perhaps, sometime in the future, the Camaro will be offered with a state of the art, 4 cylinder engine. Fact is the government mandates fuel economy for a brand fleet and with great sales of the Camaro perhaps GM will be forced in the future to offer 4, and 6, and 8 cylinder engines.
As for me I like the current size of my 2011 Camaro, and presently would not want a smaller auto. I like the current V6 as when I enter and accelerate to speed I can merge into freeway traffic without effort at a fast pace that makes me smile.
I have two cars that I am very happy with for some same, and some different reasons:
My Camaro style is sleek & sporty, my 1998 Riviera is sleek & luxury.
My Camaro offers 312 HP @ 6,400; my Riviera offers 'supercharged' 240 HP @ 5,200.
My Camaro offers torque 278 @ 5,200; my supercharged Riviera offers torque 280 @ 3,600. Therefore, the Riviera offers more low speed torque with less effort.
2011 Camaro, smaller auto, is about 61 pounds heavier than my larger 2-door 1998 Riviera (big surprise for me!).
Bottom line, my Camaro feels like a sporty car, my Riviera feels like a luxury car and I love them both. Fact, daily driving and putting foot to floor, the Riviera moves out as fast as the Camaro when merging into freeway traffic. Fact, the Camaro gets better gas mileage, but did not buy either car for gas mileage.
Perhaps the next generation Camaro should loose some weight as I was a little shocked to learn the smaller sport Camaro is heavier than a larger luxury Riviera. I purchase a car for the styling, then overall performance. Please do not hate me comparing my two autos as I am a car nut and love them both. Reality is, day to day driving, both my 2011 Camaro 2LT and supercharged 1998 Riviera get me up to speed when merging onto a freeway, both without effort...fast and smooth.
I do think it is possible to see a turbo charged 4 cylinder, smaller sized Camaro in the future, just won't be in my future. I am a bit old school, started buying cars in the 1960s and grew up with big V8s. If only GM could make a V6 sound as sexy as an old school V8, I would in car nut heaven.

I'm right there with you on the 2LT. I have the GM upgraded exhaust that makes it sound like at 370Z. But it's not the V8 sound.

[jshaf]

don'tsee the weight getting down to under or at 3000, 3400-3500 maybe. you need a little weight to keep planted in the turns at high speeds