Continued: Lutz mentions engine options for Camaro -- 4 cylinder turbo a possibility

[Tran]

This is what Scott has to say about Lutz's comments from -- http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3269

Originally Posted by Fbodfather

CALM DOWN..........................

Until you've been inundated with the media (which isn't a bad thing....) you can't understand what happens during an 'interview'

.......a lot of what was said today was taken out of context.

We aren't completely stupid....the new Camaro MUST be priced competitively............


A premium could be as little as $50..................

4 cylinder?

Well........here's an interesting fact: The Federal government passed a LAW...but they have NOT written the rules...........so we know that we have to hit 35mpg as an average by 2020.........BUT --- no one knows the route -- or what the rules are...........

You can BET that EVERYONE in the industry is looking at alternative powertrains..........


Meanwhile........the 4 cylinder isn't in the 'official' plan at this point in time....so CALM DOWN....................

Now that we have some context and insight behind Lutz's words straight from Scott's mouth, hopefully we can continue this discussion in a mature fashion (unlike parts of the other thread). Please keep the posts constructive, mature and on-topic, or it may be removed. Post whoring will also be deleted. Thanks.

[Mindz]

If you plan on getting a V8, get a v8 and just chill.
If you plan on buying the v6, get a v6 and be happy.
If you were thinking about a v6 and now might want a 4 cyl Turbo, that's great too.
If you think the 4 cylinder camaro engine is a disgrace because no other pony car has had a 4 cyl, look at the 80's mustangs.

If you are concerned about the "preimum price" comment, let's wait and see if this is elaborated on within a few months. We'll know all the important information around fall when the Challenger is released because GM wants to let the public know that they have a superior product. If at that time you want to whine and bitch and complain, feel free.

As for me, I've set one of my life's goals to be owning a car with power, as well as having a '69 camaro RS/SS as my uncle had one. I have never seen it, but I've always wanted a muscle car for the V8 rumble and I want to be able to own a car that others can envy and that I can drag or pull on people almost at will.

The 5th Gen Camaro kills both these birds with one stone. This is one of my dream cars. If the "premium price" means I'm going to have to shell out 40k or more for the car of my dreams, I will just walk away. I will not buy a v6 because that's not what my life's goal is to own. I want the top, most powerful v8 I can get, but I'm not going to screw up my life trying to pay off a car loan that will cost me more than a down payment for a house. My dreams will be shattered but I won't be freaking out. I will keep the faith until official information is released, and I hope with all my heart that GM will make me proud and my dream a reality.

[stovt001]

I know fbodfather said a premium can be any price higher than the Mustang's, and we've long suspected that, but I still just get the feeling that the price premium will be pretty significant. I hope I'm wrong, but to be honest that is just the vibe I get.

I'm still perplexed by the 260 hp rating of the V6. That is the rating of the non-DI version, but the one we saw in the early pre-pro pics showed all the signs of being DI, and it doesn't make much sense to detune a DI engine to achieve the power levels that the non-DI Malibu engine gets. Again I hope it is just an error on the reporter's part. Is it possible for someone in GM to at least say it was an error, even if you can't give the official power level?

One interesting thing is the 2 V6 issue is cleared up. We have it clearly stated now that originally they did intend for 2 V6s, but now they only have 1. Simple.

They're still using the 6.0L engine size, so maybe that wasn't a slip of the tongue. Or, as Fbodfather said, the intensity of the interview invited repeat mistakes...

Notice he says with the V6 it won't be a heavy car. Is he suggesting the V8 will make it a "heavy" car?

And I do have to say, we've figured as much all along, but it is nice to hear it put so frankly that our suspension and interior will be so much better than the Mustang's, even if it means we pay more.

I guess what I'm having trouble with is that with this interview it is so hard to tell what he's revealing as a treat, what he's overreacting about, and what he's just slipping up on.

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by Mindz

If you plan on getting a V8, get a v8 and just chill.
If you plan on buying the v6, get a v6 and be happy.
If you were thinking about a v6 and now might want a 4 cyl Turbo, that's great too.
If you think the 4 cylinder camaro engine is a disgrace because no other pony car has had a 4 cyl, look at the 80's mustangs.

If you are concerned about the "preimum price" comment, let's wait and see if this is elaborated on within a few months. We'll know all the important information around fall when the Challenger is released because GM wants to let the public know that they have a superior product. If at that time you want to whine and bitch and complain, feel free.

As for me, I've set one of my life's goals to be owning a car with power, as well as having a '69 camaro RS/SS as my uncle had one. I have never seen it, but I've always wanted a muscle car for the V8 rumble and I want to be able to own a car that others can envy and that I can drag or pull on people almost at will.

The 5th Gen Camaro kills both these birds with one stone. This is one of my dream cars. If the "premium price" means I'm going to have to shell out 40k or more for the car of my dreams, I will just walk away. I will not buy a v6 because that's not what my life's goal is to own. I want the top, most powerful v8 I can get, but I'm not going to screw up my life trying to pay off a car loan that will cost me more than a down payment for a house. My dreams will be shattered but I won't be freaking out. I will keep the faith until official information is released, and I hope with all my heart that GM will make me proud and my dream a reality.

If you don't like the idea of a 4 cylinder, don't get one. But, they are, like so many others have said, keeping our V8's alive.

GM, I hope that price doesn't go up too high. If so, there goes over 2 years of dreams, day dreams, and all around HOPE that I would own this beauty......right down the drain. One more GUARANTEED customer lost. Most likely along with many others....many, many others.

But, I'm holding strong and will continue to KEEP THE FAITH until specs and word are revealed.

[Rock36]

That other thread got out of hand fast, but as with any turboed car, a 4 cylinder turbo camaro might end up being a bit of a dark horse.

It is much easier to turn the boost up on a turbo and get some significant performance out of it, possibly for less than the base cost of the V8 and V6 models.

I'm not sure if any of that was mentioned before.


As for the premium price comment, maybe the V6 Camaro might actually be competing with the current Mustang GT (2005-2009) in both price and performance. There isn't much out about the 2010 Mustang yet.

I don't know, I always had the feeling that the Camaro was going to be generally more expensive than the Mustang for a variety of reasons. GM is putting a lot of goodies into this car, so naturally it will cost more.

It will still be a good value for what is offered, but GM is potentially offering a lot.

[JaysonAych]

Yeah, I don't have any problem with the engines. If the power and torque are there, with good transmissions, and they beat the competition, I don't care if they put a turbo-charged Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine under the hood (which I guess would make it a rotary ).

The dreaded "premium" comment is the one that raises my eyebrows. While I'd certainly hope that GM keeps the car priced competitively, and GM seems to be on a roll with making smart decisions lately, it wasn't too long ago that GM was trying their damnedest to be put some underwhelming cars at the magic $35K price point it seemed to love so much. A part of me is concerned about the price, as any higher than "competitive-to-a-Mustang" would pretty much put the V8 out of reach for me.

Good thing there are going to be a lot of choice for shoppers looking for RWD coupes when the Camaro debuts...I think the pressure to not mess up the pricing will be good enough to keep the cost reasonable.

[willisit]

Having missed most of the "hooplah" (probably being asleep on this side of the world) I'm not gonna read it all - but I get the feeling we as a group jump to conclusions a little quickly and read a bit too much in to things. Until GM releases the all-important-official bits and bobs, it's still all hearsay, rumour and "pub talk".
Over here the "I-4" as you call it is king - probably 90% of cars here are 4-pots. Most - nearly all the cars I've owned have been - it's a cheap/tried/trusted/easily-tuned design - especially with a turbo on it.
Would I buy a Camaro with this in place? Um, nah... I want a V8 and there'll be one available so I couldn't care less to be honest. <shrugs>

[swazworth]

i thought i read everything . did i miss that comment made by fbodfather? i read it in Dragon's post but i never found it other than that.

fbodfather has not let any of us down yet. so untill he does (which i'm not expecting) "keep the faith"

heres to a great car at a good price.

[DGthe3]

I think Dragon lifted it from another forum. As far as the drop in power from the 3.6, I assume that it was done for fuel economy. For the CTS they bumped the power up by 40 and increased the mileage at the same time. By bringing the power back down, fuel economy can rise further

[Angrybird 12]

The turbo 4 with 260 HP will be a good car, but unfortunatly if it is like the same offerings in the Solstice GXP and Sky Redline it will not help the CAFE ratings for GM. A good 250 HP V6 will get just as good MPG as a turbo 4 and Be less expensive to build and maintain. I would pick the V6 over a 4 anyday if available. But Variety is what sells. many people want different things from a car. and the more options you have, the wider market the car will have thus sell more and keep the car a viable product..
Just my opinion.

[TheMadHatter99]

As far as the "premium" comment goes, remember Mr. Lutz did not say the Camaro would be "premium priced" but that it would have a price premium above the Mustang's. This is a VERY key difference and is, in fact, the difference between BMW pricing and a simple $500 boost over the stang's MSRP.

[balonywolf]

I don't care as long as the V8 Camaro is within $1000 of the V8 Mustang. I'm not so naive as to expect a 400 hp engine for the exact price of the Mustang's 300hp, but I expect the range to be the same. I really want those 400 horses now that they've been dangled in front of me.

[Gatecrasher]

Notice he says with the V6 it won't be a heavy car. Is he suggesting the V8 will make it a "heavy" car?

I'm betting the fully assembled OHV V8 is the same weight or less than a DOHC DI V6. It probably won't increase the overall weight of the car as much, if at all.

It would however affect the weight balance, as the V8 is longer than the V6 and shifts its weight further towards the nose of the car.

[VTXrider]

Originally Posted by stovt001

I know fbodfather said a premium can be any price higher than the Mustang's, and we've long suspected that, but I still just get the feeling that the price premium will be pretty significant. I hope I'm wrong, but to be honest that is just the vibe I get.

I'm still perplexed by the 260 hp rating of the V6. That is the rating of the non-DI version, but the one we saw in the early pre-pro pics showed all the signs of being DI, and it doesn't make much sense to detune a DI engine to achieve the power levels that the non-DI Malibu engine gets. Again I hope it is just an error on the reporter's part. Is it possible for someone in GM to at least say it was an error, even if you can't give the official power level?

One interesting thing is the 2 V6 issue is cleared up. We have it clearly stated now that originally they did intend for 2 V6s, but now they only have 1. Simple.

They're still using the 6.0L engine size, so maybe that wasn't a slip of the tongue. Or, as Fbodfather said, the intensity of the interview invited repeat mistakes...

Notice he says with the V6 it won't be a heavy car. Is he suggesting the V8 will make it a "heavy" car?

And I do have to say, we've figured as much all along, but it is nice to hear it put so frankly that our suspension and interior will be so much better than the Mustang's, even if it means we pay more.

I guess what I'm having trouble with is that with this interview it is so hard to tell what he's revealing as a treat, what he's overreacting about, and what he's just slipping up on.

I think he was trying to do the interview without revealing anything, but still not blowoff the reporter. Thats why he says "like 260 hp and the V6 won't be heavy with no mention of the v8, yes the v8 will weight more but I doubt it will be more than 100 pounds or so. Obvously sun roofs and other options will run up the weight and the price but these will not be standard nor will you be forced to buy them. I think the car will be competitive with what ford calls the premium GT and not the GT of course with an extra 100 horses above the current GT. The GT that comes out next year or when ever it is will be closer in hp