Fifth Gear Camaro SS Review - by Jason Plato [VIDEO]

[jimmyh]

That was a fun review, but I don't understand all you guys saying that guy can drive. Anybody can throttle steer a muscle car around like that. It's not hard. But it's hard on the car. Someone needs to tell him it's a Camaro, not a Mini.

I have seen other video reviews of the Camaro where they managed to lap a track without creating a landscape of tire smoke. The great challenge of driving a car like the new Camaro is making her go fast while still keeping her wide azz in line. Now THAT's fun.

[Tran]

Originally Posted by jimmyh

That was a fun review, but I don't understand all you guys saying that guy can drive. Anybody can throttle steer a muscle car around like that. It's not hard. But it's hard on the car. Someone needs to tell him it's a Camaro, not a Mini.

I have seen other video reviews of the Camaro where they managed to lap a track without creating a landscape of tire smoke. The great challenge of driving a car like the new Camaro is making her go fast while still keeping her wide azz in line. Now THAT's fun.

I think that was the point he was trying to make with the car in the review - to slide it around corners, to burn rubber, to make smoke and noise. That's what he's saying is fun about the car. Plus, it makes for much more fun visuals and audios for the viewer.

He's a professional racer, so I'm sure he could have lapped the track much faster and with much more efficiency if he wanted. But again, that wasn't the point.

[Captain Awesome]

Originally Posted by nova

Much better than the "look how pretty it is, slide around some corners, now how does this $85k Mercedes compare" pile of ridiculous that Top Gear did. These guys actually spent more than 5 seconds talking about the car that was nominally the subject of the review....

I couldn't have put it better myself!

[ravensjeff]

I'll have to drive like that when leaving work.

[willisit]

Fifth Gear was created after the original Top Gear was cancelled - the format was literally purchased and put on a different channel with a slightly different name - to that end, it's always been a show that has tried to tell you something factual and very "review-like" - just as the original Top Gear once was. Tiff and Clarkson are very close friends.

Now, TG is an entertainment show - nothing more. Again, Clarkson has said on numerous occasions that he says what he does for effect and rarely believes it himself. Remember the word "entertainment".

So with that in mind, the Fifth Gear review was always going to be one that made sense and reflected the car - whereas as Top Gear would always be "POWWAAAA".. and little else.

[Wolverine]

Nice to watch the Camaro sliding around like that?

[vincewalthers]

Can't believe no one else has posted about the Dukes of Hazzard comment... Awesome! lol "Let's face it, there's only one way to drive a yank tank.. And that's a little like you're a driver from the Dukes of Hazzard"

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by jimmyh

That was a fun review, but I don't understand all you guys saying that guy can drive. Anybody can throttle steer a muscle car around like that. It's not hard. But it's hard on the car. Someone needs to tell him it's a Camaro, not a Mini.

I have seen other video reviews of the Camaro where they managed to lap a track without creating a landscape of tire smoke. The great challenge of driving a car like the new Camaro is making her go fast while still keeping her wide azz in line. Now THAT's fun.

The drift through the corners style has become fashionable with consumers and marketers. Drifting through the corners looks faster than it is. That style turns tires into a greasy mess making the car slower with each turn.

You can watch John's steering inputs and see how little correction is required. His fourth lap is faster than his first and the 6th faster than the 4th because he does not over heat the tires. He looks slow, but is running incredibly fast.



His runs only make for good TV with an educated viewer. I give him a 9+ for style and performance. Having said that, my guess is that Jason Plato is capable of driving like John and was delivering good TV and decent lap times as a TV show host should. If he were running the Camaro in a race his style would be very different and his lap times faster. I say this because of the ease with which he drives in the video. While he is drifting the corners, they are controlled with little correction required once he hits his line. The guy can drive. He just didn't drive the Camaro as we would like to see it driven.

[dbedlam]

Good honest review...the car is not perfect! But for $37,000, it is the damn best new car I ever bought.

See Jay Leno's review, he loved the car! Frankly, I do not care what the brie eaters who drive BMW, Audi and Porsche think. I don't like french brie...I prefer american cheddar. Let them pay 2 and 3 times more for a slightly(?) better car!

[Richochet83]

When I see reviews like this on TV or on the web it makes me proud to be an owner of this vicious ass machine.

[armysig]

The one thing that I truly enjoyed about his review, were his facial expressions as he was driving the car. Every time I get in mine, I get this sudden rush of fun and excitement and I can't control myself.

It seemed like a few times the car surprised him as he didn't expect some of the car reactions to his driving abilities. That was priceless to see.

[ClaymoreZ28]

I have to say that this made my day
As a Scot - its nice to see a review where the guy has a few gentle pokes at "yank tanks" but focusses on the car and how it makes him feel - and as others have said - he had a severe case of "permagrin" !
Now I need to make sure my family in the UK see this review for a view of how the car handles and the Top Gear one for some nice pics of my IOM / CGM striped car :-)

[C5Pilot]

Originally Posted by dbedlam

Good honest review...the car is not perfect! But for $37,000, it is the damn best new car I ever bought.

See Jay Leno's review, he loved the car! Frankly, I do not care what the brie eaters who drive BMW, Audi and Porsche think. I don't like french brie...I prefer american cheddar. Let them pay 2 and 3 times more for a slightly(?) better car!

dbedlam.... Naaaiiiiailed it!!!vv

Agree it's the best $37K I've ever spent on a car. LOVE my SS!!!

And I've had cars twice as expensive, and only half as fun!!!

[mike.nite]

The SS has a license plate from Switzerland. This means the car was shipped from USA to Switzerland and then to the UK. Don't they know direct importing in the United Kingdom?