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Old 10-23-2015, 04:04 PM   #1
Mindz
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6th gen REVIEW! #FindNewRoads Dallas to Albuquerque Nov 9-11 My trip!!!!

So I joined the group and will be taking the Dallas to Albuquerque leg of the trip during November 9th. The prospective route I'm planning to take is below.

Stops include:
ADM Performance Novermber 10th around noon
Space Center Houston sometime in the evening/night
Driving through San Antonio via Hwy 130
White Sands National Memorial in New Mexico
Southwest Speed in Rio Rancho on the afternoon of November 11th.

If you happen to be in those areas, or in between them, keep an eye out and honk/wave/take pictures!

Meeting/event threads will be posted up on Camaro5 and Camaro6.

I can't wait!


************************************************** **********
Review is below:

As a note, I have no read any other reviews on the car and this is my blind review. All opinions are my own and do not represent the forums or anyone else.

I had a chance to drive the all new sixth gen Camaro this past week. Chevrolet flew a photographer car buddy of mine and me to Dallas, Texas and handed us the keys to a 1SS manual transmission car and said "Good luck! Have fun! We'll see you in Albuquerque tomorrow evening." Each team of journalists were given a list of points of innovation that helped inspire the idea behind the 2016 Camaro in case we were so inclined to visit and take pictures. The route chosen by myself and my road trip companion took us to a few of the points on the list, as well as a few other points of our own choosing. Waypoints including AT&T Stadium, ADM Performance, Houston Space Center, Toll road 130, Circuit of the Americas, and Southwest Speed on our way to the dropoff point 32.5 hours later. Below are my reactions and opinions on the newest iteration of Chevrolet's pony car that has outsold its competition the Mustang for the last 5 years.


Exterior: The car has a smaller upper grill and a larger lower grill then its 5th gen predecessor. At first I didn't like the new styling cues but pictures of the car can't really show the true beauty of the car. In person, the car looks MUCH better. The styling is a combination of the 5th gen and the new stingray. The car has been aerodynamically optimized to help provide better gas mileage (29 mpg at 78 mph).

Interior: This is the part of the vehicle with the most innovations, both positive and negative for me. As soon as you open the door, you're greeted with a new door panel design, with a multitude of rounded angles, giving the interior a very tactical feel. The first negative is that on the top of the door panel, there's a triangle of plastic that doesn't quite fit flush and doesn't belong. Upon entering the vehicle, the your eyes immediately lock onto the refreshed Driver Information Center. The dual gauges that 5th gen owners have become accustomed to are still there, however it is what resides between them that matters. The cell phone app like D.I.C. houses a handful of pages of settings and information to monitor, including both a lateral and 360 degree G-force meter. The aesthetics of the D.I.C. also has three different templates to pick from which will shuffle the gas level, oil temperature, water temperature and battery voltage around to different positions so you can find the one that fits your preference.

In front of you sits the steering wheel, covered is perforated leather instead of the flat leather of the 5th gens. The shift knob matches. The shapes have not changed so they feel incredibly comfortable in your grip. The steering wheel boasts a few new buttons and levers. Most notably, the "Rev Match" levers that take the place of what some tend to call the "flappy paddles" are a simple toggle for a new technology for the Camaro. When in a higher gear, depressing the clutch and shifting to a lower gear now automatically brings the RPMs up to correspond with the gear selected. The RPM's are then held electronically as fade as the car slows if the clutch remains depressed. This feature will be tremendously helpful to people learning to drive a manual transmission as well as people who either have trouble or are beginning to learn heel toe methods for racing. On the lower half of the steering wheel, the volume buttons have now been moved from the radio console as well as the buttons to scroll through your favorite channels. Just behind the steering wheel is a feature many have been waiting for, PUSH BUTTON START! The keyfob range is just about perfect also, with a range of about 2 feet outside the car.

Following the dash towards the passenger side, you notice the The MyLink touchscreen is now framed with the "spectrum" interior lighting emitting a soft glow behind it not unlike bias lighting for a television. The aforementioned buttons on the steering wheel now make for a very clean and streamlined entertainment console. There are a few settings on the radio that affect driving performance. This is where you can open valve in the muffler as well as play with the steering controls. The adjustable exhaust is a wonderful idea. In the 5th gen Camaros I owned, my wife was also telling me the car was too quiet. It didn't sound like a muscle car, even when stomping on the throttle. The first mod most people did was an exhaust system. When the NPP exhaust was introduced, it was a step in the right direction, however a fuse pull become the first mod in most enthusiasts' cars. With the ability to control the exhaust from the factory It gives the car the growl that people expect from a muscle car, but can quiet the exhaust to almost silent when in "stealth" mode. You can hardly tell the car is running standing next to it in this setting. .

Just beneath the MyLink screen are the new center air ducts. The chrome surroundings of the ducting acts as the new controls for temperature and fan speed. This cleans up the center console switches even more and adds to the minimalist aesthetic of the interior.

Following the dash on the passenger side of the car is no longer the hard pebbled plastic. It now features a rubberized plastic that feels halfway between plastic and leather. Not only should this keep the durability of the interior for years to come like the hard pebbled plastic, but simultaneously increases the luxury feel of the car. The seats also seemed to not stray too far from 5th gen design. There is plenty of room for larger/taller people to fit comfortably in this car for long periods of time.

Finally, the trunk has changed slightly. The trunk is taller, deeper and narrower, thanks to Chevy mounting the battery to the side of the trunk. The trunk opening is the same, so you still can't fit full size coolers, or large suitcases, but it looks like there is more room to fit duffle bags, groceries, or other things normally put in the trunk

Suspension/frame: First things first. Weight is always the most difficult enemy to conquer with newer cars nowadays with all the safety regulations in place for automobile manufacturers. Not only have Chevrolet lightened the car significantly, but Chevrolet has spent in excess of 9 MILLION research hours stiffening the chassis at the same time. Chevrolet claims they have lightning the car a little over 220 pounds WHILE stiffening the frame by 28%! When a performance shop put our test car on the scales, the final weight with 7/8 tank of a 19 gallon tank came out to be 3668 pounds. With the Mustang GT350 weighing 3798 with a full 16 gallon tank, Chevy hit it's goal of being top dog in the lightweight category.

Another feature that deserves to be discussed is that included in the "trunk junk" is a factory tow hook on the 6th gen. A small part of the front grill pops off and reveals a hole to thread the hook into which also helps out road racers at least until they decide the 2.5 pounds is too much and opt for a lightweight aluminum one.

Driving feel: All the lightweight modifications really translate to the drivers touch, giving them more confidence to push the car that really just wants to go. Putting the steering mode to "Track" instantly tightened up the response. The steering felt informational, allowing the driver to feel connected to every little bump and crack in the road. Along with this feeling of being one with the road, the car itself feels much smaller than the fifth gen. I don't know if it's the weight reduction, the tighter steering or a combination of the two, but the car feels much smaller and more agile. The butt dyno approves when pushing it in the corners.




Negatives:
The seats don't recline very much, even the passenger seat. The seat only goes a hair past upright, and although comfortable, it would be nice to recline a couple more degrees. Also, the headrest is tilted forward, so you can't sit with your back fully in the seat without forcing your head forward which is uncomfortable.
The MyLink screen however is tilted forward, making it slightly uncomfortable to press the screen to make selections.
Your fingers tend to bounce off the screen if you stab at them, but to bend your wrist unnaturally just to press the screen correctly just doesn't work for me.
Unfortunately, the spectrum lighting is only around the radio, not the doors or dash. It would
The shifter, unfortunately is bent slightly back toward the rear of the car, so shifting he second also bends the drivers wrist past the point of comfort. This car can benefit greatly from a short throw shifter.
Exhaust is crushed towards the end and i have a feeling that a more free flowing exhaust is going to help the car quite a bit.
Road noise is killer on the Texas roads. The tires could play a big part, but the road noise for parts of the trip was so loud we couldn't carry on a conversation without yelling.
Still no place for passenger to grab onto during spirited runs (Oh Sh*t handle)
Kneepad isn't soft, but a hard plastic and isn't comfortable to rest your leg/knee on
Nitpicking but the heat extractors on the hood don't sit flush with the hood. Call me OCD haha
Rear windshield feels less than half the height of the 5th gen, which makes the blind spots seem larger.
There is no place to put your phone. I own an iphone 6+ and it's too large for cupholders, and I had my wallet and other small things in the back compartment.
Buttons on The rear view mirror are blindingly bright.
A/c is lukewarm or full a/c. I am constantly turning the switch on and off

Final Thought:
I don't think I would give up my ZL1 for a sixth gen but id love to have one beside it for carving canyons!

Temporary picture links here:
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Old 10-23-2015, 04:34 PM   #2
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Sweet you gonna stop anywhere maybe San Antonio?
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Old 10-23-2015, 04:36 PM   #3
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I was planning on possibly having a late snack there on our way through. I need to find a good town to spend the night in that isn't too far from ABQ.
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Old 10-23-2015, 06:04 PM   #4
Sledgehammer70
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How are people being able to join this and drive cars?
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Old 10-23-2015, 09:23 PM   #5
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I believe GM picked these people, don't think you could sign up per say.
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Old 10-23-2015, 09:26 PM   #6
edgehead2000
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Heck yeah! Hope to see you at Southwest Speed!
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Old 10-23-2015, 10:47 PM   #7
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i live in san antonio! what car are you driving tho??
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Old 10-23-2015, 11:41 PM   #8
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sledgehammer70, the program was via email and Chevy contacted me re: the drive.

edgehead2000, I'll see you out there hopefully.

alfonsoj23, we draw keys randomly the day we take off (will be on the 10th) so I don't know if I'll be driving the 6 or 8 cylinder until I unlock the car with the key I get.
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Old 10-24-2015, 03:14 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffro19 View Post
Sweet you gonna stop anywhere maybe San Antonio?
Thats a good point.maybe you can let him take the wheel for a while lol.
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Old 10-24-2015, 11:21 AM   #10
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Can you just keep going north on I-25 to Denver please?
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Old 10-24-2015, 06:22 PM   #11
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You're going to be so close to Austin. Any chance of a stop there? Then it's just a short haul down I35 to San Antonio. Or you can take 130 from Austin to San Antonio and pass by Circuit of the Americas. However, highway 130 is a toll road.
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Old 10-24-2015, 11:07 PM   #12
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If I'm reading this right, you'll be in Houston the evening of the 10th?
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Old 10-25-2015, 05:36 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GroundhogSS View Post
You're going to be so close to Austin. Any chance of a stop there? Then it's just a short haul down I35 to San Antonio. Or you can take 130 from Austin to San Antonio and pass by Circuit of the Americas. However, highway 130 is a toll road.
The stop may be a quick gas stop. most likely going to cruise through. It'll be really late and I'll need to make up ground.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrChrisLS3 View Post
If I'm reading this right, you'll be in Houston the evening of the 10th?
Yes sir. I'll be meeting up with Mlee and hopefully some other people from Houston in the early evening.
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Old 10-25-2015, 07:46 PM   #14
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From where and what time do you plan on heading out from Dallas? At least a couple of my friends, given their schedule fits your plans would love to show up. I would love to show up... IF my vehicle gets delivery by then haha. Doubt it but yeah.
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