Question About Which 2013 to Purchase: 2LT or 2SS

[dkdonehoo]

My wife and I are in the process of purchasing a 2013 Camaro. With the 2014s right around the corner there are some good deals in my part of the woods. We have a plan to retire in 2 years, and then will travel all across the United States. That is bucket list territory, and doing in a great American car such as a Camaro is icing on the cake.

My first question is obvious, MPG vs. HP. If gas prices remain stable, I would prefer the 2SS. I am sure the 2SS would eat the trip over the Rockies for breakfast. But if gas goes to 5, 6, or 7 dollars a gallon, that would put a kink in our budget and the 2LT looks to be a better choice. At highway speed, does the Active Fuel Management in the V8, auto trans really conserve fuel to the point we could get between 25 and 30 MPG? I have read that the Camaro is actually a pretty comfortable road trip car, and was wondering about member's of 5th Gen Camaro experiences on long haul trips. Thank you in advance for any input and knowledge you can provide.

[the_fast_one]

I did 2,800 in my SS last month on a 4 day weekend and averaged 24.6 MPG between HWY and CITY driving. HWY was around 26

[Glen e]

Depends on your nest egg....I'm retired with a 2ss and wouldn't want to do cross country , with what I'm getting for gas mpg. It's pretty bad...I don't care I love the HP.....but cross country? I'd be in the V6 RS.....no reason burning up gas at 70 mph

[45thAnniversary2SS]

Do you really want to base your decision on one cross country trip?

[dkdonehoo]

Thank you for your response. I am basing this on several trips over 3-4 years, maybe longer. I have brother at the Grand Canyon, my wife has a brother in Montana, plus other trips to Florida, New England, Alaska. Our plan is to travel to each state (with exception of Hawaii), in the Camaro.

[jd10013]

if your going to drive the camaro in a manner that will get you 24 mpg you might as well buy a Camry. sure, you might be able to baby that out of it (I'm skeptical myself, I own a V6 MT, drive moderately, and get about 21-23 MPG mixed driving.) but don't figure on "eating the trip over the Rockies for breakfast". to get 24mpg it will be real gentle on the throttle, no more than 2000 rpm's etc, etc.

oh, and the V6 with 323 HP is plenty capable of eating the Rockies for breakfast too. no, it's not a V8, but it's not a 4 either . I think the answer is which is more important to you. the power and thrill of a V8, or saving money on gas. if it's power and fun, go V8. there is no substitute. if your worried about what you'll spend on fuel, then get the V6 and run the hell out of it. you'll still get 18-20 mpg. if fuel is a concern and you go V8 you'll never get to have any fun with it. you'll have to drive way too conservatively

[911medic]

Asking about gas mileage on this forum can be like opening Pandora's box.

That said, my car is a daily driver, and I chose the 2LT for several reasons:

• Mileage. The best I have gotten is 29 MPG highway. City is low 20's. I average a combined 24 MPG, about 70/30 Hwy/City. And I generally drive it...well, let's say "less than conservatively."
• The LFX V6 has very decent power, so getting a V6 is not the huge compromise it used to be.
• The 2LT has the FE2 suspension, which is a bit more compliant than the FE3/FE4 suspension on the V8s. For a sports car, the ride is taut but not super-harsh, and Minnesota roads suck.
• Maintenance costs on the V6 are a bit cheaper than the V8. Not a ton, mind you, but if you're putting on a lot of miles the oil changes, etc., will be more frequent.
• Tires. I intentionally avoided the RS package and its 20" staggered-sized wheels/tires (which are also the base setup on all V8s). You can't rotate the tires with this setup, and replacements are expensive, both of which are considerations when you're talking about putting on a lot of miles. Also, the RS package/SS tires are 45/40 series (front/rear), while the 2LT non-RS tires are 19"/50 series. The slightly taller sidewall improves ride quality slightly, too. I test drove both RS and non-RS 2LTs, and there was a difference. The taller sidewall also offers a bit more protection for the wheel in the event you hit a nasty pothole. Yes, I wish I had the HID/Halo headlights, but maybe I'll add them aftermarket. That's the only part of the RS package I miss.
• One more note on tires: The V6 RS and all the SS cars come with summer-only tires. You mentioned trips to Alaska, Montana, and New England. Below about 40 degrees F, summer only tires become hard as hockey pucks and are dangerous to drive. The non-RS V6s come with all-season tires, which was another reason for me to avoid the RS as a Minnesota year-round daily driver car.

If I bought mine as a weekend-only fun car, I would definitely go for the V8. LOVE the exhaust note of the V8, and you're never going to get that in the V6. And I'm sure the power increase is smile-inducing.

You're going to have to decide what you value most for your situation. Good luck with your decision, and happy retirement!

[zogster]

If you drive 100,000 miles and get 24 mpg in a V8 (say gas costs $4.30 for premium on average), you pay $18k in gas over the course of 100k miles.

In a V6 at 28 mpg, regular fuel at $4.00/gal, you pay $14.3k in gas. So you're talking $3700 over the course of 100,000 miles. Oil changes and tires cost more in the V8 as well. When you factor in the added maintenance cost, it probably costs you $5000 more in gas/oil/tires for the V8 than the V6, plus whatever difference there is in initial price.

I think from there you can answer your own question given the above information. Is the selling price difference plus $5k worth it for the V8 to you? You're the only one that can answer that for yourself.

[benji1997]

Originally Posted by zogster

If you drive 100,000 miles and get 24 mpg in a V8 (say gas costs $4.30 for premium on average), you pay $18k in gas over the course of 100k miles.

In a V6 at 28 mpg, regular fuel at $4.00/gal, you pay $14.3k in gas. So you're talking $3700 over the course of 100,000 miles. Oil changes and tires cost more in the V8 as well. When you factor in the added maintenance cost, it probably costs you $5000 more in gas/oil/tires for the V8 than the V6, plus whatever difference there is in initial price.

I think from there you can answer your own question given the above information. Is the selling price difference plus $5k worth it for the V8 to you? You're the only one that can answer that for yourself.

Excellent answer. Really puts it all in perspective. Now I wish I had gotten the SS.

[Moe']

I would recommend SS for power, specially automatic (L99) to save on gas as well!

I drive LS3, gas is an issue for my way of driving

[christianchevell]

LoL having owned the automatic and the manual ss both the mileage difference is negligible and the manual much more fun to drive and most people rarely use the paddle shifting and I was disappointed in the sport mode as the shift kitting is weak compared to a normal old 350/th400 shift kitted. The manual feels faster. And yes in sixth gear cruising down the highway in a manual expect to get 24-higher mileage if not running up and down in speed too much...and that's doing 80 and maybe 2000 rpm. A manual of course will some day need a new clutch and that's not too cheap yet if you treat it well it could last a long time. An automatic of course should take longer to need repair yet cost more for a total rebuild. Having driven both the manual and automatic I totally prefer the manual and its only a little pain in city driving bumper to bumper. And I get the same mileage, the AFM only switched on when it wants on L99 and then it had to stay at a fairly steady rpm or it switched off and well it has a slight lag in performance when it goes back to eight cylinders. Now I imagine you can get what ever you want in a v-6 also yet I do not see v-6 cars at auto shows...... So if you take a great amount of pride in your ride and want to mod it some you would be better in a v-8. And I recommend of course what ever you get getting a catch can and a separate clutch reservoir (kit from gen5diy), and of course dual mode exhaust, if you can get it. And by the way I drive my summer only tires all winter long no problem they are not as bad as a ZL1 good year tire and someday I will get all season/good handling tires. And yes I have driven in snow and ice. Most cars that do get higher mileage are overrated in what they get, and the lack of mileage.... Ever heard about the woman who sued Toyota because her prius would not get over thirty mpg? Good luck with your decision.

[911medic]

Originally Posted by christianchevell

So if you take a great amount of pride in your ride and want to mod it some you would be better in a v-8.

Originally Posted by christianchevell

And by the way I drive my summer only tires all winter long no problem they are not as bad as a ZL1 good year tire and someday I will get all season/good handling tires. And yes I have driven in snow and ice.

There's a lot more stories like this than there are stories like yours.

Think about it, OP, they're "summer" tires for a reason.

[Austin45]

The V6 gas mileage isn't significantly more, and I don't think gas mileage is a reason to buy one version over another.

[jd10013]

Originally Posted by christianchevell

A manual of course will some day need a new clutch and that's not too cheap yet if you treat it well it could last a long time. .

if you don't abuse it they can last forever. I put 212k on one vehicle's clutch (got rid of the car with clutch working perfectly fine) and my DD has 207k with the original clutch and is still going strong.