GM VP: Camaro Z28 confirmed (again)! 6th Gen Camaro on Alpha platform.

[zebra]

Originally Posted by 2010Bill

Did you by any chance check out the date on your linked article? April, 2009?

I'm hoping for the best, but I'm sure that there will be significant changes over what this article 'told' us.

that post was an almost-inside joke
when that article came out, there was a new thread about the z28 that referred to that article posted about every 30min. it got old real quick

Originally Posted by rez333

I think the faux aluminum is the worst aspect of the Gen5 interior. People keep saying that it looks good blah blah blah, but when I look at it, it clearly looks to me to be silver colored plastic.

I've seen some 4 year old mustangs where the silver paint has worn off the plastic and the result is hideous...

that's why the paint is on the backside of the panel - so you'd have to take it off & turn it over to scratch the paint off

[Z/28orSs]

Originally Posted by OverZeaLouS

Sounds like the 6th gen camaro might be that cross between an engine that's muscular and a chassis that's true sports car agile... imagine a camaro that competes against bmw m3, and 370z in handling. Yet has the unrivaled power of a v8 muscle car. I been waiting for GM to do something like this since 1992. Maybe I can start buying american again??? Lol.

thats not the camaro's job. GM already makes car like that its called a vette.
i think some of us forget that there is a corvette, giving the camaro a line it can not cross, instead of asking GM to push the camaro. lets be realistic as ask for the corvette to step out of cheap speed and become a real halo car

[TAG UR IT]

Man...if this thing was a BMW killing street macHINE....


I don't know what I'd do. I LOVE my 5th Gen. But, on Alpha platform? hundreds of pounds less? ...with MORE hp and torque? Oh hell...

[Milk 1027]

Originally Posted by OverZeaLouS

Weight isn't the only factor in a car not being up to snuff. The camaro. Though kool looking and agile for its size. Is SUV wide, has a 112 inch wheelbase which does not allow for sharp handling and is nose heavy in aggressive driving compared to a BMW M3.
GM needs to shrink the wheelbase by 6 to 8 inches. And reduce weight to 3500lbs.
If the 6th gen kept the same horspower, reduced the wheelbase and weight by the stated and stayed in the price of affordability. Then the camaro will be unstoppable. Yes there is a 30k price tag over on the bimmer. But that price tag isn't just power. The amount of technology packed into an M3 is ridiculous.
Either way. Stracke said he's aiming at bimmer for performance. Audi on interiors. He looking in the right places. The camaro was built to destroy the mustang. Stracke sees that the world market looks seriously on a combination of high performance, reliability and AGILITY. Agility has been selling cars more than power has. The athlete vs the bodybuilder, in the auto world most choose the athlete in the world market.
GM has made cars only for middle america. Going this direction will bring GM to the front of the world market.

ummmmmm..... no

The current 5th gen has a nearly 50/50 weight distribution. Saying it's nose heavy is beyond wrong. You want a shorter wheelbase and a lighter car with more horsepower. That's what the Corvette is for.

[Z/28orSs]

Originally Posted by Milk 1027

ummmmmm..... no

The current 5th gen has a nearly 50/50 weight distribution. Saying it's nose heavy is beyond wrong. You want a shorter wheelbase and a lighter car with more horsepower. That's what the Corvette is for.

Thank you for not letting me feel crazy

[metalemt]

Originally Posted by Z/28orSs

thats not the camaro's job. GM already makes car like that its called a vette.
i think some of us forget that there is a corvette, giving the camaro a line it can not cross, instead of asking GM to push the camaro. lets be realistic as ask for the corvette to step out of cheap speed and become a real halo car

:c lap:

Thank you, there is no way GM will ever make the camaro the biggest bad ass ever due to the vette. They get pretty close in the aftermarket scene but fresh outta the box we will always have to be a little under par for that reason.

[ArkySS]

I just don't understand why folks want this car to be something that it isn't. It is NOT a European luxury/performance sedan. It is and always has been a muscle car. That is the appeal. If you want something to be a European luxury/performance sedan buy a BMW, Audi or Mercedes or you could opt for the CTS-V. Sure we all want to see the product improve but let the car be what it is. It has 2 doors, it is heavy and wide aka it's a muscle car. I hear the Top Gear boys (specifically Clarkson) always complain about the wide stance of American performance cars....well duh our roads are more wide open than theirs and we sell American cars....primarily in America just like they sell their cars primarily over there! This is not rocket science folks.

[mondain]

Originally Posted by rez333

We've had to make so many compromises (eg. settling for heavier cars) because American companies weren't up to snuff.

That's not the sole reason our cars are heavier; Americans want cars that ride nice and smooth. Light cars ride like crap, heavy cars ride smoother. This is why the BMW 3-series rides like garbage but their 5-series is like butter.

Now, do I think in a *sports muscle car* we can should sacrifice some ride quality for performance? Yes. But I'd rather try and get both

[mondain]

Originally Posted by ArkySS

I just don't understand why folks want this car to be something that it isn't. It is NOT a European luxury/performance sedan. It is and always has been a muscle car. That is the appeal. If you want something to be a European luxury/performance sedan buy a BMW, Audi or Mercedes or you could opt for the CTS-V. Sure we all want to see the product improve but let the car be what it is. It has 2 doors, it is heavy and wide aka it's a muscle car. I hear the Top Gear boys (specifically Clarkson) always complain about the wide stance of American performance cars....well duh our roads are more wide open than theirs and we sell American cars....primarily in America just like they sell their cars primarily over there! This is not rocket science folks.

Agreed but in this day and age there is no reason to have crappy low-quality interior parts anymore. Being a muscle car means nothing if buttons and knobs crack, the leather tears and fades prematurely, things rattle and sound hollow, etc; it just means I'd hate the fact that my $45k car is falling apart inside -- especially since today's engineering is at a caliber where that doesn't have to happen.

[ArkySS]

Okay I sure hope you didn't pay $45k for your car (if you have a Camaro because your stats say you drive a Toyota). I honestly don't find the interior parts cheap. Sure they don't have beautiful wood accents but they shouldn't! Steering wheel works fine for me, radio works fine for me, door handles work fine for me. Maybe I just have lowered expectations or maybe I realize that at around $38k I have what I wanted a high performance straight line rocket. I looked at Audi and BMW before this purchase but decided against that 'type' of car because I like the looks and performance of this car. I doubt I would have invested $45k in this car unless it had a S/C

[Z/28orSs]

Originally Posted by mondain

Agreed but in this day and age there is no reason to have crappy low-quality interior parts anymore. Being a muscle car means nothing if buttons and knobs crack, the leather tears and fades prematurely, things rattle and sound hollow, etc; it just means I'd hate the fact that my $45k car is falling apart inside -- especially since today's engineering is at a caliber where that doesn't have to happen.

wtf do you have. i would have to say that all the muscle cars have good interiors. you sound like you want ur hardwood floor,on your dash? would that make you feel better

this argument is getting really old take a look at a 325 that interior is no better than he camaro or mustang. AS long as its no where near my late model 4th gen its a nice interior

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by OverZeaLouS

Sounds like the 6th gen camaro might be that cross between an engine that's muscular and a chassis that's true sports car agile... imagine a camaro that competes against bmw m3, and 370z in handling. Yet has the unrivaled power of a v8 muscle car. I been waiting for GM to do something like this since 1992. Maybe I can start buying american again??? Lol.

Originally Posted by OverZeaLouS

Weight isn't the only factor in a car not being up to snuff. The camaro. Though kool looking and agile for its size. Is SUV wide, has a 112 inch wheelbase which does not allow for sharp handling and is nose heavy in aggressive driving compared to a BMW M3.

Performance aside, all those things are reasons the Camaro looks hot and the BMW does not....

GM needs to shrink the wheelbase by 6 to 8 inches. And reduce weight to 3500lbs.
If you shrink the wheelbase that much, you'll need to shrink the car, too. Otherwise the overhangs will be awful.

If the 6th gen kept the same horspower, reduced the wheelbase and weight by the stated and stayed in the price of affordability. Then the camaro will be unstoppable.
I would agree.

Either way. Stracke said he's aiming at bimmer for performance. Audi on interiors. He looking in the right places. The camaro was built to destroy the mustang. Stracke sees that the world market looks seriously on a combination of high performance, reliability and AGILITY. Agility has been selling cars more than power has. The athlete vs the bodybuilder, in the auto world most choose the athlete in the world market.
GM has made cars only for middle america. Going this direction will bring GM to the front of the world market.One would hope. I wouldn't say agility is bad, but I will say there are hundreds of thousands more Camaros and Mustangs out there more than 370z or Miatas, so I'd be interested to see if you could substantiate your claims...

Originally Posted by mondain

Agreed but in this day and age there is no reason to have crappy low-quality interior parts anymore. Being a muscle car means nothing if buttons and knobs crack, the leather tears and fades prematurely, things rattle and sound hollow, etc; it just means I'd hate the fact that my $45k car is falling apart inside -- especially since today's engineering is at a caliber where that doesn't have to happen.

The Camaro has none of those problems...I don't understand the point you're trying to make with them?

I was driving my Dad's '79 today, and I got to thinking about all this...I couldn't see the corners of the car. The rear window was a slit, the steering was soft, and the floor was lumpy and oddly-shaped.

But it was a FANTASTIC drive. The view out the windshield, the sound of the exhaust, the torque that pushed you back in your seat. I've only ever driven the 5thgen as another Camaro...but the feelings were the similar in foundation. That 'badass' feeling.

These new cars can handle wonderfully, they rip from a stop, they're comfy, fuel efficient and almost unnaturally refined. But these cars are not about racing in Lemans - they AREN'T sports cars. A sports car is...well, like a Ferrari, or a Corvette, or a Shelby Cobra...there are two kinds of performance car, one being the "sports car", and one being a "Grand Tourer". The Camaro is, has, and should always be about the ride: a Grand Tourer - IMO.

Chevy makes a lightweight, stupid-powered, world-beating, "UNSTOPPABLE" car: The Corvette. It's even cheap, too - by sports car standards. Everyone should want to improve the Camaro...but not change the formula. At least not in my opinion.

[ArkySS]

AMEN DRAGONEYE AMEN BROTHER!

[KarFan]

Good news for the Camaro as a whole. Some of the most official talk yet of the Z28. Noce to hear the 6th Gen on Alpha is more than just an educated rumor. If it wasn't for the strong sales success of the 5th Gen there would be no 6th Gen so that is a real credit to the current car.

Alpha will assure that Camaro stays in Chevy's lineup and in CAFE times actually doesn't hurt GM to sell them. Smaller and ligher is the trend and if done right with Gen V V8 power can really be be a spectacular package. The 5th Gen is a great car and the 6th Gen will build on that. Progress is a good thing.