My thoughts on the 5th Gen...from a 9 year 4th Gen owner

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by IROCTPI

old thread i know, Anyhow great write up and now i REALLY want a 5th gen SS! I wish they wernt so damn heavy though, i know the brakes and power make up for it but there is so much more potential if the weight could easily be lowered. Do you think Chevy will lower the weight of these sometime or are they just going keep adding power?

Well since you made the tread over a yr ago could you update your comparison for us? Thanks!

Holy crap, I'd LOVE to!

In fact, give me a few to put down on paper things I've noticed, liked, disliked, etc. I'd really want to hit a few more points. But, WOW... Cool bringing this one back.

"Now that I've owned the car for one year..."

Yep, I'll do it...happy to!

Originally Posted by MSG'

talk about an old thread, after having my car 11 months, this is one of the reviews that helped me decide to get this car, thanks TAG!

SSSSSSSSWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE T!!!!!

Glad I could have helped!!!

Originally Posted by Stang_Killer

Necro thread. Nice!!

Originally Posted by Revo1

Great review TAG, this perspective works for me

Thank you!


Oh, and that rubbing that I was talking about WAS the darn stabilitrak kicking in. I'd never experienced it before. For those that don't know...do 35 and while on the brakes, turn hard right. See what happens. Then you will know exactly what I mean.

[HDDAN]

Originally Posted by TAG UR IT

Well, the wait is finally over...and after putting 2,100 miles on my new SS over the past week, I can say that I'm thoroughly impressed. Now, where in the world to start....

The looks of this car just blow me away. I've said it from day one. Pictures do not do this car justice. And...I've heard it from so many people as well. Peoples faces just light up when they lay eyes on this car for the first time. They can't stop walking around it, looking inside, standing back, just to take it all in. It REALLY IS that much better in person.

But, we all know this car has the amazing looks already. So, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

PERFORMANCE.

I've driving 4th Gens for 9 years now. I know how they handle and I know what I can do when and where to make my 02 SS react in certain ways. So, the best comparison for the new 5th Gen is it's predecessor, the 4th Gen.

For starters, when I first got into the new 5th Gen, it felt a little sluggish in the low end. I was actually kind of worried. There didn't seem to be much torque and I didn't get that neck snapping feeling when I pushed down on that go peddle. That kind of scared me. Here I was in a perfectly good 4th Gen that took me from 0 to WOAH!!! in no time. And now? I've gotten myself into something that didn't give me that same reaction. Well, THAT CHANGED.

I only got on it once out of Toms dealer just to see (since I was concerned about break in period). We drove it out to Carlisle and back...and were VERY easy on it. I'll get to the long trip info in a sec.

After putting about 550 miles on the car, it was time to head home. THIS is where I found out what the LS3 is capable of.

It feels like the car could use some low end gearing, right? Well, in my opinion, it's almost the same. I could toss in different gears. For now, I'm happy. But, compared to the 4th Gen, it's almost the same. I'm thinking the traction control might be messing with me a bit and as I learn it more, won't have the same issues. I do feel that the 4th Gen spun the wheels a bit easier. But, give it time...

The top end on this car is where it's at. From 70 on up in 3rd, this car SCREAMS. You could EASILY get this car from 80 to 130 in no time (not that I'm saying I've done that.....just saying....). It pulls like the 4th Gen in the top end AND THEN SOME. For those of you who like to bracket race and always had the other guy in the opposite lane pull out in front of you only to have you chase him down in the end......yeah....and then he turns around and says, "I had no idea how much pull that LS1 has in the top end! It just doesn't stop!!!" Yeah...the LS3 gives those same results...BUT WITH EVEN MORE PULL. It is INCREDIBLE.

The power is there in the 5th Gen. You just have to break in the motor properly and loosen it up, if you know what I mean. At least, this is my experience. I know for a fact that with a CAI, this car is going to move that much quicker. That will be all the power that I need at this time. After the warranty goes, I think a CAM would be in my future to bring up that low end torque. I also think I might add in some gears.

But for now........GM got this right. The LS3 is AWESOME.



COMFORT:

Hands down, the most comfortable Camaro ever built. Yeah, I loved the old "sitting in a cockpit of an aircraft" feeling of the 4th Gen. But, in this car, it's like you are actually sitting a little higher and you can tell this is NO 4th Gen. This is a completely different car. THIS is what it should feel like.

The seats are beyond my expectations. The leather....WOW....the comfort....HOLY CRAP....!!! I sat in those seats for 10 hours each day and I have to say, the only part of me that got sore/tires, was my right knee (from being in the same position). I moved the seat all the way back to stretch out (since I'm 6'2" and I have to move the seat forward to get the right positioning). That stretched out my knee and really helped. But, my back was GREAT. These seats are awesome....and I can't say enough about them. My wife LOVES the fact that there is no longer a hump in the floor board where she sits now... Big improvement there too.

The controls are out of this world. I didn't expect a rubber like feeling to the controls. It is easier to hold, makes it feel more "grippable," and makes the dials feel "real." The controls are not of a 4th Gen. They are of a much higher quality NEW vehicle. I was blown away by the center stack controls as well.

The dash gauges...oh...the colors are BRIGHT. And, you can turn down the brightness if you want....straight to turning of the ambient lighting as well. But, with beautiful blue and orange colors like those, who in the world would want to not show them off??? I had people speeding up to get next to me so they could see the dash colors of my car at night! They loved it!

The Ride:

One MILLION times better than that of the 4th Gen. THIS is where GM outdid themselves. It's like, you can tell this car was not just built to go fast....it was built for the everyday driver as well. The IRS and suspension makes the regular bumps in the roads that I go over every day nearly disappear. The ride is....how can I explain.... My dad owned BMW's and Mercedes cars for a while. He also owned a Cadillac CTS. All of them had WONDERFUL rides. I would put the ride of the Camaro in the same catagory as these cars. I've said it a few times, but it's like driving dads Mercedes. It is SOLID. The window indexing makes the ride QUIET. The cabin noise virtually disappeared compared to the 4th Gen. At 70 mph, it was super quiet in the cabin. I then rolled down the windows and WOOOSH!!!! It was like super noisy, wind blowing, etc. COMPLETELY different and was unexpected. You get used to having the windows up since it is no quiet and nice.

The ride of this car is superior to ANYTHING I have ever owned. All you owners out there know exactly what I'm talking about.

The steering wheels seems larger...a bit different in gripping...and I can't put my hand at the bottom center of the wheel where I usually put i on long trips. It is just comfortable there. But, you have a spoke there making that choice void.

Anyone remember how the front 4th Gens seat belt snap (next to the center console) would rub front to back on the console leaving a white moon like shape from the rubbing? Not on the 5th Gen. The belt snap hook is away from the center console. There will hopefully be no rubbing over time.

I like how the cup holders seem to be lower in the center console than the previous holders. That puts the drink further down in the center console and doesn't mess with your arm when shifting. COOL!

Windshield wipers are freakin cool. They are completely covered by the metal so they don't look like snap on's. Much nicer and much CLEANER.

I LOVE having a trunk. Nuff said, there.

------------------


After 2,100 miles, I can say that the comparison between 4th Gen and 5th Gen is an easy one. Ride, handling, comfort, technology (usb, homelink, etc), top end, EASILY go to the 5th gen. Since I had a couple upgrades to my 4th Gen's intake, I have to say the bottom end goes to my 4th Gen. But, with a CAI, I think the 5th Gen is going to take that cake too.




WINNER: 5th Gen!



Thanks, GM ....for putting out such a great sports car. The fit and finish is beyond my expectations. The quality is out of this world...and the ride....is PHENOMENAL.

I LOVE IT. 100% LOVE IT.

You really out did yourselves!

I agree completely. I have had two gen 4's that I bought brand new, a 98 Z-28 and an 02 SS. The first thing that got my attention were the chrome door handles on the gen 5. I had just gotten out of my gen 4 SS with the cheesy black plastic ones. Don't get me wrong, I loved my other Camaros but this one is so much better.Then I put the dual express windows down and saw the higher quality switches there. The steering wheel switches, the gauges, everything is so much better. Not a rattle or a squeek. Well done GM!

[gibblet342]

I am new so never saw this review, but explains a lot to me.

I have been wondering since the beginning about the L99 lower gear range, why it seems to almost hesitate when you are off the line. Hesistate is not really the correct word, but when starting off a stop light or anything, seems there is no power there....

I called the dealerships service department and they stated that since there is no throttle cable, everything is computerized, the car 'learns' your driving habits and every 100 miles is readjusting its settings for how much to open the blower based on your habits. Like I said, this was their service department, dont know how true it is, but makes me feel a little better. I have not pressed hard on mine since only 400 miles right now, but hopefully it starts to get better soon. Just a weird feeling like the car does not feel like it wants to shift or go from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3.

Probably not explaining very well what I feel, but hopefully it is the same as from what you stated above.

Thanks for the review!

[CamaroSS2010]

I couldn't agree more Tag!
I owned a 4th Gen also for close to 10 years.
I think your review is very accurate.
Great write-up....

[VR Baron]

Same here, have a 98 with intake, headers,ehaust and tune.I completely agree with Tag's assessment for the z28 as I dont have the ss I can't relate on the power but all else I concur. The problem I have with my modded V6 is that it loves to run up to 7000 rpm as it is a high revving ,europeon type engine and in SoCal traffic I can't do this most of the time!!! Heck here you only can use a 2000 rpm engine!!

[Yazeed]

Yesss !!! CAMARO FTW lol

[TAG UR IT]

One year later.............


Performance:
The 5th Gen absolutely screams down the road. That low end I was upset about earlier on has since....gone away?...I suppose? It was much more prevalent under 1,000 miles. But, it WAS there when I get the car and yes, it did make me worry. 13,000 miles later and I have absolutely no complaint on take off. Now, the only issue I have is weight....HA!

Weight...here's where it gets tricky. GM upgraded the brakes and gave it some stopping power. Brake fade? Still haven't gone to the track. I don't know how well these Brembos will hold up to a constant track run. But, stopping power is phenomenal for 3,900 pounds. Is it still nimble like the 4th Gen? mmmm....not AS nimble. Yes, there is body roll. Heck, it's a heavy car. I'm sure I could eliminate that. But, at what cost? Do I want to give up on some of my ride quality for less body roll? Is there a way to have you cake and eat it too?

weight does play a role in over all performance. They did the best they could do. Compared to a 4th Gen, it's really a drivers race. The 4th Gen won't roll and will stick to teh ground, but the 5th Gen ...well, it does it with STYLE....and a little roll...lol



I miss my t-tops. I had t-tops for 9 years. I loved them. I can't have the option now of going with just glass....or putting in the covers....or completely removing them. It stinks. Sure, it's nice to know the car has some structural rigidity and integrity. But...I WANT MY T-TOPS BACK. ...damnit! One thing I do NOT miss about the t-tops is the water drips during rain. Yeah...that was bad....oh, and the car was LOUD....like, lots of interior noise loud. The new 5th Gen is so quiet.


I LOVE the USB option....when it works. I'm getting so tired of the "no data on storage device found...you may safely remove the hardware now" message. Really? Get this bug fixed already! Still...when it works, it really is AWESOME.


Still love the ride. So much better than the 4th Gen. Completely luxurious feel. All those bumps are so much softer with the IRS compared to a live rear axle. No...I don't have wheel hop problems. I did at the track a couple of times...and it SUCKED. But, no...no problems.

I love the fact that there is an oil indicator...and tire pressure monitor...OH! And the homelink. Some of ya'll might not care, but that should be standard in ALL of the cars! Use it every day.



One thing that needs to be changed....no lights on the homelink buttons. How the HELL am I supposed to see the buttons at night??? Dudes...yes, YOU up there in GM. PUT SOME DAMN lights in the homelink buttons! COMMON SENSE.

Put a light in the glove box too.



Not much else to talk about...the 5th Gen, even after one year of ownership has done nothing but get better. The car drives better with time. It opens up. It moves. It still catches a TON of attention...and it's been out A YEAR!!!


I love my "Shade." I miss my 4th Gen...it was a hell of a car..and great bang for the buck. But, I LOVE my 5th Gen even more.

[LS1owner]

Originally Posted by PQ

I never drove a 4th Gen. Rode in plenty but never drove. I would have been SHOCKED if someone put a 4th, over this car.

Great review. You had ME scared when you started in on the power.

I have a 4th gen, and that LS1 really has power. I know the LS3 is rated higher, but the LS1 was one of the best engines every put out by GM.

I would have liked to see more like 450-460 HP in the Camaro considering it's bigger than a Corvette just to give it a little more grunt.

[Lancecar69CGM]

Originally Posted by TAG UR IT

One year later.............


Performance:
The 5th Gen absolutely screams down the road. That low end I was upset about earlier on has since....gone away?...I suppose? It was much more prevalent under 1,000 miles. But, it WAS there when I get the car and yes, it did make me worry. 13,000 miles later and I have absolutely no complaint on take off. Now, the only issue I have is weight....HA!

Weight...here's where it gets tricky. GM upgraded the brakes and gave it some stopping power. Brake fade? Still haven't gone to the track. I don't know how well these Brembos will hold up to a constant track run. But, stopping power is phenomenal for 3,900 pounds. Is it still nimble like the 4th Gen? mmmm....not AS nimble. Yes, there is body roll. Heck, it's a heavy car. I'm sure I could eliminate that. But, at what cost? Do I want to give up on some of my ride quality for less body roll? Is there a way to have you cake and eat it too?

weight does play a role in over all performance. They did the best they could do. Compared to a 4th Gen, it's really a drivers race. The 4th Gen won't roll and will stick to teh ground, but the 5th Gen ...well, it does it with STYLE....and a little roll...lol



I miss my t-tops. I had t-tops for 9 years. I loved them. I can't have the option now of going with just glass....or putting in the covers....or completely removing them. It stinks. Sure, it's nice to know the car has some structural rigidity and integrity. But...I WANT MY T-TOPS BACK. ...damnit! One thing I do NOT miss about the t-tops is the water drips during rain. Yeah...that was bad....oh, and the car was LOUD....like, lots of interior noise loud. The new 5th Gen is so quiet.


I LOVE the USB option....when it works. I'm getting so tired of the "no data on storage device found...you may safely remove the hardware now" message. Really? Get this bug fixed already! Still...when it works, it really is AWESOME.


Still love the ride. So much better than the 4th Gen. Completely luxurious feel. All those bumps are so much softer with the IRS compared to a live rear axle. No...I don't have wheel hop problems. I did at the track a couple of times...and it SUCKED. But, no...no problems.

I love the fact that there is an oil indicator...and tire pressure monitor...OH! And the homelink. Some of ya'll might not care, but that should be standard in ALL of the cars! Use it every day.



One thing that needs to be changed....no lights on the homelink buttons. How the HELL am I supposed to see the buttons at night??? Dudes...yes, YOU up there in GM. PUT SOME DAMN lights in the homelink buttons! COMMON SENSE.

Put a light in the glove box too.



Not much else to talk about...the 5th Gen, even after one year of ownership has done nothing but get better. The car drives better with time. It opens up. It moves. It still catches a TON of attention...and it's been out A YEAR!!!


I love my "Shade." I miss my 4th Gen...it was a hell of a car..and great bang for the buck. But, I LOVE my 5th Gen even more.

Nice one year later review...Glad to see that your still enjoying it

[TAG UR IT]

Oh, man...I LOVE it. I wouldn't trade it for the world! ....(maybe for a Z28, but ....lol....ummmm)

[Sword5]

Couldn't agree more, still driving my 4th Gen as daily driver. Difference is night and day after driving the Z for a few days and then taking the 5th Gen, WOW!

[TAG UR IT]

And now, for my 2 year review.

25,800 miles.

Performance: No complaint. Screams down the road just like it did at 13,000 miles. LOVE it (especially with the louder mufflers...hehe). Now...to add MORE power....like supercharger power. Of course, I'd love to go with a TT set up, but $$ won't ever let me do that. Eventually...

Weight: Probably heavier now that it was then with all the extras that I put on. BUUUUuuuut..... it actually gets better. I answered my question. Yes, I can have my cake and eat it too. I upgraded the suspension with Pedders track components and voila! Perfect! Lowering springs 1.5 in the back and 1" up front, front and rear sway bars, rear sub frame bush inserts, front radius bush inserts. Body roll now? Non-existent. Handling? Perfection. This little job right here completely hid the fact that this is a 3,900lb car. I'm floored at how a few components can do so much.

Brakes: Love'em. I have not experience brake fade. In fact, after 4 twenty minute sessions at 100+mph with 40 min brakes in between, I didn't have brake fade, but rather had my brake fluid boil and lost my brakes at 80mph. Not fun. Fluid changed from DOT3 to DOT4 and brake lines changed from OEM to stainless steel braided and no problems on the track since. Brakes do their job!

Interior is still quiet as can be. Yes, I have a few rattles in the car. The rear deck lid still rattles during hard bass. I took it in...not fixed. I suppose I'll live with it until I decide to upgrade the speakers. I'll be able to fix it then when everything is apart.

Seats are so comfortable...still. I don't like that the drivers seat cover pops off all the time. But, it doesn't bother me as it doesn't move or come off the seat. It's just under the front. Kind of annoying, but ...whatever.

Radio is good. I don't like the fact that there's distortion at volume 35 when it can go up to a 45 level. It's good for the average Joe. But, IMHO, the average Joe isn't buying this car. The speakers and AMP could have been much better. CLEAR sound is extremely important. So, I'm probably going to be changing out the BA speakers and factory AMP....after I pulled for them so much. Sad, really... I backed them saying it would be good. But, I feel like the installed parts were cheapened to save on $$. Again, good for the average Joe. But, I'm not the average Joe. I expect more for a 35k car. The USB and version were finally fixed and I've had ZERO problems since. I suppose you need to put something out there so you can get all the different combinations run before all the bugs can be worked out.

Wheel hop: Non-existent. I can drop the hammer and spin those back tires until all the tread wares off if I wanted to.

Homelink is perfect. Love my bluetooth. Onstar ROCKS.

OH!

Needs under hood lighting. Needs glove box lighting. Needs rear seat lighting (check out the Challenger for example). Needs a nice big LCD display standard in all models. Still think there needs to be tiny lights for home link buttons.

I like the new dash in the ZL1. Nice. I like the new steering wheel, too. The dash sure needs an update for later models and I think they are on the right track. But, I think the center stack needs to be more up to date. The old look was cool....for a while. but, we need to step up to the 21st century and go beyond the other guys making cooler things instead of "easy" things. Little things set the big cars makers apart. Little things.....can make all the difference. I'd like these little things in my Camaro.

And two years later, I must say....

Not much else to talk about...the 5th Gen, even after two years of ownership has done nothing but get better. The car drives better with time. It opens up. It moves. It still catches a TON of attention...and it's been out TWO years!!!


I love my "Shade." I miss my 4th Gen...it was a hell of a car..and great bang for the buck. But, I LOVE my 5th Gen even more. And someone needs to help us addicts....I can't stop modding my car!!! HELP!!!!!!!

[Kyle.Gilmour]

Originally Posted by TAG UR IT

And now, for my 2 year review.

25,800 miles.

25k miles... way to go Tag... I will never hit that number... I am in the shop way to much. hahaha

[CamaroKid300]

I'm at 26,400 since dec. 2009.

Nice write up, Tag.