Top Gear Camaro Review [VIDEO]

[KYeakle]

im not sure about that track time....were parts of the video of the track taken out because the AMG only had a half a car legnth on the SS and that doesnt equal 2 seconds..... but this episode wasnt anything out of the ordinary for top gear.

[5THGENRS]

Originally Posted by diddiyo

it's a UK based show. you can't even buy the mustang over there and i'm not sure you can buy the chally.

humm. neither could you buy a camaro at the time as well but they had one on the show. They are held as an automotive icon place and they probably have people begging to have their cars put on there. They can get any car they want.

[Erik@Torq]

Originally Posted by 5THGENRS

humm. neither could you buy a camaro at the time as well but they had one on the show. They are held as an automotive icon place and they probably have people begging to have their cars put on there. They can get any car they want.

You can buy Challengers, Camaros, Mustangs etc from any "gray import" dealer or just buy one yourself here and import it to England.

What they mean is GM Europe doesn't officially import it. Many GM dealers though buy them and bring them in though.

[Hot Rod]

I've never seen the show before, but after reading the whole thread I walk away with a few thoughts.

One is after reading that you can't buy the Mustang in England and that the Camaro will soon be available to them, they have a solid interest in show casing the car. I home that wasn't a test model as some have suggested it might be. If Chevrolet wants to promote their cars they should send what they're selling.

I get British humor and some of the comment made shouldn't be too offensive. Let's face it because of different needs and developments, tastes for cars are going to differ greatly from here to there. Anyways, why would they compare a Camaro to and AMG. My best reason is engine size coupled with the lack of any other American or European muscle car to compare it to. I think, in their eyes, it was a fair match up as far as their markets go. Further more, it screams to them what it screams to us - "Engine Size and Power is now more affordable to more people!"

We all know that the Camaro is made to be a daily driver for those who want just that and that there is an aftermarket for those of us who want to bump the performance up a bit.

The styling of the Camaro is much more casual than a Mercedes Benz, but I hardly think that makes it a lower car. No I can't see if fitting in at the ball, but going to a happening party puts you right there better than a pretencious Mercedes. I really like the praticality of a Honda, but the style of the Camaro makes me want to go out and get in debt over it. It's a real cool car and will be for years to come.

P.S. I'd like to see that Pedderized Camaro make a trip to the track and see what they make of it then!

[skar]

? No fat jokes .

[rez333]

Originally Posted by Libertyforall1776

Crikey, Top Gear is probably laughing reading this because they KNOW the average American just doesn't get British humour!

Bloody hell!

Especially with some of the comments on this thread. No wonder he thinks Camaro owners are murderers. If you don't get Top Gear, don't comment on it. Saying that the Camaro vs AMG was a "silly comparison" shows your ignorance of what the show is about.

[Albion]

Thats what we Brits do best,moan like F#ck about anything and everything!
Whatever Clarkson says,the British public cannot keep their eyes off my 1ss and will walk straight by any and nearly every Merc'.

[TOBY J]

Originally Posted by TAG UR IT

Woo hoo! LOVE that Camaro!

I like how even though genius over here kept putting down the Camaro, the guy driving it repeatedly says, "but I'd still rather have the Camaro. IT HAS SOUL."

THAT is what the Camaro has which all others lack. Sure, the Merc is A BEAST....but, it's luxury Beast that isn't attainable to 90% of car buyers. Getting real, the Camaro will outsell that AMG any day...and toss the upcoming Z28 into the mix and I guarantee you, it's going to wipe the AMG off the MAP.

POOR comparison.

Great show.


But, POOER comparison. Musclecar vs. Luxury car. Hrm...who in the hell said, "YEAH! Let's do it! That's a PERFECT combination!"

Morons...

Sorry I don't think the Z28 will go around the test track faster(would need to shave off almost 4 secomds) than the E63. The Camaro is a great looking American muscle car and perhaps "the best bang for the buck" at 35k.

Like my buddy with Lambos and Ferraris once said "it's not how fast you go.... it's how well you go fast"

[rez333]

Originally Posted by Rockin the BlueSS

look at some of the cars the camaro beat out and it is pretty impresive... too bad TG didnt point that our...

BMW M3 csl 1.28.0
Roush mustang 1.28.0
WRX Sti 1.28.2
Mitsubishi Evo X 1.28.22
Dodge viper srt-10 1.28.5
Ford Shelby GT500 1.30.0
Vauxhall Monaro VXR 1.30.1
Aston Martin DB7 GT 1.30.4
BMW M3 1.31.8

not a bad list of cars to beat...

Virtually all of those times are "wet track" times. Look at what the Camaro did not beat for a better understanding (which includes many of those cars on the list you've shown - on a dry track).

[Rockin the BlueSS]

Originally Posted by rez333

Virtually all of those times are "wet track" times. Look at what the Camaro did not beat for a better understanding (which includes many of those cars on the list you've shown - on a dry track).

if you use the BBC page as i did initially it does not give reference to track condition...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/powerlaps.shtml

but using this page
http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/powerlaps.shtml
only two of the posted cars the BMW M3 CSL and the viper were wet tracks... not the others which still isn't a bad comparison...

[radz28]

Enough with WWII already...

[rez333]

Originally Posted by Ronin_2SS

now my opinion on the episode is that i think with all of the great reviews they have done before this seemed a little bit "thrown together" imo. they usually pay attention to a great amount of detail when they showcase their cars. In this one they seemed to leave alot of great info out. I agree it seemed more about the merc than the camaro. and the use of an auto vs a 6spd is a shocker. All of them hate auto, especially paddle shifters. the fact they didnt mention which one they were using was odd. Likewise the fact they didnt mention the difference between the two transmissions is equally odd. this whole segement seemed a little out of place of their normal reviews. and im not just saying that because i own a camaro. The whole segement is just not one of their best ones period, regardless of the cars they used.

I agree with you. The review was very sparse on details. I was expecting them to make fun of the interior quality which they didn't even mention. That's why I think it was actually a very good review of the Camaro SS. None of its true flaws were even mentioned.

That's why I'm filled with incredulity at some of the angry responses on this thread. They never said one real thing that was bad about the Camaro. The "bad stuff" was merely a matter of taste, such as you wouldn't find a Nobel Laureate or the Queen stepping out of it. So what? Therefore the fact that some people responded so angrily doesn't paint a very good picture for some people's sense of perspective.

The 2008 Shelby GT500 on the other hand was really butchered. That review showcased real performance flaws (rightfully or wrongly as someone pointed out it wasn't a production model).

The most important thing is that Richard Hammond preferred it to an AMG. That's the greatest compliment anyone can pay - so guys - stop complaining, ya bunch of whiners! You're worse than Brits!

[radz28]

Originally Posted by jfaber99

+1 Still my favorite show also. When I saw the homepage my first thought was did my DVR record this; did the new season start last week...



True, except I would not even use the word "review"! It's just a car "show".

Sorry - good point

Originally Posted by skar

? No fat jokes .

YEAH!!! THAT was suprising.

Originally Posted by rez333

I agree with you. The review was very sparse on details. I was expecting them to make fun of the interior quality which they didn't even mention. That's why I think it was actually a very good review of the Camaro SS. None of its true flaws were even mentioned.

That's why I'm filled with incredulity at some of the angry responses on this thread. They never said one real thing that was bad about the Camaro. The "bad stuff" was merely a matter of taste, such as you wouldn't find a Nobel Laureate or the Queen stepping out of it. So what? Therefore the fact that some people responded so angrily doesn't paint a very good picture for some people's sense of perspective.

The 2008 Shelby GT500 on the other hand was really butchered. That review showcased real performance flaws (rightfully or wrongly as someone pointed out it wasn't a production model).

The most important thing is that Richard Hammond preferred it to an AMG. That's the greatest compliment anyone can pay - so guys - stop complaining, ya bunch of whiners! You're worse than Brits!

The biggest complement of that show is them enjoying the car, to which Hamster did.

[GTAHVIT]

Originally Posted by rez333

Especially with some of the comments on this thread. No wonder he thinks Camaro owners are murderers. If you don't get Top Gear, don't comment on it. Saying that the Camaro vs AMG was a "silly comparison" shows your ignorance of what the show is about.

seriously.

Can you help explain it?