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2010 Chevy Camaro RS
Chevy’s pony car returns better than ever

It was such a long time coming and there was so much hype that I thought there was a possibility of the reborn Camaro not being able to live up to expectations. Not so. First and foremost it is a killer looking car. Now I will qualify that by saying that like the other pony cars that have be retro-resurrected, there is a certain psychographic that gravitates to this market so when I say this car is beautiful, it’s with that group in mind.

While there’s no doubt that without a GTO, Road Runner, GTX, Firebird and the classic Hemi Cuda, just to name a few of the great cars that aren’t in the mix, we’ll never experience the golden era of muscle cars that dominated the scene in the ‘60’s into the early ‘70’s. However it is nice the have the trio of Mustang, Challenger and finally the Camaro, because I doubt very seriously that we’ll see any more go into production. The great thing about the new Camaro is that the final production car is very close to the 2006 concept car and that speaks volumes about the commitment that GM had to make this car an instant classic.

Al Oppenheiser, Chief Vehicle Engineer for the Camaro said it was one of the most challenging designs their die makers ever had to deal with. He was quoted as saying that it took 10 or 12 tries to get the stamping right on the rear quarter panels because the creasing is so aggressive. Boy did it ever pay off because it’s that aggressiveness that adds to the appeal of the car and puts it in a class by itself.

The 2010 Camaro has elements from the Zeta-I Holden platform but it has a shorter wheel base and is stiffer overall so it justifies the Zeta-II designation. It is bigger than the Mustang by a couple of inches in overall length and just a bit wider than the Challenger, the MoPar is actually bigger with the Camaro sitting some 3-inches lower and over 8-inches shorter. When you combine that with 20-inch wheels like my tester had and you have one seriously good looking muscle car.

As I said, the test RS car was the 24 valve Direct Injection 3.6-liter V6 with Variable Valve Timing that puts out 304 horsepower making the RS plenty fun to drive. With torque rated at 273 lb-ft there’s enough muscle to move the 3700lb car off the line without any problem at all. Available engines for the SS cars are the 400hp 6.2-liter L99 and certainly my engine of choice, the 426hp 6.2-liter LS3. Two transmissions are available, the 6L50 6-speed automatic for the V6 and a 6L80 automatic for the V8’s and the Tremec TR6060 6-speed manual. The test car cam with the automatic with paddle shifters that quite frankly aren’t needed in the RS although I’m sure some people will like them. EPA numbers are pretty impressive with the V6 rated at 18/29 and the V8’s rated at 16/25. My test car averaged just at 19mpg combined for the week I had the car with most of the 400 plus miles put on in town.

Up front you’ll find traditional struts but a big plus for the new Camaro is the independent multi-link rear suspension, first time on the Camaro. There are two chassis packages, the FE2 on the V6 and FE3 for the V8’s. Primary difference is in the brakes with single piston caliper and 12.6-inch rotors on the front and 12.4-inch on the rear and dual piston calipers with 14 and 14.4-inch rotors on the SS cars. That with bigger anti-roll bars and higher spring rates on the V8 cars accounts for the 200lb difference in the SS’s.

Once inside the Camaro it really is a step back in time and there is no doubt that you’re in a muscle car albeit with some futuristic touches with gauges on the center console in front of the shifter reminiscent of the ’69. The rectangular housing for the circular speedometer and tach are deep set but easy to read behind the three-spoke steering wheel and definitely take you back in time. This is an area that Chrysler missed completely with the Challenger. But the most impressive thing for me is the look over the hood. The windshield is short and the domed hood is long and clearly reminds me of my last Camaro. There’s no doubt that there’s a pretty serious blind spot due to a rather large C-pillar and small quarter windows so, but it’s easy to get used to.

Driving the Camaro was a lot of fun albeit rather staid because after all, it is a V6 and the truth is I miss the sound and torque of the big V8 so I’ll talk more about the driving experience of the Camaro after I get behind the wheel of the SS car. I will say that I really enjoyed my week in the RS and it got looks aplenty from people and I think GM will sell a lot of them. The ride is really nice and while there’s not doubt that the Camaro is a “straight line” car, it corners really well and handles the road like a pro. Even with the 20-inch wheel/tire combo the ride was smooth and supple which means cruising in the new Camaro will be a ton of fun. Pricing for the Camaro starts under $23,000 for the base LS and goes up to $33,500 for the 2SS car. My tester based at $26,500 and optioned out at just over $30,000.

The last very cool car I owned was a “69 Camaro with a very healthy 402 big block that I unfortunately had to sell some time back. I bring that up only to say that as cool as that car was, this new one will have no problem replacing my old in my garage one day.

So my guess is that Al Oppenheiser and the rest of the Camaro team are saying “game on” with regards to the pony car wars, and I’m inclined to agree. I’ve had the pleasure of driving the new Mustang GT, as well as the Challenger SRT8, and after my time in the RS Camaro, and as far as the SS car goes, I can promise you, the game is indeed on so stay tuned for more. Click here for more on the Camaro….