A Closer Look - 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 7:07PM ;)
Redder than the October Revolution.And there she was, sitting in the parking lot glowing like a sunburned lobster. Actually, the color’s called “Victory Red,” but hot damn, it’s bright enough to singe your retinas and attract law enforcement like a Krispy Kreme convention.
On the street, the new Camaro gets its share of looks, but not as many as you’d expect for a jaunty new performance car. Faithful to the concept from a few years ago, the production version sports the same menacing scowl and child-bearing haunches.
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Putting the "NO" in ergonomics.Moving inside, everyone that’s reviewed the reborn Camaro has carped about its hard-plastic interior. I won’t echo their scorn in this write-up. Yeah, soft stuff would be nice, but the texture is decent-looking and it’s not blatantly chintzy, so it gets a passing grade from me. Also, the fit and finish is surprisingly good. Another thing worth mentioning about the interior is outward visibility. The sightlines are terrible through its mail-slot windows. Don’t bother checking your blind spot on the driver’s side, all you get is a face full of B-pillar. Thankfully, the view of the outside world is not a reason one buys a ponycar.
From the captain’s seat the car feels big - long like a line at the Apple Store and wide like a ship that can't fit through the Panama Canal. Blame it on the Helen Keller visibility I suppose. Besides a feeling of great girth, the cockipt is also home to a couple ergonomic snafus. The two biggest touch points inside the car – the steering wheel and shifter – are usability disasters. First up, the tiller is awkwardly shaped; it just doesn’t fit your paws. Lemme’ explain; imagine looking at a cross-section of the rim. If you cut a chunk out of a normal steering wheel – or a bratwurst – you end up with a circle. Do the same with the Camaro and you end up with something oval or egg-shaped, which is fine, but the angle it’s positioned at makes it hard to get a firm grip on.
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Get a grip . . . if you're lucky.
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Where's the sausage gravy?!As for the shifter, I have no complaints about how it works. It never gets lost in the gate and it’s nicely weighted (she likes it rough, but not enough to leave bruises). The problem is the “knob” (yes, that’s in “quotes”). The reason I say “knob” is because it’s not. Instead drawing inspiration from any other car ever made, GM reverse engineered a biscuit … literally. It’s spherical, but flat on opposite sides, which makes it difficult to grab on to. Honestly, how hard is it to design a shift knob? No worries though, the aftermarket will certainly come out with nicer-looking and more-useful replacements.
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In the mechanical department SS models – like my test car – are powered by a 6.2-liter V-8. On paper, Chevy’s venerable small block delivers a stampede of power – 426 horses. In practice, the engine’s willing, but not particularly torquey. It needs at least 4,000 revs on the clock before it really starts pulling. That being said, don’t think for a second the car’s slow. It’s powerful enough to drop-kick you to the horizon, and it can decorate your favorite patch of pavement with black stripes for as long as the tires hold air.
Overall, the new Camaro reminds me a lot of the 2005 through 2009 Mustang. It’s fast, fun and a little crude. But its sinister looks and all-out performance make up for most of its shortcomings. Plus, given GM’s post-bankruptcy focus, I have no doubt the next generation of the car will correct this one’s short list faults.
– Craig
Photos: Ben Sanders
Reader Comments (1)
Excellent work, Craig. I say it's better than the Transit review. Not that there was a thing wrong with that. Your phrasing was in (Optimus) prime form. The line "GM reverse engineered a biscuit" deserves an award of some kind. I'll have to get on that.