2010 Chevrolet Camaro, New and Vastly Improved!
When General Motors ended production of the Chevy Camaro coupe in 2002, rabid followers were clearly disappointed. The company soon found itself receiving a groundswell of feedback that the Camaro’s demise was a wrong move, with tens of thousands of people asking for the automaker to reconsider that move.
After several years of staying mum on the issue, GM announced in 2007 that the Camaro would, indeed, resume production. Beginning today, the automaker’s Brampton, Ontario assembly plant will begin production of the first batch of the iconic muscle car, ending a long wait for devotees.
Test Drive Just Weeks Away
My first test drive is still a few weeks away, so my account is based on seeing the car at two auto shows in Detroit and Los Angeles, conversing with GM officials who had a hand in the design of the car, and reviewing company documentation. I’ve learned that the Chevy Camaro is sold out for the next 4-6 months, but I’ve been promised a drive by my local dealership (Hendrick Chevrolet) when a test car arrives around the beginning of April.
Pricing for the base V6-powered Camaro LS will be $22,995 while the V8-powered Camaro SS will retail for $30,995. GM began taking orders for the car last October 13th, a full five months before production commenced.
Rear Wheel Driven Muscle Car
The Camaro is built on GM’s global rear wheel drive architecture and each engine is mated with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission which ensures optimum fuel efficiency and performance. Indeed, the latest version of the Camaro is some 20 to 25% more fuel efficient than the car last produced in 2002, but with no sacrifice of power. You can credit modern technology with helping the coupe exploit horsepower while consuming less gasoline and spitting out fewer pollutants.
Key features found in the car includes four-wheel disc brakes systems across the entire model line; six standard air bags, Bluetooth phone connectivity, remote vehicle starting system, four-wheel independent suspension, OnStar, XM Satellite Radio and more. Eight years is a long time between models which means a lot of the technological features included with the new Camaro didn’t exist when the last Camaro was built.
Variable Valve V6 Engine
Both the LS and LT models are powered by a 3.6L engine featuring variable timing, an engineering design which optimizes performance and fuel efficiency. Nevertheless, this engine will attain 300 horsepower and 273 lb.-feet of torque while still managing to get 27 mpg on the highway.
A high performance Camaro SS with a burly 6.2L V8 is also available, an engine which attains 422 horsepower and 408 lb.-feet of torque. That motor is based on the LS3, a slightly detuned version of the powerplant that can be found under the hood of select Corvette models.
Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang and the Chevy Camaro
Now that the Camaro is back, I’m looking forward to seeing my first Camaro-Challenger-Mustang slap down, a battle between three muscle cars that hearken to another era but embody the technological achievements of the 21st century.
Its the 1970s all over again…I feel as if I’m 18!
[...] to Google Latest Content 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, New and Vastly Improved! – 3 hours ago When General Motors ended production of the Chevy Camaro coupe in 2002, rabid [...]
[...] Big Drops I rarely hit 300 drops on any given day at least with any one of the four sites I manage. Instead, through the Entrecard toolbar — a useful and nifty tool — I hit up everyone in my inbox and then I go after a bunch of blogs that I have favored. You can’t expect to get 300 done in a day on most days, but making a good effort to reciprocate droppers will certainly help your cause. 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, New and Vastly Improved! [...]
How will the car production be effected with GM filing for bankruptcy. I’m amazed that there is a 4-6 month backlog of orders considering the company seems on the brink of collapse, or is that just media hype. Wonder if the car is featured as the new body for bumblebee in the transformer 2 movie due for release this summer. Would be a great advert for the car.