Chevrolet Camaro: Pure American, Enjoyable By Europeans.
CHEVROLET CAMARO
CHEVY, THE BEAUTIFUL
Words by Max Gonzaga
For many of us, it all comes down to a specific vision of things. White or black, on or off, loud or soft, Camaro or Mustang. The rivalry between the two American pony cars continues uninterrupted and we like to believe that the future still holds many years of fight between the two factions – but which side are you on? Let’s face it, if you are favorably aligned with one of the two, you will be hardly interested in listening to the merits and respective improvements of the bitter rival, but at the dawn of 2019 many things have changed and while my colleagues are bringing to an end the tire set at their disposal on “their” Mustang GT Convertible (of which you will find an in-depth review right here next month), I remained faithful to the poster I had in my room years ago, when I still had all my hair on my head.
The Camaro is the eternal answer by Chevrolet, the less “hero car” of the two we could claim, not snubbed by Hollywood, but always seen as an antagonist and almost never as a protagonist. But this, at least for the moment, does not want to be a constant comparison between these two, because in the end they both are coupes with a big V8 under the bonnet, so many ignorant horses and a bit more attention towards European customers which inevitably cannot be neglected. Just like the ‘Stang, the Camaro has a younger sister driven by a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine capable of delivering 275 horsepower. Available only with automatic transmission, it is still able to push it from 0 to 100 per hour in 5.9 seconds (6.1 for the convertible version), with a top speed of 240 per hour. Not bad, taking into account a better fuel consumption and running costs that are much better suited to the expensive petrol price of the old continent, but after all, when you think of the stars and stripes flag, a series of stereotypes immediately come to mind and according to automotive, the roar of a masculine V8 will always prevail.
Unlike the turbo version, the 8-cylinder Camaro can be equipped with an automatic or a manual gearbox (the latter is a 6-speed, the automatic has 8 gears), while under the long and muscular bonnet a huge 6.2cc 453 horses and 617 Nm of torque tries to hide itself. In Yankee language, it means that by pounding hard on the throttle you will be able to blend into a cloud of smoke and finish the rear tires before moving a meter forward. The roar of the engine is able to cut through the air, but don’t think it all ends here, because the Camaro knows how to move really well even between corners. Surprise! Yes, there’s a bit of weight – at least 1,734 kg – its dimensions do not suggest the opposite, but if you do not exaggerate forgetting traction controls, you will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in 4 and a half seconds and even reach 290 per hour (the cabrio stops at 250). What happens in between represents the right amount of fun you’d expect, where performance is certainly not the pure essence of the Chevy, but driving involvement is at hand, regardless if you cruise gentle or push hard its favorite strings.
You obviously ffel the weight moving under you, feel the changes of direction and you are certainly not encouraged to jump off some narrow mountain pass, the Camaro is a coupe for more generous roads, suitable for long journeys but still able to abandon common sense and shoot a few corners as God commands, after all you are aware of not expecting the handling of a Porsche 911. The line has been updated and made softer and more refined than the previous generation, with a high beltline and numerous bumps that make the nose massive and aggressive, the sides more sinuous and the tail in perfect harmony with the fixed spoiler above the trunk and the two pairs of exhausts. The cockpit is comfortable, equipped with an 8-inch display through which to manage connectivity and the multimedia system, while the plastics all around are rigid and some buttons are too small. The steering wheel, fat as we imagined it before getting on board, clashes a bit with the sporting character of the car, but it is precise, which is more important than a pure aesthetic argument. In front of the driver there is a pretty busy instrument panel with a plethora of analogue indicators (6), with a small digital screen in the middle, which requires a bit of habit before allowing us to focus our eyes on the right spot at the first shot.
Once at the wheel the Camaro will be able to do exactly what you ask and that’s the beauty of things. The moment you are aware of what you are looking at, there will be no room to criticize cheap materials or a behavior that is certainly not that of a purebred stallion. It is a driving experience that has compromises, but this does not turn out to be less fun than many others. When you raise the tachometer towards the red line and the scream of the eight-cylinder invades the cockpit, everything you want will be right there at your fingertips. This is what these big, fat, and noisy American girls have. Add a price tag starting at just over € 50,000 (something less for the 2-liter turbo) and you’ll end with a piece of U.S.A. in the garage, a non-aging creature because it basically never stops playing. Camaro or Mustang, it doesn’t matter, it’s a matter of taste, but to get to here you first have to ask yourself if you want to let the child in you to take the lead. If so, choose which side to take – in any case you will have fun.
CHEVROLET CAMARO V8
Layout – front-engined, rear wheel drive
Engine – V8 cylinder 6.162cc
Transmission – 8-speed automatic gearbox
Power – 453 hp @ 5.700 rpm
617 Nm @ 4.600 rpm
Weight – 1.734 kg
Acceleration – 4,6 sec.
Top Speed – 290 kph
Price – from € 52.810