2010-2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS

Pros :
- Excellent retro styling.
- Very good handling.
- Insanely powerful V8 engine.
- Fairly comfortable ride.
- Affordable base price.

Cons :
- Poor gas mileage in the city.
- Limited rearward visibility.
- Limited rear legroom.
- Retarded dashboard design.
- Somewhat stiff manual gearbox setup.

Interior :

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Press Coverage :
The wait is over. After a seven-year hiatus, the new Chevrolet Camaro is now back in dealer showrooms. Combining great looks, performance and advanced technology, the 2010 Camaro honors its heritage while delivering on customer expectations of a sports coupe for the 21st century.
Built on the new global rear-wheel-drive passenger car platform, Camaro embodies GM's global vehicle development and design process. The original design concept was conceived in the United States, with engineering shared by both Australia and U.S. teams. Validation was conducted on roads throughout the world and assembly is handled by GM's award-winning plant in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
The long hood and short deck are pushed to the far corners of the muscular fender forms and a fast, 67-degree rake windshield contributes to aerodynamic performance that includes a 0.37 coefficient of drag (Cd) on V-6 models and a slightly sleeker 0.35 Cd on the V-8-powered SS model.
Wheel arch openings received special attention through the design process. Whether the Camaro is equipped with the standard 18-inch, or optional 19-inch or 20-inch wheels, the relationship of the top of the tire and bottom of the fender is consistent on all models. All models also feature the classic "V" design motif in the nose, along with a 2.5-inch (63.5 mm) power dome in the aluminum hood, reminiscent of high-performance Camaro models. On SS models, a simulated air intake is located in the upper front fascia and the lower air intake is larger.
An RS appearance package is available on LT and SS. It includes HID headlamps with integrated halo rings, a rear spoiler on LT, specific taillamps and 20-inch wheels with a Midnight Silver finish.
Inside the four-passenger cabin, a well-executed balance of heritage, modern design and attention to detail conveys simplicity and refinement with contemporary details in the cluster, switches, dials and lighting. An available ambient light package, for example, offers advanced LED light pipe technology, giving the cabin a distinctive glow.
Deep, recessed gauges, located in square housings outlined in chrome, give a nod to the classic Camaro interior. The instrument panel gauges include both speedometer and engine rpm, with a driver information center located between the large gauges – its readouts and features controlled via a stalk on the steering column. An optional, console-mounted gauge package includes oil pressure, oil temperature, volts and transmission fluid temperature. The gauge package is included on 2LT and 2SS models.
Cloth upholstery is standard and leather-appointed seats are included on 2LT and 2SS models. Four-way manual adjustment including fore/aft and up/down on the driver seat and two-way adjustment on the passenger seat is standard. Heated, leather-trimmed seats with driver six-way power adjustment are optional.
Both LT and SS standard cloth and available leather interior colors are black, gray and beige. The front seat travel is a generous 8.5 inches (216 mm) from front to back. On SS models, the seats feature a distinctive SS logo on the headrest with contrasting stitching. An Inferno Orange interior trim package also will be available with leather interiors.
All models include a three-spoke steering wheel with manual tilt/telescope adjustment. Cruise control and rear defog also are standard, while a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob; redundant steering wheel controls; Bluetooth and USB port are part of the available Driver Convenience and Connectivity package. Also included in the package is remote start on automatic transmission-equipped vehicles, as well as a personal device interface module for iPods. Soon after production begins, customers will be able to order a short-throw Hurst shifter that provides quick, concise shifting.
Camaro’s entertainment systems include a single-CD radio with six speakers that is standard on LS, LT and SS models. A premium, 245-watt Boston Acoustics nine-speaker audio system can be ordered on 1LT and SS models. XM Satellite Radio is standard on all models.
All models also include power door locks and express up and down driver and passenger window. Cargo capacity can be increased with the standard fold-down rear seat. The capacity of the trunk is 11.3 cubic feet.
The Camaro offers a comprehensive system of safety features - starting with a robust body structure and integral safety cage around the passenger compartment. High-strength steel and ultra high-strength steels are used in key areas throughout the structure. Safety technologies also include driver and front passenger dual-stage air bags, seat-mounted thorax side-impact air bags, curtain side-impact air bags for front- and rear-seat occupants, and a passenger detection system that senses children and small-stature adults, and suppresses air bag deployment when appropriate.
The performance-oriented Camaro SS offers a pair of 6.2L V8s, including one with Active Fuel Management that helps improve fuel economy by shutting down four cylinders during certain light-load driving conditions. That model delivers 25 mpg in EPA-rated highway fuel economy.
Camaro SS with an automatic is rated at 16 city and 25 highway; and 16 city/24 highway with the manual transmission. Notably, none of Camaro's models is subject to federal gas guzzler taxes.
All of Camaro's engines channel their power to a responsive chassis that features independent front and rear suspensions, large, four-wheel-disc brake systems with standard ABS and GM's StabiliTrak electronic stability control system.
Two 6.2L V8 engines are offered in the Camaro SS, including the new L99 on automatic-equipped vehicles and the LS3 on manual-equipped models. Both engines are derived from the LS3 that debuted on the 2008 Corvette.
The 6.2L engines also use a roller lifter-style camshaft with 5-percent greater intake-side valve lift than the Corvette's LS3. It manages airflow that is channeled through an acoustically tuned intake manifold with a composite design that reduces runner-to-runner variation. The throttle bore diameter is 90 mm.
Output on the L99 is lower than the LS3 because of a slighter lower compression ratio (10.4:1 vs. 10.7:1) and design features of the Active Fuel Management System. The L99 is paired exclusively with an automatic transmission. The SS models employ a full dual exhaust system, with two catalytic converters to reduce back pressure.
On SS models, the new Tremec TR 6060 six-speed manual is paired with the LS3. It is designed to handle the high torque characteristics of the engine, while providing shorter throws, smoother gear synchronization and greater overall shift feel with little or no vibration. Its specs include a solid 290 mm flywheel and single-plate clutch. The final drive ratio for LS3 vehicles is 3.45:1.
The highest-capacity automatic ever in a GM passenger car, the Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic, is matched with the L99 engine. Like the 6L50 transmission, it features driver shift control and PAS. The final drive ratio on all automatic-equipped Camaro models is 3.27:1.
General Motors Media

With the six-speed automatic, the Camaro SS can hit 60 mph in a scant 4.6 seconds, with the quarter-mile arriving in 13.1 at 109 mph. At 4.8 seconds, the Camaro with the six-speed manual takes 0.2 second longer to hit 60 but overtakes the automatic by the quarter-mile mark, clocking 13 seconds flat at 111 mph.
The shift and clutch actions of the six-speed manual transmission were amiable enough for an average commute, with the lower gears close enough to keep the engine in its—admittedly large—sweet spot much of the time. Longer hauls might wear on your left leg a bit, but the same can be said for the other muscle machines with which the Camaro competes.
We recognize, however, that the only way some customers are going to get a Camaro in their driveway is to specify the six-speed automatic, which comes with shift buttons behind the steering-wheel spokes. Chevy also added a sport automatic mode, selected by simply moving the gear lever down into the M position. Doing so raises the shift points higher (perhaps too high), holds gears for longer (perhaps too long), and forces downshifts to happen more abruptly and aggressively during deceleration. We found that driving in sport mode made for rather ungraceful jerking during a spirited mountain-road romp, so we preferred the predictability of shifting for ourselves using the wheel buttons, even if the shifts came after the usual manumatic delay. Our advice is to stick with the stick, if at all possible.
The Camaro SS packs a few surprises, however. The L99 and LS3 engines are both remarkably—and disappointingly—quiet, at least from inside the cabin (based on the shell-shocked looks on the faces of people we blew by, it appears that it’s plenty loud on the outside). For high-speed cruising, this is a good thing, as there is no shred of that exhausting boominess that can add misery to long-haul muscle-car motoring. But at the same time, we found ourselves wanting a bit more of an audible reminder that we were driving something with 426 freakin’ horses under the hood. Even at full tilt, the engine didn’t seem to have the trumpetlike blat of the Challenger R/T’s 5.7-liter, let alone the NASCAR-worthy howl of the 6.1-liter in the SRT8.
Other surprises include the eerily serene ride and the utter absence of wind noise. Particularly at freeway speeds, the Camaro’s Zeta roots pay dividends, with the suspension striking a brilliant balance between lively, grippy roadholding and wonderfully compliant damping. Meanwhile, the SS offers decent feedback through the steering wheel. You could cruise down Woodward all day in this thing and never feel beat up. Try that in a '69.
Also disappointing are the hard plastics that we had hoped were banished from GM interiors, but they’ve clearly found their way into the Camaro. Furthermore, the inset dashboard trim piece that was to be rendered—at least optionally—in a cool illuminated band of light-tube trickery has become a cloth insert. It looks good in a contrasting color, but it’s drab when it matches the rest of an all-black cabin. And finally, as great as the high-mounted “squircle-shaped” gauges and cool center stack look, the script is tiny and the buttons can be ergonomically challenging in operation.
But the Camaro is beguiling. It has a strong design and a strong heritage and delivers seriously strong acceleration. Especially given its aggressive pricing ($22,995 for the base V-6, $30,995 for the SS), it is likely to do well with its established fan base and should even earn a few more admirers in its new life. And not insignificantly, the EPA just gave it excellent fuel-economy ratings. Could it be better? Absolutely, but at least its deficiencies involve its interior detailing more than its dynamics. Besides, in these tumultuous, unpredictable times, we should celebrate the mere fact that cars like this are here at all. Welcome to the herd, little pony.
Car and Driver

The cockpit offers a similar marriage of homage and progress. If you're familiar with the Camaros of yore, you'll know right away what you're sitting in. The basic lines and shapes say "It's '69 all over again," including the quad gauge pack (standard on 2LT and 2SS models) at the front of the center console (a brilliant addition, design team). Yet of course modernity abounds as well. Standard features include XM Radio, an aux jack for MP3 players, steering-wheel-mounted cruise controls, a tilt/telescoping wheel, and turn-by-turn OnStar voice prompts (a nav screen is not offered). Options (or standard features, depending on model) include: Bluetooth, a USB port with full iPod integration, a leather-wrapped wheel and shift knob, six-way power driver's seat, heated leather seats, and a 245-watt, nine-speaker audio rig.
The FE3 suspension (on all SS models) receives stiffer springs and shocks, thicker anti-roll bars, a slightly lower ride height, and standard 20-in. Pirelli PZero summer rubber (the tires are staggered, with 245/45R20s up front and 275/40R20s at the rear). Also, every SS wears four-piston Brembo binders at each corner. Let me repeat that. Four giant four-piston Brembos. Standard.
Motor Trend

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History:
1998-2002 Chevrolet Camaro SS
5,700 cc / 325hp / 345 lb-ft / 3306 lbs / 0-60 mph 5.2 sec.