In the words of the great Babe Ruth (at least the one portrayed in the classic movie “The Sandlot), “heroes get remembered but legends never die.” Hybrid-electric vehicles and small, fuel-efficient cars are currently looked at as hero cars that will eventually save Earth, but the American passion for cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro is proof that these legends will never die off. After an eight-year hiatus, the Chevrolet Camaro is back for 2010 and ready to take on its rivals – old and new.
In base form, the Chevy Camaro has much more competition than it saw back in 2002 including as the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, but the V-8-powered SS model that I recently reviewed still only has two main rivals in terms of pricing and performance: the Ford Mustang GT and the Dodge Challenger SRT8. The 2010 Camaro is available in five trim levels (LS, 1LT, 2LT, 1SS and 2SS) with a rather affordable starting MSRP of $22,680, but the top-of-the-line 2SS I drove added the optional RS trim package and an as-tested price of $36,320. With the windows down and XM channel 23 (aka Hair Nation) blaring on the radio, my weeklong road test and review of Chevy’s legendary Camaro was met with plenty of thumbs up and smiles from car fanatics of all ages ranging from those who remember its original launch to those who are still playing with the Matchbox versions.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Exterior
Side by side with the first-generation Camaro,
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it’s easy to see that the designers did a great job of using the original car as inspiration rather than a mold for the fifth-generation model. All of the classic lines are there, but with a modern spin to give the new car a distinctive shape. The best parts of the new Camaro are the aggressive front end with the sunk in grille and headlamps as well as the stylish rear haunches that are almost a dead ringer for the original car. Like the new Challenger and the Mustang designs, telling the Camaro SS apart from the lesser trim levels requires a sharp eye which hearkens back to the muscle car era where there was almost no way to tell if you were lined up against a six-cylinder model or a V-8-powered sleeper. The easiest way to tell the Camaro SS apart from the V-6 models is to look for the thin air intake above the front grille.
To give this test car an even more menacing look, it was equipped with the optional ($1,200) RS Package. Similar to the first-generation Camaro, the RS package is mainly noticeable by looking at the headlamps, but it also includes the staggered width, 20-inch, five-spoke aluminum wheels. While the 1967-69 Camaro RS featured hidden headlamps, the 2010 Camaro with the RS package receives high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps with a stylish parking light halo ring. These headlamps are very similar to what were used on the 2006 Camaro Concept. While the Challenger and Mustang are offering a wide variety of exterior colors that pay homage to classic colors such as the Mustang’s Grabber Blue and the Challenger’s Plum Crazy, the Camaro uses colors to accent its modern design including this car’s optional ($325) Red Jewel Tintcoat. Somewhere between orange and red with plenty of pearl factored in, this color was labeled “tomato bisque red” by one interested observer.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Interior
As adored as the new Camaro’s exterior styling has been, the interior has taken its fair share of criticisms for its lack of interior space, but I was still able to fit two adults in the back seat comfortably. The one area that the Camaro’s interior is definitely lacking is when it comes to headroom, and I was actually surprised to learn that the Camaro has less headroom than a Honda Civic Coupe despite having more interior volume than the larger and heavier Challenger. The only time the headroom issue really comes into play is upon ingress and egress, but after a couple days, you learn how to duck in without hitting your head. In terms of comfort, the driver is afforded plenty of comfort with great touch points and comfortable seats, but the rest of the interior is lined with flimsy plastics. Despite the downfalls inside, the Chevy Camaro still delivers a stylish and practical interior with a look that is almost as eye-catching as the exterior.
Many aspects of the cabin are reminiscent to the first-gen Camaro, but the deep, three-spoke steering wheel and lower auxiliary gauges really give this interior its classic styling and plenty of attitude. In the 2SS trim level, the Camaro comes standard with just about every interior option available including heated front seats, leather seats and steering wheel, Bluetooth connectivity and a Whitesnake-jamming premium audio system. One notable exception to available interior features is that the Camaro, like the Chevrolet Malibu, does not offer an in-dash navigation system. Route guidance from OnStar can be displayed on the center display screen on the instrument gauge cluster, but no finding POIs or entering an address manually are not available.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Performance & Handling
The Camaro actually features two different versions of GM’s 6.2-liter V-8 under the hood, and thankfully this test model was equipped with the more powerful LS3 variant that produces 426 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. As for the L99 engine available on models with automatic transmissions, its output is limited to 400 hp and 410 lb-ft, but it does feature GM’s Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation system and slightly better highway fuel economy. When it comes to manual transmissions, the one used in the Camaro SS could be one of the most well-balanced on the market when it comes to delivering racecar like performance while still offering everyday driveability. Equipped with the manual transmission, the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS gets EPA fuel economy estimates of 16 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.
I was lucky enough to have access to an original 1968 Chevy Camaro SS during my time with the 2010 model, and it’s simply amazing how much things have changed over the last 43 years. While nobody can doubt the performance of the original Camaro, the new car is much more refined and much faster. Built on the same Zeta platform as the 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 and the 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO, it is also a better handling car with four-wheel independent suspension.
Despite living up to the performance of the past four generations of Chevy Camaro, the newest model offers a comfortable ride with refined levels of NVH that are very apparent after spending a week in the driver’s seat. In normal driving situations, the Chevy Camaro provides a smooth, comfortable ride, but how could anybody not want to drive this car at 11/10ths all of the time? For these people, Chevy gave the Camaro SS standard Brembo performance brakes with four-piston front and rear calipers and a Competition mode through the standard StabiliTrak system. This mix between comfort and performance is one of the best qualities about the all-new Camaro because it can just as easily be a daily driver as it can be a weekend track toy.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Safety
Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2010 Chevy Camaro top marks in side-impact and rollover protection with five-star ratings, frontal-impact only resulted in four-star ratings for both the driver and front passenger. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has yet to test the 2010 Camaro. Standard safety features for all 2010 Chevrolet Camaro models include six airbags, daytime running lights, four-wheel anti-lock disc brake system, tire pressure monitoring system, traction control, StabiliTrak stability control system and, of course, GM’s OnStar system the features Crash Response, Stolen Vehicle Assistance and Remote Door Unlock.
Summary
The love of cars is all about emotion and excitement, and the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS exudes plenty of both. From its design that puts a modern spin on the classic lines to the powerful V-8 engine and rear-wheel drive layout, it is easy to see why the Chevy Camaro has been steadily outselling its main rival, the Ford Mustang. Just like the original muscle car wars, though, the Camaro’s position at the top of the pack won’t go unchallenged as Ford has come storming back in 2011 with added muscle to the Mustang including the rebirth of the 5.0-liter V-8 engine. For fans of fast, affordable performance cars, times couldn’t be any better.
