2010 Chevy Camaro Test Drive

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August 26, 2008
2010 Chevy Camaro Test Drive: Prototype Sports V6 Economy With V8-Style Fun

SAN DIEGO — "Please keep in mind these are prototype vehicles not representative of final build quality or tuning." That's the line we get every time we drive an early test car of an upcoming model. And for good reason: Prototypes are usually rough, cobbled together mules with rattling interiors and powertrains that make noises that are, well, not exactly good noises.

But we got no such speech yesterday from the Chevy guys.

Instead, we were tossed the keys to a pair of 2010 Camaro prototypes—and simply told to go drive them. It seems Chevy is mighty confident about these early Camaros. And after three hours driving the twins on some of the twistiest, most aggressive roads in San Diego County we discovered Chevy has good reason for this confidence. Rest assured, Camaro fans, this is going to be a very good car.
— Ben Stewart

The Specs

The Camaro is based on GM's global rear-drive architecture, referred to as "Zeta." That's the same one Pontiac uses for the new G8 sport sedan and upcoming pickup, the Pontiac ST. The lead development for all vehicles riding on this chassis is GM's Australian Holden subsidiary in Melbourne. It engineers not only the Zeta-based vehicles for the U.S. and Australia, but also works on models for markets like China and even Saudi Arabia.

For Camaro duty, Engineering Program Manager Anthony McCormack tells us the front wheels were pulled forward 3 in. and the rear wheels ahead by 5 in. to give the Camaro proper ponycar proportions. The final wheelbase sits at 112.3 in., 2.5 in. shorter than the G8.

But the Camaro isn't merely a shortened G8 with new sheetmetal. In order to maintain a low hoodline that apes the original Camaros of the 1960s, and fit the mammoth tires that come on RS and SS models, McCormack says much work was done on the front suspension. The front struts were given efficient mounting systems to allow maximum wheel travel in the least amount of space.

The rear independent suspension is mostly carryover from the G8, but with unique tuning and gearing in the rear axle. All Camaros use an 8.5-in. rear differential except the V6 automatic cars. They get a smaller, lighter unit.

Both prototype Camaros we sampled were equipped with GM's 3.6-liter direct-injected V6 engine. That's the same motor Cadillac uses in the new CTS. Here, the company tells us, it will make "over 300 hp." Final horsepower numbers for both the V6 and V8 Camaro will be released later this year. But as we reported earlier, the automatic V8 cars should hit around 400 hp, and the six-speed manual car around 422 hp.

The vehicles we drove were both what GM calls Integration Vehicle Engineering Release (IVER) vehicles. Chevy has built approximately 100 of these, and many were constructed to test specific paradigms—solely for crash testing, ride and handling, or powertrain. But our black automatic Camaro and zebra-striped six-speed manual cars were basically the valedictorians of this class. They were built in Australia (production Camaros will be built in GM's former truck plant in Oshawa, Ontario) and singled out as "Golden Cars" by the test engineers. Throughout the entire development process, these have been updated and refined all the way through as the latest-spec components became available. In other words, at the time we drove them, these cars were about as good as it gets.

Other than transmissions and tires, the two cars were identical in spec. The black one was equipped with the 6L50E six-speed automatic transmission and base-level P245/55R18 tires. The zebra-striped unit was packing the Aisin Warner six-speed manual and larger P245/50R19s.

Inside, these Camaros really did look like prototypes. The dash plastics were smooth and unfinished. The center console had cupholders that were too shallow. And there was a big wad of electrical tape securing a tweeter to the bottom of the A-pillar. The radio itself was covered in clear plastic—so no tunes for us. We did learn one interesting tidbit about the interior that has been updated recently. The optional console mount gauges on Camaros we've seen before have included a "torque meter." This, we thought, was an odd choice for this valuable real estate. Well, apparently the engineers thought so too. Both prototypes had transmission temperature gauges in place of the torque meter. McCormack says the torque meter is history.

The Drive

Get past the design of the Camaro, and the first thing you'll notice is the exhaust note. We've driven the Cadillac CTS with this same engine, and it has never sounded, well, sporty. McCormack says the sound of the exhaust was a major priority. The engineers have gone through so many muffler iterations, he can't count them all. The sound they've come up with (and we hope the one they stay with) is most reminiscent of a Nissan or Infiniti V6. McCormack says it reminds him of the Nissan 350Z. And that's about right. It sounds like a performance engine the moment you tip your toe into the gas pedal. That's certainly not true of the V6 Mustang.

The V6's thrust feels just like the aforementioned CTS, perhaps even stronger. Chevy claims V6 Camaros will hit 60 mph in about 6 seconds flat. From the driver's seat, it's a satisfying rush. The V6 pulls strongly to the 7000 rpm redline and, yes, the manual car will do a nice smoky burnout and even barely chirp second gear.

The view through the windshield is 1960s cool. Unlike many cars today, the driving position of the Camaro does not mimic an SUV. In fact GM lowered the seat high over other Zeta vehicles to provide a more cocoon-like experience. It works. The gauges are just below eye level. Raise your sightline slightly and you get an eyeful of hood scoop. It's the subtleties that make this car feel right.

One would expect a V6 Camaro to have a reasonably comfortable ride. And it does. All V6 models come with an "FE2" grade suspension. That means more compliant springs and dampers and less aggressive sway bars than the FE3 tune that V8 SS cars will wear. The prototypes were very quiet at freeway speeds. The ride over these three freeways of varying surfaces was so cushy that we were predicting limited handling potential. Wrong.

On the tight and twisty roads outside of town, the Camaro showed incredible poise. We hammered both prototypes hard into every corner and they felt tight, near production quality. Both sets of all-season tires returned excellent grip, and we rarely got a peep from the stability-control system. The soft suspension seems to firm up for back-road hustling. There is body roll, but it helps you get a sense of the chassis limits, which are surprisingly high. Once you do hit those limits, it's progressive oversteer that seems easy to catch. The entire experience makes you want to push the Camaro harder—it's fun. The brakes too, which are 12.64-in. front and 12.4-in. rear (not the special 14-in. Brembos on the V8 cars) were surprisingly powerful. After many hard downhill canyon runs, we smelled the brake linings, but noticed no fade. The steering is quick and has decent feedback too. Maybe a bit too much feedback. On some of the rougher patches of road, with the suspension loaded up for a corner, the steering wheel dances around in your hand. Maybe that tendency will be addressed before production.

The Bottom Line

The V6 Camaro provides a glimpse into our performance future. Yes, it's easy to dismiss any Camaro that's not packing the grunt of a small-block V8. And no, this car won't smoke your buddy's SRT8 Challenger. But it does prove that a trim Camaro that gets around 26 mpg on the highway can be quite a lot of fun.

But what of future powertrains? At the more economical end of the spectrum, McCormack didn't rule out the use of GM's Two-Mode hybrid system. We suggested the new 4.5-liter truck diesel, and he flatly stated that this engine wasn't appropriate for the Camaro. He did indicate, however, that the 2.9-liter V6 in the European CTS could be under consideration.

At the other end of the spectrum, he confirmed that no test mule he'd seen had been equipped with the ZR1's massively powerful LS9 V8. The Z06's 505-hp 7.0-liter LS7 engine already has a spot atop the Australian home market in the Holden Commodore sedan. Could an LS7 power a reincarnation of the ZL1 Camaro? Let's hope so.