From 1966 to the present day, minus the 2002 to 2009 timeframe, the Camaro acted as the golden bowtie’s affordable sports car. In a way, the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro is like a rock band’s make-or-break second album and even-harder-to-record third album. But did GM pull a Led Zeppelin II with the Gen Six?
Opinions are divided on this subject. A handful of fifth-gen Camaro owners are booing and hissing about the too modernized exterior design or the electronic parking brake. Others claim that a 275 horsepower 2-liter turbo-four is blasphemy. Regarding the latter point of view, who can forget the Iron Duke Pontiac engine that powered the 1982 to 1984 Camaro?
The so-called Malaise Era (1973 - 1983) was the decade that saw most American carmakers give up, with all the Big Three offering staunch apologies for their mistakes. Then again, the four-cylinder pony car genre kickstarted back to life thanks to the Blue Oval’s 2.3-liter EcoBoost mill. But whereas this motor is the mid-range entry in the S550 engine lineup, the 2-liter LTG of the sixth-gen Camaro acts as the base powerplant.
We’re looking forward to driving one because of two things: “more than 30 mpg” (7.8 l/100 km) highway and a 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) stint well under the 6-second mark. Our 2016 Camaro coverage also includes a POV onboard lap with the 335 horsepower LGX V6 (that sounds rad when you give it no quarter), but today we want to highlight what GM CEO Mary Barra thinks about the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro.
After somebody tells that guy to lay off the hair gel, we find that the nameplate went over the years “from muscle performance to true performance.” I’m not completely sure what’s that supposed to mean, but Barra continues by noting: “I think when people get a chance to drive this car, they’ll see we’ve taken it to the next level. I am so proud.” Considering that the SS swapped the LS3 with the LT1 V8 of the C7 Corvette and the Camaro shed over 200 lbs (90.7 kg) over the fifth generation, this argument holds water.
As a brief reminder, Camaro production will move to Lansing when the sixth-gen begins production later this year. Early in 2016, the rumor mill hints that deliveries will start for the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible.
Editor's note: the General Motors CEO is the owner of a fifth-gen Chevrolet Camaro SS. 'Nuff said.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News