Photo: EPA
Reinvented from the ground up for the sixth-generation, the Chevrolet Camaro is more athletic than it has ever been. Especially in ZL1 flavor, the Camaro is a world-class performance vehicle with plenty of go-faster bits and bobs to its name.
The belly of the beast, however, is the trick to how the Camaro ZL1 rolls in this dog-eat-dog world. 6.2 liters, eight cylinders, plus a thumping great supercharger equal 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. When coupled to the optional 10-speed automatic transmission, those numbers translate to a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.5 seconds. No wonder, then, why Chevrolet priced the Camaro ZL1 from $61,140 excluding destination tax.
The thing is, high performance is not synonymous with fuel economy. Hence, the Environmental Protection Agency rated the Camaro ZL1 16 mpg combined (14 mpg city, 20 mpg highway). The figures apply to the manual-equipped model. The automatic, believe it or not, fares worse: 15 mpg combined (12 mpg city and 20 mpg highway). Yup, the LT4 sure is thirsty.
Drinking fuel at a rate of 6.7 gallons per 100 miles isn’t exactly great, but then again, bear in mind that things can go much worse than this. Take the 2017 Ford GT as a prime example of what I’m on about. 3.5 liters, six cylinders, two turbochargers, and less weight than the Camaro ZL1. And the result of Ford’s EcoBoost this and carbon fiber that? It was rated 14 mpg combined (11 mpg city, 18 mpg highway), which is worse than the original 2005 Ford GT.
Comparing the GT with the ZL1, however, is like bringing a knife to a gun fight. Those two are worlds apart and, considering what Ford promises from the GT regarding performance, the gas-guzzling aspect doesn’t even matter. Much the same applies to the almighty ZL1, which is the most powerful iteration of the Camaro. Sure there’s a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 variant in the pipeline, but that one’s all about handling, not power like the ZL1.
The thing is, high performance is not synonymous with fuel economy. Hence, the Environmental Protection Agency rated the Camaro ZL1 16 mpg combined (14 mpg city, 20 mpg highway). The figures apply to the manual-equipped model. The automatic, believe it or not, fares worse: 15 mpg combined (12 mpg city and 20 mpg highway). Yup, the LT4 sure is thirsty.
Drinking fuel at a rate of 6.7 gallons per 100 miles isn’t exactly great, but then again, bear in mind that things can go much worse than this. Take the 2017 Ford GT as a prime example of what I’m on about. 3.5 liters, six cylinders, two turbochargers, and less weight than the Camaro ZL1. And the result of Ford’s EcoBoost this and carbon fiber that? It was rated 14 mpg combined (11 mpg city, 18 mpg highway), which is worse than the original 2005 Ford GT.
Comparing the GT with the ZL1, however, is like bringing a knife to a gun fight. Those two are worlds apart and, considering what Ford promises from the GT regarding performance, the gas-guzzling aspect doesn’t even matter. Much the same applies to the almighty ZL1, which is the most powerful iteration of the Camaro. Sure there’s a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 variant in the pipeline, but that one’s all about handling, not power like the ZL1.
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