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April 10, 2009
Red 6-Speed Camaro SS in Manhattan
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
Driving a new red Camaro makes you a total rock star. People were stopping in their tracks, yelling at us, whistling, swerving their cars and trucks over toward us, giving us the thumbs up and generally acting like total idiots around this car. We literally could not go one block in Manhattan or Brooklyn without making some kind of scene.
We drove an SS with an automatic yesterday and I have to say I much prefer the 6 speed manual. The exhaust note seems louder and deeper and the car just seems to have more umph (and it does–422 hp vs. 400 hp on the automatic SS). But, I don’t like the clutch at all. Maybe our particular test car has been beat quite a bit (there was already a fair amount of rubber on the rear fenders from burn outs, and one of the wheels had some nasty curb rash) but the clutch just felt, well, weird. Kind of springy with a really awkward, non-linear engagement. Definitely took some getting used.
Continue reading after the jump!
Size-wise the car feels bigger than the Mustang and smaller than the Challenger. Handles better than the Challenger but not quite as sharp as the Mustang. The ride is great. We took it over some terrible pavement and the car soaked it all in.
You really sit way down in the car. Seats are super comfy. The dash seems high and pretty far away. Outward visibility kind of sucks. Worse than the Challenger even. That A-pillar is fat, the windshield is narrow and low, and there are some big blind spots. I much prefer the black cloth interior in this car to the deluxe two-tone leather we in the black auto car.
Anyway, I just wanted to get some quick first impressions down. Mike and I have to return the Camaro in a few hours, so we’re gonna go drive it around some more now and I’m gonna try to get some video for you guys. After we return the Camaro we’re going back to Queens to take Mike’s Daytona out (I haven’t seen that car in person yet so I’m stoked). Then I’m off to the airport. So stay tuned….
Comments
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442w3O
Apr 15, 2009 at 4:44 pm
“I think GM rushed this one just a little too much”
Huh?
You know how long this has been in the pipeline?
The Camaro, like the Mustang, will NEVER be Job 1 (sorry, Ford fans). Plastic bits are part of the charm.
lifeonacloud
Apr 15, 2009 at 8:06 am
People don’t even drive in Manhattan. It’s like 3 seconds, stop, 4 seconds, stop lol. I’d be scared. Suuuuuch a sexy car though.
JoE_PiTcH
Apr 13, 2009 at 6:47 am
Manhattan is the last place i would want to drive this
pttransamdriver
Apr 13, 2009 at 5:49 am
That car is BEAUTIFUL!!! I have to agree with those who don’t like the interior though, the designers need to try again on that.
beefyboy242
Apr 12, 2009 at 11:57 pm
its a great looking car, but I think GM rushed this one just a little too much. Some more work on the interior and it could be more of an all-around kind of car, like the charger is (a heavy, but family car that isn’t useful for much else) but have that on certain models. Maybe better visibility? do they want insurance to be a grand a month for 40 year-olds too?
DavidisaCult
Apr 12, 2009 at 9:45 pm
the car looks great on the outside but I think the inside leaves quite a bit to be desired. it looks like they just threw some cool looking gauges on an otherwise boring-looking dash, which matched the equally boring seats. I’d give the exterior a ten and the interior like a five.
___nes___
Apr 12, 2009 at 9:42 pm
OMG the tension here is big!!!
chadlovesmoney
Apr 12, 2009 at 8:41 pm
the camaro looks sweet, i don’t see why everybody is mad over anything. dodge and chevy have their own way of making cars. to me i think chevy is better but i drive a pt cruiser. every car,truck,or suv will have some type of problem idc if its a ferrari nothing last forever.i would rather take a corvette but thats just me. the camaro and challanger are both sweet ass cars. so is the mustang.come on people dont get mad and start being rude thats just childish. everyone likes their own brand of car. ford,chevy,dodge and all the others just have their own way of making cars. camaro’s rock!! and so do any other car
hunthunter123
Apr 12, 2009 at 7:42 pm
MMMMM SEXY ME WANT
sasisneros
Apr 12, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Southernguy, I stand corrected I looked at the same page, and for some reason I can’t see the whole picture and see all the links, but after checking into it I see what your talking about.
whtfocus77, your experience with Chevys is just that, your experience. Its about personal preference my family has owned all types of vehicles and from my experience Chevys just perform better.
I’ve owned my since I was 16 and its been in my family since ’76 and it has never left anyone of us stranded. Now when it comes to the Jeeps, Chryslers, and Dodges thats another thing, but as said before its each ones personal experiences that drives their pasion for each vehicle and their maker.
whtfocus77
Apr 12, 2009 at 2:39 pm
i know, im not hating on the camaro i love the design and i love how fast they made there stock v6, i just like dodge more cause of the experience my family has had with chevys….and i know the camaro can keep up with r/t, trust me the first thing i do when im on a computer is look at cars my homepage is cardomain.com.even when im stuck in traffic i pop my laptop out and see if theres anything new in the blog…and the gearheads i grew up with specialized in vws and mercedes because i grew up in germany. BUT now we specialize in anything that comes in are bay.
britne21
Apr 12, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Oh and talking about my accident… real mature.
britne21
Apr 12, 2009 at 1:47 pm
haha i agree. and my daddy didnt buy my car either. I bought my own thank you very much. =] im not mad, i actually could care less what you think. I would really like to know what “gearheads” you grew up around. Probally just dodge gearheads. I’m not a ” car discriminator”, I dont dislike dodge or any other company. I went and looked at a SRT8 challenger yesterday! Pretty sweet car. Why dont you just look up the facts and you will see for yourself that the v6 camaro could keep up with the challenger r/t. thats all i have to say.
SouthernGuy8503
Apr 12, 2009 at 1:35 pm
LILmike – dude take a chill pill, might want to talk to a theropist, the only point britni was making was that if the V6 camaro could almost beat the RT challenger then what do you think the SS camaro with 100 more HP would do, she wasn’t talking anything about gas mileage, she was just making the point that even the V6 camaro was almost as fast as the RT challenger, so read things better and comprehend them, then take a deep breath and call a theropist cause it looks like you have um issues, trust me im all for V8 and could care less for anything elss and if your gonna get an american muscle car then V8 is the only way to go, only reason they make V6 versions is to sell more, not everybody wants a V8 camaro, mustang, challenger or charger, also i could car eless for fuel economy since my truck with a 30 gets maybe 11 mpg in town and 13 on highway but thats prolly how i drive, so just call a theropist cause it looks like you need someone to talk to lol
whtfocus77
Apr 12, 2009 at 1:17 pm
your oviously mad, jumpin at everyone that disagrees with you….and it doesnt matter what car i drive i was born around gearheads, i dont think i know everything Im giving my opionion. i dont let my daddy buy me a big SUV so i feel like im a big boy…just cause im 17 you think your smarter im not the one that drove through an accident and killed my tires.
britne21
Apr 12, 2009 at 1:04 pm
LiLmikes19- we are not talking about the srt8 here…. we are talking about the r/t…. read a little.
britne21
Apr 12, 2009 at 12:59 pm
im not mad its just funny that a 17 year old who drives a ford focus thinks he knows everything… haha
SouthernGuy8503
Apr 12, 2009 at 12:27 pm
also your probably just thinking about the RS package you can add to any of the models, the RS package is strictly an appearance package, no preformance at all added just appearance
SouthernGuy8503
Apr 12, 2009 at 12:24 pm
sasisneros – your wrong, both SS models are 426 HP V8s, the other 3 models you can get are V6s, the LS 1LT and 2LT, then you have the 1SS and 2SS which both SSs have V8s, here look at the link and jsut roll the curser over the models on the left and it tells you
>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.chevrolet.com/allnewcamaro/#camaro=build-your-own
sasisneros
Apr 12, 2009 at 11:48 am
You guys all are talking about the V6 SS package, but the V8 SS2 package is the big boy, thats the Camaro you should’ve tested out!
whtfocus77
Apr 12, 2009 at 10:36 am
dont tell people to stfu when its a blog, a blog means people can express there opinions .and im a mopar fan, when a chevy fan says something negative about a mopar i like to jump right it and argue
drbos
Apr 12, 2009 at 10:22 am
looks like a rental…
95BlckFirebird
Apr 12, 2009 at 9:10 am
I hate the interior with a passion…they seriously need to redesign the inside. Other then that love the Camaro.
Cadee
Apr 12, 2009 at 7:34 am
Every ones hating in here. It’s a sexy ass car! The interior isn’t WOW! But it’s still damn sexy! It’s hard as fuhh. (Not as hard as my caddy tho. ;] ;] w000)
Kazan
Apr 12, 2009 at 6:34 am
Not a bad looking car. I’d have to say that the interior is a little weird. I don’t understand why the guages are so small and compact. A car like this should have a real cockpit style interior, like a late 80′s crx or 1982-1985 Porsche 944.
LiLmikes19
Apr 12, 2009 at 6:25 am
whats with all the idiots bitching about plastic and lack of chrome i mean damn its been like that since o i dk try 1980! hmmm almost thirty years now cars have been coming out with more plastic on them then a model car factory. and to the ones arguing about pass times and whos daddy’s car can beat whose, stfu both of you i find it hard to believe that a 6 banger camaro nearly beat an srt charger but even if it did there is still the point of WHY BUY A 6 BANGER? owning a muscle car is about V8 raw power str8 from the motor on pump gas. it shouldn’t be about buying a v6 and turbo or super charging it! thats not hot rodding thats tunning, if youre worried about doing that then go buy you a fucking nissan or a toyota, and don’t tell me its for gas mileage either because for one most v6 versions only get 2 or 3 miles better then there v8 cousins, and if you wanna go fast, THEN WHY WORRY ABOUT MILEAGE? i think people should have to be able to pass an iq test before getting behind the wheel..of any car really but especially fine muscle cars like this camaro. ps after 30 years lets try not to be surprised that new cars have tons PLASTIC!!!!
dAVMARR
Apr 11, 2009 at 11:01 pm
OK lets examine this dodge challenger stepchild camaro, is it just me or all the same bulky curves an accent lines there? All these new released vehicles are mock copy’s of one another along with the new impala! what happened to the unique design offered by the different brands and models?
CHROME: what is the point of putting chrome lining on the tail lights when there’s no other form of chrome trim located on the car?
PLASTIC: the grill black/gray plastic, bottom half of rear bumper is a plastic guard
WHEELS: again just makes it look like a stock base charger model that poor wanna be gangsters go an buy (lets not forget that hideous Chrysler 300!!!!)
HORSE POWER: who gives a damn, unless your one to go to the track an actually lay some rubber down! all one needs is a clean exhaust, maybe a turbo(less weight more power)and exterior modification to make it look aggresive an demanding!
but this is just my opinoin, everyone plz feel free to msg me with your opinoins!
thanks
Dave Marr
sasisneros
Apr 11, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Absolutly love this car, it is beautiful!!
Reminds me of a late 60s Camaro.
I just hope GM decides to produce the Z28
___nes___
Apr 11, 2009 at 9:49 pm
And so what if he’s white?
ReddHarlemX
Apr 11, 2009 at 9:26 pm
YAAAAAAYY i got his licens plate now i can report it stolen!!!!!! Jk but they should really edit that out lol
ReddHarlemX
Apr 11, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Not being Racist but i know a whit person owns it because it’s by canal street and thats where all the the chinatown and white people are at
whtfocus77
Apr 11, 2009 at 8:45 pm
hahahahah nes
___nes___
Apr 11, 2009 at 8:20 pm
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
whtfocus77
Apr 11, 2009 at 7:38 pm
why u getting mad shiitt chill, were all jus talkin…and u didnt say you were talking about times and where did you get those times from…and moparmaniac i didnt know that, i thought they mercedes worked on all the srt engines
britne21
Apr 11, 2009 at 5:36 pm
the whole idea is that its a v6 is close in times as a v8…. geez get a grip
Moparmaniac07
Apr 11, 2009 at 5:08 pm
whtfocus77,
The srt6 is mercedes because the crossfire is pretty much came from the mercedes parts bins, the rest of the srts are American
britne21
half a second isn’t that close in a drag race
Ed4ward1982
Apr 11, 2009 at 2:42 pm
where’s the chrome grille???
JohnnyVersion1
Apr 11, 2009 at 1:36 pm
That is one hell of a car. I am really glad Chevy, after years of nonsense with ruining the Camaro came back and got it right. Two thumbs up!
fixdaserver
Apr 11, 2009 at 12:49 pm
i’m a chevy guy but the new mopar looks so much better. also, i gotta have a V8. maybe it looks better in person but all that plastic, esshhhhh – looks like it was made by Fisher-Price.
britne21
Apr 11, 2009 at 12:30 pm
wtfocus- im not talking about engine im taking about times here. Camaro v6: ran a 14.5
Challenger r/t: ran a 14.1
is .4 seconds close enough for ya?
vr6tgsx
Apr 11, 2009 at 11:30 am
that is one gorgeous car!
Vuurwa
Apr 11, 2009 at 9:36 am
Very very nice!…although i think the new Mustang has a nicer shape!!…
Richter-Scale
Apr 11, 2009 at 9:02 am
Made right down the street from my house, been seeing them out for afew months now! Nice Car, still wonder how well it will sell though.
mefast
Apr 11, 2009 at 8:09 am
I’ve see tonnes of them around as of late. Helps that they’re made down the road here in Oshawa. I went by the plant yesterday and all you could see where rows upon rows of them. The cars are made and the trains were there getting ready to ship them out.
Everyone who ordered one enjoy because they’re on the way!
Katakuna
Apr 11, 2009 at 7:36 am
It feels more power and sounds better because it’s got a different engine.
See, I can be obvious, too.
Allimport247
Apr 11, 2009 at 7:35 am
Wow, blk on blk is the way i would go on that, i like the way it looks…a real mans car
Manitoba23
Apr 11, 2009 at 6:25 am
From the first couple of concept cars I definetly wanted one, but this final prodect, I don’t know. I agree with everyone here that they definetly needed to spend more time on the interior. The holden G8 Might be a purchase instead of the camaro. although the camaro has much nicer curb appeal.
michaeldaca
Apr 11, 2009 at 6:00 am
DON’T GET ME WRONG…i do like the new camaro, but it no means should it be considered as a car that was brought back from the past. i like the challenger because it actually looks like it once did – a beefy muscle car. the “new” camaro isnt at all retro. GM just designed this awsome looking car and slapped the name camaro on it. i dont know why people compare the challenger and the camaro becuse they are a completely different class.
J-DUBS15
Apr 11, 2009 at 5:25 am
i think the camaro is amazing and everyone that worked on it and brought it back to the market are guinesses. but for those people bitching about the v6 you can get a 400 hp all aluminum L99 v8 that gets 25 miles per gallon. and the camaro avoids the 1,700 gas guzzler tax per year that you have to pay with the challanger. its starting price is 11,500 less then the challanger. and the v6 is named one of the 10 best engines in the world. it produces 304 hp 3 less hp then the mustang v8! and saying that they cut cornors is absurd look how long they took producing this car how many years they took perfecting it.
whtfocus77
Apr 10, 2009 at 10:42 pm
yeah it is pretty good for a v6, but its not as fast as the challenger r.t….i mean the r.t has 66 more ponies amd 125 more ft/lbs of torque…you cant even compare them. also the challenger r.t’s have the bonus of amg tuning….my dads freind is a parts manager at a dodge dealership and he dropped off a srt 6 engine at my dads shop and theres amg emblems engraved all over it, i dont know if the srt 8 or even the r.ts are made by mercedes too but if they are then you mercedes quality with american power so you know the challenger after 5 years( so that makes it 125000km? if you drive it 25000km a year) is still going to run strong as the camaro will lose its ” UMPH” not to mention after 70 thousand miles the price will probaly go down to 20gs?…while the challengers will be worth a couple grand more. but who knows maybe chevys changed, but from the experience my family had with chevys, i dont really like them at all….if i was ever going to buy a chevy it would be either a 2500 silverado or a tahoe. dont get me wrong though the camaro is one gorgeous car, its very nice. i guess i cant say anything until i test drive both a challenger and a camaro.
Jnic815
Apr 10, 2009 at 9:32 pm
This is a beautiful car id love to get my hands on one of these..but i still think id rather have a challenger cant beat that hemi
Crazymatt1352
Apr 10, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I know some people are going to hate me after saying this. Yes the Camaro is a beautiful looking car but it looks like chevy tried cutting to much corners with this car it looks very cheaply made and the interior looks awful sure the V6 they got in it is fast but I want to see how durable it really is. I think people are going to buy these Camaros and wind up trading them in for the new 2010 mustang or the dodge challenger. Chevy really just needs to step up there game and not over price there cheaply made car or they will go under and it will be a sad day in American auto history.
SouthernGuy8503
Apr 10, 2009 at 7:08 pm
whtfocus – i think all she really means is that 300 HP for a V6 is pretty damn good especially since its no added mod like a turbo or supercharger, 300HP V6 is pretty damn good HP for a base model even in a muscle/sports car
whtfocus77
Apr 10, 2009 at 6:24 pm
challenger r.t= 5.7L 370 hp V8
camaro ls = 3.6L 304 hp V6
how is that almost the same britne21 ?
IceBlue06
Apr 10, 2009 at 6:22 pm
i love that
camaro480
Apr 10, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I like the exterior as well, but wtf is with the interior it’ll definitely take some getting used to! I’d rather have a G8 interior.
LedZeppelin
Apr 10, 2009 at 5:58 pm
How many ways can I say…..
I WANT ONE!…..or two…
doublec4
Apr 10, 2009 at 5:18 pm
She’s a beaut
seanspec5
Apr 10, 2009 at 5:04 pm
It had me at hello until I saw the usually cheap looking GM interior.Ford and the Mustang definitely blow GM and the Camaro out of the water when it comes to the interior!!!I just wish GM would have spent more time on the inside because the exterior is AWESOME!!!
BoydZCustomZ
Apr 10, 2009 at 4:22 pm
The exterior of the Camaro look’s insanley gorgeous. But the Gauges, They look disgusting with that square shaped form. What was Chevrolet thinking??????????
daemonrayne
Apr 10, 2009 at 3:46 pm
i saw one of these in melbourne australia… great looking car but the interior needs some major work!
wsbob
Apr 10, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I like that car, but if I was gonna get one I’d need chrome wheels and rally stripes, or bumblebee stripes. The car looks too plain without those. I’d prolly put on the bodykit they use for the cars at the shows with more black trim
britne21
Apr 10, 2009 at 3:07 pm
i might just have to trade my trailblazer ss for one of these!!!
whats really sad for dodge is that the v6 camaro is just as fast as the challenger r/t…. haha
74Furyous
Apr 10, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I’d like to see Chevrolet offer a base car built for nothing but speed, like they did in the late 60′s and early 70′s. V8, manual tranny, posi, wide steel wheels, cloth interior and radio delete option. Keep that price down and GM may survive another day.
chevygirl_07
Apr 10, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Super Sexy…thats what SS stands for haha. I want one so bad!! with the manual of course, yellow and black or black and red…hell the black edition Camaro is beautiful as well with the red halo around the headlights rather than the blue, although it is only a V6…still very sexy.
whtfocus77
Apr 10, 2009 at 12:16 pm
you guys need to smoke some tires ! behind a walmart or something
Tcassa
Apr 10, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I love it guys. Looks amazing in red. Once again, I’m just so jealous!
___nes___
Apr 10, 2009 at 10:58 am
Everytime I start liking the car, there’s always an interior picture that ruins it for me. The gauges look too odd for the styling of the car!
mustang_lover66
Apr 10, 2009 at 9:41 am
Awesome! I want a Charcoal SS with black racing stripes, the RS package, and a 6 speed! XD
TOPlamborghini
Apr 10, 2009 at 8:27 am
lol, im guessing theres no room to race a Challenger or Mustang?
SouthernGuy8503
Apr 10, 2009 at 7:07 am
that red color is so bright in the sun and it even had a sun roof lol, i might test drive one just for the hell of it when they start stocking them at dealerships, i’ll probably make the salesman hold onto the “oh shit” handle, i don’t care for an automatic in a muscle/sports car anyways, the auto transmission for the camaro might just be geared for daily driving and not acceleration and preformance because from the video of the of the SS auto yall tested it looked like my truck has the same acceleration if not better than the auto SS camaro lol but its kind of hard to tell from watching a video, maybe i should race an auto SS camaro when they’re out lol
NA6OO7
Apr 10, 2009 at 5:19 am
I want one But convertible !!
DJs-zj360
Apr 10, 2009 at 4:59 am
It seems like it has more umph huh? Could it be because it does, maybe? Very cool though. Don’t have to much fun now!