2016 Chevy Camaro: Thoughts?

"AM" (ap18961)
05/15/2015 at 13:24 • Filed to: None

I personally think it’s a good evolution of the current gen Camaro. It’s not breathtaking or anything like that, GM kept the design on the safe side. However, they sell a lot of Camaro’s and I’m sure they were scared to mess anything up.

I think the front end looks great. I really liked the halo LEDs on the 5th gen but these ones look alright still. Also, looks like the lower lights are LED foglights not DRLs like people on the FP are assuming.

As for the rear, I’m kinda so-so on whether I like it or not. The taillights are very Corvette-esque which is pretty cool, they look better than the current lights. I like that the black plastic doesn’t come up as high on the new gen but I’m not really digging that giant crease. Also, I think it would look better without the spoiler or with the spoiler on the current SS.

As for performance, I’m convinced that the new gen will be seriously better than the outgoing model. Magnetic Ride Control, better platform, fantastic engine, sign me up. However, I’m a little concerned about the interior, it needed a lot of work, no one can deny that, so I am hopeful that the new interior is more along the lines of the Vette (which is fantastic). I would have liked the visibility to be made a little bit better, it still doesn’t look to be great but then again neither does the Mustang or Challenger.

Overall, I think the new Camaro is going to be a seriously good car. Judging by the info provided, it seems that Chevy won’t hold back the Camaro anymore like they have in the past because god forbid a Camaro perform better than a Corvette. I think the new car is going to give the Mustang a run for its money. Maybe not the GT350/GT350R which look to be amazing but all other models will have a hard time keeping up.

Let me know what you guys think!

DISCUSSION (35)

deprecated account > AM
05/15/2015 at 13:27

I think it will look better once we see better pictures of the whole car.

mcseanerson > AM
05/15/2015 at 13:31

Pretty much how I feel. I liked the 5th gen and I’m glad they went with a subtle evolution. I really wish we could see one with no spoiler and no weird crease on the back. The biggest thing I disliked about the 5th gen was weight and so I’m very excited for the 6th gen.

AM > deprecated account
05/15/2015 at 13:33

Yeah it could just be a bad angle for the car. Every car has one.

AM > mcseanerson
05/15/2015 at 13:36

The 5th gen looks great and most customers have no issue with the looks at all. The spoiler does throw it off a bit though. I have absolutely no doubts that this car will have insanely good performance. It’s a Corvette-powered ATS Coupe, both of which perform amazingly.

Alex B > AM
05/15/2015 at 13:36

It looks like the production version of this:

Kinja'd!!!

AM > Alex B
05/15/2015 at 13:38

To a certain extent it is but it still a bit different.

deprecated account > Alex B
05/15/2015 at 13:39

Now that you say it.....

Alex B > AM
05/15/2015 at 13:42

It is different, but you can see places where the new Camaro draws from that.

mcseanerson > AM
05/15/2015 at 13:43

Yeah, I actually like the front end better (so far, I think) but the rear crease is really off putting and I’ve never liked anything on the rear deck except for the z/28 model. I can’t wait to see the performance considering the last gen was really competitive with the Mustang even with the extra weight.

shop-teacher > AM
05/15/2015 at 13:46

I liked the 5th gen, but I’m disappointed in this one. Not because it looks bad, it looks fine to me, but I was hoping to see them push the boundaries more. I was hoping they’d make a real design statement.

I anxiously await seeing the interior. I really don’t like the interior of the 5th gen, either the design or the quality.

AM > mcseanerson
05/15/2015 at 13:48

5th gen SS 1LE was better around a track than the new GT Performance Pack. I’m really confident the 6th gen will blow it away (again, not necessarily the GT350).

AM > Alex B
05/15/2015 at 13:48

True, there is a lot of inspiration from that car on the 6th gen.

Krieger (@FSKrieger22) > AM
05/15/2015 at 13:48

I wonder how visibility is going to be for this generation. The last (current?) generation isn’t exactly renowned for excellent visibility. The C-pillar on this one seems to be even larger with the angle used.

And for the rear end, I think it might have something to do with getting NFS Hot Pursuit running again or me being up late, but I see quite a bit of the LX Charger in the rear.

mcseanerson > AM
05/15/2015 at 13:49

Well GT350 is z/28 bait. Also IIRC the SS 1LE was faster around a track than the Boss 302 even.

AM > shop-teacher
05/15/2015 at 13:51

IMO I think that Chevy was scared to radically change the design because they didn’t want people not to like it. Ford took the risk and made a big change for the new Mustang. However, a lot of people hate the look of the new ‘Stang, including myself.

I’m getting anxious about the interior as well, it needs to be better than the Mustangs or they’ll look like a joke. With the 5th gen, Chevy really took “retro” to a whole other level; bad design and cheap materials.

shop-teacher > AM
05/15/2015 at 13:56

I actually think that Ford didn’t go far enough with the Mustang, and should’ve made bigger changes. I have a hard time telling them apart, unless they’re sitting next to each other. I’m getting better at it, but I have to really look. I can’t tell at a glance. Chevy and Ford both fell into that same trap with their new trucks. It took me months to be able to tell at a glance if it was a ‘13 or a ‘14 Silverado (unless I was looking at the grill). The new F-150 looks exactly the same as the old one, except for that ugly front end they slapped on it.

I think you’re spot on about the reasoning though, car companies are scared to make big changes.

AM > Krieger (@FSKrieger22)
05/15/2015 at 13:56

I really hope it is at least a little bit better than the current gen. As for C-pillars, no pony car comes close to the size of the Challenger’s:

Kinja'd!!!

I see a little bit of LX Charger in the rear as well but only a tiny resemblance.

Dean Beyer > AM
05/15/2015 at 13:57

It’s more or less what I was expecting after studying all the spy photos for the last year. I’m happy that 99% of the renderings missed the mark. But I’m going to hold my final critique until after I see some better photos. I think it’ll look great. I think it will be a performer. I’m more than okay with evolutionary design. I think I’m really going to like it.

AM > shop-teacher
05/15/2015 at 13:58

What I don’t get is that Chevy has been taking risks with styling of other cars in their lineup such as the new Malibu, the current Impala and Vette so why wouldn’t they with the Camaro?

yamahog > mcseanerson
05/15/2015 at 13:59

Boss 302 vs SS 1LE is an oft-debated thing among 1LE owners, but it seems to come down to a driver’s battle.

ETA: 2013 1LE beat the 2013 Laguna Seca’s VIR time by 4.46s . Dang.

AM > Dean Beyer
05/15/2015 at 14:00

Until Chevy actually reveals the car tomorrow I’m not going to make a final judgement. More just speculation and initial thoughts right now. I too think it is going to be fantastic though.

Baeromez > AM
05/15/2015 at 14:00

I think it looks great. They’ll almost certainly do a new ZL1 with a detuned version of the new Z06 engine to compete with the GT500. I’d like to see one with the ATS-V’s turbo V6. They’d probably have to detune that one too, to avoid cannibalizing the ATS-V.

AM > Baeromez
05/15/2015 at 14:01

What I’d really like to see is the return of the Buick GNX with that turbo-6 out of the ATS-V. Now that would be a cool car!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AM
05/15/2015 at 14:03

Front kind of reminds me of a new Camry

LongbowMkII > AM
05/15/2015 at 14:07

initial reaction was laughter... but maybe it’ll look better with something for scale.

Baeromez > AM
05/15/2015 at 14:12

The current Regal is a pretty boring car though. I guess ATS-V running gear would spice it up, but then they’d have to build an all new Regal on that platform. It could be a bad ass sleeper if they kept the looks toned down.

Kinja'd!!!

AM > Baeromez
05/15/2015 at 14:19

Fuck the Regal, that car is so lame. I was thinking that they can bring back the Grand National and GNX names in a separate car. Something more reminiscent of the old Regal GNX:

Kinja'd!!!

mcseanerson > yamahog
05/15/2015 at 14:37

Yeah, that’s the main number everyone comes back to but I agree it is very close and typically a driver’s battle. Even being a GM and Camaro fanboy I still would love a Boss 302. Heck, I liked all the trims of the last few years of Mustang.

shop-teacher > AM
05/15/2015 at 14:53

Good question!

Baeromez > AM
05/15/2015 at 15:05

I know what you mean, my Dad had a GN, first car I ever rode in as an infant. But, the GN and GNX were upgraded Regals. If they were to make a whole new car it would be in the same price range as the ATS-V, which would defeat the point. The GN was actually just a trim package on the Regal T-Type, so maybe they could offer a GN trim level on the ATS-V. All black everything, maype a set of fender vents. That would be pretty slick.

Nobi > AM
05/15/2015 at 15:27

It’s good to see that Chevy was thinking of all the aftermarket companies that convert these into Trans Ams, GTOs and 442s by not changing the body much. I’d have liked a bit more of a change from the 5th gen, especially with a taller greenhouse. This “the government wants us to meet crash standards, let’s build these cars like tanks! Literally!” ideology needs to go away. Mercedes doesn’t do it, The FR-S doesn’t do it, hell, the Honda Accord doesn’t do it. Why does the Camaro have to? It’s ok to be able to see out of the windows.

AM > Nobi
05/15/2015 at 15:30

I concur. I very much like to be able to see out of my car.

However, someone down the street owns one and he said once you DD one the visibility isn’t even a concern anymore. Mind you he DDs his all year long so he's had lots of time inside of it.

Nobi > AM
05/15/2015 at 15:39

Maybe it’s just the way I’m built, but I’ve driven 3 different 5th gens, one from Philly to Providence. I just could not get used to the lack of outward visibility.

AM > Baeromez
05/15/2015 at 16:37

Sounds like it would be a pretty sweet car but I still wouldn’t be happy unless it looked reminiscent of the ‘87 model.

Baeromez > AM
05/15/2015 at 22:37

Well it’s kind of a stretch but I think the ATS-V is the closest looking to the GN of any GM car since. It’s got the angles at least.