2016 Chevrolet Camaro: First Impressions

"SonorousSpeedJoe" (SonorousSpeedJoe)
05/16/2015 at 21:35 • Filed to: Chevrolet Camaro

Well, the 6th-gen Camaro has finally been unveiled. I’m nowhere near Belle Isle, but here are my thoughts anyway!

Exterior:

To start with, it looks like the Camaro finally has a great blue available outside of a special edition (i.e. the 2013 Hot Wheels Edition’s Kinetic Blue) again - IDK whether it’s Laguna Blue or Opulent Blue, but I’m really hoping that GM doesn’t see fit to kill it off after one model year like they did with Aqua Blue. The wheels on the above car look awesome, too, as does the new badge on the front fenders.

Also, it looks like the quibbles I had with the current car’s front fascia have been fixed. I don’t like the chrome strip that comes on the current Camaro as part of the RS Package unless it also has the 1LE Package and/or a good color to complement it, and now it’s gone. I’m also not entirely fond of the current car’s lower grille - as absurd as this sounds, I think that the upper trim it has for the license plate looks a little weird because it reminds me of the upper gum of someone’s mouth. The lower grille on the new Camaro looks far better.

I thought I’d miss the halos, but I actually quite like the new car’s headlights. The hood reminds me a lot of the one on the C7 Corvette, which I think is pretty cool - I’d describe it as... taut, maybe?

The brightwork in the non-SS Camaros’ lower grilles looks slightly odd, but I think it would look much better with a front license plate - it seems to have been designed to accommodate one.

Moving on to the rear... I like it in general for the Code 130R motif and the C7 Corvette-esque taillights. They also kept the plastic below the license plate region this time around. I don’t really like the curved crease (or whatever it is) in the rear bumper above the license plate region - it doesn’t really look like it has all that much reason to be there. There’s also the placement of the SS badge - I think it belongs on the right side, not the left. Placing it so close to the license plate region looks odd, too, but IDK where else they could put it.

Overall, they played it really safe with the exterior design, but I still like it! As far as visibility goes... yes, it would’ve been great if they bothered to improve it, but people can deal with it. The 2012 Focus that I DD doesn’t have the best visibility out the back, but mirror adjustments and the little blind-spot mirrors (no sensors) that it came with help with that.

Interior:

YES

YISS

YUSS

I like damn near everything about the interior. The Mylink, the instrument panel, the buttons, the Sonic’s air vents, the increased amount of soft-touch materials on the doors, etc. It looks all fyoochuristic and stuff, and it reminds me of the Corvette. It looks like it gets ventilated seats, too; I haven’t heard anything about Recaro seats in the 6th-gen, but I wonder if those would also be ventilated - the Recaros in the current car (at least in the 2SS and ZL1) are powered and heated like the standard seats, after all.

I suppose I’m not too keen on the Corvette resemblance where the steering wheel is concerned - they took the Corvette Z06’s wheel and used a different airbag cover. I don’t mind borrowing a wheel, but I do mind how strongly I still associate it with the ‘Vette - the stingray motif of the original wheel comes through in the steering wheel buttons/bezels, though the rim and spokes still look good regardless.

I don’t like the airbag cover itself - it looks kinda bloated, and I feel like it doesn’t really match the sharper aesthetic of the rim, the spokes and the rest of the interior as a result. Something closer to the cover on the original 5th-gen steering wheel (or even the current Mustang) would be great.

I’d also like a mechanical E-brake lever, but not so much for mechanical simplicity - I just prefer the way it feels. Peace of mind, basically.

Overall, I really like the dramatically improved interior, though I think that the steering wheel’s airbag cover could stand to be changed.

Performance:

A 455 HP V8, Magnetic Ride Control, Brembos available on all models, and the dual-mode exhaust all sound good. It sounds like the Camaro is genuinely going to lose 200+ lbs across the board, which is great! I guess the 7-speed manual is staying Corvette-only for differentiation purposes.

The new Camaro is going to kick ass - it’s already faster than the current 1LE, apparently. Hopefully, this pushes Ford to at least offer MagneRide on the Mustang GT as well; the Mustang GT350 already has it.

DISCUSSION (23)

jkm7680 > SonorousSpeedJoe
05/16/2015 at 21:40

Kinja'd!!!

die die die die die die die die die die

jkm7680 > SonorousSpeedJoe
05/16/2015 at 21:40

And the a/c vent for your man parts doesn’t look too helpful.

lone_liberal > SonorousSpeedJoe
05/16/2015 at 21:42

I’ve always thought the new generations of Camaros looked good on the exterior. It was always the interior that bother me. The new one again looks great to me on the outside but I’m not sure about the interior. It looks better than the old one, but maybe a bit busy? And the screen doesn’t seem well integrated. Then again it’s really hard to tell from pictures because you can’t get a feel for the materials and how everything fits together. I’ll have to see it in person before I can really form an opinion. As to the performance? It is truly a golden age.

SonorousSpeedJoe > jkm7680
05/16/2015 at 21:43

Eh, it keeps the shifter cool.

Alex B > jkm7680
05/16/2015 at 21:44

It can go rot in hell.

misfitmascots > jkm7680
05/16/2015 at 21:44

So I take it you don’t like the corvette steering wheel either

jkm7680 > SonorousSpeedJoe
05/16/2015 at 21:44

So your face can just deal with it?

SonorousSpeedJoe > jkm7680
05/16/2015 at 21:46

There’s a vent off to the left of the wheel, right?

jkm7680 > misfitmascots
05/16/2015 at 21:47

Nah, I’m fine with the Corvette one. The new Camaro one just looks really strange and reminds me slightly of the darker ages of GM.

jkm7680 > SonorousSpeedJoe
05/16/2015 at 21:48

Yes, but is that enough to stay fabulous while driving? I think not.

misfitmascots > jkm7680
05/16/2015 at 21:49

They look the same to me

jkm7680 > misfitmascots
05/16/2015 at 21:52

Kinja'd!!!

SonorousSpeedJoe > jkm7680
05/16/2015 at 21:53

I’m already used to that in my Focus, LOL.

SonorousSpeedJoe > lone_liberal
05/16/2015 at 21:56

Looking at it again, maybe that one knob should be angled further downwards and the row of buttons should be moved further up and away from the shifter.

Agreed on the performance - I’m looking forward to seeing how Ford responds.

Cherry_man1 > SonorousSpeedJoe
05/16/2015 at 22:11

I will say the interior I like better then the new ‘15 Mustang. And I’m always bashing the camaro. but that bumper...looks like it’s a dog that ate a bee with those like puffy cheek looking things.