"We stopped bringing Mustangs on our development rides because they were so far behind us in our rearview mirror," says Al Oppenheiser, GM's North American rear-drive vehicle chief engineer and effectively the new Camaro's father. "It wasn't even worth taking them anymore," he continues, with the faintest of smirks.
You needn't be a Blue Oval booster or a soldier in the General's army to know that them's fightin' words. What's more, Oppenheiser says his team brought along (and kept) the Dodge Charger, Nissan 350Z, and stretch targets like the Infiniti G37.
"We've actually challenged ourselves to go upscale in sticker price and performance, to go after anything that could be called this segment-Mustang, Charger, Challenger. We're shooting for targets a lot higher in terms of sticker price," he says.
Are these bold pronouncements a calculated marketing strategy or merely prewar chest pounding? Well, we've a had a good look at the new Camaro and can tell you that when they start hitting the streets in early 2009, it's going to be game on at stoplights across America.
Unlike the excruciating trickle of the Challenger (Dodge first shipped only 6400 top-range SRT8 models equipped with six-speed automatics), V-6 and V-8 Camaros will be available at launch, each with six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. Base V-6 Camaros will come in two main trim levels, LS and LT (further divided into 1LT and highest spec 2LT). V-8 Camaros will be badged SS and receive most of the kit of a fully loaded 2LT as standard. Whether V-6 or V-8, all Camaros can look like the yellow RS here-badged with a red RS and treated with details like a rear decklid spoiler (V-6 only) and special-sized/finished wheels.
Key to the success of Camaro is the balance between performance and fuel-economy. Which is why the first juicy detail to emerge is that base Camaros will not, as some have speculated, be powered by the 3.5-liter, pushrod V-6 Chevy uses in the Impala. Entry-level Camaros will use the same spark-ignition, direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6 that powers the Cadillac CTS. With variable valve timing, double overhead camshafts, and four valves per cylinder, this high-feature V-6 is arguably more significant and undeniably higher tech than the Camaro's V-8. GM knows, while the SS will make headlines, a powerful but miserly V-6 will do more to keep the lights on and the Camaro program running strong.
When we spoke, Oppenheiser and his team had just completed the 80-percent powertrain calibration testing and were mum on not only the final horsepower and torque numbers, but the exact gearing as well. He did say to expect V-6 output north of 300 horsepower and 270-pound-feet on regular unleaded.
As for headline-maker, SS-designated Camaros will get not one, but two nearly identical, aluminum-intensive 6.2-liter V-8 engines derived from the Corvette's small-block. For the automatics, the L99 V-8 should make about 395 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque. Manual transmission SS models will receive an LS3 V-8 with an estimated output of 420 horsepower and 408 pound-feet of torque on premium.
What about the rumors of a turbo four-cylinder? Oppenheiser says GM would like to sell Camaros globally, and since much of the world taxes engine displacement, a powerful ECOTEC four-cylinder -- already seen in cars like the Pontiac Solstice GXP -- makes a lot of sense. But other than saying they've been studying it, he won't confirm its arrival.
The other big news is that unlike the current Mustang, the fifth-gen Camaro will use independent rear suspension for the first time in the marque's history. Up front are traditional struts, but at the rear is a high-performance (and costly) multilink arrangement -- another benefit of using the rear-drive Zeta architecture that underpins GM's Australian market Holden Monaro and our Pontiac G8.
Two chassis packages are offered -- FE2 for the V-6 and FE3 for V-8. Major differences between these packages include the brakes: 12.6-inch cast-iron front and 12.4-inch aluminum rear discs, with single-piston caliper for FE2, 14- and 14.4-inch aluminum discs (front and rear) with four-pot calipers for FE3. Suspension tweaks account for the roughly 200-pound weight difference between the base and SS models. Oppenheiser says they've targeted 3700 pounds for the V-6, so the roughly 3900-pound SS gets higher spring rates and larger anti-roll bars. With suspension bits and engineering expertise borrowed from the CTS team, the Camaro should have noteworthy handling. Oppenheiser wouldn't provide any hard numbers or lap times around GM's Lutz-ring (or any other 'Ring, for that matter), so you'll just have to reread paragraph one for assurances as to what the Camaro can run with -- and away from."
Full article:
2010 Chevrolet Camaro - First Look - Motor Trend
