Chevrolet Camaro 2019 review

In fact, no one needs to drink beer and absolutely no one needs to skydive. You don't need no tattoos, no ice cream, no pictures on their walls, and absolutely no one needs to play Stairway to Heaven, bad, guitar. Similarly, no one needs to buy a Chevrolet Camaro.

And here's your answer if anyone rebukes you for coming home in that big American muscle car, because if we only did what we have to do, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have so much fun. .

The Chevrolet Camaro has been a Ford Mustang nightmare since 1966, and this latest, sixth generation of the Chevy icon is available to keep fighting here in Australia thanks to some reengineering from HSV.

The SS badge is also legendary and was featured on our test car, although it's actually a 2SS and we'll get to what that means below.

As you'll soon see, there are plenty of good reasons to buy a Camaro SS and a few that might make you reconsider, but think about it - a car like the Camaro with its 6.2-liter engine is quite possible within the next two decades. liter V8 may be banned due to emission regulations. Outlaw. You also never know how long HSV will continue to sell it in Australia. Maybe that's reason enough to get one? Until it's not too late.

2019 Chevrolet Camaro: 2SS
Safety Rating	-
engine's type	6.2L
fuel type	Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel efficiency	—L / 100km
Landing	4 Places
Price from	$66,100

Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 7/10

You know how people say that cars aren't always a smart buy? This is the type of vehicle they are talking about. The Camaro 2SS retails for $86,990 and our car's total tested price was $89,190 as it was equipped with an optional $10 speed automatic.

By comparison, a Ford Mustang GT V8 with a 10-speed automatic costs about $66. Why the big price difference? Well, unlike the Mustang, which is built as a right-hand drive car at the factory for places like Australia and the UK, the Camaro is built in left-hand drive only. HSV spends about 100 hours converting the Camaro from left-hand drive to right-hand drive. It's a big job that includes gutting the cabin, removing the engine, replacing the steering rack, and putting everything back together.

If you still think that $89k is too much for a Camaro, then think again, because a premium ZL1 Camaro hardcore race car costs around $160k.

These are the only two Camaro classes in Australia - ZL1 and 2SS. 2SS is a higher performance version of the 1SS sold in the US.

Standard 2SS features include an eight-inch screen that uses the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 system, a nine-speaker Bose stereo system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a head-up display, a rearview camera and rearview mirror, and dual-zone climate control. controls, leather seats (heated and ventilated and power front), remote start, proximity key and 20-inch alloy wheels.

That's a decent amount of kit, and I'm particularly impressed with the head-up display, which the Mustang doesn't have, as well as the rearview camera, which turns the entire mirror into an image of what's going on. behind the car.

Is there anything interesting about its design? 9/10

As with the Ford Mustang, there was something odd about the styling of the Camaro in the early 2000s, but by 2005 the arrival of the fifth generation resulted in a design that reimagined the original (and I consider it the best). 1967 Camaro. Now, this sixth generation car is a clearer solution to that, but not without controversy.

Along with styling changes such as redesigned LED headlights and taillights, the front fascia also received a tweak that included moving the Chevy "bow tie" badge from the top grille to a black painted crossbar that separates the top and bottom. sections. The fan reaction was enough for Chevrolet to quickly redesign the front end and move the badge to the rear.

Our test car was the version with the "unpopular" face, but I find the look gets away with the black exterior, meaning your eye isn't drawn to that crossbar.

Here's the pub chucks for you - Chevy calls the "bow tie" on this Camaro a "bow tie" because its hollow design means air can flow through it to the radiator.

Big on the outside but small on the inside, the Camaro measures 4784mm long, 1897mm wide (excluding mirrors) and 1349mm high.

Our test car was the version with the "unpopular" face, but I think we get away with the looks.

Ford's Mustang is elegant, but Chevy's Camaro is more masculine. Big hips, long hat, flared shields, nostrils. This is one evil monster. Those high sides and the "chopped" roof design might also lead you to assume that the cockpit is more like a cockpit than a living room.

This assumption would be correct, and in the section on practicality I will tell you how cozy the interior is, but for now we are only talking about the appearance.

I don't know what David Hasselhoff's apartment looks like, but I guess it has a hell of a lot in common with the interior of the Camaro 2SS.

Cushioned black leather seats with SS badging, giant metal air vents, door handles that look like chrome exhaust tips, and a screen angled strangely towards the floor.

There's also an ambient LED lighting system that lets you choose from 1980s neon color palettes the likes of which we haven't seen since Ken Don's iconic image of a koala family sitting at a barbecue.

I'm not joking, I love it, and although the guys at the office thought it would be fun to install hot pink lighting, I left it like that because it looks amazing.

How practical is the interior space? 7/10

The cockpit of the Camaro 2SS is comfortable for me at 191 cm, but even with an equally well-proportioned shotgun-mounted photographer, it wasn't too cramped. Believe it or not, we were able to transport all of his equipment and lights, as well as batteries for our night shoot (you saw the video above - it's very good). I'll get to the boot size in a minute.

The Camaro 2SS is a four-seater, but the rear seats are only suitable for small children. I was able to get my four year old's car seat into place with a bit of gentle persuasion, and while he could sit behind my wife, there was no room behind me when I was driving. As for visibility, we'll come back to that in the driving section below, but I can tell you that he couldn't see much from his tiny porthole.

Trunk volume is, as you'd expect, small at 257 liters, but the space is deep and long. The issue isn't volume, however, but the size of the opening, meaning you'll have to deftly tilt larger items to fit them in, such as pushing a sofa through your front door. You know, the houses are big, but there are no holes in them. I know deep.

Interior storage space is also limited, the door pockets were so thin my wallet couldn't even fit in them (no, those aren't wads of cash), but there was plenty of room in the storage box on the center console. There are two cup holders that are more like armrests (because that part was not replaced in the rebuild and that's where your hand lands while driving) and a glove box. Rear seat passengers have a large tray to fight over.

The 2SS doesn't have a wireless charging pad like the ZL1, but it does have one USB port and a 12V outlet.

What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 8/10

Sure, the 2SS doesn't put out the ZL477's mammoth 1kW, but I'm not complaining about the 339kW and 617Nm it puts out from its 6.2-liter V8. Plus, the naturally aspirated 455SS LT2 subcompact's 1 horsepower is a lot of fun, and the start-up sound from the dual-mode exhaust is apocalyptic—which is a good thing.

The 455 horsepower of the naturally aspirated 2SS LT1 subcompact engine is a lot of fun.

Our car was equipped with an optional 10-speed automatic ($2200) with paddle shifters. The automatic transmission was developed as a joint venture between General Motors and Ford, and a version of this 10-speed transmission is also used in the Mustang.

This traditional torque-converter automatic transmission isn't the fastest thing, but it suits the big, powerful, and slightly sluggish nature of the Camaro 2SS.

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What is it like to drive? 8/10

This is exactly how an American muscle car should be - loud, a little uncomfortable, not so light, but damn fun. Those first three attributes may seem negative, but trust someone who owns and loves hot rods - that's part of the attraction. If an SUV is awkward to drive or uncomfortable, that's a problem, but in a muscle car, it can improve interaction and communication factors.

However, many will think that the ride is too harsh, the steering is heavy and it feels like you are looking into a letterbox slot through the windshield. It's all true, and there are other high performance cars that make as much horsepower, handle better, and are so easy to drive that they can almost (and some do) drive themselves, but they all lack the sense of connection that the Camaro offers. .

Wide, low-profile Goodyear Eagle tires (245/40 ZR20 front and 275/35 ZR20 rear) provide good grip yet feel every slick on the road, while all-round four-piston Brembo brakes pull the Camaro 2SS up. OK.

Neither HSV nor Chevrolet disclose acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h, but the official story is that it accelerates in less than five seconds. Ford reckons its Mustang GT can do the same in 4.3 seconds.

Wide and low profile Goodyear Eagle tires provide good traction.

If you're wondering if you can live with a Camaro every day, the answer is yes, but like leather pants, you'll have to suffer a little to look like real rock 'n' roll. I covered 650 km on our 2SS watch in a week, using it daily during rush hours in the city, in supermarket car parks and kindergartens, on country roads and motorways on weekends.

The seats can get uncomfortable over long distances, and those low-profile run-flat tires and stiff shock absorbers don't make life any more comfortable. You will also find that wherever you go, people will want to compete with you. But don't get carried away; you're slower than you look - another feature of the muscle car.

Sure, it's not the fastest car I've ever driven, and on winding roads, its handling falls short of many sports cars, but this V8 is responsive and furious in Sport mode and smooth in its grunts. The exhaust sound is sensational and the steering, while heavy, gives great feel and feedback. The sound isn't electronically enhanced, but it does use bimodal valves that open and close at different engine and exhaust loads, creating an engaging bark.

How much fuel does it consume? 7/10

Okay, get ready. During my fuel test, I drove 358.5 km and used 60.44 liters of premium unleaded petrol, which is 16.9 l/100 km. Sounds awfully high, but it's really not as bad as it sounds considering the Camaro 2SS has a 6.2L V8 and I didn't drive it in a way that saves fuel, if you know what I mean. Half of these kilometers are on highways at speeds of 110 km/h, and the other half are in urban traffic, which also increases fuel consumption. 

The official fuel consumption after the combination of open and city roads is 13 l/100 km.

Warranty and safety rating

Basic Warranty

3 years / 100,000 km


guarantee

What safety equipment is installed? What is the safety rating? 7/10

The Chevrolet Camaro 2SS doesn't have an ANCAP rating, but it certainly won't get the maximum five stars because it doesn't have AEB. There's forward collision warning that warns you of an impending impact, there's also blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and eight airbags.

For child seats (and I put my four year old in the back) there are two top cable points and two ISOFIX anchorages in the second row.

There's no spare tire here, so you'll have to hope you're within 80 miles of your home or repair shop, because that's how far you can go with Goodyear run-flat tires.

A low (small) score is associated with the absence of AEB. If the Mustang can be equipped with autonomous emergency braking, then the Camaro should be too.

How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 6/10

The Camaro 2SS is covered by a three year HSV or 100,000 km warranty. Maintenance is recommended at intervals of nine months or 12,000, XNUMX km with a free inspection at the end of the first month. There is no fixed price service program.

Verdict

The Camaro 2SS is a real Hot Wheels car. This beast looks amazing, sounds incredible and isn't overdriven, making it suitable for daily use.

Now about this score. The Camaro 2SS lost a lot of points because of the lack of AEB, lost more points because of the short warranty and no fixed price service, and a little because of its price because it is expensive compared to the Mustang. It's also impractical (the space and storage could be better) and awkward to drive at times, but it's a muscle car and it excels at that. It's not for everyone, but really ideal for some.

Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro? What would you choose? Tell us what you think in the comments below.