At the airport terminal, having just arrived in Jacksonville Florida for our weekend at Amelia Island, we came to the the point in our travels where it was time to rent a car. The attendant asked us, in an ever so friendly manner, “Now, what are you boys in town for this weekend?” We told her about the car shows on Amelia Island, and a smirk came to her face. She had us right where she wanted us and she damn well knew it. “Well, have I got something extra special for you then. Are you Ford or Chevy fans?” We opted for Chevy. “Well guess what. I just happen to have a pretty little yellow Camaro SS on the lot for you”. We exchange glances, and then she said, “It’s normally pretty expensive, but I can give it to you for an extra $20 a day.” Considering we had booked an economy car, liable to be a Chevy Spark or some other gutless mode of transportation, it was a very solid offer. We accepted, and went out to the parking lot to see if the car was actually an SS. To our surprise it was, bright and yellow as described, with a big V8 under the hood. So with that we loaded up our bags, and set off in our 400hp rental car.

This is a proper Camaro, the one you really want when you buy the V6, but wind up succumbing to the allure better fuel economy. I liked the V6 Camaro when I reviewed it a few years back, but it has one ever present problem: it’s not the SS. When people ask “That thing got the V8 in it?” (and believe me the do), you either have to lie through your teeth, allowing a piece of yourself to die inside, or you tell them it’s the V6 and wind up falling asleep in your own tears that night. When you have a genuine Camaro SS, none of this is even remotely a problem. There is a big V8 under the hood of your American muscle car, and all is right with the world.

The Camaro SS is sort of the quintessential modern American muscle car because it is the fast version that everyone can afford. Such cars have always had a more blue collar appeal to them, allowing commoners show up rich folks in their fancy european sports cars on the highway. Times have long changed since the golden era of muscle cars though, and now the performance landscape is far wider and more demanding than ever. This begs the question of, what has become of the American muscle car, and where is its place in the modern automotive market?

 

Appearance

 

The flavor of the Camaro has returned to its former glory, with a shape that is unmistakable. The car is big, and has an imposing presence on the road. Yellow is quite a gripping color on any car, but on the Camaro it really turns heads. Everywhere we went people were checking the car out, and asking us about it. Even during an early morning drive to get coffee, I got three thumbs ups from people walking on the street. The Camaro isn’t just a car that gets attention, it is a car that people seem to enjoy.

Muscle cars have always had a rather positive reception. Because they are so relatively attainable, they don’t evoke the same sort of jealous hatred that an exotic car does. People know it is more of a lifestyle choice than anything, and that they could have a Camaro too if they made it a priority (not true of a new Ferrari).

I also noticed that people sort of talk about muscle cars the way they talk about chocolate, as if it is some sort of guilty pleasure to be indulged. There is always that whispered question like, “How fast have you had her up to” or “You done a lot of tire smokin’ in that thing?” With a car like this, being naughty is both acceptable and expected. Even if you do manage to get a ticket, please believe that the officer would pull the exact same stunt you did if you threw him the keys. Muscle cars are about letting your hair down and getting rowdy. Everyone knows it, and in that way it brings excitement to people.

Inside

 

The Camaro has pretty spacious interior, and the build quality on our car was a bit mixed. On one hand we did have the fantastically comfortable leather bucket seats, but on the other hand most of the trim felt pretty sub-par for its price range. It is certainly better than pre-economic-crisis GM products, but the abundant plastics still feel quite cheap. That said, muscle cars have never been about their fit and finish, so this is only a tiny issue.

   

Back to those bucket seats. They are amazingly comfortable, with great but supple support. The driving position is a bit low slung which I like, but the view out the windscreen is frankly that of a pillbox. You do get used to the visibility after a while, and I would say the comfort of the car makes up for it. There is a lot of space to stretch out when there are just two people in the car, and the back seats, while a little tight, are definitely useable for fully grown human beings. The trunk is pretty big inside, but the small opening makes access a bit limited. That said, our squishy bags and camera gear fit just fine.

 

The comfort of the Camaro is one of its major strong points. It is a properly American sort of car in this regard, something capable of doing the long highway stints between our great American cities with ease. Europeans might call such a car a “grand tourer”, but for me that designation requires a bit more upscale polish. The Camaro will do the job of touring well, but the “grand” aspect is a bit lacking.

On the road

 

The Camaro feels very solid in the way it drives. Many have noted that it feels “almost European”, and that is because it can handle. Stop the presses, a muscle car can now take corners! Yes, this is surely the most pleasantly surprising part of the Camaro SS’s performance. Brute power is a given in a car like this, but handling has always been the weakness of a muscle car.

The reason the Camaro can handle well is because it is based on the chassis of the Holden Commodore, a car sold in Australian and European markets. Australia has big, wide open spaces like America, but for a car to succeed in Europe, it must be confident on a winding Alipine pass.

Steering on the Camaro SS is well weighted, and the car is quick to respond to your inputs. This is a pretty heavy car, at around two tons, but its chassis feels confident being thrown around. I took a big, sweeping off ramp hard, and the Camaro felt right in its element, keeping its composure as I applied power to shoot out from the apex. I wouldn’t say that it drives like a smaller car, because it does feel big on the road, but it manages to hold its weight quite well.

The solid chassis also translates to an immense confidence while cruising at highway speeds. This Camaro may be an American machine, but it would be right at home cruising at a steady 130mph on an unrestricted Autobahn. As I said before the Camaro is a fantastic touring car, and I meant that in the same sense as most good European cars. The Camaro does speed exceedingly well, and while it may have newfound ability in corners, the open highway is still its true home.

 

Under the hood lurks GM’s big 6.2L LS3 V8 pumping out a solid 400hp in our automatic equipped car (manuals get 426hp). The V6 Camaro certainly has ample enough power, but you get a sense that the car was fundamentally meant to have the V8. Where the V6 feels a bit strained, the V8 hardly has to raise a finger. Simple tasks like merging can be done with minimal effort, as there is so much immediate pull available from that big, torquey motor. When you actually do open the taps the Camaro pulls hard, and the speed builds rapidly. The V8 lets off a proper roar as the revs climb, and 100mph is dispatched in no time.

There is no denying that the Camaro SS is quite fast on the street. Opening it up on an on ramp is surely one of life’s simple pleasures when you are behind the wheel. That said, I drove a few other cars with similar power figures that weekend, and I’ve got to say that the Camaro’s performance is noticeably held back by its hefty weight. 400hp sounds like an awful lot, and it is in many cars, but when it has to haul over two tons your expectations may be left a bit cold. For the record, I felt the same way after riding in a friend’s Dodge Challenger SRT-8, all that raw power and it just wasn’t “that” impressive. If there is one thing that should be addressed for future Camaros, it is making them lighter. I’m not calling for something drastic, like 2700lbs, but I think around 3500lbs should be feasible enough.

 

As for the transmission, being a rental, it had to have the automatic. That said, GM’s current generation auto-box is among the better in the Camaro’s price bracket. There are actual paddle shifters behind the steering wheel on the SS, and it shifts pretty much when you tell it to in manual mode, with only a small delay. On the road it worked well enough for both relaxed and aggressive driving. So there are no objective complaints to be called out in the transmission, aside from the fact that it wasn’t the manual to begin with.

As far as fuel economy went, well, in our three days with the car we used a tank and a half of gas. I’m not sure exactly what our fuel economy was, but it certainly wasn’t good. Now obviously we were having some fun with the car, but most of the time we were just cruising along sanely. EPA ratings for the Camaro SS are 15city/24hwy mpg, but I have also heard of people getting as high as 27mpg on a very relaxed highway cruise. The gearing is tall enough that you are really just idling in 6th gear at 60mph, so this car can do well enough at a steady cruise. That said, get on the gas at all, or drive around in an urban environment, and your fuel economy will fall real quick. V8s are thirsty, and there is really no way around that, especially in such a heavy car.

In the market

 

The real party piece of the Camaro SS is its price because it is a serious muscle car that most people can afford. Brand new, SS prices range from $33k to around $40k, but if you are willing to look used you can find them for under $25k. That’s right, for the same price as a base model V6 Camaro, you can have a proper SS with the big V8…. in other words “I couldn’t afford the SS” is no longer a valid excuse for V6 owners.

Being in the 25k range also puts a used Camaro SS up against  the likes of the Ford Focus ST, Fiat 500 Abarth, VW GTI, Hyundai Genesis 2.0T, and Scion FRS. The thought of having a genuine muscle car, complete with a 400+hp V8, for that money may be greatly enticing to some. However, many buyers in that range would stop themselves due to the fuel economy, or lack thereof. As a daily driver, I’m not sure a Camaro SS makes much sense, especially on a $25k budget. That said, it does make fantastic sense as a second car for those who already have something boring and economical in their garage.

Another thing to consider is an enthusiast buyer looking for all-out horsepower. Such a buyer may consider a Camaro ZL-1 if they have the money, but in many ways an SS is probably a better buy. Consider that the ZL-1 costs nearly $60 grand brand new. If all you want is speed, then your money would be far better spent picking up a used SS for $25k and spending money on modifications. Complete supercharger kits cost around $10-15k, and can surely match the ZL-1’s 580hp no problem. That means you can get ZL-1 level speed for the price of a new SS, and a far faster Camaro than a ZL1 if you were to spend the full $60,000.

Sum up

So overall, I have to say the state of the modern American muscle car seems pretty good. The Camaro has matured in a lot of the right ways, but not in any of the wrong ones. It is still a bit goofy, with its large proportions and interesting color options, but all in a good way. Its performance is also now far more well rounded with the addition of some pretty decent handling. Obviously it still has some solid power, and is quite fast because of it. For the next generation, I think the emphasis needs to be on weight savings over power increase because losing heft will add to both speed and handling performance. All in all, though, the Camaro carries the muscle car flag, proud and true, in the modern world.

WoM Score: Chevrolet Camaro SS

Primary Function: Performance: 2
Secondary Functions: Luxury(2) Practicality(2) MPG(1): 2
Visual Appeal: 2
Build Quality: 1
Value for Money: 2

Final Score: 9/10

-Nick Walker