PRELIMINARY DRIVE OF CHEVROLET CAMARO V6 FROM C/D

Over at Car and Driver, Michael Austin had the opportunity to drive the V6 version of the brand spankin' new Chevrolet Camaro. The V6 isn't the poor boy's pony car anymore, remember. With about 300 horsepower and six speeds in both its automatic and manual transmission, the new base Camaro is the real deal. Here's some of what C/D had to say about the Camaro's driving dynamics.

"... the Camaro showed remarkable poise, with the suspension handling the pockmarked roads with hardly any disturbance to the cabin. The chassis is less jumpy than that of the Mustang but far more communicative than in the Challenger, and although the Camaro is nearly as wide as the Dodge it doesn’t feel as big....

the 18-inch tires are preferable, offering more steering feel and more predictable handling. On either set of tires, though, the Camaro turns in easily before setting into minor understeer that is easily cured with a stomp on the throttle. The engine responds willingly...."

(Check out all Camaro-related posts with a click.)

CHEVROLET CAMARO COLOUR OPTIONS & PERFORMANCE STATS

Cyber Gray Metallic. Aqua Blue Metallic. Inferno Orange Metallic. Silver Ice Metallic. Imperial Blue Metallic. Red Jewel Tint Coat. Victory Red. Rally Yellow. Black. White.

These are your colour options when you begin the order of your next Chevrolet Camaro. Thumbnails of the colours can be seen below. Click the images for a larger view. 

Moving past the show factor to the go, Chevrolet has declared the V6 Camaro with 300 horsepower should make it from 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds with either the automatic or manual transmission. The manual-tranny car is actually expected to be a couple tenths slower in the quarter-mile, crossing the 1320-ft line in 14.7 seconds. 

Fortunately, the V6 Camaro owner shouldn't be faced with too many condescending stares considering high-horsepower levels and speed potential. However, it's the V8 everybody wants. Equipped with an automatic transmission, the Camaro SS leaps to 60mph in 4.6 seconds and completes the quarter in 13.3 seconds. Deciding to shift gears for yourself will lengthen the 0-60mph time by three tenths and the quarter by one tenth. To find context for these acceleration statistics (unverified by independent testers thus far), click here to see the 0-60 times of a multitude of other cars. For all Camaro-related posts, you'll want to click here.

WATCH AUTOBLOG'S VIDEO OF LIVE CHEVROLET CAMARO REVEAL

Earlier today General Motors made it possible for viewers all over the planet to watch the live debut of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro on sites like GoodCarBadCar.net and GM's own Camaro.GMNext.com. It was cool, although a bit troubling deciphering the embedding details. The Good Car Guy may well be the editor, publisher, CEO, CFO, and online manager of GCBC, but, an online editor he really is not.

For those who missed it, AutoBlog was also live at the reveal and generously posted their own video to YouTube. Here it be.

2010 CHEVROLT CAMARO - MORE IMAGES

Not content with what you've seen already of the latest Chevrolet Camaro? During the introduction today, Chevy boss Ed Peper spoke at some length regarding the Camaro's ability to guzzle less fuel than you'd assume. Indeed, over the last few years the Camaro's sporting sibling, the Corvette, has displayed shocking fuel efficiency.... considering it's habitat as a pseudo-supercar. 

For information related to those Camaro numbers, click here. Chevrolet was rather generous with the outlay of Camaro images today. Soooo.... whaddya think? At this point, we're left to make assumptions as to the Camaro's down-the-road presence based on preferential angles. Driving impressions are quite a ways off. Is this a true Dodge Challenger competitor in the looks department? Does the '10 Camaro eat Ford Mustangs for breakfast? To see any of these pics in a larger format, just give'em a click.

THE 2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO - IN-DEPTH DETAIL

Camaro lovers unite... around GoodCarBadCar.net's Camaro details page. Below you'll find all the information about the new Camaro which was formally introduced today (and seen live here on GCBC). And no, this ain't a summary. These are the specifations: full, strong, and runnin' free.

Get up on in here. Check it all out below. For photos of the evocative Chevrolet muscle car, have a look see here. More will come. Click on any of the text below to see in a larger view.

NEW CHEVROLET CAMARO PRODUCTION IMAGES

No longer a concept or a vehicle development mule; the Chevrolet Camaro you see here is the real deal. Packing a V6, the Camaro will be no slouch. Each of its 296 horsepower should be tasked with carrying around just 12.5 pounds or so.

As for the V8, well.... hold your horses. Or rather, let'em loose. Chevrolet sure did. The 6.2L V8 The Good Car Guy enjoyed in the Corvette is only slightly down on power. 416 horsepower sounds frightening as far as the Shell filling station frequency goes but fortunately, the V8 makes use of cylinder deactivation. 

After watching TLC's Overhaulin' just last night where Chip Foose worked with a numbers-matching Camaro of the 60s, it is a slight letdown to see this, what many will call a retro pastiche. To the eye of The Good Car Guy, the '09 Camaro packs a visual punch that'd seem even more punchy if it weren't for the new Dodge Challenger. Dodge's muscle car adds handsomeness to its aggression. Chevy's car doesn't yet seem finished.

Don't take that to mean the Camaro imagery is ugly, just a little below lofty expectations. Indeed, even the Challenger is far more of a sight on the road than in pictures. Recalling the recent past, it is the Chevrolet that will out-drive its competitors, namely the Challenger and the Ford Mustang.