The 2016 Camaro SS is out test drive for this week, and so far we like what we see.
Already I can tell you that this thing is powerful. In fact I accidentally broke the back end loose on the car going around a corner at a light. I wasn't trying to drive like a mad man, but with the simple feather of the throttle there was enough torque there to pull the car sideways. Now that might scare some people, but I instantly realized that this was a well balanced car, and the power that is available makes the car very controllable. This is a car you could drift with ....under control. With the back end floating away, I was easily able to steer it back into a proper line and I now know how much fun this car COULD BE.
Oh by the way...this car is equipped with a manual transmission - in traditional stick shift format with a clutch. I prefer that over paddle shifters. It's what I am used to, and I find it gives me more control over the car...because I can feel the car better through the clutch pedal, shifter, steering wheel, and seat.
Don't worry folks I am not out speeding or driving like an idiot. The mini drift was unintentional. I will drive responsibly this week. We always do when we have these test vehicles - as we are supposed to.
The objective here is to test the car under real world conditions....to give you an idea of what this car would be like if you were to purchase one. We are not taking the Camaro SS out to a race track - not this particular car anyway - we're just going to give it a good run by driving it daily to pickup groceries, to cruise the main drag downtown, to attend a cruse night, and maybe visit a car show this weekend.
This car shares a platform with the Cadillac ATS, so it is world class and it is much better than the previous Camaro. It also shares components with the Corvette, most notably the engine which produces 455 horsepower from the 6.2 litres of available engine capacity.
This Camaro is lighter than last year's. It is in fact 223 pounds lighter. This is a rear wheel drive monster.
The real question here is....is it as good as its Mustang and Challenger competitors?
I haven't driven it enough to know yet, but check back at the end of the week, and I will certainly let you know.
Rick Walker - SST Car Show News
