RE: Camaros on sale in the UK!
Discussion
For all those considering the latest Mustang GT, it's worth reading comparison tests with the new 2016 Camaro SS
http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/reviews/a2765...
Road and Track concluded:
'....there's no doubt the Camaro, with its Cadillac platform and Corvette engine, is the thoroughbred of its class. We can't believe it. The Camaro is almost too composed. The balance is sublime. It's refined and exciting. Has this once fat lout of a car become a bona fide sports car?
Did that just happen?
It happened.'
http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/reviews/a2765...
Road and Track concluded:
'....there's no doubt the Camaro, with its Cadillac platform and Corvette engine, is the thoroughbred of its class. We can't believe it. The Camaro is almost too composed. The balance is sublime. It's refined and exciting. Has this once fat lout of a car become a bona fide sports car?
Did that just happen?
It happened.'
I live in Atlanta and just bought one for $37k. I bought a white 1ss with 8sp auto and magnetic ride. Owned an m5 then a 135 before. Good points: very balanced car with great speed, handling and brakes. Surprisingly refined. Nice comfy ride then you hit a switch for it to firm up. Much better interior than before. Reasonable gas mileage. Paddles work well, allows you to hold gears,doesn't intervene. Quiet with stock exhaust. With the auto it is very quick to respond, goes down multiple gears. Bad points: nav is extra and I miss it. Motor vibes when you buzz it. Visibility. No backup sensors on 1ss. Questions: markclow@hotmail.com
http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/03/31/video-head-2-hea...
I also drove the Mustang and I liked it too.
I also drove the Mustang and I liked it too.
Edited by markclow on Friday 15th April 12:42
willisit said:
So whilst the 5th Gen was an "official" car, this one gets 18 build slots. Oh well, nice it's happening in some tiny, pointless fashion.
The 2016 car is an "official car" as it's on the Chevrolet UK website:http://www.chevrolet.co.uk/
The 18 build slots are for 2016, there will be more for 2017
And while buying the official UK model is probably the best option, there's nothing to stop you buying the same Euro specification car from one of the German dealers. They will happily align the headlights for UK use.
Alternatively one of the specialist UK American Car dealers e.g. American Car Centre, will happily import a US specification Camaro and provide an IVA certificate for UK compliance.
Edited by Chafford1 on Friday 15th April 13:02
OverSteery said:
Wise-up? Possibly, but will the number sold here (with RHD) justify the expense to develop it? I doubt it. IMHO historically a better car that the Ford, but the public profile of the camaro is much much lower in the UK than the 'iconic' mustang, let alone BMW/AUDI/etc/etc
I'd guess the RHD mustang is a loss leader. The Ford brand/image/badge desperately needs an injection of something and the halo model effect of the mustang might well be the motivation above actual £/$ return on cars sold.
Not sure what the point of GM spending money on the Chevy brand in the UK is?
Well they already do with the Corvette and the Stingray, ICYMI.I'd guess the RHD mustang is a loss leader. The Ford brand/image/badge desperately needs an injection of something and the halo model effect of the mustang might well be the motivation above actual £/$ return on cars sold.
Not sure what the point of GM spending money on the Chevy brand in the UK is?
markclow said:
I live in Atlanta and just bought one for $37k. I bought a white 1ss with 8sp auto and magnetic ride. Owned an m5 then a 135 before. Good points: very balanced car with great speed, handling and brakes. Surprisingly refined. Nice comfy ride then you hit a switch for it to firm up. Much better interior than before. Reasonable gas mileage. Paddles work well, allows you to hold gears,doesn't intervene. Quiet with stock exhaust. With the auto it is very quick to respond, goes down multiple gears. Bad points: nav is extra and I miss it. Motor vibes when you buzz it. Visibility. No backup sensors on 1ss. Questions: markclow@hotmail.com
The UK/Euro specification SS has blind spot monitoring and rear camera.
300bhp/ton said:
Not really sure I can believe that in any shape or form. I suspect you are either being over dramatic for the sake of posting on an internet forum, or are being completely unreasonable.
Everybody is entitled to an opinion. My reasoning for not liking that particular car included:Edited by 300bhp/ton on Friday 15th April 11:17
Unbelievably cheap interior, the sort of thing that I see people complaining about in entry level vauxhalls. It felt like a cheap car from the 90s.
Visibility was extremely poor, especially with the hood up. This is not a unique situation for the camaro but given the sheer size of the car it was very bad.
Boot space was bad, barely any more than the Corvette had.
Handling was atrocious, old fashioned rear axle I believe, got its knickers in a twist very easily. Going over speed strips would make the rear end shake, first time it happened I had to pull over and check I hadn't blown a tyre (hadn't, and pressures were fine)
Engine was very underpowered for the car, I was in the V6 and the V8 would definitely be better - but wouldn't be much more fun with the handling. In the last 1,000rpm the V6 started to pull nicely but took a long time to get there.
Fairly dimwitted gearbox, when I found some twisty roads it didn't really want to know.
Plus points, it looked quite nice if you're into that sort of thing and was fairly pleasant to have the top down. The roof could only be lowered or raised when stationary, and took an exceptionally long time to do its thing however.
Compared with the Corvette I had just been in, the thing felt like not just a car from a totally different manufacturer, but a totally different time.
This was an entry-level rental car so was unlikely to ever set the world on fire. I'd love to try one of the performance versions though, they do look like fun.
jayemm89 said:
Everybody is entitled to an opinion. My reasoning for not liking that particular car included:
Unbelievably cheap interior, the sort of thing that I see people complaining about in entry level vauxhalls. It felt like a cheap car from the 90s.
1. I'm sure you are exaggerating for effect again... or still being unreasonable.Unbelievably cheap interior, the sort of thing that I see people complaining about in entry level vauxhalls. It felt like a cheap car from the 90s.
2. The interior on the 5th Gen Camaro is perfectly fine. Materials are not really any different to any other car maker for the same cost/sector...
3. The base model V6 Camaro 5th Gen was a comparatively cheap car in the US. It is totally unreasonable to expect £50k luxury car interiors on a car that was probably retailing for maybe a 1/3rd of price.
jayemm89 said:
Visibility was extremely poor, especially with the hood up. This is not a unique situation for the camaro but given the sheer size of the car it was very bad.
It's not really that big. Plenty of UK market cars the same size or bigger.e.g.
| Camaro 5th Gen | 75.5" wide | 190" long |
| BMW M4 | 73.6" wide | 184" long |
| BMW M6 | 74.8" wide | 193" long |
Which just proves that you are being unreasonable about it. As for vision out, yes others have commented on it, but I'm sure it's not as bad as all that.
jayemm89 said:
Boot space was bad, barely any more than the Corvette had.
But it has 2 more seats too.... 
And by the sounds of it, the Camaro was a convertible, was the Corvette a coupe? If so, you aren't really comparing like for like.
And I'm not sure boot space, or lack of it can make a car hateful. An MX-5 has a tiny odd shaped boot, but is anything but. And at the end of the day, if you need trunk space you don't buy a 2+2 coupe!
jayemm89 said:
Handling was atrocious, old fashioned rear axle I believe, got its knickers in a twist very easily. Going over speed strips would make the rear end shake, first time it happened I had to pull over and check I hadn't blown a tyre (hadn't, and pressures were fine)
Well others seem to get on fine with them.And no, not old fashioned rear axle, not that that would cause what you claim anyhow. That's just a total ignorant view of it.
The 5th Gen Camaro uses IRS and is not so dissimilar to other GM products. The V6 model also uses the same suspension layout as the top level Camaro's, which are praised very well for their handling.
jayemm89 said:
Engine was very underpowered for the car, I was in the V6 and the V8 would definitely be better - but wouldn't be much more fun with the handling. In the last 1,000rpm the V6 started to pull nicely but took a long time to get there.
The V6 5th Gen Camaro has a 323bhp engine (312 I think for early 5th Gens) and typically weighs in at 1600-1700kg, depending on the exact model. Obviously a auto convertible will weigh more than a manual coupe.But in either instance that is a lot more power and lot less weight than something like a BMW 840Ci..... and all this in a budget entry level coupe.
In performance terms, the early V6 will do 0-60mph in 5.9 sec and the 1/4 mile in 14.5 sec @ 99mph. That's Escort Cosworth quick!!!
To claim it as slow and under powered is frankly ridiculous, ignorant and insulting.
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2010-chevrolet-ca...
jayemm89 said:
Compared with the Corvette I had just been in, the thing felt like not just a car from a totally different manufacturer, but a totally different time.
I think a base model V6 5th Gen had an MSRP of around $23k..... A Corvette would have been nearer to $60k.You can't really compare them as a like for like. We don't really have the same cars in the UK market, but it would be like taking a non RS Focus and comparing it to an M4.
jayemm89 said:
This was an entry-level rental car so was unlikely to ever set the world on fire. I'd love to try one of the performance versions though, they do look like fun.
Well they will have the same interior, the same general handling traits, the same look, the same vision out. Generally just the same, but more powerful and maybe a little more tied down and focus for performance.Edited by 300bhp/ton on Friday 15th April 14:06
Well 300bhp you're clearly a big fan of the Camaro, and that's absolutely fine. I had no idea what they cost but if the entry level car was $23,000 - and I am pretty sure I was in an entry level car - then you're getting great value for money I think. Unfortunately that value for money doesn't always translate. It could well be that the same car in a coupe, with a manual gearbox and a V8 I'd fall in love with. But I just didn't gel with the one that I had. It's not impossible. I love my E46 M3 but I'd probably hate an SMG convertible one. I would expect a Z28 or ZL1 probably have as much in common with what I drove as an M4 does with a 420d.
I was in an automatic convertible V6, which is certainly not going to be the most sporting of things... it was just very much a shock after the Vette as that car completely defied all of my expectations of what an American sports car would be like. And yeah the vette was a "coupe" but seeing as the roof comes off I don't distinguish other than the fact I much prefer the coupe looks.
I was in an automatic convertible V6, which is certainly not going to be the most sporting of things... it was just very much a shock after the Vette as that car completely defied all of my expectations of what an American sports car would be like. And yeah the vette was a "coupe" but seeing as the roof comes off I don't distinguish other than the fact I much prefer the coupe looks.
Edited by jayemm89 on Friday 15th April 15:23
swerni said:
I ran one for 2 years in the UK when they first came out ( it replaced my S197), the only thing i didn't like was the lack of visibility.
While it isn't that large , unlike the Stang, you are sat very low which makes it harder to judge distance.
I find the " too big" comment laughable, it was much smaller than my E series estate, but i don't see anyone saying they are too big for UK roads
The camaro has a high doorline, which combined with being on the "wrong side" of the car will never help. Like anything I'm sure you would adapt given time.While it isn't that large , unlike the Stang, you are sat very low which makes it harder to judge distance.
I find the " too big" comment laughable, it was much smaller than my E series estate, but i don't see anyone saying they are too big for UK roads
I drove an M4 recently and I consider that car too big for many of the roads I drive on (smaller country lanes when I'm having fun), so in that case a Camaro would be too large for me but definitely not alone in that regard. Cars in general are becoming quite large
swerni said:
unsprung said:
5ohmustang said:
swerni said:
It's about 10cm longer and and wider than a 3 series, how can that be " not UK sized"?
Camaros or mustangs were never big. This camaro is smaller than the 10-15 model and that was small enough. While it isn't that large , unlike the Stang, you are sat very low which makes it harder to judge distance.
I find the " too big" comment laughable, it was much smaller than my E series estate, but i don't see anyone saying they are too big for UK roads
I wrote about this double standard the other day, after seeing the usual praise for a (beautiful and desirable) Aston Martin -- a performance coupe which is not especially small. See my comments about this double standard, here.
Pan Pan Pan said:
My brother in law had a late model mustang, but was not impressed with driving experience.
He now has a Camaro, and said the difference in the driving experience was significant, with (in his words) the mustang being like comparing driving a tractor,(with its agricultural gearbox and back axle) to a normal car.
I have not driven either so can only take his words at face value.
I have a new mustang....could you ask your brother in law to point out the back axle to me pleaseHe now has a Camaro, and said the difference in the driving experience was significant, with (in his words) the mustang being like comparing driving a tractor,(with its agricultural gearbox and back axle) to a normal car.
I have not driven either so can only take his words at face value.
Domf said:
The Camero not known in the UK, gets more airtime than the Mustang, ask my wife and the millions of UK women who watch Hawaii five-0 every week. Danny Williams is driving a black camero in every episode
I'm not a woman but I watch Hawaii Five-0 every week. Pedantry dictates I must point out that the running joke of the series is that Danny never drives his own car as its always McGarrett who does...
Such a fun series to watch
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