I happen to be a 30 year old, married and with 2 kids, living in a single income family. Its very likely that if the concept gets the green light, I will only be able to afford the base model and that will be stretching it. But...I've always wanted a Camaro. I grew up always envious of my Uncle who owned every generation of Camaro. Now its my turn! So...

I was wondering what kind of specs you guys might think the base model would include. How much horsepower, what it might do 0-60, and the 1/4 mile times and how it would likely compare to the base models of the '06 Mustang and the Challenger concept.

I've heard some people say 250hp is likely for the V6. To me thats not very bad at all. Thats what? 40 more hp than the base V6 Mustang?

I could also see myself getting some mods on the V6 to try and push it up to an even 300hp. I'm not very smart when it comes to engine mods, but what suggestions would you guys make to someone in my position who wanted to squeeze a little more hp out of the V6 and is on a limited budget.

Thanks very much!

 

The Rustang is due to get the new Duratec 35 when it goes mainstream, which will be quite a stout motor for a v6, probably rated around 240-250 horses. With the high curb weight, I think the Camaro will be a mid-high 15 second car.

 

Dis,

you are going to need to wait until the actual engine is announced, then you will need to wait until the car is released with the engine. This will show what can and can't be done. For example, it may come with higher compression, or weak pistons, meaning Forced induction is not really an option. On the other hand it could come stock with forged rods and pistons and 9:0 to 1 compression and thrive at 15 lbs of boost.

here are a few in the GM portfolio......

2.8 DOHC in CTS................ = 210 hp
3.5 OHV in G6.................... = 201
3.5 SOHC in Vue................ = 250 - Honda engine, nevermind
3.6 DOHC in the LaCrosse...... = 240 - Edited
3.6 DOHC in SRX................ = 255
3.8 OHV in Gran Prix........... = 260
3.9 OHV in G6................... = 240

As you can see, they have a few choices. I would say the 3.5 SOHC or the 3.6 DOHC would be great in the Camaro especially if tuned to get a little more power. Then again, the V8 will be a pushrod motor, so the 260 hp 3.8 would really embarass the Mustang V6, the BMW 330, and many other entry level V6 cars as it is.

We'll have to wait and see.

 

good point, out of the box, the new ford 3.5L OHC engine is said to get 250hp and similar torque, while also getting better mileage than the 4.0 SOHC. Who knows when the stang will get it though.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... the V6 Camaro should ideally be about as quick as the Mustang GT, and the V8 Camaro quite a bit quicker than that (like the balance of power was back in the mid '90s).

Of course this isn't realistically going to happen, but a guy can dream.

Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing three engine options: economy, touring, and ultra high performance. The mid-range touring engine could be a small V8 or a large V6.

 

Chances of anything using the 3.8L S/C are pretty slim from what it seems. GM seems pretty into the idea of dropping it and using the 3.9/3.5. In the end, it's cheaper. I'm sure the 3.9L can be tuned for premium fuel and get a good bit more power if GM wanted.

The DOHC engines are likely to be a bit of a long shot as well considering the prices of them. If GM wants to keep the entry level camaro down in price. They would be smarter to use the 60* family of motors. Besides, every F-body for the last 20 years has had a 60* OHV motor... why not keep going?

 

Insurance alone wouldn't let that happen. Then perhaps CAFE could have an impact due to the overall gas mileage of the vehicles would be lower by average. There are probably a thousand reasons. But I'd like to dream too.

From what we see in this forum most of the time. There is a good chance we'll have 3 engine options at some point. Just don't expect it to be in the first year of production. Perhaps the second a high end version will show up.

 

The Monaro CV6 (supercharged V6... around 250hp if I remember) did 0-60 in about 7 flat (with mandatory automatic tranny). My wild guess is a V6 250 horse Camaro with gearing to make up for the torque difference might be as much as half a second quicker with a stick if the car's at least 150-200 pounds lighter than the Monaro. Very likely since Monaros were loaded to the gills, while Camaros will have less content, and therefore lighter in weight.

 

Expect the HV V6 to be the base engine. The HF V6s are much more expensive to build and more difficult to package in a chassis meant for OHVs. Also expect them to run on regular fuel as this will be the choice for economy-minded drivers.

Performance is hard to say until more about the weight and engine specs are known. My guess would be low- to mid-15s in the quarter. As for modding it to make it go faster, it'll likely be cheaper (and more reliable) in the long run to buy the V8 in the first place.

 

I doubt the camaro is going to get a honda V6 ( VUE ).

My bet is a 3.9........ it only has 20hp less than the mustang GT had until 2005.

TONY

 

We could also see DI and 3 valve heads by 2008.

 

I thought that was the honda motor... isn't it in the Vibe too?

I didn't want to chime in on that one because I couldn't remember for sure.

It's also been said that certain versions of the 3.9L already have DoD built in, but just disabled. You figure that by '09 they would probably have it working. Add 3V heads, and you've got Ford beat easily for the base engine HP. If I had too, I'd take it. Good HP and good gas mileage would make it a nice one-two punch.

 

The Vue uses the Honda 3.5 V6. The Vibe is a rebadged Toyota Matrix with a 1.8L I4.

 

The Honda motor is the 3.5 V6 in the Saturn Vue.

The Vibe, essentially being a Toyota, has Toyota's 1.8 I4.

 

R377, I beat yah.