Driven: Holden's US muscle car
Jez Spinks, drive.com.au, November 17, 2009

It's more than 40 years since the original Camaro hit American roads and Drive has hired its retro-infused, fifth-generation successor, which is the first all-new model to be based on the underpinnings of the Holden Commodore.

My red rental car is getting unrelenting attention.

A guy in a Chevrolet Corvette convertible tails me for a number of kilometres before accelerating past with a thumb raised. A kid in the back of a Toyota Camry takes a photograph out of the rear window.

And as I stop for fuel at a "gas station" just off the Interstate 15 highway linking Los Angeles and Las Vegas through the Nevada desert, the elderly couple behind the counter are not the first Americans to smile and say: "Nice car."

This is no humble hire car, of course.

The Chevrolet Camaro is America’s newest muscle car and also the exclusive pride of Avis's US rental fleet.

It's more than 40 years since the original Camaro hit American roads and Drive has hired its retro-infused, fifth-generation successor, which is the first all-new model to be based on the underpinnings of the Holden Commodore. And one that was chiefly designed, engineered and developed by General Motors' Australian arm.

The new Camaro is a 21st-century nod to the late-1960s original, with its menacing, narrowed horizontal grille, muscular rear haunches, and low, ground-hugging stance.

But as we head away from Vegas, all bets are off that the Camaro — complete with the Commodore's independent rear suspension that;s an alien concept to the likes of the rival live-axled Ford Mustang — has the potential to set a new benchmark for American muscle-car handling.

The snaking Valley of Fire Highway, north-east of Vegas, reveals the Camaro can stand the heat of hard driving.

The steering wheel may be an ergonomic nightmare — it feels slightly too big and fingers and thumbs don't rest comfortably at the quarter-to-three position — but is near faultless at performing its job.

The Camaro's steering is quick, accurate and well weighted and offers the driver plenty of confidence. The front wheels bite into the bitumen on turn-in, with minimal body roll aided by the Holden-tuned suspension and the car's natural low centre of gravity.

Over the bumps and frequent undulations of the Valley of Fire Highway, the Camaro never feels anything less than tautly controlled.

Brembo brakes provide powerful stopping power and generous grip is supplied by the 20-inch Pirelli tyres (which are wider at the rear).

The Camaro, as a manual, is available with the 6.2-litre V8 familiar to owners of E-series HSVs, though our six-speed automatic variant has a related, same-sized engine.

There is 298kW of power and 567Nm of torque on offer, sufficient to propel the Camaro SS to 100km/h in less than five seconds, according to testing by US car magazines.

The engine and exhaust note sound like the mute button has been partially depressed, though there is enough of a burble on light throttle and a roar under full-bore acceleration.

Average fuel consumption of 15.0 litres per 100 kilometres glares from the trip computer, despite the V8's cylinder deactivation technology.

The ride is generally commendable though becomes choppy and occasionally harsh at low speed on rougher surfaces. Other niggles include tiny sun visors, restricted over-the-shoulder visibility, limited storage, negligible rear-seat legroom, leather sports seats in need extra support, and hard interior plastics.

The Camaro's equally retro interior, with a cool-looking turquoise-with-red ambience at night, is a visual success, however, and the price is astounding. The SS's standard features include Bluetooth, USB, four-gauge cluster pack and a premium audio system.

And all this for a starting price of $US33,745 ($37,258) — which at today's currency exchange rates means the Camaro costs just a little more than a base Commodore. With a price like that, who would need to rent?

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...rticleID=67371