A few of the focus group members went to the NY Auto Show today. Fbodfather had a little surprise waiting for us. A sliver 2SS 6-speed press car parked out in front of the Javits Convention Center on 11th Ave.

He let us take it for a ride. Scott was very kind and indulged my request to take the car down Broadway and through Times Square.

Talk about stopping traffic! At every red light, folks were whipping out their camera phones to get pictures. Scores of folks yelling at us, giving thumbs up. Three requests to do a burnout. (No, I didnt unfortunately)

It's really hard to describe. It takes alot to catch a NYers attention. This car does it in spades!

... and let me tell you, this car is ROCK SOLID. I tried rattling the heck out of it roaring down an empty sidestreet. The IRS was phenominal in keeping the car planted and sure footed. If I tried that in my Firehawk, I'd have been bouncing all over the place.

Thank you Scott for the great surprise, and thank you GM for building us a great car!

 

That must have been an awesome experience in New York City! Wow!

 

Is THAT why I could not get across town! I think you sould take it out for an encore.

 

I got to drive one also........drool....

Here's a pic - old and new.

 

For those of you who drove it...how was it???!!!!

1GrumpyDude, was your an auto or stick?

How was exhaust, both at idle and moving?

 

Sounds like the same car that Jalopnik just drove in Manhattan recently.

I'm not sure Manhattan would fit as the ideal place for my first test drive as I'd be looking for a place with much more open room and far less attention.

Good review.

 

I drove an IVER V8 auto, yesterday was my first time driving a 6 speed V8.

The shifting was effortless. Much much better than on the 4th gens. Clutch feel was good. Brakes grabbed very quickly. I had a few "aburpt" stops in the stop and go of midtown traffic. Nothing that was more than needing more seat time to have a better feel for them. I didnt have the opportunity to really slam on them to see how well it stops the car.

Acceleration was strong. I didnt do any clutch dumps, nor was it the time and place to do any real agressive driving. I got to walk through 1st thru 3rd a few times leaning on the acclerator.

Visibility is what it is with the high beltline of the car. Nothing bad, but its not a "minivan" view of the road. thats for sure. LOL

I liked the exhaust note. I'm sure many will find it too quiet, but folks do need to keep in mind there are strict federal guidelines regarding how loud the car can be in OE form.

Scott likes to show off the quietness of the ride and interior by rolling up the windows, but I wanted my window down so I could hear the car since it does sound good, and listen to the comments from pedestrians and passer bys. Vanity is my name, what can I tell you.

In Midtown Manhattan, I wasnt going to get a good feel for the car's handling. Most of the turns I had to make involved waiting for a hole in the line pedistrians crossing the street... and waiting for those gawking at the car to realize they were standing in the middle of the street and were holding up traffic behind me.

The thng that impressed me most I stated above. I grew up in Brooklyn. I worked in midtown for a long time. It's not easy to get the attention of folks walking and driving around in "the city". That silver SS had no problems at all.

 

I'm sure it was. They had it in town for the press to drive.

 

Car I drove was a six speed manual. Like ChrisL said, it was a little to quiet for me.

Not sure if your referencing the one I drove. I'm in Texas and this car has been here a while making the rounds to dealerships and shows. You should have seen the folks driving by when I had my 68 out sitting next to it in the driveway!

 

Here's some additional pis if interested.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pyDude/Camaro/

 

Well that car drew quite a lot of love from the Jalopnik tester doing the same type of driving you did.

From you're perspective having driven two and far more seat time than my 0hrs. How do you think this car will appeal to the masses? Seating position, visibility, and overall comfort. I can be almost won over by the spec sheet alone. But it won't be that easy for most sales.

 

We are talking about the Silver 1SS 6M that GM brought to NY for the press during the auto show. It's from this article.

http://jalopnik.com/5182681/2010-che...drive-new-york

It seems that some very lucky Camaro club/board members got to drive that car.

BTW great pics of the yellow SS you drove. How did that come to be?

 

ChrisL,

did you say that you drove a V8 auto? How was it now that you have driven both?

 

Seating postion is good. The seat adjusts, and the steering wheel is tilt/telescope. I found it comfortable. I'm 5'11" and not skinny.

Visibility. Good question. It's not tremendous, but I didnt have a problem with it. I was weaving a little bit down Broadway when I had a chance. I had no issues at all and felt very comfortable doing it. I can't think of a more crowded situation you could find yourself in.

 

I'd say either choice is fine. Get what you want based on your needs/wants.

Tough to compare. I drove an 80% done IVER V8 11 months ago with Jason and the other focus group members in Milford.