because Camaros have a history of maintaining a high resale value????
you guys just want it all dont you?

 

It does take a rocket scientist to figure out how you lose 40HP on a motor that is rated on 87 octane in a car that will be very similar layout. Perhaps Lutz was thinking of the non-DI motor, or he misspoke.

 

its probably just gonna be a variant. Maybe different cams or intake manifold or whatever, but he never said the camaros V6 will make 300HP

 

No, this is not correct. Let me put this as plainly as it was put to me by someone who knows......

DO NOT HANG ON EVERY SPECIFIC WORD MR LUTZ SPOKE IN THAT INTERVIEW.

 

Seems this article just gives GM the excuse to price the V8 higher (and yes I bought my SS brand spaking new thank you very much!).

 

It's a typo on the author's part. The 3.6L DI V6 won't be detuned from the Caddy version. The non-DI 3.6L has 263 HP, IIRC. The author confused the two.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Sure, the Ecotecs have a large aftermarket, but with the DI 3.6L in a car with a larger audience than the CTS, performance options for this engine should jump considerably.

 

Can't imagine anyone looking for serious performance buying the four banger, or the V6 for that matter. Why put several thousand dollars into the car adding horsepower, winding up with a barely drivable car, when you could get the aluminum V8 with real power/torque, great gas mileage, durability and reliability, resale value, and very nice street manners? I suppose a couple guys might just enjoy the challenge? Not me. The four cylinder should be the economy leader (ideally in a Cobalt.)

 

If I had the choice, I would take the 6 over the 4, especially if hp and fuel economy will be similiar. A lot of 6s sound crappy, but some don't. You are pretty much guaranteed that an I4 is going to sound like crap.

 

I don't think anyone would disagree that those looking for serious performance probably won't be looking at a 4 (and maybe not the 6, but with 300 horses and $5.00 gas I'm not sure...) but Camaro probably needs to sell 70,000 base models to non-enthusiasts in order to justify the V8 performance models that the members of this site are interested in.

Most people buying a base model probably won't be that interested in modding. They'll just be looking for a stylish and sporty car.

 

SC 3800s sounded beautiful. Quite honestly, if they were to bring that V-6 back and throw it in the Camaro, I'd be happy. Even at only 240hp. My SC SS Monte used to eat cars up from light to light.

 

Everyone does realize Lutz was talking about the ecotec in gen 6 Camaros and beyond and not the 5th gen, correct?

 

haha, yeah, minor detail lost in all the "4cyl Camaro" hysterics.

I think we also need an "OMG, the sky is falling" smiley.

 

It's 2008, and things change. Get over it.

 

The thing that is totally silly about this hyperbole is that the reason anyone is suggesting putting an Ecotec in the Camaro is to increase fuel efficiency. However a turbo version isn't going to help that.

Let's consider the epa mpgs on some current GM models for a moment:

2008 Impala 3.5L/A4 - 18c/29h - 23 combined
2008 Malibu 2.2L/A4 - 22c/30h - 26 combined
2008 Solstice Turbo 2.0L/M5 - 19c/28h - 23 combined (on premium fuel).

Considering the Impala is more massive than the Solstice (and a future Camaro), those mpg numbers are impressive for a V6. What's more is that anything other than the non-turbo version of the Ecotec (which quite frankly would be too gutless for a 3700-lb Camaro) isn't going improve mileage over a V6, and a turbo version would require premium fuel.

At some point down the road, yes a turbo 4-cylinder may find its way into a Camaro, however that point isn't now as the combination just doesn't work at this time. I'd rather see a future smaller Camaro developed that is engineered with a turbo 4-cylinder from the start, and not just throw in a "more efficient" engine as a knee-jerk reaction to a proposed regulation (CAFE) that isn't even going to be 100% worked in for another 12 years.

 

A 3700 pound Camaro would be right in there with Impala:

Curb weights, estimated (lbs.)
Impala LS 3,674
Impala LT 3,674
Impala LTZ 3,729
Impala SS 3,790

The DI CTS weights 3800 lbs and gets 17/26. So I think that the V6 Camaro gas mileage will be somewhere in between the 3.5 Impala and 3.6 CTS - which would be significantly better mileage than the current Mustang V6 while having a significant power advantage. Of course the 2010 Mustang will probably have the 3.5 or an EcoBoost 3.5.