In order to be competitive with the Mustang, Camaro needs to beat it on pretty much every level. I believe that the 400hp Camaro which Lutz has mentioned in the past is the model which we should expect to do that.

To be successful it needs to outperform/beat the Mustang GT on acceleration, braking, handling, gas mileage, weight, shifter feel in the manual tranny version, exhaust note, ride quality, rear visibility, rear passenger space, driver comfort, stereo quality, interior design, and reliability. I might have missed some things in there. The price can be $999 more than a Mustang GT, and not a penny more. Ideally it would be less.

Basically, people need to have no ammo whatsoever to argue that the Mustang is the superior car. They already have a few things:
- DOHC is "technologically superior" (I know it's not true, but they'll still say it)
- Mustang came out first
- "If the Camaro is so great, why did GM stop building it for so long"
- "Retro is so 2005" (I don't think the 5th gen is all that retro, but I can't seem to convince anyone of that)

Most of the engineering has already been done on the LSx engine series. At this point, powertrain development on GM V8 cars must be dirt cheap. Grab a crate off the shelf and toss it in the car; it'll work. So GM can (and, it appears, already has) spend the R&D money on making sure that everything else is pretty much perfect.

The impression I get from Scott is that this is exactly what they're doing. It sounds like the hammer is on track to hit the nail square on the head. Now if they'd just hurry up!

It looks like there won't be a 40th Anniversary Camaro... too bad. But I can totally understand not wanting to rush the car to market. Get it right!

 

I doubt there is much difference in 400hp and 325hp on an icy road. If the conditions were that bad I'd think you wouldnt go full throttle to begin with.

To think Mustang is going to sit still at 300hp is kinda crazy too, I think it will get a bump in hp by the time the new camaro comes out. Lets say it gets 325 and the Camaro does as well. The Camaro has usually came in about $1000 more than the Mustang, who wants to pay more for the same performance. Also consider that the Mustang has a solid rear axle and would more than likely win most magazine 1/4 comparisons simply because its is harder to get get 60ft times with IRS. It sounds to me the new Camaro will need close to 400hp to achieve a slight edge in performance. From all signs the Camaro doesnt sound to be a lightweight, plus it will have IRS to hamper track times.

Just think how the GTO would compare against the Mustang if it only had 325hp, track times are pretty even now and the GTO has 400hp!

 

Scott Settlemier has repeatedly commented on how small the Camaro is. It's smaller than the Mustang. This is the only official statement I have heard which gives any indication of how much it will weigh. I think it's going to be surprisingly light.

What signs have you seen that it will be heavy? There is the general trend towards more weight, but have you seen anything specific to the weight of the 5th gen Camaro?

 

OK.........next poll..........

For those of you who voted for the V8........how many of you would BUY the 5.3???

 

For me, it depends on what the other V8 options/price are. Honestly the 5.3L doesnt sound too enticing to me, but really hard to say without hp/ price figures.

 

Again, you are looking at a 4.5 or lower to 60 and about a 12.5 1/4 mile. Most non entusiats will be scare to death of that kind of power. Think about when you take someone out the first time in a ls1.........

 

It's probably just the people I associate with, but everyone I've taken for a ride in my car has said it's not quite fast enough.

 

Again, if the Camaro comes in at 4000lbs, 400hp is fine. The number itself may still be a problem though. Hell, it costs me $190 a month to insure my new 350hp Charger. I am 30 years old without ever having a ticket for anything. I am married and have a son. I have a house and 3 vehicles insured throught the company. And they are the cheapest I could find.

 

I would not buy it for my fun car. But I like power.

My wife likes the sound and fell of a v8 but is scared of the power. If I were going to buy a car that both of us would drive, I would have to go with the 5.3 if available.

 

Your insurance is expensive because of the value of the car.

My Z28 costs half that to insure, despite having pretty much the same horsepower.

Of course, a new Camaro is going to be worth about the same as a new Charger...

 

And what do they drive? Z06 and vipers?

 

My 2001 z28 that I just sold was $180 for insurance.

 

No, actually, my car is faster than any of theirs AFAIK. It's all about what they want to be driving.

One guy works at Corsa and gets to drive all of their test mules. He's in the same Fraternity as the owner, the lucky bastard (so am I, but I don't work at Corsa). He's always telling me about doing smoky burnouts in a Ford GT or some crap like that.

Incidentally, he said the Mallet Solstice was sweet.

 

I pay about $800/year to insure my '02. Monthly, that comes out to $67.

The trick is to have a beater with liability-only insurance on it, and insure that as your primary driver, and the Camaro as your "pleasure" driver.

My 1993 Regal costs about $400/year to insure and saves me more than double that in insurance on the Z28. Even after I factor in the cost of keeping the Regal registered, it's still cheaper. The 2000 Bonneville costs about $600/year to insure and saves me well over that on the Grand National.

Seriously. Buy a car that doesn't even run for $100 and insure it, liability-only, as your primary driver. You won't regret it.

 

I have 3 cars full coverage with above minimum liability coverage and its only $180 for all 3 per month. Married, 30+, and homeowners policy.

Back on subject, I will be a little disappointed if the only option is a 5.3L app 325hp V8 for $27kish or a high end super V8 for $40kish. I guess the 400hp for the GTO has me spoiled.