[Burnin' Rubber]

This forum is great because people involved in building the Camaro actually read the posts for feedback. That said, I’d like to add my thoughts on what I’d like to see in the sixth generation Camaro.

Let me start off by saying I have not pulled the trigger on acquiring a fifth generation Camaro. Don’t get me wrong. It is a great car and I would love to own one. What I don’t like is that Chevrolet doesn’t offer one configured exactly how I want it. There are just too many compromises with the current generation Camaro, likely having to do with getting it to work with the existing Zeta platform.

For example, if you want a V6 engine with automatic transmission you lose out on the limited-slip differential. If you want a V8 engine with automatic transmission you lose out on the performance dual-mode exhaust due to incompatibility with the active fuel management feature. This is clearly an engineering shortfall in which they cut corners and did not redesign the performance exhaust for the L99 engine. This is obviously no longer an issue with the LT1 engine as seen in the Corvette, but still it is a disappointment in the current Camaro with the L99 engine. I get that they were concerned about fuel economy, but I still think they should have just offered the LS3 engine with an automatic transmission for consistency.

Next, the RS package adds on a tacky rear spoiler. The SS model gives you no choice but to take it with the spoiler, with or without the RS package. Personally, I’ve outgrown the desire to have a tacky plastic spoiler added on the rear of every car I own and I think GM should too. That fad came and went a long time ago and is now just an unnecessary gimmick and money grab. For me the functionality of a rear spoiler is not a selling point as I don’t think I will reach the speeds required for it to be a major factor. I also don’t like the fact that it needs holes drilled into the rear deck for mounting thereby making it susceptible to accumulation of moisture and dirt which leads to corrosion. In my opinion, both the Camaro and Corvette appear much more attractive without the spoiler.

Then there are things like the gauge package which I think gives the interior some unique character but it’s left out of cars fitted with the cloth seats. I get that I can order the gauges and install them myself but I don’t like the idea of hacking up the interior of a brand new car.

Another thing I hate is fog light cutouts that don’t have any fog lights in them. Fog lights are excluded from the 1LS and 2LS models, which means you get round holes in the front fascia intended for fog lights but filled with black plastic covers instead. It ends up looking sloppy and cheap in my opinion all for the sake of having a one-size-fits-all front fascia tooled. This is a practice used by a lot of low-end automakers which irritates me. I find it much better if the fascia is designed in such a way that if fog lights are not ordered it doesn’t look so awkward as having two lonely plastic-filled holes in an area of the fascia which serve no useful purpose. The high-end automakers are much better at this, I must say.

All that being said, the next Camaro should offer options, and lots of them, but with none of the constraints of the fifth generation. I am all in favor of a low-cost Camaro but I would not want to feel short-changed by a lack of features available at the low end. For example, I was surprised to find out that the Camaro does not have a low windshield washer fluid sensor. This may seem minor, but my first car out of school had one and it really was useful in winter. Really, how much would this feature add to the total cost? Also, a locking fuel filler door would make sense on a car such as this, not so much to prevent fuel theft, but to deter vandalism from someone pouring a damaging substance in the fuel tank.

I realize some things are the way they are due to engineering constraints, but I suspect that most areas where one might feel short-changed with the Camaro are due to marketing and financial decisions. If I want an automatic V6 with a limited-slip differential, I should be able to get it. If I want an automatic V8 with upgraded exhaust, I should be able to get it. If I don’t want a spoiler with the RS package, I should be able to delete it in the options.

I hope this hasn’t seemed like too much of a rant. I don’t mean to criticize the fine people involved with the present Camaro because it is an amazing vehicle to have available to own in our lives. However, when faced with having to spend $30- to $40-large on a vehicle I expect to get what I want. I don’t want to sound cynical, and I apologize if it seems that way, but my intent has simply been an effort to help make a fantastic thing even better.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope it provides some constructive feedback for design and engineering decisions to be made for the next Camaro. It is a fantastic opportunity to start with a clean slate on the Alpha platform and make the Camaro the best that it can be all-around no matter the price point.