[DeepestGray]

Hey everybody!

I've been casually lurking the forums since the camaro's 2010 revival. After recently grabbing a new 1lt I figured it was about time I joined up. The 4 banger section seems a little quiet so I figured I may as well add some new input.

First, a little background. I've been a huge Camaro fan since I was a little kid because my father had a '68 back in the day. The love of camaro's in particular fueled the flames and I began to grow an appreciation for other fast cars too. I started driving and had a few beaters my parents gave me but when the time came for me to buy a car it had to be a Camaro. I always loved the look of the 98-02 camaros (and firebirds) and bought a v6 m5 coupe without ttops for next to nothing. The problem was that Everybody and their mother had to go out of their way to tell me what a huge mistake it was not going with the v8. What people couldn't realize is that I had purchased the car as a learning tool. I learned more about driving in that car than I have in any other and I didn't wreck a nicer v8 car in the process. I learned the correct way to drive a manual, learned how to engine brake by heel toe downshifting, learned how to control oversteer, etc all of which was done through trial and error. Had I tried to learn some of these things in a faster car there's a good chance I could have seriously hurt myself.

It turns out that I made a wise decision learning to drive a slower car fast first. A few years after I bought the Camaro my now fiancé decided to buy a '09 Wrx sti hatchback. I to this day cannot explain why that was the car she had to have. She wanted a regular wrx originally but as soon as she saw the sti in person there was no changing her mind. At first I was extremely concerned about the car being too much for her (and me) but I was wrong. Driving the car out of boost like she does just felt like driving an Impreza with an attitude problem. The car quickly became my weekend play toy however. I fell in love with the way the turbo felt and the unreal grip of the awd and the amazing steering. It was all there. I still love the car and drive it frequently and frankly I would have bought one if she hadn't..

But we quickly learned how expensive high performance vehicles can become the hard way. The engine went a little after 100k even with 3000 mile oil changes and checking the oil every time we filled the tank. We spent 12k on rebuilding the engine correctly (believe me it's built) and as I started looking into the reliability and longevity of the turbo boxer engines I decided we didn't need a second one.

The time came for me to retire the old v6 Camaro and I started looking at cars I might replace it with. I had very weird wants and needs for a vehicle. I do electrical work for a small company and haul all of my tools and sometimes a 4 ft ladder to work in my personal vehicle. I had done this out of my old Camaro and I wasn't about to let my job get in the way of me buying the vehicle I wanted. I started looking early in spring when dealers around me were starting to have a steady supply of 2016 v8s and v6s. The ss was way out of my price range and the lt was pushing it but I knew I had to test drive one. So I drove a 2lt rs v6 a8 first and fell in love. The way the car handled was absolutely incredible and I loved the way the new v6 sounded and felt. However I was not a big fan of the auto transmission. Or the 40k price tag for a non ss. This visit was very pivotal however because the dealer let me take measurements of the trunk and I learned that all of my tools and ladder would comfortably fit inside with the seats down. Before seeing the car in person I was convinced I couldn't do it. But the price kept me away.

I had to travel a ways before I could find a less expensively optioned car to drive. This time it was a v6 m6 1lt with the technology package and the npp exhaust. I really liked this car, the manual was much better than the auto ( although slightly vague feeling) and the stock exhaust note was to die for! But the next day that one sold and I started wondering if a Camaro was really a wise decision for me.

So I tinkered with the idea of maybe getting a beater truck and then a vette the next year. I spent some time driving my brothers s10 and realized I couldn't wait to get a nicer car. I just love driving too much to spend money on something I wouldn't like driving, even short term. I then tried to find a "compromise" vehicle in the form of a fast sedan. I drove some 335s, an e39 m5, and a ls2 ctsv but none of them was quite right.

Time passed and I still couldn't find something I was happy with. I eventually decided I'd go try pick up a cts v because I had liked it the most out of the cars I looked at. Of course, then I couldn't find a decent one within 300 miles so that idea was shot. By then dealers were getting the first shipments of 2017 camaros in, and out of curiosity I started to price check some 2016s again. And then I found it. A completely optionless NGM 1lt save the blade spoiler on the tail. Advertised at a price well within my budget. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the turbo 4 however. I hadn't driven one and although I wasn't at all biased against buying one I knew I'd hate the sound. (And I do) I also didn't like the fact that I had to run premium instead of mid grade while making less hp and getting less real world mpg. But I went and gave it a spin and was definitely glad I did.

Now I can get into some more details about the camaros instead of my backstory that nobody probably cares to hear. I test drove a 1lt 2.0t, a 2lt v6, and a 1ss with npp back to back and I'm glad there are 3 awesome engine options to pick from this generation! Really there is no wrong choice here but IMO the engines are suited to very different buyers. Remember that this is only my opinion and that you are free to spend your money how you want. However I do have strong feelings about the matter and I'm going to state them freely.

First the SS. I've always had a problem with people who buy too much car to show off, because they have a lot of money, just care about hp numbers, etc. In my mind the SS is just too much car for many people. This car has supercar levels of performance now and average joe really does not understand what a responsibility that is. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVED driving it. But IMO that power is an accident waiting to happen for those who don't completely respect it. The car does have a very high level of grip and a great traction and stability control systems to help keep it in check but those still aren't fail safes. If you underestimate a vehicle like this you could find yourself seriously hurt. If you don't absolutely need all of the power or don't fully understand what you're getting in to then I urge you to buy a v6 or 2.0t instead. Both are plenty fast enough and still amazing cars that you won't regret. Ultimately the SS is better left for serious driving enthusiasts who will really be able to use everything the car has to offer.

With that out of the way however I would now like to give some driving impressions. If I felt like I could own the vehicle without being arrested I probably would have signed my life away and bought it on the spot. It is an absolutely amazing car. It's just too fast for the road though at least where I live. I live in the country with countless twisty back roads and as much as the Camaro excels here it's just too easy to push it a little too hard accidentally. The car is non stop screaming at you to push it faster and harder and you quickly start to forget youre on a public road with cars and other variables. To actually have fun with this car I would seriously need to take it to a track. Speaking of the track however the way the npp exhaust sounds in track mode is insane! Which is good and bad. I think that it would frankly get me in trouble quickly because the noise is too addicting to want to turn down. The level of grip even with stock tires was also very very impressive both front and rear. Very balanced compared to the 5th gen ss I drove. Waaayy less understeer and you can really feel the weight savings. Also put the power down to the rear tires better even with the hp boost. One thing I didn't like was the dead space in the throttle that everybody is talking about. To me though, the dead space was the worst in the SS. I think this may be because the SS has so much more power than the other engines and I was being more cautious with the throttle however but I didn't have enough time behind the wheel to know for sure.

With the SS out of the way I'd like to start comparing my thoughts on the 4 banger vs the v6. I admit it was really really hard for me to choose between the two at first but the more I thought about it the more the turbo car made sense to me. At first glance it doesn't seem like the turbo has as much going for it compared to the v6. It requires premium gas, epa mpg is basically the same, real world mpg is worse depending on driving habits (but come on its a Camaro), it sounds awful, aannnddd the worst is that all of the entertaining turbo noises are completely muffled. The v6 also has a nice even power curve that absolutely screams up until redline and feels amazing. This engine just loves to rev! This is the engine that most Camaro owners should be buying especially if you don't plan on doing any modifications. The car is set up really well right out of the box and short of maybe a change in tires it needs nothing.

Annnnddd now finally some reasoning behind my purchase. The 4 banger. The main reason I bought the 4 cylinder is honestly because I'd like ultimately like to end up with a car with hp levels between the v6 and v8 cars that weighs less than both.My current goal with my car is to make it handle as good as possible before I make it faster and buying a cheaper base car gives me more money for mods. The lack of modification potential in the v6 was just a huge turn off for me. Short of FI there just isn't going to be a lot more power left to extract from the motor. Not the case with the turbo. The ats crowd has been doing great things with the ltg
Engine and now that the pistons are stronger and the Camaro has joined the fray I think we will be seeing great things from the aftermarket. Personally I also have my fingers crossed for some non warranty voiding Chevy performance upgrades as well. Al O. has hinted at this so here's hoping.

Alright, I'm done beating around the bush, here's some impressions of my car finally for those patient enough to read through all of this. I think the biggest surprise about this car to me is just what a good daily driver it is in addition to it being a sports car. The engine is smooth and quiet. Too smooth and quiet for me personally. I think many older Camaro fans who could overlook the fact that it only has "half the correct amount of cylinders" would really enjoy it. I see a lot of older people buying 2ss cars with every feasible creature comfort and I see people complaining that the new 1le won't be offered in 2ss trim, and wondering if the z28 will come with dual zone climate control and heated seats.... WHY?!?!?!? If you want to be comfortable then save money and option out a car with this engine! It's sooooo much more appealing than the v8 if you're just cruising and why drive a v8 around slowly? Al O. teased about coming out with a berlinetta a while back but I really think he should. It needs the 2.0t and a super upscale interior and technology above what you would receive in a 2ss. Based on what I read here, a car like this would definitely sell although it might hurt ats sales because I guess that's pretty much the car I'm describing haha. Back on topic though. The combination of being smooth and quiet has hurt my gas efficiency however. I frequently find myself humming along at a much higher rpm than I realized because I can't hear the engine and there is very little engine breaking from the car. It's not until I look at the tach that I see I'm doing 4K rpm instead of 2k.

I really enjoy the power band of this car although it requires some effort to stay there. Many people say that the auto does a really good job of keeping you in the power band and making the car feel faster but the manual has a lsd and i plan on adding more power later. Speaking of power, you can find it between 3-3.5k rpm and there was more than I anticipated before I bought it. It definitely feels torquier than the v6, flooring it in the powerband definitely put me back in my seat harder although the drop in hp at the top of the rev range is irritating. It's probably just me but this isn't very noticeable once I reach third. 1st and 2nd I short shift to keep power up but third just wants to ring all the way out to 7k and ~90 mph. An unnaturally smooth 90 mph. It's very enjoyable on the highway and I've never felt underpowered.

I'm having trouble learning to launch the car however. Best 0-60 recorded with the timer was 6.2 but frankly I don't trust it that much. I'm having a hard time balancing between bogging the engine and lighting up the tires which isn't hard with the 18s. The Tires definitely have to go. I'm thinking of putting winter tires on the 18s and going up to a 19 square stance for summer tires. One thing I did not like about this engine was how the throttle responded. You really need to flatfoot the thing to getting going unlike the other engines.

For now, I'll leave it at that but if I think of anything else to share I'll do it here and I'd also be happy to answer any questions anybody may have. Finally I'd also like to say thanks to everyone in the aftermarket who is working hard to pump out the good stuff for this engine, specifically Jason@jacfab, Mishimoto, and Borla. You guys are awesome!

Thanks camaro6, take it easy

[Evil-Bee-NH]

Nice write-up I went with the Turbo 4 for the Aftermarket aswell had an 11 2LS and the aftermarket was horrendous you had to basically take on another small car payment with any FI application to get anywhere past 300RWHP. Now I know you could get that with Nitrous but I like consistent power not something I can't have on 24/7 without emptying my wallet.

[Richard0nee]

Great write up, I enjoy reading every part of it. I really like the fact that u tested all 3 models and then decided what was best for you. Weighing all your options to what suits you is buying smartly.

From your explanation , you explained it thoroughly and I agree 100%. The dead space on the SS however, you just have to shift a certain way, which is tapping the gap ever so slighty when you release the clutch (balancing it). Do it right and you'll have a perfect shift with no hesitation. The SS is way too much car for the streets and I know most of us will always respect the power. Well, at least I hope they do cuz if they don't those tires will break loose.. especially on rainy/wet surfaces.

The turbo 4 will have more midrange torque than the V6.. exactly what you experienced. I would love the turbo 4 as a daily driver and I'll get one one of these days.

Congrats on your purchase and post some pics when/if you can!

[MiamiBlueCamaro]

A couple of pictures in this post is your best friend!

[DeepestGray]

Thanks for the responses guys. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I wrote at least that many to tide everyone over. But after a bath and after I tint the lights I'll throw up some pictures.

A few more thoughts I've had about the car. I've checked the oil maybe 3 times now and even with a good cool down period the handle of the dipstick is hot enough to burn my skin without a rag. I think a better heat shield around the turbo would help with this. Also my oil level was over full from the factory. When I looked at the owners manual to research this I found a section about tracking the car that actually reccommended keeping the oil level a quart high for tracking and aggressive driving.. I've never heard of this in another car, anybody have any thoughts? And why did it come like this from the factory? I'm almost at 1500 miles, the end of break in, and I plan on doing my first oil change then. Wondering how much oil I should add with my driving habits..

Also if I did this again I definitely would not have bought the extended warranty. They're just so pushy about it at the dealership but because I want to mod my car it just doesn't make much sense.. Oh well live and learn. There's a small chance I could trade up to an SS later anyway but we'll see. Really want to know if Chevy is going to support this engine like they did with the cobalt SS.

[Richard0nee]

Originally Posted by DeepestGray

Thanks for the responses guys. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I wrote at least that many to tide everyone over. But after a bath and after I tint the lights I'll throw up some pictures.

A few more thoughts I've had about the car. I've checked the oil maybe 3 times now and even with a good cool down period the handle of the dipstick is hot enough to burn my skin without a rag. I think a better heat shield around the turbo would help with this. Also my oil level was over full from the factory. When I looked at the owners manual to research this I found a section about tracking the car that actually reccommended keeping the oil level a quart high for tracking and aggressive driving.. I've never heard of this in another car, anybody have any thoughts? And why did it come like this from the factory? I'm almost at 1500 miles, the end of break in, and I plan on doing my first oil change then. Wondering how much oil I should add with my driving habits..

Also if I did this again I definitely would not have bought the extended warranty. They're just so pushy about it at the dealership but because I want to mod my car it just doesn't make much sense.. Oh well live and learn. There's a small chance I could trade up to an SS later anyway but we'll see. Really want to know if Chevy is going to support this engine like they did with the cobalt SS.

Not sure about the oil, but it's stated on the manual so I would just follow it. What mods do you have in mind?

Can't you just cancel your warranty?

[pdrumans]

yeah cancel the warranty. It will most likely be prorated for the small amount of time you have had your vehicle.

[Jason@JacFab]

Yes, you can cancel the warranty! Typically they will prorate the price you paid for the warranty, and the balance left will be returned to the Lender (bank, etc), or if the car is paid off or traded in then the warranty is canceled, they will send you the refund in $$$... Unfortunately, if they send the $$ back to the bank it is applied to the princepal of your loan, but it won't change your car payment unless, so you're still stuck "paying" for that warranty in your car payment each month, even though the funds were returned.

But the one thing that wouldn't be bad to look into is if the aftermarket warranty will pick up damage that GM won't because of modifications? Where as gm may deny warranty replacement of a blown up or broken something or another, there may be a chance that the aftermarket warranty will pick it up.

Great review of the cars you drove, and thanks for the shout out! I'll try not to disappoint you

[Ace01]

I did a test drive on the Turbo and the V6 in both automatic and manual. Found that the turbo manual was a pain in the ass to keep in the power band and it was a totally different car with the automatic. The auto made the car very responsive. I ended up with the V6 manual since it screams HP all the way up to 7 grand on the tech and sounds awesome with the NPP exhaust. Still learning to how to shift in the sweet spot all the time. Practice Practice Practice.

[Ashium]

The extended warranty isn't a bad deal on a first year production car. I don't know why dealerships these days feel the need to void warranties on everything. I work for a dealership and unless something odd happened, like a hole in the block or piston. We don't report any aftermarket stuff...

Once out of basic, some vehicles repairs can be insane. One car I work on quite often has a massive a/c compressor failure rate, right after 3/36. The compressor is around $700 and with labor the cust is looking at close to $1,200.
I guess it all depends on your dealership, and early production luck.

[pdrumans]

It has been so so so very hot since I bought my car, that I never get a chance to drive with the a/c off or with the windows down. I did just that today ( heat be damned) and the exhaust just sounds so much better with the windows down, Of course the extra power from having the A/C off is nice too.

[KMPrenger]

Great write up!

I will say that I agree...the SS is almost too much car. I almost feel bad that I bought it and I can't really use the performance potential, but then again when I do get to wring it out (when that rare opportunity presents itself) it sure is a beast.

My original plan was to get the V6 again like my 5th gen was. But if I was to get the V6, I wanted more creature comforts than I had before. I wanted the 2LT interior, and I REALLY wanted the 8" drivers screen which I'm pretty sure requires the 2LT interior (maybe not?). By the time you add NPP exhaust, and the 8-speed auto to that, the car was pushing mid to upper 30s.

I consider myself a pretty sensible guy, but even I could not turn down the awesome LT1 and that sweet V8 NPP exhaust for a mostly loaded up V6 (and again, I really enjoyed my last V6, and this new one is easily better) and so for basically the same price....1SS it was. If the 1SS didn't include the 8" drivers screen...honestly it would have been a tougher choice for me, but it does, and so I ran with it.

The turbo is also a great car, and I can't wait to see what will be done with them.

[bballr4567]

Originally Posted by KMPrenger

Great write up!

I will say that I agree...the SS is almost too much car. I almost feel bad that I bought it and I can't really use the performance potential, but then again when I do get to wring it out (when that rare opportunity presents itself) it sure is a beast.

My original plan was to get the V6 again like my 5th gen was. But if I was to get the V6, I wanted more creature comforts than I had before. I wanted the 2LT interior, and I REALLY wanted the 8" drivers screen which I'm pretty sure requires the 2LT interior (maybe not?). By the time you add NPP exhaust, and the 8-speed auto to that, the car was pushing mid to upper 30s.

I consider myself a pretty sensible guy, but even I could not turn down the awesome LT1 and that sweet V8 NPP exhaust for a mostly loaded up V6 (and again, I really enjoyed my last V6, and this new one is easily better) and so for basically the same price....1SS it was. If the 1SS didn't include the 8" drivers screen...honestly it would have been a tougher choice for me, but it does, and so I ran with it.

The turbo is also a great car, and I can't wait to see what will be done with them.

You can get the 1LT with the upgraded screen and stereo. It's the technology package.

[KMPrenger]

Originally Posted by bballr4567

You can get the 1LT with the upgraded screen and stereo. It's the technology package.

Ahh! yeah I'm sure I knew that at the time when I pricing one b/c I was all over that stuff, but I just couldn't remember at this time. Thanks!