[HuJass]

Originally Posted by SteelCamaro

It's different enough for the car community to regularly drop $700+ on these across all makes and models, and the last time I checked we all don't drive holding onto the center of the wheel. If the area that we touch 99.9% of the time while driving is completely different (and is noticably different while using it), how does that not constitute a significant enough difference? All wheels/rims are the same then and make little difference, because they all bolt on the same way and are round, right? That's like saying the 5.0 Coyote is only a "slightly modified" version of the LS3 because it's a V8.

Nope.
And I'm not going to belabor this as it's not what the thread is about.

[Angrybird 12]

Does not matter what it looks like, some will love it, some will hate it and some people will pick it apart and compare different aspects with cheap ass foreign cars. That is all you can be guaranteed of.

[CruzinQueen]

Originally Posted by SuperSport2011

People will definitely be drawn to it cus it'll have that new car wow factor but it seems to me it'll look much leaner and sleeker which I'm not to crazy about. I'm sure the renders are pretty close to what the car will look like and I personally am not into the whole hyundai genesis/scion frs look. I like the bulky muscle car look the 5th gen provides.

You hit the nail on the head exactly. I love the muscular lines of the fifth gen. The proposed new design is too small, too lean, and too Asian for my tastes. I'm sure it'll still sell great though because people like me are the minority.

[USAFS197]

Originally Posted by CruzinQueen

You hit the nail on the head exactly. I love the muscular lines of the fifth gen. The proposed new design is too small, too lean, and too Asian for my tastes. I'm sure it'll still sell great though because people like me are the minority.

That's the beauty of it all. Change. I welcome it and frankly, I'm disappointed that this is an evolutionary redesign. The fifth gen Camaro had it's time and now it's over.

If it looked absolutely anything like the 10-13 model cars, I wouldn't even give it a second thought. It's a Camaro, yes but, it's not 1960 something anymore, the Camaro should continue to grow up and mature.

[Warpaint69]

Originally Posted by USAFS197

That's the beauty of it all. Change. I welcome it and frankly, I'm disappointed that this is an evolutionary redesign. The fifth gen Camaro had it's time and now it's over.

If it looked absolutely anything like the 10-13 model cars, I wouldn't even give it a second thought. It's a Camaro, yes but, it's not 1960 something anymore, the Camaro should continue to grow up and mature.

"The fifth gen Camaro had it's time and now it's over." That's about like saying the first gen had its time and now its over, how did that work out for GM? 48 years later that 3 year run is still the most popular design and always will be. The 2010 relaunch of the Camaro from hiatus was extremely popular because of the styling cues taken from for the 1969. The 5th gen will never reach the levels of first Gen lore, but its going to be another high point in the Camaro history that has plenty of lows. Change is inevitable, but it doesn't mean its going to hit the mark. They killed off the Camaro once, it can happen again.

[USAFS197]

Eh, I don't think so. I think the retro BS that most companies are pandering will have it's nostalgia fade away. The classics are classics for a reason. If GM never changed their design, they wouldn't be a classic throughout the last 48 years, as you say. They'd be littered all over the place and lose their uniqueness; it needed to evolve. Emulating their design cues will pay homage and rekindle a little flame within enthusiasts and aging racers but GM knows the Camaro needs to evolve with the times, or die. Otherwise, drum brakes and carbureted motors would still be factory options.

I don't know where folks get the idea that styling cues are what killed off the Camaro previously. I'm pretty sure it had more to do with an ambiguous approach to their vehicle line-up, most notably between Chevrolet and Pontiac. Which in turn lead to poor sales in comparison to their chief rival; I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the Camaro and Firebird being out sold, combined. There's a laundry list of theories, reasons, etc. as to why GM killed it off. I don't think moving past the design cues of a 1960's model car was one of them.

I, personally, love the 60's era cars. I do not, however, like the 10-13 model Camaros; which I'm sure is blasphemy to some of you. I think they should have left it on the concept floor but, with that being said, a lot of folks did like it and those sales helped to usher in the coming models that we have the privilege to not only own, but scrutinize.

[HuJass]

I disagree with the notion of changing the look of an iconic muscle/pony car.

The 5th gen did so well mainly because of its looks. It wasn't it's performance (remember how testers kind of tore up the car before the 1LE, ZL1, and Z/28 came along).
The majority of the target demographic of the car loved it because it looked like how they thought a Camaro should look like.

Then, think back to the '04-'06 GTO. Sure, the car stayed true to the original's mission statement, but the looks were not there. The target market largely said no thanks. Why? Because it didn't look like what they believed a GTO should look like. I'm part of a Pontiac club and not one member had anything good to say about the car.
Bob Lutz even lamented the fact they didn't have a bigger budget to reskin the car to make it look more like a GTO.

Cars like Camaro and GTO need to look like their predecessors from the heyday of the muscle/pony car era.

Younger people might not appreciate the retro-styling, but they're not the ones doing most of the purchasing. It's the older (40, 50, 60 year olds) guys that are putting these cars in their garages in large numbers.

[lbls1]

Originally Posted by USAFS197

That's the beauty of it all. Change. I welcome it and frankly, I'm disappointed that this is an evolutionary redesign. The fifth gen Camaro had it's time and now it's over.

If it looked absolutely anything like the 10-13 model cars, I wouldn't even give it a second thought. It's a Camaro, yes but, it's not 1960 something anymore, the Camaro should continue to grow up and mature.

I couldn't agree more!

[USAFS197]

Originally Posted by HuJass

I disagree with the notion of changing the look of an iconic muscle/pony car.

The 5th gen did so well mainly because of its looks. It wasn't it's performance (remember how testers kind of tore up the car before the 1LE, ZL1, and Z/28 came along).
The majority of the target demographic of the car loved it because it looked like how they thought a Camaro should look like.

Then, think back to the '04-'06 GTO. Sure, the car stayed true to the original's mission statement, but the looks were not there. The target market largely said no thanks. Why? Because it didn't look like what they believed a GTO should look like. I'm part of a Pontiac club and not one member had anything good to say about the car.
Bob Lutz even lamented the fact they didn't have a bigger budget to reskin the car to make it look more like a GTO.

Cars like Camaro and GTO need to look like their predecessors from the heyday of the muscle/pony car era.

Younger people might not appreciate the retro-styling, but they're not the ones doing most of the purchasing. It's the older (40, 50, 60 year olds) guys that are putting these cars in their garages in large numbers.

See, the good thing is, you have access to the classics and the 10-13 cars to fall back on. What then, should be held back for the sake of nostalgia?

Old guys will continue to get garage queens regardless of what GM or anyone else continues to pump out. What boggles my mind is that folks are willing to stunt progress because they see change as a negative thing.

GM has teased us with the coming features of the 6th gen and presumably, they will all be changes for the best. This seems to fall under the same failing mindset of redundancy while still improving. We want the car to get lighter, faster, more fuel efficient, cost less money, yet stay the same. It should trump competition by default without succumbing to the evils of technology and the ever increasing safety standards. I want the car I have now, but better and less expensive than before.

Sorry, that is a fallacious and undermining position to take. No manufacturer in their right mind would continue to produce the same tired product, year after year without making fundamental changes to it's core, somewhere in their product lifespan. If they didn't, sales would plummet and continued manufacture of said item would only prove to be a hindrance.

You want your 1969 Camaro? Go buy one. You want to keep your 10-13 because GM finally got it right? Guess what, you're entitled to that to. But to impose judgement on a *business* whose sole purpose is to make money because they don't suit your tastes, is downright silly.

Let progress march on for the rest of us.

[1973Stingray]

Idk but that looks ugly.

[cghkj]

With that rendering it looks kind like the new impalas

[HuJass]

Originally Posted by USAFS197

See, the good thing is, you have access to the classics and the 10-13 cars to fall back on. What then, should be held back for the sake of nostalgia?

Old guys will continue to get garage queens regardless of what GM or anyone else continues to pump out. What boggles my mind is that folks are willing to stunt progress because they see change as a negative thing.

GM has teased us with the coming features of the 6th gen and presumably, they will all be changes for the best. This seems to fall under the same failing mindset of redundancy while still improving. We want the car to get lighter, faster, more fuel efficient, cost less money, yet stay the same. It should trump competition by default without succumbing to the evils of technology and the ever increasing safety standards. I want the car I have now, but better and less expensive than before.

Sorry, that is a fallacious and undermining position to take. No manufacturer in their right mind would continue to produce the same tired product, year after year without making fundamental changes to it's core, somewhere in their product lifespan. If they didn't, sales would plummet and continued manufacture of said item would only prove to be a hindrance.

You want your 1969 Camaro? Go buy one. You want to keep your 10-13 because GM finally got it right? Guess what, you're entitled to that to. But to impose judgement on a *business* whose sole purpose is to make money because they don't suit your tastes, is downright silly.

Let progress march on for the rest of us.

- Don't know why you're talking about performance, technology, and weight. Those are issues separate from the aesthetics. Those don't need a modern design to exist.

- The Porsche 911 proves that a slow, evolutionary approach to styling changes can be a viable business model.

- A car doesn't need to look all new at every redesign. A car like Camaro needs to retain what made it an iconic car in the first place.

- Nobody is saying that a manufacturer shouldn't build a thoroughly looking modern car. What they're saying is, just don't give it an iconic muscle/pony car name. Name it something else.

- There were plenty of concepts floating around out there, put out by non-GM people, that looked far more modern and far more aggressive than the 6th gen, while still looking like a Camaro. I will find some later.


You can try to justify the bland-mobile 6th gen all you want.

[ToolFan66]

Originally Posted by USAFS197

I, personally, love the 60's era cars. I do not, however, like the 10-13 model Camaros; which I'm sure is blasphemy to some of you. I think they should have left it on the concept floor but, with that being said, a lot of folks did like it and those sales helped to usher in the coming models that we have the privilege to not only own, but scrutinize.

Blasphemy is saying all 5th gens will look dated real quick when the 6th gen hits the street, but that's what is going to happen including your refresh..

After modding my car I rarely give these cars a second look anymore, there are so many on the street the stock look is just boring to me..

The only stock 5th gens I will even stop and give a second look at is:

12-13 ZL1-1LE
14-15 1LE
14-15 Z/28

The rest are just Meh these days if not modded..

This is what keeps the cycle going though, look how the new Dodge Charger front end makes the previous look dated and old looking, the new look is very sleek..

[USAFS197]

Very true. I don't hold onto any illusions of my car being a classic or still looking awesome (subjectively speaking, of course) once the 6th gen is revealed. I'm torn as to whether or not I'm going to keep my car when the 6th gen comes out. It's a tough call because I feel like its going to be a superior platform but at the same time, it'll be more financially responsible for me to keep mine and mod it. Decisions, decisions...