[Sledgehammer70]

I saw you post on IG the car revving while you were inside the car. Any chance to do that from outside?

[SSport16]

Nice pictures, thanks. If you can, can you please set the exhaust to track and take a video of it to hear it rev up from outside? Thanks so much. Enjoy and be safe!

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by brutusvk

Any pictures looking directly at the seats? I am just curious. I hadn't seen any direct shots of the 1SS seats yet.

The design is the same as 2SS, but cloth, obviously. Very comfortable.

[brutusvk]

Thanks. Bummer, no SS badges. On the chevy site it shows them on both the 2ss and 1ss. I appreciate the pictures though!

[vtirocz]

Nice pictures! The 1SS is perfect.

Can you please take some pictures of rear seat leg room (with front seat in place)? Just so I have a rough idea of front placement, how tall are you?

How does rear seat leg room compare to a 4th gen?

[bhavyas]

I have a few questions if you dont mind me asking cos I am seriously evaluating going for 1SS:

1. Can you please tell me how the seats were? Like quality wise, comfort, side support.
2. Also hows the stereo system ... I know the 2SS has Bose..what about 1SS... Is it Boston?
3. I am not sure if you guys are allowed to say the fuel economy you have observed as well, right?
4. Could you tell from your experience if you could feel the AFM kick in?
5. Could you take a picture of the car interior at night, so that some of the lights come one
6. Quality of interiors? Like the dash, center console, Drivers console screen etc.

Thank you and have a safe trip

[vtirocz]

Originally Posted by bhavyas

I have a few questions if you dont mind me asking cos I am seriously evaluating going for 1SS:

1. Can you please tell me how the seats were? Like quality wise, comfort, side support.
2. Also hows the stereo system ... I know the 2SS has Bose..what about 1SS... Is it Boston?
3. I am not sure if you guys are allowed to say the fuel economy you have observed as well, right?
4. Could you tell from your experience if you could feel the AFM kick in?
5. Could you take a picture of the car interior at night, so that some of the lights come one
6. Quality of interiors? Like the dash, center console, Drivers console screen etc.

Thank you and have a safe trip

Regarding AFM kicking in, it's disabled on the manual SS.

[Tr6]

Fantastic pics! Glad you got lucky and got the the manual v8 out of the bag! Keep the pictures comin!

[KMPrenger]

This is pretty cool...a 1SS NPP like I ordered (well, mine is an auto lol)

I know you are getting bugged like crazy with questions but here is what is on my mind:

1) I know you said you'd touch on the driving experience later, but I am really curious to see how you think it compares with the 1LE?
2) I had the BA system in my 2010 model. We all know it wasn't the best ever, but I did like it well enough. I was sad I couldn't get BOSE in my 1SS. How does the standard system compare to the BA in the 5th gen in your opinion????

THANKS!!!!!!

PS....car looks amazing in those shots.

[JPJr]

Wait, give me a moment.....
OK, beautiful pics.
Lovin' the base SS wheels.
I'm also bummed we lost the SS logo in the seats.
I'm curious too on how the base sound system sounds.

Have a blast!
What an adventure!

[MaureenM@RC]

Mr. Wyndham are you lost

[Mr. Wyndham]

Boston traffic sucks.

[Mr Twisty]

Everyone was slowing down to look at the car

[Mr. Wyndham]

I had the distinct privilege of driving a yellow 2016 Camaro 1SS in late November. And no, this wasn’t just a “normal” drive around a town for an hour, or even an awesome track day where Chevrolet’s engineers set you free with their new creations on a local track. Oh no…no, this time Camaro’s entire management team got behind a crazy new idea: Let’s give our brand new cars to members of the media for two days or so, and ask them to drive upwards of 1000 miles around the country and live with it.

This car is…bar-none...the most stunning piece of machinery I’ve had the honor to pilot. Do you remember the line that the engineers were using earlier in the year, about how you’ll notice the weight reduction in the first 10 feet? That is 100% true. Even though the steering is tighter and heavier, the car feels as light as a feather. However, in the first 10 minutes…you’ll appreciate how well-built and familiar the vehicle feels.

The 5th gen Camaro is an awesome car in every way. It had its share of flaws, for sure, but none so detrimental that would stop it from becoming the best selling car in its segment! (waves at Ford). What the engineers and designers have done with the new SS is taken most criticisms of the outgoing car – after speaking with daily drivers and racers alike – and “fixing” them as best they can. For those of you who may not know, I have owned a ZL1, and currently own a 1LE w/ Z/28 equipment. I’ve been daily driving 5th gen Camaros since 2012.

Immediately, I noticed the steering was different. At first, it’s as though the steering wheel doesn’t want to move freely, but then you realize that it’s just a much more mechanical, direct feel. And it changes feel depending on the drive mode you’re in. The SS has those four driving modes; Tour, Sport, Track, Ice/Snow. Each of them adjusts the amount of steering effort applied by the electric power steering unit. In Track mode, for example – so much driver input is required, the uninitiated might guess the car had no power steering! The steering feel is also adjustable separately from the drive modes by the infotainment screen. You’ll all be happy to know that the “Camaro” logo reappears on the steering wheel, as well.

The suspension is tighter, too…but not stiffer, like the 1LE. To me, it feels about as compliant and comfortable as the outgoing SS. However, when you throw the car into a turn, the car doesn’t know what body roll means. It grips hard and throws your head into the side glass, quick to adjust course like a squirrel on speed. It’s like the car has dual personalities: while rolling around town it’s a “normal” car, comfortable, quiet…but as soon as you start treating it like a sports car, it acts like it. The car that I drove was not equipped with the Magnetic Ride Selection.

Speaking of changing personalities. Let’s talk about dual mode exhaust (otherwise known as NPP)…wow. I thought it was good on the 5th gen, and Corvettes! In the 2016 Camaro, though, it gives the car four distinct voices; Stealth, Tour, Sport, and Track.

• Stealth is darn near silent unless you hammer the gas…and even then doesn’t sound loud like you’d expect it to. I would guess that this mode keeps the tailpipe flaps closed at all times.

• Tour and Sport modes act like the existing car’s calibration, where the flaps are closed unless you hit the gas. The difference between these two modes is that when Tour is selected, you have a quiet, soft idle when you’re just sitting there. In Sport mode; idle opens up, and becomes more aggressive, as well as the exhaust opening up.

• Finally, track mode must keep the flaps open all the time, because it’s loud…at times it almost drones…but some people, like myself, enjoy that.

At all times however, the cars have a distinctly new sound. It’s difficult to describe…the outgoing car rumbles and roars…a long, slow rev up and down, but the new car barks and screams. It’s a sharper, higher-pitched roar that sounds faster and lighter. They call it “controlled chaos”, and it took some getting used to, but I grew to enjoy it. Think of the outgoing model as “old school”, and the 2016 as “new school”. With all that said, you might sit in the new car and first wonder why your shiny new dual-mode exhaust sounds so quiet…rest assured, it’s not quiet to the people outside of your car…it just sounds a little muted to you, because the cabin is so well-insulated.

Next up on my list of “I noticed”…is the raw, unadulterated, violent levels of power that the new LT-1 V8 produces in this new application. It’s rated at 455 horsepower, which is the same number that the Corvette Stingray advertises w/o dual mode exhaust. Consider the last time that happened; both Camaro and Corvette using the same horsepower figure! Anyways – remember I said I drove a ZL1 for two years…that car was rated to do 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. The new 2016 SS can haul to 60mph in 4.0 seconds. Folks…I am not exaggerating – the new 2016 SS, feels almost as powerful as the outgoing ZL1. It’s an incredible rush of acceleration, either starting out from a stop (the car does feature launch control), or coming out of a corner.

But you spend most of your life inside of the cockpit – and the 2016 Camaro’s interior is divine. The same designers who worked on the Corvette Stingray’s interior worked on the new Camaro as well. It’s interesting; there are cues from the 5th-gen like the “Camaro” badge on the steering wheel and the bulbous bezels for the main gauge cluster, yet there are also ultra-modern touches like the concave dash panel, oversized HVAC “turbine” vents, offset cup holders/center storage cover, and the HD LED gauge cluster screens. The seats are comfortable, yet supportive. They cannot compare to the support the Recaro seats offered on 2014+ Camaros, but they are better than the outgoing standard seats.

At night, every button you can press is backlit. Those that aren’t, are generally in the center stack. But to improve your vision and accessibility, the designers put a little bitty recessed LED bulb up in the ceiling between the reading lights. This bulb’s only job is to shine down on the shifter area 100% of the time the car is running so you can see. Pretty neat touch.

In the 1SS, you don’t get much in the way of options, but there’s plenty here to keep even myself content (I need gizmos in my car…). Chevrolet MyLink has been dramatically improved, as has the main gauge screen, but each in opposite ways. The center infotainment screen has fewer buttons to press, while the center gauge screen has more menus and features. At first, the myriad of controls is overwhelming, but I was able to become comfortable with the menus’ function within 100 miles. The 1SS also features Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, this is a new feature to the automotive market, and it’s pretty slick. Plug your phone into the car’s USB port, and the core apps on the device such as the phone, maps, texts, and music. The in-dash screen then mirrors these apps and allows you to fully control the phone via the car. Since the 1SS does not feature GM’s GPS navigation software, I used my iPhone’s maps app to get around, and it works seamlessly.

Opt for a 2SS, and you will find that every surface your body comes into contact with is covered with supple leather. Also, the designers made certain to allow buyers to customize their interiors by making it easy to remove these leather-wrapped components and replace them with different colors. A 2SS will also include dramatic lighting, a suite of safety features, leather seats that are heated and cooled, as well as memory seats. Chevy says that the 2SS model is pretty much packed to the gills with options, so much so that the only things that aren’t included is a sunroof, automatic transmission, dual-mode exhaust, in-dash navigation, and Mag Ride.

All SS’s feature HID headlights, taillights, and some body-colored components.

The car is a dream to drive. It really is. When you sit in a car, realizing it’s brand new and wildly changed, yet you feel comfortable, familiar almost…it’s a great feeling. Only a Camaro enthusiast can know such a feeling with the 2016 Camaro. Camaro team did a phenomenal job bringing the last car into the modern era, and improving on just about every possible feature imaginable: even those things you didn’t think needed improving.

I could go on for days about how fast, comfortable, beautiful, well built, and how tight in the corners it handled, but I won’t. Instead, I’ll just post some pictures and let you all drool.

If you have a 2016 on order – you’re going to absolutely love it. Please share your stories. If you don’t have one on order…you soon will!

By the way – the trip, while the car was the focus, was fantastic as well. The team had us pull keys out of a bag, a random woman asked to sit in the cars, I got to photograph the Camaro in some of the most beautiful scenery ever, ride a ferry across Lake Champlain, and I got pulled over twice for “driving spiritedly”. If you’ve never taken a day or two and just let the road call you away to different places, I strongly encourage it…for those who enjoy driving; it’s an almost spiritual experience.