New Camaro's

[CamaroBarb]

Been looking around at cars and came across a bunch of new Camaro's with 4 cylinders in them. Seems to be the most common new Camaro out there. I drove one and honestly I wasn't impressed at all, my v6 Camaro would eat it alive.

Anyone else drive any and what was your impression?

[drew peacock]

yeah i test drove one..was ok. but there is no way on this earth i would buy one.
V8 or nothing for me.
i have driven the gen6 2ss camaro and loved it. a little harsher ride compaired to our gen5 though

[Cheap Guy]

You have to remember that the first thing that probably attracts people to a particular car is its appearance. Then you add in price being a priority over performance in many cases. Most people don’t use the performance the V8 is capable of so a four or six might be acceptable or even desirable.

Right now I’m actually looking for a second car that just has exceptional gas mileage but still has the convenience stuff I like and looks nice. If I didn’t live in a snowy climate I’d seriously give the four a look.

[CamaroBarb]

Well I learned my lesson, this v6 is great as long as its running good. Now @ 78k it just feels sluggish most of the time and is fussy as to what fuel you put in it. Next time will be v8, I realized for me its the torque that makes me happy. No torque= no happy v6=good at times but way too fussy, its always changing how it runs and really is touchy to different fuels.

[lemontwist]

for the hell of it i went to chevys website and did build and price. it's easy to build a 4 banger that cost the same as a 1SS and more than a LT1 just make the 4 cylinder a 1LE....i don't see why ya would but you can.

[Cheap Guy]

Again, it really comes down to the trade off between fuel economy and performance. I mentioned in another thread that I drive the hell out of my kids economy cars because even though they’re not the quickest, I can drive them all day long at 75 mph or more and still get great gas mileage. My 2SS takes $57 to fill up with premium while their cars cost $25. That’s a helluva difference over a month. Problem is their cars look goofy and handle like economy cars, lol. If I lived in a warm climate and could find a four cylinder that got at least 30 mpg, it definitely would be an option. Add the 1LE option and it would be a great daily driver.

[pyroguy]

I had one as a rental car for a week once and for what it is I was impressed. No it isn't a giant pavement pounder, but it is the weakest engine in the Camaro lineup too so I'm not surprised your V6 is more powerful. I beat on that car pretty hard and it still got 30mpg with all of the abuse. Oh and it would do a burnout.

[Vegas Bound]

It beats the Gen 3 Iron Duke.

[redcoats1976]

Originally Posted by CamaroBarb

Well I learned my lesson, this v6 is great as long as its running good. Now @ 78k it just feels sluggish most of the time and is fussy as to what fuel you put in it. Next time will be v8, I realized for me its the torque that makes me happy. No torque= no happy v6=good at times but way too fussy, its always changing how it runs and really is touchy to different fuels.

im still thinking somethings got to be wrong with yours.ive tries everything from 87 to 93 with no real difference in performance,no problems,and stick mostly with 89 octane because i feel bad putting lawnmower fuel into it.carbon build up maybe?mine doesnt use any oil between 5k oil changes so im thinking that has something to do with it.

[102SS]

Originally Posted by Vegas Bound

It beats the Gen 3 Iron Duke.

LMAO I think that boat anchor lasted 2 years 1982 and 83.

A girl at work had one and the body fell off from rust but that little 4 banger still ran healthy 14 years in

I liked the 3800 or 3.8L V6 in the 4th gen.

My DD 2001 Bird only got the same gas mileage as my 2010 SS does but it burned 87 not 94

[Cheap Guy]

I had a Iron Duke in very first car - a 1978 Sunbird. Thing was indestructible. The motor outlasted the car. I could fix it with a hammer, screwdriver and pliers most of the time.

My first Camaro was a 1997 Camaro with the 3800. I would say it was probably the best overall car I’ve ever had and goes with the comments I’ve made. It could almost keep up with Mustangs of that era but had really good gas mileage for that time. I drove that thing all over the country with no reservations, sun, rain or snow. I finally sold it wishing that I could get a V8 1997 Z28, just like a lot of 5th Gen non-V8 people wish for now. Problem was the LT1 engine in the 4th was the worst engine I’ve ever experienced. The small difference in performance wasn’t worth the headaches and issues with the V8.

Barb, I think you probably just got a lemon - unfortunately it happens sometimes. I hope things get sorted out because the 5th Gen is a great chassis no matter what engine is in it.

[lbls1]

Chevy and GM are pushing the base Camaro to appeal to the masses. There are a lot of drivers that do not appreciate v8 power and performance.

It will be a shame, that in a couple of years we won't have new Camaros as we know of them. Cars in general have become super efficient, super anonymous and more of a utensil than a body of character (that they once were).

[mr_honez]

Mileage is king for a lot of people, and that is what is driving the sales of the 4 banger Camaros. I like good mileage too but I would never get one, a V6 or greater for me. My trusty LFX is a great little engine, has very good power for a V6, sounds great with the NPP exhaust, and has been very reliable up to the 140K+ miles it has on it. That said, I will be putting a LS3/TR6060 in her sometime in the nearish future.

[Cheap Guy]

The 80’s were the dark years for cars. After the Iron Duke I had I went through a series of four cylinder cars and destroyed them all. Swore I’d never get another one and haven’t for myself but got a few for the kids. The Cobalt had a decent engine and the Cruze I drove recently was really nice, definitely a long way from what was available a few decades ago.

I’m not worried about the Camaro dying again - there’s enough out there for enthusiasts to play with for a few decades. We survived the drought between 2002 and 2010 by playing with the older cars.