Heart vs. Head: Experiencing the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro 2LT
“Looks aren’t everything.” Those words are easy to hear and remember because a lot of people say them. However, they’re much harder to live by. When you see a pretty face, you feel, you don’t think. You’re excited. At that moment, you don’t stop to consider if that person is as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside or if their personality would fit yours.
A week spent driving the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro 2LT around Austin, Texas was enough time for me to experience the reborn icon both emotionally and mentally. It made my heart thump loudly, but not at a volume high enough to drown out what my brain told me.
The Car
My 2LT tester started its life with features such as heated and ventilated front seats, a drive mode selector, an eight-inch color touchscreen with OnStar and Apple CarPlay functionality, and a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. Chevy then gave it the $1,950 RS Package, which added 20-inch aluminum wheels, HID headlamps and LED signature lighting, LED tail lights, unique front grilles, and a rear spoiler. The direct-injected 3.6-liter V6 added another $1,495 to the final price, but brought 335 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of torque. That was connected to a six-speed manual transmission and breathed through the $895 dual-mode exhaust. With all of that, a $15 front license plate bracket, and a $995 destination charge, my review vehicle carried a total sticker price of $35,150.
Outer Beauty
Sports cars are designed to make an emotional impact on the people who look at them. The 2016 Camaro Chevrolet’s fleet delivery service dropped off to me certainly made one. Upon seeing its Red Hot paint, I didn’t get angry, I got excited. I had been waiting to drive this car. The peaks of its bulged hood only heightened that excitement. Thoughts of driving at questionably legal speeds were inspired by the double-hump roof, whose shape implied it could fit a helmet-wearing driver and front passenger. That and the lines of the Camaro’s pronounced flared hips flowed back to meet the sleek tail lights and chunky rear bumper. Overall, it was a fluid yet aggressive design, although the large wheels and short greenhouse area combined to give it a somewhat cartoonish appearance.
Inner Thoughts
This was where my brain was more vocal than my heart. I imagined I was descending into a pit every time I got into the Camaro’s Jet Black cabin. I have no problem with a sports car being low, but that unnatural sensation stuck with me once I was seated and my natural reaction to it was not a good one. As far as sports cars go, the Camaro looked right on the outside. On the inside, it just hit me all wrong. The driver door seemed a little too close to me, the sill of it just a tad too high for my elbow. Behind me, the restricted view out of the rear window brought to mind trying to see what’s behind me in a convertible.
Even though a small switch took the place of a traditional e-brake handle, storage between the two front seats was limited. There was space in the two cup holders, the center compartment…and that was pretty much it. I kept my phone in my pocket when I drove.
The Force Within
Although I was hoping to get my hands on the SS model of the Camaro, I wasn’t crushed when I learned it wasn’t available to me. With 335 horsepower, the 3.6-liter V6 was plenty healthy. It fell just short of being heart-pounding, though. I would put it and the exhaust in sport mode, flatten the right pedal, and watch the tach needle spin up and to the right. While the sound from the quad pipes was satisfyingly raucous, the power delivered failed to give me that “Oh shit!” moment I’ve experienced in other cars before. However, even though my socks weren’t knocked off of my feet, the V6 was right where it should’ve been: below the SS, but close enough to it to allow me to see how much more the Camaro has to offer.
On the Road
The view out of the Camaro’s windshield made it easy to place the car’s dimensions accurately. If only its navigation system did the same. Even though my media loaner had a full-color touchscreen, it didn’t have a dedicated nav function. I had to call OnStar, have a representative beam the directions to the Camaro, then follow the prompts. It worked, but it was an annoyingly inefficient way of getting to a new destination. No matter where I went, the throws of the six-speed stick were of a decent length and required a perfectly reasonable amount of effort.
The Aftermath
Chevrolet’s sixth-generation Camaro, in 2LT RS form, is sure to win over the hearts of many of the people who end up driving it. Its six-cylinder engine makes more horsepower than the V6s in the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger, and its bold lines – especially in red – are capable of raising pulse rates. If it’s equipped like my review vehicle, it might also win over their minds. The 2LT’s interior kept it from doing that with mine, but I will fondly remember the 2016 Camaro – more in my chest than in my head.
Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>
via [Chevrolet Pressroom]
