New 2016 Camaro Leaks Ahead of Official Debut
This weekend, General Motors will be showing off the brand-new, sixth generation Camaro at a launch event at Belle Isle. But like many big news stories, details often come early. In this case, a big ole’ embargo leak from CNBC gives us our first official look at the new sports car.
In addition to the CNBC embargo break, Jalopnik also received a leaked memo of talking points for journalists and enthusiasts.
Based on the Alpha platform, the new Camaro sheds around 200 pounds of weight from the previous generation. The Alpha platform also underpins the Cadillac ATS-V, and I had the good fortune of being able to drive that car recently. It’s very good. I have no doubt the new Camaro will be good as well.
The new Camaro SS will be the most powerful Camaro SS ever, with the LT1 V8 sourced from the Corvette and making 440 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque. You’ll also be able to order your SS with GM’s amazing MagneRide magnetorheological ride control dampers, which will improve both on road and on track performance.
But what you should get the most excited about is the new segment-exclusive Interior Spectrum Lighting, which even has a “car show” mode. Wait, you’re probably not excited about that.
Unlike the Mustang, the Camaro’s V6 is the middle child engine, offering up 33o horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque. This engine also features cylinder deactivation to help with fuel economy, because muscle car buyers care about that. But it’s nice to see GM making the effort to improve mileage and reduce emissions.
Finally, a turbo 2.0L four-banger makes up the base engine, with 270 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque.
According to Chevrolet, the new Camaro SS will have ride and handling performance similar to that of the track-focused 1LE package.
No word yet on the higher trim level Camaros, like the ZL1 and Z/28, but I highly doubt Chevrolet would give up on them. They may not have first-year availability (we don’t know), but they definitely aren’t going to leave the high-performance arena anytime soon. They can’t let Ford and Dodge have all the fun!
Looks-wise, the new Camaro shares a lot of similarities with the previous generation. Visibility is still going to suck, but a standard rear-view camera will help. Chevrolet spent most of their time under-the-hood and under-the-body to make considerable improvements there. I can’t wait for an opportunity to get behind the wheel.
I’m surprised at the four-cylinder’s power. Even though it is the base engine, 270 horsepower is noticeably less than the 300 horsepower from the V6 Mustang, or the 310 horsepower from the Mustang EcoBoost. At the entry-level, horsepower probably doesn’t matter as much. But I think it’s surprising that Chevrolet would offer a Camaro with less than 300 horsepower. Even the Challenger’s base Pentastar V6 makes more power.
We’ll have more information and official details as soon as they become available, but until then sound off with your thoughts and opinions about the new car with other enthusiasts in our forums!
via [Motor Authority, Jalopnik]