Refreshing or Revolting: 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Chevrolet unveiled the 2017 Camaro ZL1 ahead of its official debut at the 2016 New York auto show, and the car shows plenty of promise as a Hellcat-killing, supercharged muscle machine. Under the hood is the same 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 found in the Corvette Z06 and Cadillac CTS-V but tuned for 640 hp and 640 lb-ft of torque. The car puts its power down via a standard six-speed manual or a new 10-speed automatic co-developed with Ford.

Despite its evolutionary styling, there are plenty of cues that distinguish the new Camaro ZL1 from the car it replaces. The front fascia has a wider central air intake with a wavy pattern, LED foglight strips, a slimmer grille and smaller headlight clusters than the old Camaro ZL1. Instead of a big rectangular bulge on top of the hood, the 2017 Camaro ZL1 has a large power dome closer to the windshield that appears to be separate from the hood itself.

The 2017 Camaro ZL1’s rear end continues with the evolutionary theme but distinguishes itself with angled taillight clusters that have two LED strips to make it appear like there are four clusters in them. In comparison, the outgoing Camaro ZL1’s rear end is less stylized thanks to the simple rectangular taillights and the lack of creases. From the side, both have a similar profile but the new car looks less massive because it’s shorter and has a lower roofline than the old ZL1.

Inside, the new Camaro ZL1 retains its retro-inspired cabin design but adds many modern touches such as a large new touchscreen for the MyLink infotainment system. The two low-mounted center air vents also add a little quirkiness to the new car’s interior and makes it more unique compared to the old ZL1’s traditional dash layout. Unlike the old car, which has gauges positioned in front of the shifter, the new Camaro ZL1 switches to a more modern layout that puts readouts for oil temperature and boost levels integrated into the TFT display in between the speedometer and rev counter.

Does the new Z06-powered 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 have what it takes to go head-to-head with the best the world has to offer? Will it be the Hellcat twins’ worst nightmare? More importantly, how does its styling compare to the previous model? Tell us in the comments below.

Last week’s Refreshing or Revolting featured the 2017 Aston Martin DB11 and the comments were mostly positive.

“Aston Martin did an amazing job on this car and its styling. If the next Aston Martins are going to look like this they have my total support!” said One cylinder wonder.

“Refreshing. I love looking at that beautiful rear end,” said Midosan.

“Refreshing. Just as it should be. Just as I would expect,” said giallofly.

“Whatever was going to follow the DB9 was never going to be as beautiful. Good to see Aston haven’t totally messed it up,” said localdevdas.

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