There’s nothing like the honeymoon phase in a relationship, and I have to tell you, after four months together, I’m still in love with our 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS. And that’s not an easy thing to admit, because I’ve not been fond of the sporty coupe since the first generation was replaced over the 1969-70 model years. Why? I’m not qualified to critique the styling itself, but their bodies have seemed too big for their chassis. Where the Mustang seemed to retain a tighter package over the years and across generations, the bloated Camaro grew further away from those sporty, personal car proportions. Well, this sixth-generation car, now a derivative of the more svelte Alpha chassis, finally feels and looks like it’s not wearing a coat that’s a size too big. Sure, its doors still feel long and heavy (I repeatedly warn my daughter when opening her door to be careful), and the trunk lift-over height and aperture are sometimes inconvenient, but the shadow it now casts seems right to me. Dropping a couple hundred pounds in the process, making things easier for the healthy V-8 and slick six-speed manual, didn’t hurt, either. Plus, multimode suspension and dual-mode performance exhaust are items we used to expect to find only on a Porsche options list, but this is a Camaro—and a damned comfortable, quick, and attractive one at that.
Like the similarly styled gen-five cars with that high beltline, visibility remains a challenge that’s mostly addressed by rear park assist with cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitors, and a reverse camera. This month, visibility became even more challenging, however. Shortly after Carlos Lago’s celebrated return, I loaned him the car to record the introduction to his new program, “Daily Fix,” on Motor Trend OnDemand. I got an email one morning. “Weird thing happened last night: Someone stole the glass off the Camaro’s side-view mirrors… They even took the time to unplug each connector instead of ripping them off.” Yup, it turns out this is a thing, and Carlos filed a police report. The parts manager at the Chevy dealership said that this was the first Camaro he’s had to order mirrors for, “but the large SUVs and pickup mirrors can run up to $700 a pair. Yours will only be about $300.” Swell.
We’ve had just one opportunity to test our ability to hypermile the 455-hp LT1-powered coupe. On a weekend drive to a wedding, we set the Camaro’s cruise control, and the car self-reported we had achieved 28.7 mpg over the past 50 miles. This feat helped bring our running average up to 16 mpg, matching exactly the EPA’s city cycle, which makes sense because we commute in the car most days. The best/worst tanks thus far have averaged 21 and 13 mpg, respectively, which reveals how widely disparate driving styles can affect economy.
Speaking of glare, we wonder if other 2016 Camaro owners have been treated to a reflection of the passenger’s seat when peering at the sizeable color touchscreen (see the photo below). We love the proximity, its quick responses, the crisp, unambiguous graphics, and Apple CarPlay, but wish we could somehow alter the angle of the screen or change its reflectivity. Front-seat passengers wearing miniskirts be warned.
More on our long-term 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS here:
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