2011 Camaro Offers Great Power, Speed, Comfort, and Handling in an Economical Sports Car!

The Chevrolet Camaro has been one of the most recognizable American sports cars since it was first sold in late 1966 as their '67 model. The Camaro is a true icon of what "Muscle Cars" were all about back in the day. These cars have been winners ever since the first model rolled off the assembly line, and that tradition continues on today with the fifth generation Camaro.

The primary design features of these pony cars was focused on the engine, drive train, and chassis, all of which were intended to make this car both nimble and fast. The real visual attraction for most buyers has always been the sleek body style, and the speedy looking long nose with short rear end. The Camaro has been popular with sports car lovers and racing enthusiasts since their inception, and have long been a staple of drag racing and other forms of racing.

Over time this model has become a favorite with drag racers for the same reason it was popular with car enthusiasts and street racers as well. We love this car because it is fast, well balanced, and they have always handled well when set up properly. Another reason they have been so popular is that you could modify older models into true muscle cars with a simple engine swap, some decent tires and improved torsion bars.

Back when I first started driving I owned a beat up '69 Camaro which was about half a step up from the base model. It used a somewhat anemic 307 engine with automatic transmission. The car was fun to drive but did not handle curves well, and the detuned small block engine just could not seem to get this car to move out of its own way.

Fast forward forty some years later and the ever popular Camaro model is an amazing representation of high technology which combines advanced electronics and engine controls with retro good looks in a rock solid car that offers incredible power and handling. The new model Camaro is not far from its predecessors in terms of having classic good looks and super sporty styling.

The base model is surprisingly affordable at just over $22K. I have seen these on the road and up close at auto dealerships and auto shows, and they are really aggressive looking with that classic Camaro front end that is unmistakable.

The convertible model Camaro is selling for around $29K. Think about some of these specifications for a minute, the 2011 Camaro base model with a price tag of around $22K comes with a 3.6 Liter V-6 engine that pounds out a formidable 312 brake horsepower! Compare those statistics to my '69 Camaro 307 cubic inch engine with its meager 200 horsepower, and there is basically no comparison. To me the most awesome thing with this new model is that you can have these same specifications in a convertible for only six thousand dollars more on the V-6 base model, up to about $40K for the entry level 426 hp version.

One of the available options which seems outrageous to me would be the 21" machined aluminum wheels with black accent package that will set you back another $4680! And an upgrade from there is the 21" black painted aluminum wheel package for just $4865. One of the most interesting things about the new Camaro would be the two engines you can order for yours, standard 3.6 Liter V-6 with 312 horsepower, and the formidable 6.2 Liter V-8 with 426 horsepower.

I have to admit the Camaro I built on the Chevrolet website looks pretty wicked with these wheels, but for this amount of extra cash you would expect a bit of real gold to be buried somewhere in the wheels. Obviously some of that money goes to the enormously expensive tires you get, but this also means that replacing those tires once you burn through them will set you back quite a bit.

Face it with a 426 hp engine under the hood you know that the original set of tires will not be around long, so if you but this new Camaro then you would be wise to start saving money for new tires the day you pick this beast up at the dealership. Another thing to worry about would be the cost of insurance.

Surprisingly the V-6 version is quite economical to operate considering the horsepower it offers, but a comparison of mileage between the two versions, the standard V-6 and higher horsepower V-8 shows that the fuel economy does not differ all that much.

The V-6 with standard transmission yields an estimated 17 mpg city, and 28 mpg highway while the V-8 engine with standard transmission is estimated at 16 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. Now I am fairly certain that the only way to get these rates would be to drive this car like it was made of glass, and always go away from a stop light in a slow and reasonable fashion, but lets be real here, because we all know exactly how it would go at the traffic light, it shows a hint of green and then there is smoke and scorched pavement where you used to be sitting.

These new Camaro's are tight and stout, with some subtle new lines that hint at the original Camaro styling while showing off a brand new attitude that sets this model apart from all previous Camaro versions. This retro trend is one that I hope continues well into the future because many car enthusiasts are tired of seeing cookie cutter stamp outs of average looking cars from our American auto makers. All of the big three auto makers have at least one model which can make us look back proudly at their muscle car heritage.

Finally I am happy to report that this is one modern muscle car that offers something for almost everyone, from the stock V-6 model to the juiced up V-8, plus a convertible with prices ranging from low $20K to mid $40's. with all the sophisticated technology under the hood and in the suspension, there are plenty of reasons for checking out the new Camaro's.

Sources:
www.chevrolet.com/vehicles/2011/camaro/build.do