Repair-It

As good as the V-6 is—and it is—the real story here is the big dog SS. Pouring forth from its glorious naturally aspirated, 6.2-liter LT1 V-8 are 455 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque. All that get up and go is transmitted to the sticky rear tires via a lovely-shifting six-speed manual transmission. To say we liked this car is a severe understatement. Here’s a safe(ish) for work version of Cammisa’s thoughts on the SS: “Hallelujah, Jesus Christ, and holy stuff this thing is fracking incredible! I could have lapped it for the next 10 years. I am absolutely in love with this car’s limit handling.” Seabaugh adds, “Wow wow wow wow wow.”

Chevy hit this one out of the park. When new for 2015, the Ford Mustang GT gained 196 pounds. The new Camaro SS is down more than 200 pounds compared with the car it replaces, 3,672 pounds versus 3,908 for the V-8. The V-6 comes in at only 3,461 pounds, with an automatic! Weight is the enemy of performance, and you can easily see this when you note that the new SS is nearly as quick in a straight line (0-60 mph in 4 seconds flat, quarter mile in 12.4 seconds) as the outgoing and more powerful Z/28. Lower weight plus the superlative Alpha bones make handling measurably mega; the SS runs our figure-eight track in 24.1 seconds, two-tenths off a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S.

kevm14 wrote:
Also legit is that the V6 is also really good. I presume the base turbo is also really good and may even embarrass the FRS.

Here’s one where the new Camaro might actually transcend the criteria. Is this the best production ponycar the world has ever seen? Without hesitation, yes. What was interesting to me is that we judge types weren’t talking about the Camaro in relation to the Mustang GT that we brought along as a benchmark. We were talking about future Camaro comparison tests against BMWs, Audis, and AMGs. I’d even throw Porsche into that mix. MacKenzie sums up our feelings: “A revelation. Absolutely world-class sports car performance and dynamics from an American icon. The new Camaro is one of the finest driver’s cars in the world. And that’s before you even talk about the price.” It’s also absolutely bitchin’, and it’s the 2016 Motor Trend Car of the Year.