Chevrolet Camaro

[iqurean]

With its bulging hood and broad rear fenders, the Camaro certainly makes an impression. When Chevy introduced the Camaro concept at the 2007 Detroit auto show, it immediately set the automotive world abuzz. Hailed as the return of the muscle car, the Camaro was considered a success by many even before a single car had rolled off the line. Cutting-edge styling, nostalgic appeal and a starring role in the Hollywood blockbuster "Transformers" have made the Chevrolet Camaro one of the most anticipated cars of 2009.
In addition to its highly praised retro exterior design, the 2010 Camaro features a powerful 304 horsepower V6 engine and very competitive straight line performance. Like many muscle cars, however, its cabin is plagued by sub par materials and limited visibility. What's more, many of its rivals offer more backseat room. Still, taken as a whole, reviewers are happy with the return of the much-loved Camaro.
It's faster than its competitors and benefits from more svelte looks than the Dodge Challenger and less familiar styling than the 2010 Mustang. It's even more fuel efficient, with the V6 returning an impressive 17 city, 29 high way MPG-rating, while the V8 returns 16/25 MPG when equipped with the slightly higher-geared automatic transmission.
Interior
Sure, the materials, hard plastics, and a cloth strip looks a bit cheap. But Chevrolet managed to blend everything together well, which at least makes the build quality look good. For example, the stereo head unit is nicely contoured, with smooth, simple surfaces around it. The big letdown was the squarish plastic surrounds on the instruments, which would look much better in metal.
OnStar navigation

There's no LCD in this dashboard, and no onboard navigation system available. Instead, the Camaro offers route guidance through OnStar, which we regard as an inferior solution. First, instead of simply entering a destination into a navigation system, you have to talk to an OnStar operator. Chevrolet did a good job of building route guidance into the car--once the operator sends the route, turn-by-turn directions are shown on the instrument cluster display and on the radio display, along with voice guidance. But if you get off-route, the system doesn't automatically recalculate, instead requiring a couple of button pushes to have a new route sent down from OnStar.

Bluetooth

The Bluetooth phone system comes as part of a reasonably priced, at $655, Convenience and Connectivity package, which also includes audio controls on the steering wheel, remote start capability, and a USB port for the audio system, the latter useful for iPod integration and playing MP3 tracks off a thumb drive.

Likes

• Standout styling
• Great V-6
• six-speed manual powertrain
• Powerful V-8 "SS" edition
• Balanced, nimble handing

Dislikes

• Limited outward visibility
• Tight rear seat
• Aspects of interior are dull