DETROIT — GM has fully unveiled the sixth-generation 2016 Chevrolet Camaro in its Detroit hometown, the new coupe still generating a lot of excitement despite a press leak prior to the unveiling.
Outwardly, the 2016 looks very much like a seven-eighths rendition of the current model, albeit with a little longer hood and shorter rear roofline/overhang. If you weren’t a fan of the previous gen’s homage to The Transformers, then you’re out of luck.
Underneath that familiar skin, though, is some novelty, it being no mystery that the new Camaro is based on the Alpha platform that underpins the current Cadillac ATS. There are all manner of advantages to this — besides saving General Motors a bundle in development costs — with Chevrolet claiming acceleration-enhancing weight reductions of as much as 100 kilograms.
Also read: Looking back at five generations of Chevrolet Camaro
The 2016 will also be the first Camaro since 1982 — and its pathetic 90 horsepower “Iron Duke” 2.5-litre — to be powered by a base four-cylinder engine (following in the new Mustang’s footsteps). This too is carried over from the ATS, a 2.0-litre turbo boasting 20 psi of boost and 275 horsepower (3 more than the current ATS).
The all-new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro offers an all-new, fourth-generation 3.6L V6 rated at an estimated 330 hp. It incorporates fuel-saving cylinder deactivation technology, along with direct injection, to balance performance with efficiency.
Handout, Chevrolet
Next up the food chain is another Cadillac staple, the 3.6L V6, in Camaro guise good for 335 hp (14 up on the Caddy version). And, finally, there is the LT1, Chevrolet choosing wisely not to follow Cadillac’s lead with the twin-turbocharged version of the V6. The two engines put out about the same power though, Chevrolet’s 6.2-litre V8 pumping out 455-hp in this Camaro, exactly the same as the current base Corvette. All the engines are available with eight-speed automatics (as well as six-speed manuals), the LT1’s the same 8L90 unit that garnered so much acclaim in the Corvette.
As expected, GM is as concerned about fuel economy as it is performance, claiming that Ecotec 2.0L turbo is good for sub six-second zero-to-96 km/h times and 7.8 L/100 km on the highway. How they all perform will be better known tomorrow after we actually get a chance to sample the new Camaro on Detroit’s Belle Isle track. Stay tuned for more updates and for our full track test tomorrow.
