Follow Nate:
The way GM describes it……“A sports car must do more than take you places — it must inspire you. Camaro stokes your passion for driving, with an aggressive design that sets the stage for top-flight performance generated by the standard 323 hp 3.6L V6 engine. While the engine fuels your enthusiasm, its iDirect Injection and Variable Valve Timing (VVT) earns a 6.6 L/100 km. And in early 2012 the most powerful Camaro of all time hit the streets: the ZL1 Coupe that pumps out an astounding 580 hp — complementing the existing Coupe and Convertible models.”
Nate test drove the Camaro Convertible.
AutoGuide has this to say about the Camaro:
“The Chevrolet Camaro is GM’s legendary muscle-car model, offering strong rear-wheel-drive performance in a low coupe or convertible body style. Relative to the other pony cars like the Ford Mustang or Dodge Challenger, the Camaro performs athletically, although you give up some outward visibility for the chunky, overt design. Overall, the standout of the model line remains the Camaro SS Coupe, for performance and handling approaching that of an exotic car. But Camaro Convertibles are a strong value as well and provide a different sort of fun.”
Here’s what Nate has to say about the car he drove for the weekend…..
“This weekend I had the most exciting test drive as Bennett GM let me test drive a Camaro Convertible. The car was red with black racing stripes and a 323hp V6 under the hood and was nothing short of a childhood dream come true! I was even secretly hoping that it might transform just like Bumblebee in the Transformer movies”
What was your first Impression?
- “With over 300hp I was actually slightly intimidated when I rolled out of the lot, but the firm handling and wide stance of the Camaro made me quickly realize that this is just as much a daily driver as it is a muscle car.”
- “The convertible made installing the car seat and getting my son in and out of the back seat a breeze! I even had room in the trunk to fit our umbrella stroller.”
What are your comments about the Camaro style?
- “Chevrolet has done an excellent job on the exterior and the interior styling of the Camaro. It’s chopped roofline and big hood give it a nice retro look. The grill, break lights and mirrors give it a sleek modern touch.”
- “With the soft-top up, the car maintains the same roofline and low profile as the hardtop coupe.”
- “The interior is pretty plain and simple. Far less technology that the other GM cars I’ve been driving, which is refreshing. The large buttons and knobs on the dash make it easy to control and less distracting.”
- “The retro theme continues inside as the stereo display looks like an old radio when you turn the dial.”
How is the Comfort?
- “For a muscle car, the Camaro was surprisingly comfortable. This model had cloth seats that had a slight give to them and good support which made highway driving very relaxing”
- “I was pleasantly surprised how quiet the car was at highway speeds. The engine is very quiet and less road noise than I had expected with the window up. Most of the wind noise seemed to be coming from behind from the rear window.”
Features….
- “The automatic soft-top is easy to operate, there’s a latch above the rearview mirror than needs to be released and then an up and down button to operate the convertible.”
- “A nice added feature is the remote backup sensors and camera that magically appears in your rearview mirror. The Camaro’s backend is at about the same height as the driver’s head, so it’s very difficult to use your mirrors when in reverse, the camera eliminates this issue.”
- “Chevrolet made sure that there’s no loss in performance compared to the coupe by adding additional support and technology to counteract the loss of the roof structure.”
What did you like best about the vehicle?
- “It’s fun. The Camaro Convertible overall is a great package. They’ve done a great job combining style, performance, comfort and fuel economy.”
- “The V6 gives ample power and there’s larger engines available for added performance and makes a great daily driver.”
Was there anything you did not like? Or could be improved on?
- “The one thing that throws the look of the car, is the little fin antenna on the lid of the trunk, but higher end models have the antenna built into the rear spoiler.”
- “We had a great time driving it around on the weekend but isn’t entirely practical for our family, not enough cargo room and it was a struggle to get my son in his car seat with the roof up.”
Click here if you would like to find out more about the Camaro
Here are some of Nate’s tweets while he was testing the car:
@nate_ontheroad Driving the Camaro this wknd, I had quite few guys stop to check out the car, definitely on a lot of people’s wish list!
@nate_ontheroad Overall the Camaro is an awesome car and well designed. A longer drive might reveal some flaws, but @ChevroletCanada has done a great job.
@nate_ontheroad Well it was a beautiful weekend to take the Camaro Convertible out on the road. It’s too bad I have to return it today!
@nate_ontheroad In reading about the Camaro Convertible, I learned that they reengineered it to give the same performance as the Coupe.
@nate_ontheroad If I had a Camaro I’d go for bumblebee yellow and black racing stripes. What colour would you choose?
@nate_ontheroad After driving cars like the Volt that are filled with tech, its refreshing to have simple controls + enjoy the drive.
@nate_ontheroad Drove on the 401 to Brampton, surprisingly less wind and road noise with the soft-top up than I had expected.
@nate_ontheroad In the past I’ve preferred the look of the hardtop Camaro, but the soft-top isn’t too bad, still keeps a low profile.
@nate_ontheroad First impressions: I love the paddle shifters, allows you to enjoy the growl of the engine. at cruising speeds & idling the engine is
@nate_ontheroad Having the top down on the Camaro makes it very easy to get my son out of his car seat. Another point that makes this a great family car!
@nate_ontheroad Well that was the easiest car seat install ever! Plenty of room to work with top down! Maybe the Camaro is a family car
@nate_ontheroad This is going to be a fun weekend!
It’s a really nice drive. Give it a try!
Either call us at 1 866 892-8483
or
Click here and go directly to our on-line Road Test Request form
Bennett GM
445 Hespeler Road,
Cambridge, ON N1R 6J2
1 866 892-8483
Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | foursquare
Early next year, the Chevrolet Spark (1LT, 2LT) and Sonic (LTZ and RS) will integrate Siri, the intelligent assistant that helps get things done just by asking. Chevrolet made the announcement today at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.
