2019 Camaro SS 10sp auto, brief review

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Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by E365
Still the fastest car on a track under $50k, by far. No Mustang,Challenger, Audi, BMW, etc can touch it.

Truth! GM knows how to build a suspension. I wish Ford could learn.

They do. Problem is it's only in the GT350/500 and they are quite expensive.
 
Originally Posted by Cujet
Originally Posted by Gasbuggy
The throttle and trans issues can be fixed with a proper tune.


So far, that does not seem to be the case. The throttle motor is too slow. All tuners can do is make the throttle position match the pedal position and eliminate the other wonky behavior. That's a big help and may be enough for some, but it's not a fix for the half second lag.


All sorts of data on this, on the vehicle specific forums.

What would fix it is a real throttle cable..


Interestingly, the V4 mode was unobtrusive and did not engage in Track mode.


Originally Posted by SLO_Town
Randy Pobst said the Camaro SS 1LE was a fantastic car, but I remember him saying in his video that the throttle response was not linear and was difficult IMPOSSIBLE to modulate precisely.


Fixed it for you.

Remember, my point was the difficulty with sporty (legal-ish) driving on the street. Track days would likely be another matter, and the car would likely be quite a beast when full throttle is the only position.





I suspect the throttle lag has more to do with the transmission taking time to select the proper gear. Place the transmission in manual mode and then test out the throttle response.
 
Originally Posted by E365
Still the fastest car on a track under $50k, by far. No Mustang,Challenger, Audi, BMW, etc can touch it.


But a stock Miata will dust it after 5 laps.
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl



I suspect the throttle lag has more to do with the transmission taking time to select the proper gear. Place the transmission in manual mode and then test out the throttle response.


I did that, of course. I truly enjoy cars/driving and while not a professional driver, I am an experienced amateur racer. Because I am enthusiastic about driving, I make sure to try all the features.

No difference at all in manual mode with a specific gear selected. Nor is it any different in Track mode. Same bizarre behavior.

It's not a problem when speeds and gears are high. But driving around Savannah, Georgia is an exercise in frustration, throttle hysteresis and alternating between feeling the car won't go, to spinning the tires and engaging the traction control. Turning off traction = wheelspin.
 
I have noticed some odd lag during acceleration in my '15 Mustang. Usually seems to be 3rd or 4th gear from 2500. If I hit it from a stop and go through the gears its silky so it must be something with the tune. I've read on forums that disabling traction fully removes whatever causes that lag.

I actually really like the look of the new Camaros. But sitting in one I just didn't like the visibility and some other things. I found the Mustang to be much nicer to drive on a daily basis. A friend had a Z/28 for awhile and while I admit it was an awesome ride I couldn't live with that every day. The performance pack Mustang may not be *as fast* around a track, but what regular driver is setting lap records?
 
[censored] with this? I thought OP just had a bone to pick, maybe, as my Z06, 370Z, both my CX5's all have electronic throttle control, and while in the GM and Nissan you could tell it was there IF YOU LOOKED REALLY HARD!, it wasn't "a thing".

How is it that Mazda can tune a transmission and electronic throttle in a CUV better than Ford/GM can in a pony car? [censored] thing is near telepathic in the twisties, and there is zero lag. THis is mind blowing to me.
 
Originally Posted by Ws6
How is it that Mazda can tune a transmission and electronic throttle in a CUV better than Ford/GM can in a pony car? [censored] thing is near telepathic in the twisties, and there is zero lag. THis is mind blowing to me.

My guess is that they do know how, but for various reasons didn't. Maybe it's to hit emissions, maybe it's to hit EPA mpg, maybe it's their idea of drivability.
 
Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by Ws6
How is it that Mazda can tune a transmission and electronic throttle in a CUV better than Ford/GM can in a pony car? [censored] thing is near telepathic in the twisties, and there is zero lag. THis is mind blowing to me.

My guess is that they do know how, but for various reasons didn't. Maybe it's to hit emissions, maybe it's to hit EPA mpg, maybe it's their idea of drivability.


They need to learn better. If they are producing things as pathetic as OP's review suggests, they need to just not.
 
Originally Posted by Ws6
That's like 4 years away...lot can change.

Sure, 4 years away, but if they suspend development now, they'll have nothing to replace it with come 2023.
 
Update,

Drove it on a 400 mile highway trip through Georgia and down to South Florida. MPG = 27 with premium. Nice.

It goes into 4 cylinder mode at any highway speed I was willing to drive. It does not vibrate or sound different in 4 cylinder mode, until an overpass, where you can hear the throttle open and it exhibits a slightly different sound. Not objectionable in any way.

High speed driving and highway driving is a completely different story from the around town weirdness. It's pretty darn good at speed.

I found at least part of the problem with the car too. One rear tire had 50 PSI and the other 30. Upon throttle up, the system would manage traction/torque and pull out some power. I found this during some high speed full throttle applications, as the car would pull to the left wildly and I recognized the feeling. Fixing the tire pressure took away some percentage of the initial acceleration weirdness.

Premium fuel helps too.

But the throttle is still wonky as can be and it's not a Throttle that can be modulated in town.
 
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I'm honestly surprised at the large number of people that buy Camaros, now that the price tag is so close to the Corvette. It used to be that you could get a loaded up Camaro V8 for half the price of a Vette, but these days the price is much closer. Unless you absolutely need the back seats, the Vette is the way to go. My Corvette drives so well, with none of the complaints talked about here. I know GM has had a lot of complaints about the reliability of the 8 speed auto, but mine has been bulletproof so far. And the fuel economy is even better on the Vette, a recent trip I took to Montreal and back (782 miles) netted me a 32.8 MPG average. On perfectly flat stretches with the cruise set to 70, it'll average close to 40 MPG!
 
Originally Posted by Patman
I'm honestly surprised at the large number of people that buy Camaros, now that the price tag is so close to the Corvette.


I agree. I've rented the C7 a number of times now. It's a far better car in every way. In fact, there really is nothing similar about the two models. While the engine may be the same, the tune is different, the feel is different and the sound is different.

A manual C7 with a tune is probably the choice for fun. The auto is probably a better choice for repeatable performance, and therefore faster in the end.
 
Originally Posted by Patman
I'm honestly surprised at the large number of people that buy Camaros, now that the price tag is so close to the Corvette. It used to be that you could get a loaded up Camaro V8 for half the price of a Vette, but these days the price is much closer. Unless you absolutely need the back seats, the Vette is the way to go. My Corvette drives so well, with none of the complaints talked about here. I know GM has had a lot of complaints about the reliability of the 8 speed auto, but mine has been bulletproof so far. And the fuel economy is even better on the Vette, a recent trip I took to Montreal and back (782 miles) netted me a 32.8 MPG average. On perfectly flat stretches with the cruise set to 70, it'll average close to 40 MPG!


The base prices aren't that close. $34,995 for the V8 Camaro vs $55,900 for the Corvette.

The Camaro chassis is also better. The C7 Z06 can't put power down as well as the Camaro ZL1 with the same LT4 engine.
 
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Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Uh, oh... Mr Nice will be saddened to read this.

I'm still very undecided between a ZL1, GS Vette or _______ .

One day I want a manual trans ZL1.... the next day I want the 10 speed Auto. Long tube headers, X pipe and dyno tune = high 10's on street tires and 93 octane.
smile.gif


ZL1 with pro driver on race track will definitely keep up exotic cars costing 3 and 4X the cost this Chevy.
ZL1 1LE (now available with auto trans) takes it a step further.
 
Originally Posted by E365


The Camaro chassis is also better.



I find that very hard to believe. The camaro is a unibody and the corvette is as close to a race car chassis as possible.

That is simply repeating what the magazines say. Any direct comparison of lap times or lateral G force must include the same tires and similar rims.

The Nurburgring time comparison between corvette and camaro is not valid. Very different tires.

I'm near Sebring race track and Moroso (PBIR) and I can tell you first hand the Corvettes are many seconds faster per lap when things are equalized.
 
2020 GT 500 Mustang will make all C7 Corvettes, 6th Gen Camaro and Hellcats obsolete. It will take a ZL1 with bolt ons just to keep up.

Good luck trying to find a GT 500 under $90K....
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
2020 GT 500 Mustang will make all C7 Corvettes, 6th Gen Camaro and Hellcats obsolete. It will take a ZL1 with bolt ons just to keep up.

Good luck trying to find a GT 500 under $90K....



Impressive car, but the chassis is still a unibody mustang that I believe still uses Macpherson strut front suspension. Struts simply don't match a proper setup of unequal length control arms for performance applications.

HP wins races, no question about that.

Still think the Vette is a better chassis than either the camaro or mustang, in any flavor.
 
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