Sports car fans know the name Camaro, but if you've never experienced owning one of these bad boys for yourself, 2017 is a great year to try something new. The latest Camaro won the Motor Trend Car of the Year award for 2016 thanks to its stunning performance and specs for its fairly modest price range. These, however, are only the surface-level benefits. Read on to see what makes the Camaro a great choice for sports car fans of all budgets and lifestyles.
New Engines
The Chevy Camaro makes its return with an all new base engine: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 275 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. This slight jump in torque over the 2016 model also brings more efficiency, with up to 30 city miles per gallon and 31 mpg highway. Drivers with a need for speed will find the optional 3.6-liter V6 more thrilling, with 335 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of torque, while higher models can use a 6.2-liter V8 with 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque. Then there's the ZL1, with an exclusive engine we'll look at next.
ZL1 Top-Class Model
The Camaro is terrific for drivers who want a sports car that's not too fancy or overblown, but if you want the best features and numbers in every category, the ZL1 is for you. Newly returned after a hiatus, this top-level trim gives the Camaro a supercharged LT4 6.2-liter V8 engine with 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. The ZL1 also offers a 10-speed automatic transmission for buttery-smooth shifting at all speeds, and this setup can shift even faster than many 10-speed automatics on luxury sports cars.
Returning Packages
Past Camaro generations offered a 1LE handling package that revised almost every cooling and suspension feature of the Camaro for prime track performance. For 2017, the 1LE is back, more advanced than ever, and offered on both V8 and V6 powertrains instead of just the pricier V8. The package adds 20-inch aluminum wheels, FE3 rear cradle mounts, dampers and stabilizer bars, an SS heavy-cornering fuel system, dual-mode exhaust, and much more. If you're looking to get a model with the six-speed transmission, this package is a worthwhile upgrade.
Driver Mode Selector
One of the coolest parts of driving a sports car this advanced is the ability to switch to different settings at any time, adjusting the handling and other performance factors for snowy or icy roads, long drives, track performance, and more. As an awesome bonus, the Camaro offers an optional interior ambient lighting package, and the color changes automatically depending on the mode you picked, like icy blue for snow and ice driving and deep red for track driving.
This isn't even getting into the impressively detailed 50th Anniversary special edition Camaro released for 2017, which is a rare collector's model that shouldn't be passed up. All in all, the Camaro has almost too many things going for it to count, and it's the best possible start to an all-new generation for this timeless coupe and convertible. If you have any questions about the latest Camaro, its many options, or other sporty Chevy models, call or email us today.
Image via Flickr by Kai Lehmann used under CC BY 2.0 / cropped from original
Posted in: