The Low Roofline Conundrum: A Review of the Chevrolet Camaro SS

As I sat behind the wheel of the Chevrolet Camaro SS, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. The car's low roofline, which initially seemed like a great design feature from the outside, proved to be a major drawback when it came to visibility. The tiny window made it difficult to see anything out of the corner of my eye, and the blind spots were numerous. I had to resort to placing a navigation system in the window, which only added to the obstructed view.

Visibility is a crucial aspect for many car buyers, with women ranking it as one of the top reasons they choose a new vehicle. Unfortunately, the Camaro's design choices fell short in this regard. The interior, too, was marred by hard plastic surfaces, making it feel like a budget-friendly option rather than a premium performance car.

On the plus side, the Camaro SS boasted an impressive GM LS engine, which is known for its reliability and power output. I couldn't help but notice the sound of the engine as it pulsed through the exhaust system, making it a joy to listen to. However, I opted for the aftermarket exhaust option, which significantly improved the overall sound.

One area where the Camaro excelled was in its handling. The chassis was rigid and well-built, with an independent rear suspension that kept the car planted on fast bends. This made a noticeable difference on the track, where the Car's performance shone through.

However, the driver interfaces were a major letdown. The shifter felt sloppy and lacked precision, while the steering wheel required a specific "Leggo Man" grip to hold onto effectively. The gauges were cheap-looking and plasticky, and the pedals were placed in an awkward position that made it difficult to toe the car.

A visit to the track at Adams Motorsports Park provided a much-needed reality check for my enthusiasm with the Camaro SS. Despite its impressive power output, the car struggled to keep up with a Volkswagen GTI, which ran a blistering lap time just shy of 50 seconds. This was a sobering reminder that while the Camaro had its strengths, it wasn't without its weaknesses.

As I continued to drive around California, I couldn't help but notice the prevalence of rental V6 Camaros on the road. Once a bold and edgy design choice, the styling had become stale and uninspired. It was clear that the Camaro's initial flair had worn off, leaving it with a lackluster presence on the roads.

In conclusion, while the Chevrolet Camaro SS has its strengths, its many weaknesses make it a frustrating driving experience. From the obstructed view to the cheap-looking interior, there were several areas where the car fell short of expectations. However, for those who value performance and power output above all else, the Camaro SS may still be worth considering – but with caution.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en2010 Camaro SS - SS package which means ls3 engine under the hood and a six-speed manual transmission are these Chevy fans onto something is this car the best muscle car available or is the Mustang GT better I don't know that's why we've come to Adams Motorsports Park $25.00 time-attack night and we are going to run this bad boy and see if it's a driver's car or if it's just a movie prop that happens to look cool I'm Matt this is the 2010 Camaro SS and you're watching the smoking tire 22 pounds of bruise whoo when the Camaro first came out everyone was waiting for it for years and years and years because there was a eight year gap in between the last Camaro and this one and at first the styling really seemed like the weight was worth it I mean with the Transformers thing and all that it seemed like a really exciting new car Corvette ls3 power up front 425 horsepower 6-speed manual transmission what's not to like really the chassis is based on the Australian Holden's the Commodore which was the Pontiac g8 here in the US and that was a good car it was sad to see that one go well styling isn't everything the Camaro is a perfect example of why styling isn't everything for instance the low roofline looks great from the outside but I can't see a goddamn thing out of here the window is tiny there's blind spots everywhere and there's no navigation available which means I have to put a nav in the window which blocks the vision even more there's nowhere you can put a nav here that you won't block something visibility is a big deal for a lot of people in fact women rank visibility among the highest reasons they buy cars there is none let's be positive for a minute shell this thing's got good power a GM LS engine is a great way to make power and that's why all these kid car builders use them it's bulletproof and it does make the power LS engines are naturally great sounding engines a lot of people go with the aftermarket exhaust option which I would definitely recommend because this doesn't really sound like anything sound I get a lot more induction noise that I do exhaust noise here's the thing about the Camaro everything underneath is pretty good the chassis is rigid the independent rear suspension definitely keeps the car more planted on fast bends than say the Mustang it does it really does it makes a difference and the engine makes the power the problem with the car is all the driver interfaces are just I'm trying to be nice but all the driver interfaces are way off they are the shifter is sloppy the steering wheel requires what we call the Lego man grip which is like this because you can't wrap your hands around it but gauges are kind of cheap the pedals are placed all wrong like I wear a size 12 wide and I still have a hard time he'll toeing this the Mustang for instance has great driver interfaces that's part of what makes it really nice with the exception of the leather seats leather shifter and steering wheel this entire interior is hard plastic look hard hard hard hard hard I mean everything literally everything in this car is hard plastic this car is $36,000 okay that's too much plastic for 30 Camero has a strange clutch it has a very narrow friction zone which means if you're not precise with your foot you get a lot of bucking and bogging and stuff like that the Mustang by comparison has a much more forgiving clutch it's easier for newer drivers and you get used to anything but on the other hand this car Oh see that see how bad that was on the other hand you can slide it out pretty good I mean any car you can slide around the corner the fun car oh look now we have an audience the good news is we can actually find out if this will run the number because it's $25.00 Time Attack night here at Adams Motorsports bar and we are going to run the snot out of this car time to beat I think is a fifty point six which we ran in Dan's Volkswagen GTI so is the $36,000 rear-wheel drive v8 powered Camaro faster than the turbocharged four-cylinder Volkswagen GTI I don't know we're gonna find out right after this pull it around around and okay this car pushes hard at the limit except in first gear where it goes into snap oversteer and you go to riff though I've got traction control off but I've got stability control on right now in most cars that's the fastest way to run and I'm hoping this car is the same come on stop pushing the good news is at Adams this entire track is second gear in this car the hairpin goes down to first if you want to drift it but I want to stick it so I'm using all the low-end torque Oh God wow that was yes well that's traction off instability on it'll let the wheel spin but it won't let the car stick out and across the line after a few laps around Adams Motorsports Park we were able to run a 52 flat in the Camaro SS which I'm sorry to say is shy of what we were able to run in a Volkswagen GTI with just under half the horsepower so in a track like this horsepower certainly isn't everything although sliding it around is quite fun what we've learned here today is that the Camaro as a cruising car as a styling exercise is quite successful it has all the elements that are there as a driver's car or a track car not at all but the saddest part about it is when this car came out this was edgy this was bold this was fantastic right well I've been driving around California for the past year now and I see dozens of rental v6 Camaros every day I mean if I see 50 of them a day it's not even an exaggeration once you see that many of them the styling isn't Deji anymore and what are you left with not a whole lot I'm Matt Farah we've been driving the Camaro SS right here on the smoking tire see you guys next week you you2010 Camaro SS - SS package which means ls3 engine under the hood and a six-speed manual transmission are these Chevy fans onto something is this car the best muscle car available or is the Mustang GT better I don't know that's why we've come to Adams Motorsports Park $25.00 time-attack night and we are going to run this bad boy and see if it's a driver's car or if it's just a movie prop that happens to look cool I'm Matt this is the 2010 Camaro SS and you're watching the smoking tire 22 pounds of bruise whoo when the Camaro first came out everyone was waiting for it for years and years and years because there was a eight year gap in between the last Camaro and this one and at first the styling really seemed like the weight was worth it I mean with the Transformers thing and all that it seemed like a really exciting new car Corvette ls3 power up front 425 horsepower 6-speed manual transmission what's not to like really the chassis is based on the Australian Holden's the Commodore which was the Pontiac g8 here in the US and that was a good car it was sad to see that one go well styling isn't everything the Camaro is a perfect example of why styling isn't everything for instance the low roofline looks great from the outside but I can't see a goddamn thing out of here the window is tiny there's blind spots everywhere and there's no navigation available which means I have to put a nav in the window which blocks the vision even more there's nowhere you can put a nav here that you won't block something visibility is a big deal for a lot of people in fact women rank visibility among the highest reasons they buy cars there is none let's be positive for a minute shell this thing's got good power a GM LS engine is a great way to make power and that's why all these kid car builders use them it's bulletproof and it does make the power LS engines are naturally great sounding engines a lot of people go with the aftermarket exhaust option which I would definitely recommend because this doesn't really sound like anything sound I get a lot more induction noise that I do exhaust noise here's the thing about the Camaro everything underneath is pretty good the chassis is rigid the independent rear suspension definitely keeps the car more planted on fast bends than say the Mustang it does it really does it makes a difference and the engine makes the power the problem with the car is all the driver interfaces are just I'm trying to be nice but all the driver interfaces are way off they are the shifter is sloppy the steering wheel requires what we call the Lego man grip which is like this because you can't wrap your hands around it but gauges are kind of cheap the pedals are placed all wrong like I wear a size 12 wide and I still have a hard time he'll toeing this the Mustang for instance has great driver interfaces that's part of what makes it really nice with the exception of the leather seats leather shifter and steering wheel this entire interior is hard plastic look hard hard hard hard hard I mean everything literally everything in this car is hard plastic this car is $36,000 okay that's too much plastic for 30 Camero has a strange clutch it has a very narrow friction zone which means if you're not precise with your foot you get a lot of bucking and bogging and stuff like that the Mustang by comparison has a much more forgiving clutch it's easier for newer drivers and you get used to anything but on the other hand this car Oh see that see how bad that was on the other hand you can slide it out pretty good I mean any car you can slide around the corner the fun car oh look now we have an audience the good news is we can actually find out if this will run the number because it's $25.00 Time Attack night here at Adams Motorsports bar and we are going to run the snot out of this car time to beat I think is a fifty point six which we ran in Dan's Volkswagen GTI so is the $36,000 rear-wheel drive v8 powered Camaro faster than the turbocharged four-cylinder Volkswagen GTI I don't know we're gonna find out right after this pull it around around and okay this car pushes hard at the limit except in first gear where it goes into snap oversteer and you go to riff though I've got traction control off but I've got stability control on right now in most cars that's the fastest way to run and I'm hoping this car is the same come on stop pushing the good news is at Adams this entire track is second gear in this car the hairpin goes down to first if you want to drift it but I want to stick it so I'm using all the low-end torque Oh God wow that was yes well that's traction off instability on it'll let the wheel spin but it won't let the car stick out and across the line after a few laps around Adams Motorsports Park we were able to run a 52 flat in the Camaro SS which I'm sorry to say is shy of what we were able to run in a Volkswagen GTI with just under half the horsepower so in a track like this horsepower certainly isn't everything although sliding it around is quite fun what we've learned here today is that the Camaro as a cruising car as a styling exercise is quite successful it has all the elements that are there as a driver's car or a track car not at all but the saddest part about it is when this car came out this was edgy this was bold this was fantastic right well I've been driving around California for the past year now and I see dozens of rental v6 Camaros every day I mean if I see 50 of them a day it's not even an exaggeration once you see that many of them the styling isn't Deji anymore and what are you left with not a whole lot I'm Matt Farah we've been driving the Camaro SS right here on the smoking tire see you guys next week you you\n"