The new Camaro SS muscle car made its much anticipated launch in the first quarter of 2009. It was very well received. Now that it has been out for a while it’s much improved for the 2015 model year. However, the next generation 2016 is upon us and I hope you like four cylinder engines?
An interesting choice of options packages just got more interesting this year. With the car’s roots going back to the Trans Am cars of the late 60’s early 70’s this road-racing inspired the 1LE performance package for the 2015 Camaro SS. This package combines the best elements of the Camaro SS and the ZL1 to take road racing to a whole new level.
Full size pictures are at the bottom of this page! The latest news is that the retro-styled sports car will increase the model line up from three trim levels to six. The 1LE, LS, LT, ZL1 A convertible drop top in RS trim and of course the Super Sport version. This is just the beginning despite General Motors troubles.
They say in the very near future we will have an ultra high performance Z28 and a RS trim level convertible with a giant engine to the full production line up. One of the videos below features an older 2012 SLP Z585 that produces a quarter mile time in the low 11 second range in street tires.
Edmunds has test driven the different option packages and provide clean reporting on the differences of each. The LS will be the cheapest model @23K and has the updated GM 3.6L Direct Injection V-6 producing 328 hp rated at 30mpg highway.
The LT model will also have the 3.6L V-6 that really does have the power of a v8. The LT ads a lot of powered options such as 8 way power seats for both sides of the front cabin. And of course power window and door locks. The LT has 20″ x 8.0″ Front and 20″ x 9.0″ rear aluminum wheels where as the LS has the 18″ inch wheel.
The Camaro SS will lead the pack of offerings in overall performance with the 6.2 Liter V8 that is currently found in the base model Corvette. Th 6.2L is currently producing around 425 hp while delivering decent gas mileage at 20 miles per gallon (downhill highway).
The ZL1 (pictured here in red) was available in 2013 with around 580 HP and General Motors is currently releasing a super high performance Z28 muscle car much like the SLP. The talk is about installing the 6.2-liter A hand-assembled LS7 engine. The LS7 motor is currently producing 505 hp. Chevrolet is a strong believer in the corvette being a little faster then any Camaro in the line.
New Camaro SS Drive Train
The new Camaro SS will be first offered with a choice of a six speed automatic or a six speed manual trans and someone told me this includes a Hurst shifter. It will be hard to tell which transmission is in the vehicle by just looking at the console and shifter.
Both transmission offerings will have a similar looking baseball sized shifter knob, surrounded by a rubber boot. I could not find any information if the automatic will have a manual shift mode, but it sure seems like it would be a great idea to help boost sales of the automatic SS model. The new Camaro SS should provide interesting competition for the more developed Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang.
These vehicles had a large head start on the retro-high-performance American-made vehicle market. Regardless they seem to have gotten a little stale in comparison (my opinion) to the General Motors project.
The advantage that Chevrolet has over their two competitors would be learning from their mistakes. It would seem that Chevrolet has not only produced an excellent looking vehicle but many character traits are preserved from the late 60s Camaros. Back then Chevrolet out sold both Dodge and Ford.
The Camaro Interior Trim Levels
It looks like from the latest pictures released that the interior of the SS Camaro going forward will be very close to the concept car that we’ve seen pictures of for the last couple years.
This speedometer and tachometer are round but housed into rectangular chrome edged bezels behind a three-spoke steering wheel. For me this brings back fond memories of the 1969 dash set up. Easy to read with a quick glance down and also well lit for night driving.
The center console contains a sound system and climate control as would be expected. But the console also contains four gauges mounted below the climate control system providing a very nice twist. These gauges are large analog units that will report oil pressure, engine temperature, alternator output, and a new read out that will show engine torque output on the manual trans or transmission temperature on the automatic models.
This will give Chevrolet the opportunity to switch out these gauges on the Z28 model when it hits the market. Since the new 2015 Z28 will have A hand-assembled LS7 engine Chevrolet may decide to put different gauges into the 4-pack cluster.
Sidebar: Want to read a good book about why this car is important? The spotlight is again shining on the Camaro. This car has forty-plus years of history that is a lot deeper then meets the eye. World wide competition as well as the changes in style and technology make the story more about the survival of the American automotive industry.
An interview with Al Oppenheiser who is the chief engineer on Camaro development makes this a must read for fans. Chevrolet has a lot riding on this project, and they plan to go after the muscle car market full blast with extremely competitive pricing and fuel economy that far exceeds their competition.
General Motors knows that we want fuel economy, but Americans do not want to give up horsepower. They are making their best attempt at providing a vehicle that suits these needs.
The LT and LS models are targeted for the price range of $25,000. The new Camaro SS will be in the low $30,000 range. My closing thoughts about the new SS. Pontiac before they closed up shop on the G8 had tested the waters with the Zeta platform that is at the heart of this new vehicle and called it the Firehawk.
I would like to see the Buick platform Use this body style for a re-release of the Buick Grand National. Buick is holding its own as far as United States sales but is gaining popularity in foreign countries. The Buick Grand National could be a big hit in these countries.
My girl friend wrote an article about the new convertible edition slated for release. Her first new car purchase was a 1977 Camaro rally sport. She has a love affair with the Camaro. Yes, she drives an 02 corolla but she is seriously thinking about trading it for a new camaro convertable.
See more reviews from us about interesting fast vehicles. Some of my favorite stories are about hot cars in the 200 mph club. This next link will take you to more pictures, videos and stories about Fast Hot Cars. New page on the muscle car subject is posted here. Learn about and watch some videos on the Oldsmobile 442. Find out what else is available on this automobile website. You can also learn more about the car mechanic that built Auto-Facts.org. This next link takes you to the homepage.
My Final Thoughts about this car. Look we all can’t afford the ZL1 or the SS models. This is why the line up always included a V6 entry level automobile so that regular people could experience the look and style for less. The difference with this generation compared to older ones is the V6 is no longer a lame option you get stuck with.
Back in the day a V6 Camaro was a no go show boat. The V6 they use in the 2015 Lt model is the 328 horse power all aluminum engine that is the back bone of the GM fleet at the time of this writing. I have one of these in my Cadillac SRX and this engine is far from lame. So if you want one of these cars test drive the base models first and see if you are not surprised by the power. Then compare prices and fuel economy then decide.