As the fifth-generation Camaro is slowly phased out, pony car-loving gearheads everywhere have been waiting for new details of Chevy’s iconic sports car.
According to a Motortrend report, the fifth-gen Camaro will sputter out in 2015 with only a new paint option being added, making room for the sixth-generation Camaro to shine.
The new Camaro will utilize GM’s rear-drive Alpha platform, the same one used on the Cadillac ATS and CTS. Both cars are nimble and responsive for their size, so the sixth-gen should be plenty spry with a lighter chassis.
The 3.6-liter V6 that powers the LT and LS models will be a hand-me-down from the previous generation, but the SS gets a new heart: it will use the 6.2-liter, 455-horsepower LT1 V8 from the 2014 Corvette Stingray. That’s 29 more ponies than the fifth-gen SS, so expect the new Z28 and ZL1 models to have more power as well. Details on those models are forthcoming.
In what seems like an interesting decision, GM has decided to leave the styling of the 2016 Camaro relatively untouched, even while its entire chassis is revamped. I get familiarity and establishing iconic looks, but I don’t think anyone was arguing that the C7 Corvette Z06 was any worse off because of its styling changes.
Many called the 2014 Z28 the best Camaro ever, and those claims have real merit: the track-bred Z28 houses the marvelous, hand-built LS7 from the C6 Corvette Z06, and it lives up to its mantle as one of the best-handling muscle cars around. If the 2016 Camaro can improve upon that momentum in 2016, it could be a real world-beater in its class. Still, it looks to have its work cut out for it.
Both Ford and Dodge are releasing revamped models of the Mustang and Challenger, respectively, so competition in the mid-level muscle car range will be stiff. Can the Camaro remain the best-selling muscle car for the 5th straight year?
We’ll see when the sixth-generation Camaro is released sometime in 2016.
