I almost walked right past this Camaro. You probably would, too. They are ubiquitous, especially in the large, urban, never-ever-snows environs I live in. The Camaro’s 5th generation return has been on the streets for over 11 years now and have somehow kind of become automotive background noise, even to people like myself who like them. What made me turn around and spend a few minutes and pixels appreciating this particular car?
Walking by it, I realized that this is a great example of a car that was kind of important to me at one point. It’s been a while. Many 5th gen Camaros on the road are around 10 years old now, so automotive mortality is starting to noticeably set in. Joseph Dennis last year documented how some examples are turning up genuinely decrepit. That shouldn’t be a shocker, considering that the cars are favored by the young and reckless. Still, it doesn’t seem like that long ago that they were the freshest, hottest thing out there.
This is a photo I took at the 2009 Houston auto show in January that year, shortly before Camaro mass production started in March as 2010 models. Pictures had been circulating for quite a while, of course, but seeing the Camaro in the metal confirmed that it was a truly handsome car. My daily driver at the time was a 1999 Firebird Formula, which had an LS1 V8 making 305hp. The standard 3.6L High Feature V6 in the new Camaro was rated at 304hp. One horsepower less.
What really got me thinking, though, was a detail I had not known about these new pony cars prior to attending the show: the standard wheels were uncovered steel with trim rings and center caps.
gorgeous yellow 69 Z/28 at 2018 Barrett-Jackson auction
The open steel wheel with trim ring and center cap was popular for a long time on many, many cool cars from the 60’s to the 80’s, including the iconic 1969 Camaro that the new one’s design was most obviously based on. The style fell by the wayside in the 80’s and hadn’t been seen for a good 20 years by the time the 2010 Camaro came out. Certainly nothing sporty, stylish, or upscale had come without aluminum wheels in quite a long time. Steel wheels on cars were, and still are, exclusively seen on entry level appliances and always with full wheel covers. Cop cars have had open steel wheels, of course, but generally not with trim rings and they’re never available on civilian models. This type of exposed wheel was stylistically obsolete and yet Chevy was bringing it back on their retro/futuristic show-car-turned-real. How cool!
It was this detail more than anything that got me thinking maybe this car belonged in my garage. The $22,995 base price helped, too. Pretty reasonable price for a car that came standard with the important stuff like the 300+hp engine, dual exhausts, 6 speed manual transmission, air conditioning, power windows, cruise control, CD stereo, etc. Basically all the stuff that used to be optional but is now universal and more than sufficient for an old-school kind of guy like me. I don’t need Bluetooth heated seat coolers and what not!
I let these thoughts percolate for a year and a half while I strategized financially. When I was finally ready to make a move, I went to a large dealer to check out the cars and go for a test drive. The V6 drove great and I liked it a lot.
Then I made the mistake of taking an SS out for a test drive. All the good driving traits of the V6 were amplified in the SS. Like a bowl of vanilla ice cream is tasty, but how much better is it with chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries? I’ve always been a V8 guy at heart. The sound and feel of a good V8 is as enjoyable to me as the extra power and the 6.2L LS3 certainly fell in that category of a good V8. 426hp/420lbft of naturally aspirated, pushrod Chevy small-block gave the car effortless, immense power with a gorgeous smooth burble that was audible without being obnoxious. It was intoxicating and when I sobered up, I had to re-evaluate my practical ideas about getting a V6. But, dang it, I really liked the look of that LS. I went home and regrouped.
At the same time that Chevrolet was introducing their new Camaro, Ford came out with the mid-cycle refresh on the 2005-generation S197 Mustang, which in my opinion made the already attractive design even better. I also shot this at the 2009 show. When I was developing my crush on the Camaro, I didn’t seriously consider the Mustang because it still (since the early 90’s) significantly lagged GM in power.
A lot can change in a year. Ford finally addressed their power deficiency in a big way for the 2011 model year, with both their V6 and V8 engines. The 3.7L V6 was a brand new design that matched GM in features and power. The V8 was the Coyote, a brand new 5.0L that used the old Modular engine as a jumping off point but updated and upgraded virtually everything. Power was 412hp and 390ft-lbs, comparing very well with Chevy’s V8 considering it’s 1.2L smaller (and Mustangs were about 300lb lighter).
I’ve had a bunch of GM cars and only one previous Ford, still I increasingly found the Mustang rather alluring. It looked good, got great magazine reviews and now had comparable V6 power to the Camaro.
I also wasn’t crazy about the Camaro’s interior. It’s a matter of personal taste, but I found it a bit gimmicky-looking and dark-feeling. If grey cloth and carpet were chosen instead of black, it helped brighten it a bit. In contrast, I find the 2010-14 Mustang Premium interior very appealing, especially the dash.
Much has been made of the Camaro’s gunslit windows and poor visibility. That was certainly noticeable when I drove it, though I didn’t feel unsafe. I imagine most owners manage to drive it routinely without hitting disproportionate numbers of baby carriages or Smart cars.
There was also the little matter of the Camaro’s ridiculous trunk opening. The Mustang had a nice size trunk opening and its 13.4 cu.ft. compared well to the Camaro’s 11.3. I use my trunk quite a bit, so this was not a trivial matter.
I test drove the Mustang, and repeated the same mistake I made with the Camaro by trying the GT. V6 Mustang, nice. V8 Mustang, incredible! As much as I liked the idea on paper of either a base Camaro (with steel wheels!) or a base Mustang (with Performance Package), I just couldn’t see myself happy with either knowing how fantastic the V8 versions were.
To my wife’s eternal credit, I explained all the above to her and why I wanted to blow up the original budget, to which she said I should get what I want. We were planning to have the car for a while and it would be worth it to get the car I would be happy with long term. I knew there was a reason I married her! (insert big kiss here, XOXO)
Continuing the marriage theme, I considered the Camaro the super model, but the Mustang was more like the pretty girl next door with the great personality that you want to spend your life with. I ordered my Kona Blue GT Premium with Saddle interior and 6 speed manual on August 2, it was born on September 6 and I took it home September 22 (when this welcome home pic was taken). It does have Bluetooth after all, but no heated seat coolers.
I still consider the 5th gen Camaro a supermodel. Like most models, it even has a kind of “hourglass” shape, the way the body is narrow at the rear edge of the door then expands as it goes forward and rearward, looked at both from the side and from above. They called this “coke bottle” styling in the 60’s. The 2015 S550 Mustang cribbed that trick while the 6th gen 2016 Camaro diluted it. The overall proportions of the car are just about perfect to my eyes. The beltline is a little high, but it doesn’t seem so extreme as it used to since the 2016’s is even higher and beltlines have crept up on lots of other vehicles since.
I would even call it clean, in the sense that the styling flows naturally for its theme and there is not a lot of extraneous detail or superfluous lines. The very subtle fake air vents or “gills” just ahead of the rear wheel opening are a direct nod to 1969, as is the grille. The taillights must be a nod to 1970. There is very little visual distinction among versions. The only body differences between V6 and SS is a front air slit above the grille, different lower grille texture and front and rear SS badges. SS’s had the relatively restrained rear spoiler standard while it was optional on V6’s. Other than that, it’s all wheel differences.
Which brings us back to those wheels I found so fetching. They are 18 inches, which is small for a Camaro. 20 inchers were standard on the SS and optional for V6’s, with 21’s available as a dealer-installed upgrade. By the way, my Mustang GT came with 18’s while 19’s were optional. As neat as it was that they had these steel wheels, Chevy didn’t really go all in on the concept. The brochures featured no pictures of cars with the wheels and I haven’t found any ads with them. They were the only wheel for the LS trim level, which was the rock-bottom entry-level trim. If you wanted any upgrades, you had to go to the 1LT or 2LT trims, on which the steel wheels weren’t available. So, among the Camaro-conscious public, the steel wheels had cheapskate associations.
That’s a shame. I wish that the wheels had been available across the whole line. The black paint, of course, is a significant deviation from those on the old classic cars. Black is probably more in keeping with a modern ascetic, still it would have been neat to maybe have silver or body color ones available at least on all V6’s. I do like the black, though, as it has a cop car vibe and I’ve always dug cop cars. But that’s just me and I am hardly normal. Maybe that was another strike against them with the public?
Base models are always the ones most likely to be commuted hard, with increased attrition through wear or accidents. They are also the ones most likely to be bought by young folks on a budget who would outfit them with aftermarket wheels when they have the money. I haven’t found a source that tells what percent of Camaros were LS’s, but I imagine it was fairly small. The wheels were dropped with the 2014 facelift. For all those reasons, it’s getting rarer to see a Camaro with my steelies.
So, that’s why I stopped to appreciate this future classic. I really think the 2010-13 Camaro will age well and be a favorite among old car lovers in the future. The facelift for 2014-15 wasn’t major but I don’t think it did the car any favors. The 6th generation 2016+ was smaller (a good thing), had some other functional improvements, and is kind of attractive in its not-so-clean, aggressive way, but it lacks the cohesiveness of the original 2010. It has also lacked the sales numbers, so the Camaro sadly is on the endangered species list (again).
I have been totally content with my purchasing decision, but I still can’t help looking wistfully at this car. It’s the wheel thing, and it’s tough not to stare at a supermodel.
Photographed in Houston, TX October 2, 2020.
Those wheels are not bad looking at all, very interesting that they did them in steel rather than some kind of alloy “tribute”. You bring up an interesting point though, while not particularly a fan of the Camaro, I’d be much more likely to stop and look at a base model like this one than a high-zoot SS or whatever that’s all dressed up, at least as far as Camaros are concerned.
It’s a Camaro with steelies kinda morning for me.
Just this morning I was reading an article on Jalopnik about a 3rd Gen Camaro fished out of a lake after 30+ years a the bottom. In the article, they linked to a full spread of the brochure (85 or 86) that showed all the Camaro models. One commenter zeroed in on the base model Camaro Sport Coupe with the “styled steel wheels” and remarked that they had never seen a Camaro equipped with those wheels before.
I remember many a 3rd gen Camaro with those wheels. They were the base model, and most people tend to gravitate towards the higher spec models. I searched out a few on Google, and came across this gorgeous white Camaro Sport Coupe with the base model steel wheels, perfectly complimented by the white letter tires. I really like the look of this wheel/tire combo.
I then thought about these 18″ steelies on the 5th gen Camaro. I wonder what it would look like to have the 18″s on a 3rd gen Camaro, done up just like this white one?
That is an interesting idea! That could be a good restified look on 3rd gen models. I doubt the bolt pattern is the same.
I remember lots of Camaros like your picture, the steel wheels were pretty common on V6 models.
My opinion is a little biased, but as far as I’m concerned, you chose wisely going with the S-197. Better visibility being a huge benefit.
My Dad really wanted one of these Camaros, but after test driving one, he went with his own S-197, a 2014 model. The poor visibility and not as good ergonomics were huge factors in his decision to go with the Mustang. And like my own 2007, his was a V6, albeit the more powerful 3.7L.
As to the steel wheels and rings? Yeah… I’ve always liked that look on a Camaro. My ex-wife had an ’81 (last of the Gen 2 Camaros), and I loved the look of those wheels on her car. The only issue we had with them was that the “Popcorn Caps” were always stolen, and I had to keep an ample supply of them around….
An interesting writeup of a car that I thoroughly dislike. Sorry, but it’s definitely on my ‘no interest in owning list’, unless, of course, the only alternative is a brougham. Why?
1. It’s too damn big and heavy.
2. I like to see out of my cars and be comfortable in them. This does neither.
3. They based the design on the abomination restyle of what otherwise was an incredibly pretty first generation. And then used the design penciled by some bored 8th grader while sitting in class. (Still have memories of the family’s ’67 RS. That was a pretty car.)
4. Did I mention it’s too damn big and heavy. Only the Dodge Challenger is bigger and heavier, and at least it gives you room inside and somewhat better visibility.
5. The Mustang blows it out of the water, and I’ve never particularly been a fan of Mustangs.
6. I was sick of this car by the time it came on the market. GM’s years of teasing and promotion was an almost textbook example of how not to release a car.
Yes, I’m an opinionated git. I try to stay away from the masses of these at the local cars and coffee ever other Saturday. Funny, I also notice most of the 1st thru 4th generation Camaro owners try to stay away from them, too.
I don’t always agree with you, but all six points are exactly what I have never liked about these. I do commend GM for not deviating much from the 2006 concept(normally they wind up way off) but by the time the production version came along four years later I felt it looked dated.
The Camaro LS. I remember you. The lack of Bluetooth wasn’t so bad, it was the unavailability of a USB port that made this trim DOA for 90% of the population. Worst rental “upgrade” of my life on that road trip once I discovered that fact.
You are right that would be a big missing feature for a lot of people, though maybe not so much in 2009/10 as it would be now. That was actually a non-factor for me. Even today I STILL primarily listen to CD’s, so it having a CD player was good enough for me at the time. I sometimes do use the bluetooth audio in my car, but probably have never used the USB.
The USB was a stand alone option on 1LT/1SS until 2013 when it was finally standard on 1LT/1SS, but still not available on LS. Bastards!
That reminds me, My Dad had a business trip during this generation where he got one as a free upgrade, which he was pretty excited about, and indeed he complained he had no way to charge his phone in it, which was a pretty big factor as he using it to commute across Kansas between distributors he was seeing. Big drama that overshadowed that was he got a flat tire along the way, and seeing that trunk opening and imagining him getting the tires in and out reminds me why he hated that “upgrade”.
I don’t remember young fellows driving these, and I don’t see many at the wheel of the current version, either. All I see is old guys searching for their lost youth.
I hated the taillights on the 10-13, the 2014 was an improvement with a more 1969esque three segment design. Why Chevrolet insists trapezoids are a substitute for circles in their taillights, or what their reasoning is for them looking more “modern”, I will never know.
That’s probably the crux of what turned me off with these, the LX Challenger did a pretty faithful retro recreation of the 1970, down to small details, the S197 Mustang did a sort of retro amalgamation of 65-70 throwbacks with some modern carryover from the new edge design for continuity sake. The 5th gen Camaro is clearly inspired by the 69, so why reference the 1970 model in the taillights? The rest of the design carries no continuity from the 02 and all the embellished angles only served to muddle whatever was attractive with the 69. The most frustrating part is the proportions are in my opinion the best of the ponycars, the Challenger and Mustang both looked too tall and chunky, especially in midsections and rear end.
I liked those base wheels though, first of all the 18” diameter makes them less cartoonish than the garish 20-21” alloys, and they effectively ground the whole design. I remember when they came out the base model with these wheels caught my attention more than the first SS I saw did.
Styling is a personal thing, as to whether it appeals to one or not. To my jaded eyes these “new” Camaros just don’t do it. My biggest complaint is from the inside: a dark pit with poor sightlines due to the low/top chopped look of the DLO.
I have driven several Camaros with both V6 and V8 power……..meh. Strangely I almost bought a leftover 2018 turbo 4, but the seat simply killed me. The lightness of that 4 on the front end resulted in a much better “feel” to the car on curvy backroads with perfectly adequate power. Instead of the Camaro, I bought a new 2019 Accord: yup, I can see out, 12 way power seat is very supportive, and the blue metallic exterior is pleasing to my beady lil ol eyeballs!
Of course, I continue owning my 1988 IROC-Z 350 Camaro. The F-41 suspension still does a good job of providing good handling with decent ride characteristics. It can’t keep up with the new Camaros but for me that is OK; I do have motorcycles that can!! 🙂 DFO
Nice looking IROC!
+1 on the IROC, third gens are looking better and better every year.
6th gens are inarguably the best Camaros ever on the stat sheets, regardless of trim, but their compromises just kill them. The 5th gens were hardly the paragon of practicality but they had (slightly)better visibility and the rocker sill wasn’t like hopping a fence at least. This cost GM the ponycar market, the 5th gens were outselling the Mustang for a while IIRC
I recently bought an ’06 Mustang convertible, I have always been a Ford guy so never seriously considered the Camaro. The Challenger? If Chrysler had a better reliabilty reputation it might have made the cut. Mine is a metallic red V6 Premium with light saddle (Palomino?) interior. It is a ” nice ” car, but I think I should have gotten the V8 as the 4 liter is not that better on gas.
Having driven several 60s Mustangs, this car is heavily influenced by the styling of those cars…but pleasantly so.
Oddly enough, I never noticed steelies on these Camaros. Well, now I have one thing to like about them.
I wanted to like this Camaro when it came out… I really did want to, and I tried. But no matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for it. While I could easily picture myself in several varieties of Mustang, the Camaro’s chunky, bloated, and trying-too-hard-to-be-better-than-a-Mustang appearance just got the better of me. I never could warm up to it. Maybe it’s just that I’ve always preferred girls next door to supermodels anyway — that’s really the perfect analogy for these two.
Regardless, I like your car-show pictures and your car-buying story. And the good advice from your wife too.
Thanks!
Bailey Quarters vs. Jennifer Marlowe.
I own a 2015 Cadillac ATS4 which is the same chassis as the 6th gen Camaro. The weight loss is a blessing. Turbo 4, fun car to drive but some how GM managed to make the trunk about the same size as the glove compartment. Its my daily driver. Sight lines better than the Camaro and not nearly as fugly. I have a 2012 Boss 302 that keeps it company in the garage. F150 for hauling the dogs and RV around.
I’m jealous of your Boss!
Thanks Jon. It is a lot of fun, I autocross it, kind of like using a bulldozer for shoveling the side walk. I love listening to its rumble. The wife an I took it once early on to a lunch date about 1.5 hours away, we didn’t urn on the radio until we were half way home. Plenty of horse power and theat six speed with the 3.73 gears is perfect. Plenty of punch out of the hole and a lazy gear for cruising down the highway.
I’d never own a rorty V8 rear-drive coupe – I’d look quite silly when installed, for one thing – but I have always fancied these. It’s not nationalism either (these were entirely styled in Australia), as I’m not a great fan of that either.
It’s more likely that supermodel analogy you have used. If one was to get a comparatively impractical car, do it fully. It’s lithe, and low and mean (even if that did translate as fat, rather cramped and impossible to see out of in reality). The ‘Stang of that time? Too frumped for me. I mean, hardly ugly, but just not as professionally of-a-piece, as impractical that that piece may have been.
I may have this wrong, but didn’t the Ford also still have the solid axle then? Not being a carpark donut-squircler, I found that off-putting.
As to the weight of the thing mentioned a fair bit above, there’s a story there. GM got Holden to develop the Zeta platform for all rear-drive GM models, and they did a great job: 50-50 balance, forward-mounted rack, excellent IRS, huge strength. The Aus Commodore (Pontiac G8 Chev SS) has it, and they were rightly compared to BM’s for driving ability. However, the GFC hit hard. The Zeta was always supposed to get more exotic metal in it for posh models like Caddy (where margins theoretically high) and for mass-models like the Camaro (amortisable in such numbers). When no-one was buying, that investment never happened. It ended up an orphan platform, only ever under the Commodore and this Camaro, and too heavy in both.
Steel wheels, huh. Who knew. I vaguely recall seeing these on early ones, and just assumed alloys. I like them, but like the author, the whole car in not-black, please.
(these were entirely styled in Australia),
You actually own up to that? Wow. Thanks for excreting this abomination on us. What did we do to deserve it?
Supermodel? More like Pamela Anderson, and now, not then.
Humpf! Well, I like them. It. The Andersons. The Camaro! The Camaro, I meant.
That said, I must, in like fashion, own up to Rupert Murdoch, who was also entirely styled in Australia. You do not deserve him excreting his abominations on you.
5th gen is Pamela Anderson then, 6th gen is her now!
I found the first model of the born again Camaro to be pretty good looking. My only beef is with the tops of the rear quarter panels that are big enough to use as an ironing board. I did not like the interior and especially the dash. The only thing worse was the visibility. Trying to see past the thick A pillars and short side windows just made me uncomfortable. Whenever I see one in orange though, it still catches my eye.
I bought a new Mustang in 2007 which I think has the right balance of retro. After that, the updates were somewhat jarring and not stylistically cohesive over the years. That is until 2015 and the new design. The updated interiors were welcome and so were the more powerful engines. I’d love a new GT convertible but can’t afford it. I’ll have to wait until the 2015s drop to the level of my buying power. I’m not tempted by any new Camaro or Challenger.
I prefer steel wheels over alloys in most cases Im from that era of reversed and widened rims before ‘mag’ wheels were a thing but I;m not much of a fan of the Holdaros the Mustang looked better but I dont like them much either the Mustang engine goes well some were installed in sporty Falcons but one of those killed my brother so no thanks for either of these over weight two door retrostyling exercises I’d like an early one maybe if I had somewhere to put it.
Jon – You think we’ll have a January 2021 Houston Auto Show? It’s my annual “live-for” event….
I kind of doubt it, that’s only three months away. They have to do a lot of planning for that sort of event, which normally would have probably started a while ago I imagine. If they did, I think it would be limited capacity and no touching the cars or brochure handouts.
They should do it but have it outdoors!
I actually did a quick ride and drive when the Camaro came out and disliked it. First off the Camaro looked cartoonish compared ot the Mustang or Challenger and the poor visibility and black hole interior were als a turn off, plus the trunk opening was only slight less useless than a Pontiac Solstice. I know it hit a spot with the faithful and I know people who own them but then and now my pony car dollars were more likely to end up spent on a Mustang. Evern since the Fox body Ford has built them smaller, neater and more elegantly.
That said I have a motorcycle for kicks and get enough of a V8 muscle thril out of my pickup that these are pretty far down the shopping list.
Ughh! Park a 2020 Camaro next to a 2020 Mustang next to a 2020 Porsche 911 (I know the 911 is not the same category) this is what’s currently possible with body size. The 2020 Camaro appears more athletic the previous model but still not toned. Personally I’m looking forward to what automakers come up with using 100% electric DNA. Since I’m personally on the husky weight side I aspire to a more svelte car like the BMW i8.
I owned two Camaros, a ’78 Z-28 for a very short time, and an ’86 Iroc. I had a ’79 Trans Am for over 5 years, and regretted selling it to get the Iroc. I liked 1st gen F-Bodies, I loved 2nd, and 3rd. The 4th went too far, but I like them better than the present Camaro, by far.
When the new Camaro was announced, and I saw the pics, I thought, “Well, it’s GM, the real car will never be that ugly!”. I was wrong. It was every bit as ugly, and the cramped interior and nearly useless trunk killed any chance of me buying one. I bought a Challenger R/T. Did the Camaro drive better? Sure, but the looks of the thing inside and out, and the back seat even my two medium dogs couldn’t fit in comfortably, doomed it to “Never” status. In ’18, I bought another Challenger, as Mustang styling has never done a thing for me, but it it better looking than the Camaro.
The Challenger might be too big, but it looks RIGHT. A home run.
Then came the 2016. GM doubled down on the ugly, while making it an even better driving car! I don’t like anything GM has been putting out much lately, either boring or bizarre looking, like the C8, Silverado, Sierra, etc. It looks like the Camaro is going away again, and the blame lies with the designers and the execs who approved the horror show it is. I’ve never been a fan of big greenhouses, but a bigger one would improve the Camaro’s looks greatly. A reshape of the entire roofline would help a lot, too. GM is IMHO as lost as Ford was, styling wise, from the early 70’s until about 2000. Bizarrely designed cars that seemed to be ugly for ugly’s sake. Now, I like their stuff more than GM’s.