That the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro is a second restyling of that first 1969 edition is astonishing, but it’s true. General Motors design VP Ed Welburn, still a teenager when the Camaro appeared, is clear about his love for the 1969 version that informed the fifth-generation car. After a seven-year hiatus, the Camaro reappeared as a 2010 model to great rejoicing. That two-ton derivation of an Australian sedan platform has been a real success, and this tighter, lighter, and better-looking iteration should do extremely well in what is surely a shrinking segment. Rising fuel prices will force a future Camaro to be smaller and lighter still, but we can count on the excellent design team to repeat its success in maintaining the aura of past models in something new but not new.
1. The dead-on front view is highly impressive and serious, as can be seen by the slight reduction in the frontal area achieved by dropping the center of the roof panel.
2. The decorative vent on the hood implies seriousness as well and gives the driver some visual entertainment.
3. The flexible air dams below the painted area are there to further reduce drag.
4. The big radiator inlet is straightforward and simple, but the grille texture is busy and broken in its application.
5. The texture of the corner inlets is simpler and better for it.
6. The headlamp shape and the underlining daylight running lamps are suitably dramatic.
7. The very low chin is going to be difficult in many driveways, but it is effective aerodynamically. Note the little black appendages just in front of the wheels.
8. This curious cutline shows plans for inexpensive future revision. Behind is steel; ahead is cheap-tooling plastic.
1. The actual glass surface isn’t too small, but the transparent portion within the daylight opening (DLO) is minuscule.
2. The cutline separating steel and plastic rises to allow most of the rear fascia to change easily, but the corner is fixed for a long time to come.
3. The whole rear section is nicely done, with impressive exhausts, but it is not a true diffuser to create downforce.
4. How amazingly low the front end is becomes apparent in the pure profile view of the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. There’ll be a lot of scrapes.
5. This is the best-proportioned Camaro ever, with the base of the windshield really far aft.
6. The whole roof profile is quite beautiful, allowed in part by the tank-slit side windows. Visibility can’t be very good to the rear.
7. The door outline is an elegant shape with a flowing radius at the lower rear corner. Very nice indeed.
8. One sees that the rear strike face for the enclosed bumper is nearly vertical, giving a good range of protection.
- The seats are pleated in an unusual pattern that suggests flexibility and comfort.
- This spot was a horrible location for the previous car’s auxiliary instruments, but a perfect spot for A/C outlets.
- The flat-bottom steering wheel is sporty, and the number of appended switches is agreeably limited.
- These humps seem unnecessarily exaggerated, obtruding in the limited transparency offered by the chopped-top look.
- The nav screen is intelligently placed, up high on the instrument panel and easily read by both front seat occupants.
- The nice, simple sweep across the right side is agreeable and gives an impression of width.
- The new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro looks especially good from this angle, with seemingly slim A-pillars, but check out the wide black band inside.
- It’s easy to appreciate how nice the fender peak profile is in this view.
- Chamfered corners break sharply at these points below the grille.
- The V-shape of the front-end plan view is readily seen with the hood, bumper face, and chin centerline all doing a good “Bill Mitchell.”