Great story I read over the weekend pertaining to the Dodge Challenger, however the same things probably can be said for the 2010 Camaro as well.

http://www.dailypress.com/features/d...,7796723.story

 

Nice article. I don't know if the car would get as much positive attention in our state. But it would and does get attention. I'm hoping the Camaro is seen as less of a gas pig!

Gas has dropped $1 per gallon here from highs and looks to go further. I was worried about the Camaro and still am but I think if gas will stabilize in the low $3 range. Then some people's gas concerns will fade a bit.

 

Gas prices? No, they don't really matter. In general, people will pay whatever it costs. As prices rise, sure, some people will (and are) buying more fuel-efficient cars, changing their driving habits, or finding other means of transportation, but those people are in the minority.

Gas availability, though, that matters. We're going to run out of crude oil someday. I don't know when. We have to find an alternative, renewable fuel that is affordable and provides decent range, refueling times, and energy density, and we have to be finished converting to it by that day. If we run out of oil before the conversion is complete, everyone can sit back and watch as the world economy crumbles. I don't have the numbers, but I suspect that the supply of crude already pulled from the ground, plus gasoline and diesel already refined, will only last a few days.

 

And that day will not happen in your lifetime, or your children's, nor your children's childrens. There are so many sources of fossil fuels on this planet that we haven't even tapped yet it's ridiculous. As the price of oil rises, somoene will figure out a way to get it.

I'm not saying we shouldn't explore alternative fuels anyway. But try to remain rational about it.

 

No I dont think they do. Its simple just cut out some pointless driving. We all do it just cut back a little.

 

The Challenger R/T has better fuel economy and more power than the G8 GT.

Safe assumption that the manual Camaro SS without the G8's DOD is going to have worse fuel economy than the G8, and therefore worse economy still than the Challenger R/T. The automatic Camaro SS isn't likely to fare better than the G8, and therfore....

Seems the Challenger is having the same wrong image problem with fuel economy the late 4th gens had.

 

I believe someone in the know has indicated that the 5th gen will equal/exceed real world mpg results of the 4th gens. So, I wouldn't be too worried.

 

I can see that. When you look at the re-rated '02 LS1 Camaro, it would have gotten 17/26 w/ the manual, 16/23 w/ the automatic. It was published somewhere that the 5th gen SS would get 23, but I don't recall what transmission it was for. In any case, it's roughly what the LS1 cars got, and we all know they did better than that in the real world. I don't mean to keep bringing up my vette in these discussions, but it ROUTINELY knocks down 31 on the highway, well above it's sticker number. I'm pretty confident the Camaro will do the same (not get 31 highway, but get better than advertised on the sticker).

 

Well the only issue with your arguement is that the LS3 is more in line with the SRT8's 6.1L Hemi in displacement and power. Just form what GM has stated so far the Camaro SS A6 with it's quoted 23 mpg hwy sits far better than the SRT8's A5 mpg of 19 hwy and slightly better than the 22 mpg for the 6M. One would think that the 6M SS could get near or at the A6's mpg levels. That will be up to the driver.

Pontiac lists the G8 GT with it's 6.0L L76 at 15/24 mpg and Dodge lists the R/T with it's 5.7L Hemi at 16/25 auto or manual. So really in a range of 4 mpg hwy. is all that seperates the SRT8, SS, G8 GT and R/T.

 

Gas prices matter on the non-V8 cars greatly.

People buy Camaros because they either want something fast or cool. If gas is $5 and whats cool is getting good mileage and Camaros are seen as pigs then they will be out of favor. This is where a LNF Camaro could come in and save the day. Same goes for the G8, but they could probably get away with something even smaller like a 200HP1.6L turbo I4. Cool car great mileage. I'd love to have a G8 with 18"s that could get 35mpg hwy.

The problem doesn't come when we run out of oil, it comes when we have used up half the oil.

 

Did anyone notice what passersby didn't ask the author while he was testing the Challenger?

 

I find that hard to believe. My 2000 Z28 A4 would average around 28 mpg on the 500 mile trip round trip to the cottage. I just took my G8 GT up there this weekend and averaged 24 mpg (and this is consistent with what many on the G8 boards are reporting). Given the F5 will have a similar drivetrain to the G8, and probably be within ~100 lb or so in weight, I can't see it making up 4-5 mpg.

 

How close is the gearing?

 

I don't know, but with both having an A6 they can already manage a large spread so there's not likely much room to go on either end. My rear end is a 2.92, and it turns about 1700 rpm at 70 mph IIRC.

 

While I agree we will not run out of crude oil for quite a long time, it's the availability of the oil that will be a problem. We can't drill everywhere on earth. Some places just can't be reached with current technology. As prices go up, it makes the outlying places worth going after, but soon you will get to a point of diminishing returns. In some places it just won't be worth it to drill for oil, at any price.