One GOOD reason to live in Oshawa
02-25-2009, 02:32 PM
#19
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 527
Friendly neighbours!!
Ok, good news and bad news. Bad news first. I didn't get to drive it for very long
. Good news, I got to drive it! 
This was a base SS, 6-speed, cloth interior, minimal "fancy stuff" (fine with me). And obviously, no ambient lighting! (I'm sure someone was going to ask).
First off, it's nothing like my 2002 Z28.
Secondly, and don't take this the wrong way, driving it reminded me of my buddy's 2007 Mustang GT?!
I think just the general "feel" and more notably, the clutch! 
(very light ... almost too light?) **BUT** ... I'm not saying that comparison is a bad thing (you may breathe a sigh of relief now).
Unfortunately, I had very little time to do my test drive, thus, I had very little time to get myself 100% "adjusted" to the car. Compared to my 4th-gen that just "fit like a glove" when I first got in, the 5th-gen will take a little bit of adapting to. But the beauty is, with the telescopic/infinite tilt steering, and the wickedly adjustable power seat (note: very comfortable and very supportive) finding the perfect driving position for pretty much ANYBODY should be easily achievable ... I just didn't have enough time to find my groove (although I got close).
One word about the car though: smooooooooooooth
.
... but firm. You can still tell that you're driving a sports car. I tried to get a feel for the weight/handling, and took a couple turns at a fair speed. The car stays perfectly flat (or it certainly felt that way). The steering is GREAT too ... instantly responsive, and yet, the car tracks beautifully down the road ... no pitching or darting like my '02 (although that's also due to my car's setup). But having such little over-hang compared to the 4th-gen, the turning is immediate.
And the brakes! Oh the brakes! They're wonderful!!! The Brembo's and 14" rotors are superb!!!
(and I didn't even REALLY get to try them out!!). I can see this car having great track capabilities, although obviously there won't be much overcoming the curb weight, shy of gutting the car.
The [b]power is the one thing I didn't really get to try. The roads were nice and dry, but there's still the typical salt residue from our great Canadian winters, so traction would be very limited, and I went nowhere that I could really open it up. From what I did feel though, it felt good. As another person described, it feels much like the power of the LS1 (probably the power/weight ratio has a lot to do with it).
The exhaust note is nice, but (going back to how smooth the whole car is) it's almost barely noticable. I'd put a cat-back on my short list of things I'd want on the car (just so you can hear those ~425 ponies).
Oh yeah, and the shifter ... again, very smooth, but I'd prefer my B&M Ripper over the silky smoothness. I didn't mind the actual shift **** though. It was comfy.
Well, that's my brief (but lengthy!) report on my brief drive with the new Camaro. Fortunately, our neighbour is in a position of being able to bring these bad boys home quite frequently (probably moreso as more cars are built and available). Hopefully when the weather (roads) improve a little more, and we've got more time, I can get another chance at driving one of the cars and getting a more detailed report (and perhaps get to check out a car with the ambient lighting too
).
Ok, good news and bad news. Bad news first. I didn't get to drive it for very long
. Good news, I got to drive it! This was a base SS, 6-speed, cloth interior, minimal "fancy stuff" (fine with me). And obviously, no ambient lighting! (I'm sure someone was going to ask).
First off, it's nothing like my 2002 Z28.
Secondly, and don't take this the wrong way, driving it reminded me of my buddy's 2007 Mustang GT?!
I think just the general "feel" and more notably, the clutch! (very light ... almost too light?) **BUT** ... I'm not saying that comparison is a bad thing (you may breathe a sigh of relief now).Unfortunately, I had very little time to do my test drive, thus, I had very little time to get myself 100% "adjusted" to the car. Compared to my 4th-gen that just "fit like a glove" when I first got in, the 5th-gen will take a little bit of adapting to. But the beauty is, with the telescopic/infinite tilt steering, and the wickedly adjustable power seat (note: very comfortable and very supportive) finding the perfect driving position for pretty much ANYBODY should be easily achievable ... I just didn't have enough time to find my groove (although I got close).
One word about the car though: smooooooooooooth
.... but firm. You can still tell that you're driving a sports car. I tried to get a feel for the weight/handling, and took a couple turns at a fair speed. The car stays perfectly flat (or it certainly felt that way). The steering is GREAT too ... instantly responsive, and yet, the car tracks beautifully down the road ... no pitching or darting like my '02 (although that's also due to my car's setup). But having such little over-hang compared to the 4th-gen, the turning is immediate.
And the brakes! Oh the brakes! They're wonderful!!! The Brembo's and 14" rotors are superb!!!
(and I didn't even REALLY get to try them out!!). I can see this car having great track capabilities, although obviously there won't be much overcoming the curb weight, shy of gutting the car.The [b]power is the one thing I didn't really get to try. The roads were nice and dry, but there's still the typical salt residue from our great Canadian winters, so traction would be very limited, and I went nowhere that I could really open it up. From what I did feel though, it felt good. As another person described, it feels much like the power of the LS1 (probably the power/weight ratio has a lot to do with it).
The exhaust note is nice, but (going back to how smooth the whole car is) it's almost barely noticable
. I'd put a cat-back on my short list of things I'd want on the car (just so you can hear those ~425 ponies).Oh yeah, and the shifter ... again, very smooth, but I'd prefer my B&M Ripper over the silky smoothness. I didn't mind the actual shift **** though. It was comfy.
Well, that's my brief (but lengthy!) report on my brief drive with the new Camaro. Fortunately, our neighbour is in a position of being able to bring these bad boys home quite frequently (probably moreso as more cars are built and available). Hopefully when the weather (roads) improve a little more, and we've got more time, I can get another chance at driving one of the cars and getting a more detailed report (and perhaps get to check out a car with the ambient lighting too
).
02-25-2009, 02:48 PM
#20
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: SoCal
Posts: 3,463
02-25-2009, 03:30 PM
#22
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Okemos, MI
Posts: 9,479
While I don't think you'd notice much difference between a 13.3 and a 12.9 as far as SOTP feel is concerned, I do think you'd notice the difference between a 13.3 and a 12.3.
02-25-2009, 03:36 PM
#24
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Oshawa - Home of the 5th-gen
Posts: 5,308
If I ever get the chance to try one on a dry day, and CLEAN roads, I'll let ya know how she goes. I only pulled the car to (what I thought was) redline once, and the higher she pulled, like an LS1, the harder she pulled 
. However, I just read on the spec sheet today that redline is 6600 RPM! 
I think I shifted just before 6000!! I think there's even more in this animal than I realized 
.
. However, I just read on the spec sheet today that redline is 6600 RPM! I think I shifted just before 6000!! I think there's even more in this animal than I realized .
02-25-2009, 05:16 PM
#25
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: SoCal
Posts: 3,463
Assuming you're talking about a 4th-gen F-body (remember, the new ones have F in the VIN too!), sure. The LS3s ~90hp advantage over an LS1 is partially offset by the 5th gen's additional weight, giving high 12's (an educated guess on my part). In a LS3-equipped 3400-3500lb 4th gen, I think you could expect low-mid 12s.
While I don't think you'd notice much difference between a 13.3 and a 12.9 as far as SOTP feel is concerned, I do think you'd notice the difference between a 13.3 and a 12.3.
While I don't think you'd notice much difference between a 13.3 and a 12.9 as far as SOTP feel is concerned, I do think you'd notice the difference between a 13.3 and a 12.3.
That's pretty much all I was saying. For all the extra power the LS3 has and how potent it would have been in the 4th Gens we're looking at just slightly better performance potential in the 2010 Camaro.
I have no doubt that the 5th Gen Camaro will be a better overall car than the F-bodies in almost every way. But to think that it will take 420+ hp/tq to pull high 12's from a production Camaro is slightly concerning.
But with a 6600 redline 4.10's will help!
02-25-2009, 06:32 PM
#27
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: oshawa,ontario,canada
Posts: 3,597
If I ever get the chance to try one on a dry day, and CLEAN roads, I'll let ya know how she goes. I only pulled the car to (what I thought was) redline once, and the higher she pulled, like an LS1, the harder she pulled . However, I just read on the spec sheet today that redline is 6600 RPM! I think I shifted just before 6000!! I think there's even more in this animal than I realized .
. However, I just read on the spec sheet today that redline is 6600 RPM! I think I shifted just before 6000!! I think there's even more in this animal than I realized .
