No argument here either. Not only is the 4th gen car only 2 inches shorter than a 2nd gen but the wheelbase is just a hair shy of being 7 inches shorter! I think if the wheelbase is stretched back to say 108 and the external dimensions brought down to say 188 inches overall length without shrinking the internal passenger space and maybe adding some space to the rear given the extra wheelbase - not a lot but some to aid liveability, then we're talking a decent package inside and out.

The bloated length of the 2nd gen car must be post 75 because I'm pretty sure that the earlier cars were only 188 inches long, two more than a 1st gen car. Anyone care to clarify?

 

Shucks, I said the same thing about the Jaguar XJ-S, another big car with a tiny back seat. Then Jaguar (Ford ) brought out the XK8, yet another big car with a tiny back seat. Amazingly, the XK8 has been a huge success worldwide, despite being little more than a rebodied XJ-S with an entirely new drivetrain and XJ40 derived rear suspension.

Of course, Jaguar (Ford ) could have chopped the XK8 down to the size of a Toyota Celica....

 

Yeah but I don't believe any of those cars have the word utility in their description. The bread and butter V6 Camaro will have to be a sporty transportation tool. Tool being the operative word.

 

Jaguar had a huge increase of sales in 2002 (62%) and another good year in 2003. But Jags have flatlined this year (down 21% last month), and aren't exactly making money for Ford.

 

Sport compact? Sport compact...like what, a Civic or Sentra.. Are you kidding me, or something?

Why do you want Camaro to be a large car? A large car with a small interior. That makes no sense to me.

 

The Velite's interior space looks to be much bigger then the Camaro drop top.

 

It makes no sense to most people. That's WHY THE CAR DIED .
A big Camaro with a big interior makes EVEN LESS SENSE - that's a MONTE CARLO!

 

Who says we're going to get a big car with a small back seat? Certainly not PacerX...

Also, how do you know the Velite is a big car with a small feeling interior? You don't, and I'll be willing to speculate that the interior is actually "big" feeling according to Pacer's comments on it...

Can you honestly tell me that the 350Z isn't close to being a sport compact? Have you ever driven one? It looks and feels smaller than even a Cavalier coupe...and the Cavalier is considered a "sport compact."

Isn't this Velite suppose to be a pretty flexible car? Why can't they just tweak a few things to make it seem more Camaro-ish and let it be? You guys are acting like its just suppose to be a badge job.

And the sky is blue??

Agreed, but it will sell better than a Camaro with a small interior...and I'm sure they can do a few things to correct it from feeling too big.

...and no, that is not why the Camaro died, and we all know that.

Say the Velite is ultimately unreasonably too big to be a Camaro...what are the alternatives? We know the next Camaro won't get its own chassis. The Kappa is too small... What about Sigma or Sigma-lite? Aren't those very adjustable platforms? I just think its a little too far fetched at this point to think that it won't be on Velite after all this time that is all we've been talking about. Just because the Velite isn't right on for a Camaro when its shown as a Buick doesn't mean that the platform can't be tweaked for a Camaro.

 

Wow man...you're all over the place.

First off, you compared the G35 Coupe to a sport compact....not a 350Z.

The 350Z is a 2 seater sports car, considerably smaller than the G35 Coupe or SN95 Mustang we were talking about.

And regarding your question of if I've ever driven one.....as a matter of fact...YES, I have driven one. And let me tell you something.......it feels freaking great to toss a car around that isn't so big that it completely numbs your spatial awareness.

 

Yea I got mixed up...I couldn't remember if it was the 350Z or G35 coupe...Its late

I always thought the 350Z and G35 coupe had the same dimensions anyway since their pretty much the same thing. I agree that they do feel great to drive but it just isn't very "camaro-ish" IMHO. A Camaro with G35 is dimensions would make a horrible 5th gen. I would feel offended if they even slapped the name "Camaro" on it. Lets not forget that a majority of the F-bodies life it has been a relatively big car.

 

That is false.

Relative to the rest of the cars on the road, Camaro started out as a compact. Even when the 2nd gen grew...it was still considered compact, relative to other cars. The 3rd gen was considerably downsized in 1982.

But as other cars continued to shrink, somewhere in the late '80s, Camaro started to appear large...and the 4th gen was even larger.

A ponycar which is larger than an SUV...is nothing more than a caricature of itself.

Are you sure that you want a Camaro...and not a Catalina?

 

Velite most certainly does not have a small back seat (due to the Crown Vic sized wheelbase. However, if the wheel base was shrunk to the point where rear seat dimensions are simular to the 4th gen, it would be a very very short car that would have a very very wide body.

The Velite's length is perfect for a 5th gen. It's just that to the 1st time viewer expecting a Camaro sized vehicle, when viewed at an angle, the car seems big. The reason it seems so big is that it is extremely wide, and at an angle where you don't see the short overhang at the opposite end of the car, the wheelbase is unbelievable. It isn't till you actually look at the length on the specs that you realize that though the car is very very wide, it's length is an illusion.

With those proportions, the car strikes you as much larger than the new Mustang (though it isn't). If the proportions of Velite is the same as Camaro, it's going to take alot to get used to.

 

I was assuming the whole last two generations of the Camaro...which would be a majority. So thats still half of its life that it has been far from being a 'compact'. No I don't want a Catalina...but I certainly don't want a wussy compact car either. You can still make a great handling bigger car (look at the CTS-v). I would much rather have a bigger Camaro than a smaller one...but that just my opinion.

 

Okey-dokey, if that's your personal preference...fair enough.

But remember when I mentioned the overall length of the SN95 Mustang and G35 Coupe?

Camaro enthusiasts should start acclimating themselves to that.


And IMO, it's about time.

 

None to modest hint there, huh?

Seeing the Velite had me worried there for awhile.