6th Gen Chevrolet Camaro: 2017 ZL1, Z/28

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2017 Chevy Camaro ZL1 Hits 60 In 3.5 Seconds, Priced From $62,135

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Man, Chevy making the new performance buyers sweat with this one. $62,000 for a 650Hp monster Camaro or 4 extra G's for a best-of-both-worlds 455Hp Grand Sport.
 
McLaren
Man, Chevy making the new performance buyers sweat with this one. $62,000 for a 650Hp monster Camaro or 4 extra G's for a best-of-both-worlds 455Hp Grand Sport.
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Seems to me like why they're making the next Corvette MR.
 
Omnis
Seems to me like why they're making the next Corvette MR.
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MR or FR isn't going to magically change the Corvette price range, though. The 8th generation is still going to cost around $60-65K at best for a base.
 
I missed this article from November 2016, but I was intrigued by how well they liked the 1LE package on the lighter and cheaper V6 model Camaro.

MotorTrend
Performance upgrades on the Camaro V6 1LE include the base Camaro SS’ FE3 suspension (dampers, rear cradle mounts, ball-jointed rear toe links, and stabilizer bars), staggered 20-inch (20-by-8.5-inch front, 20-by-9.5-inch rear) alloy wheels shod with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric RunOnFlat (245/40R20 front, 275/35R20 rear) tires, Brembo four-piston front brake calipers and 12.6-inch front discs, a mechanical limited-slip differential with 3.27 ratio, a cooling package (engine, transmission, differential coolers), SS fuel system optimization for higher-load cornering, a dual-mode exhaust system, and a short-throw shifter.

The 3.6-liter LGX DOHC V-6 engine’s 335 hp at 6,800 rpm and 284 lb-ft of torque at 5,300 rpm is unchanged.

The 2017 Chevrolet Camaro V-6 1LE shined on the track (Spring Mountain’s 2.1-mile East Track configuration) while hitting speeds around 110 mph on the straight. Turn-in was smooth, and the steering wheel and suspension and minimal body roll provided good feedback during our session with an instructor from the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School riding shotgun. The V-6 engine’s torque and gearing allowed us to spend most of the time in third gear, only upshifting to fourth gear on the two longest sections of the track.

After several laps in the V-6 1LE, we hopped into a competitor car selected by the crew at Chevy: 2017 Ford Mustang GT without the optional GT Performance package. Why? Because the Camaro V-6 1LE rides on the base Camaro SS’ suspension. The Mustang GT, however, came with a power advantage: 435 hp and 400 lb-ft versus 335 hp and 284 lb-ft in the Camaro.

As a Ford guy (and previous owner of a 2003 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra), I was disappointed in the base Mustang GT’s track performance. As much as I love the 5.0-liter DOHC Coyote V-8, the transmission gearing doesn’t seem properly matched to the engine’s power band. We spent most of our track time in fourth gear, with fifth needed briefly at the end of the long straight, and at the second-longest section of the track, we hit redline in fourth gear right as we hit the braking zone.

Although I am far from a professional driver and the lap times weren’t timed, the Mustang GT didn’t feel as confident in the corners as the Camaro V6 1LE. Although a Mustang GT with the Performance package may have been a closer comparison, there would be a significant price discrepancy. The 2017 Chevrolet Camaro 1LS 1LE starts at $32,895 (including the $4,500 1LE package and $995 destination), but the base 2017 Ford Mustang GT starts at $33,820. The $2,500 GT Performance package would bring the price up to $36,320. (The Camaro 2LT 1LE is priced at $37,395).
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There is info in the article about the 1LE SS Camaro too but I'm more intrigued by the V6. I wish it was more of a sleeper option and came without all the blacked out 1LE appearance options but you can basically get a lighter, tighter Camaro SS in the handling department and not have to break the bank. Your insurance company will probably give you a break with the smaller engine too.

This other article has the 0-60 times and curb weight for the Camaro 1LEs:

Autoweek
Chevy says 0-60 comes up in 4.2 seconds for the 3,747-pound V8 and 5.2 for the 3,490-pound V6.
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I want to like this Camaro, but should GM design a do over(something like the OP concept)? Or is it too late?
 
It is almost as if GM tries to make the Camaro as low as possible. Next thing you know it, it will be a pancake! I'm not hating on the low stance of it, though.
 
I think the designer of the front grill was stuck for inspiration and ended up being influenced by the first thing that caught his eye, sat there in the corner of the office - the sorting tray on their photocopier.
 
So, the big wing goes on the 1LE... Which makes me wonder if we'll even get a Z/28 at this point.
 
Now that... is overkill. I really liked the Z28 so I'm sad that they are replacing it with this. I liked it better when they had the track focused Z28 and the ZL1 separate.
 
The RS face would have been fine for the SS, but nooo they have to shoehorn in the "badge on the part of the bumper" thing on the SS that consistently made their cars worse looking, oh and painting it black doesn't help much either.
 
Wow. The pre-facelift car was very handsome in a restrained, yet refined detail way. The facelift is like the changes made to the GT86....they took a relatively clean design and made it needlessly fussy. This is a bummer.
 
I’ve not been a fan of any of the designs they’ve had since they brought the Camaro back. But the new one makes them all look like masterpieces in comparison. :yuck:
 

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