The Camaro will be a contender in the Supercars from 2023 and will be super popular when everyone sees them on Australian racetracks soon.

​

American muscle cars as a cultural phenomenon may have peaked in the 1970s, but Chevy, Ford and Dodge are all still playing the muscle machine game, and today’s muscle cars are more potent, and more civilized, than ever. 2021’s fastest ZL1 Camaro can hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and pull an 11.4-second quarter mile, purposebuilt drag racer territory in the early seventies.

​

As with the previous generation of Camaro, the car’s looks are meant to hark back to the very first 1967 to 1969 model. For that reason, the current Camaro, introduced for 2016, was hard to tell apart from its 2010 to 2015 predecessor at first and still is to some degree. It’s sharp, menacing, and appropriately muscular, telegraphing its performance car intent even in base model form. An odd facelift in 2018 was changed again for 2020 for a more cohesive front end. It’s a looker, but probably the most subtle of the Camaro, Challenger and Mustang muscle car trio.

​

The Camaro ZL1 is a true performer with 484kw of power and 884nm of torque.
The Camaro is a vibrant performer no matter which engine option you choose, and it can also be a quiet, reliable, and modern daily driver. In regard to the other pony cars the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger, the Camaro is the newest of these three designs, with the current generation introduced for 2016. The Mustang was introduced a year earlier and the Challenger dates way back to 2009.

Chevrolet has changed the Camaro very little since that 2016 intro apart from introducing ever-more-powerful performance packages.

​

While there are rumours of an eventual EV replacement, the Camaro has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard, and the powerful ZL1 1LE package is now offered with an automatic transmission for track day warriors who want to improve their lap times.

​

The true muscle car experience adds up to more than specs on paper. The sound, feel and look of the car are important, too, and the best way to get the full experience in a new Camaro is with a V8 under the hood.
The ZL1 offers a 650-horsepower, 650 pound-foot version of the 6.2, good for horizon-blurring speeds on or off the track.

​

Depending on the trim, the car can be had with a dual-mode exhaust, which takes the sound from a pleasant rumble to a cackling roar in the blink of an eye, and the quieter setting makes the Camaro much more pleasant for highway driving and longer trips. The addition of an automatic transmission option for cars equipped with the 1LE track package may seem like a fun-killer, but the 10-speed gearbox can shift faster than any human, so it delivers both improved lap times and better fuel economy.

​

Though the Camaro’s challenging outward visibility can make a spirited drive more stressful than it needs to be, the car is at least quick on its feet. Chassis tuning is excellent and Chevy’s weight cutting efforts have yielded strong gains in agility, while good steering feel helps the driver set the car on the desired line.

​

The Camaro’s long bonnet, low roofline, and chunky C-pillars, all contribute to the car’s retro-cool styling.

At the very least, Chevrolet’s Infotainment 3 software is colourful but easy to use and intuitive, making it less distracting to use while driving—especially at the speeds the Camaro is capable of achieving. The ZL1 Camaros get a larger 8-inch unit that fills the space much better. All are now equipped with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.