And the steering wheel - oh, the steering wheel. Retro to the core, the shape and angle of the steering wheel is, perhaps, the worst I've ever experienced. My wrists had to be negatively angled towards the horn in order to grip the wheel properly, or else I was simply gripping the very edge of the wheel. And the steering wheel-mounted controls are located at such a severe angle sloping towards the middle that it's difficult to get at them. I mean, I like camber as much as the next car-nut, but on the steering wheel? Come on now.
Space in the Camaro is functional. As a four-seater convertible, at least you get a good-size back seat. Sitting back there, you're propped up above the front-seat passengers and feel a bit exposed. Extracting oneself from the back seat with the top in place is also quite an achievement and cannot be done gracefully - trust me.
Speaking of the top; putting it up and down seems simple enough. There is a large lever above the rearview mirror that you have to unlatch, then you hold the "roof down" button, et voila. Now, it takes about 20 seconds each way, however, putting the top up feels a lot like watching The English Patient. It's never ending. And while it automatically lowers your windows to put the top down, it does not put them back up when the roof is replaced. It's little things like this that make all the difference.
With a price tag of just over $54,000 as tested, it's those little things that start to matter even more. There's no doubt that driving the Camaro SS is a thrill. I loved having an open, smooth stretch of tarmac before me where I could give the V8 a proper thrashing. But when it came to daily living situations (as in seeing out the miniscule rear window when the top was up), the Camaro disappointed in a way I wish it hadn't.
Over 50 years ago, the Camaro made the Mustang sit up and take notice as it nipped at the horse's heels. Now I'm inclined to think the fifth-generation 'Stang has left the Camaro in a cloud of exhaust fumes and that glorious 5.0L rumble.
Space in the Camaro is functional. As a four-seater convertible, at least you get a good-size back seat. Sitting back there, you're propped up above the front-seat passengers and feel a bit exposed. Extracting oneself from the back seat with the top in place is also quite an achievement and cannot be done gracefully - trust me.
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| There's no doubt that driving the Camaro SS is a thrill. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
Speaking of the top; putting it up and down seems simple enough. There is a large lever above the rearview mirror that you have to unlatch, then you hold the "roof down" button, et voila. Now, it takes about 20 seconds each way, however, putting the top up feels a lot like watching The English Patient. It's never ending. And while it automatically lowers your windows to put the top down, it does not put them back up when the roof is replaced. It's little things like this that make all the difference.
With a price tag of just over $54,000 as tested, it's those little things that start to matter even more. There's no doubt that driving the Camaro SS is a thrill. I loved having an open, smooth stretch of tarmac before me where I could give the V8 a proper thrashing. But when it came to daily living situations (as in seeing out the miniscule rear window when the top was up), the Camaro disappointed in a way I wish it hadn't.
Over 50 years ago, the Camaro made the Mustang sit up and take notice as it nipped at the horse's heels. Now I'm inclined to think the fifth-generation 'Stang has left the Camaro in a cloud of exhaust fumes and that glorious 5.0L rumble.
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