Published:
4 July 2012If any performance car can get away with giving a bigger nod towards ride than handling, it’s a muscle car such as the Chevrolet Camaro’s. It would be unreasonable to think that a car whose kerb weight is 1775kg and whose width is 1917mm would prove as lithe and nimble as, for example, a Porsche Cayman.
And so it proves. However, on the road, the Camaro does display some admirable qualities, combining a reasonable degree of body control with a ride that is, on the whole, very sound. From that point of view, it makes a fine grand tourer, a bit like a rawer, more involving and less sophisticated Jaguar XK.
Nonetheless, for all of its comfort, this is a car that steers with conviction, turns willingly and displays a good degree of cornering capability. And although you wouldn’t necessarily choose a Camaro for a track day, if you did find yourself on one, you might be taken aback by just how capable it is.
There’s some roll, obviously, but the Camaro settles quickly and, from that point onwards, displays an impressive degree of cornering prowess. It’s able to soak up bumps and, while not immune to them, ably communicates how its body is being shifted around.
On the whole, it eventually understeers gently before being open to the idea of having its line tightened with the throttle. In the wet, it is as sideways and adjustable as you’d hope and expect. In the dry, though, it surprises with its keenness and tenacity. It’s possible to send it into a big slide, but it takes more provocation than you would expect of a 426bhp V8 car.
