Hopefully Chevy Understands the New Camaro Design is More Important than a 0.5 Second Faster 1/4 Mile

[Stonehauler]

I personally wouldn't care if the lower trims of V8 equipped Camaros turn corners better than the Mustang. I just want the engine power to hit nicely between 0 and 60. Manual transmission. 2 doors. And I want good sound and comfortable. To me that's what the pony car segment is about, not razor edge handling.

Sure, do a 1LE model with spine cracking suspension and O-ring tires that last 1,000 miles, but don't set up the base V8 that way.

Unfortunately, we have the conundrum of the auto world...Good, Fast, and Cheap.

You can make a really good car with a great suspension that handles well in the turns and won't break your back, but it won't be cheap. You can have a cheap car that does well in the turns, but it will be back breaking and probably have other issues, or you can have a car with a comfortable suspension that isn't expensive, but it won't handle well in the turns.

 

[PDXSSCE]

problem is GM has just Alpha to do it and as we all know Alpha isn’t cheap. So keeping an6 Chevy version under $35,000 by 2027 will be huge and that won’t pull in many Accord or Camry buyers.

I feel certain that the new Camaro will start at $40K - at best.

 

[Hack]

Why is the Alpha architecture expensive to use in 2026? It's well over a decade old, base R&D must have been recouped long ago, and manufacturing is simply about churning out metal and plastic pieces like with every other architecture, I don't think it has anything special in terms of material science.

I know I'm oversimplifying it, but conceptually what is causing the high cost of using Alpha for a 2028 model year car?

This is a good question. I'm interested to know if anyone has insights on this.

Unfortunately, we have the conundrum of the auto world...Good, Fast, and Cheap.

You can make a really good car with a great suspension that handles well in the turns and won't break your back, but it won't be cheap. You can have a cheap car that does well in the turns, but it will be back breaking and probably have other issues, or you can have a car with a comfortable suspension that isn't expensive, but it won't handle well in the turns.

True, and springs/shocks/bars can be different between trims. That is what I'm advocating.

The Camaro hasn't had high buck suspension design in the past, with struts front and multilink rear. But it handled well due to keeping the weight reasonable and stiff suspension. The Mustang suspension is somewhat similar in design. And Challenger has SLA front suspension, which is superior in theory, but the car's weight limits handling.

The Mustang lower trim cars and even PP1 trim are really comfortable. Very soft and actually too soft for my taste. My LT1 suspension was harsher than a GT350. I'm advocating for GM to change that.

 

[3rdgennut]

I lowered mine an inch and It is smooth as can be at speed.

 

[Hack]

I lowered mine an inch and It is smooth as can be at speed.

There's a bridge on my daily commute that I never noticed before, but the LT1 Camaro would make a loud BANG! every time I went over it. There was a joint in the pavement there. The car was a few years old when I bought it, so maybe the suspension had been swapped out. They looked like factory parts to me.

 

[3rdgennut]

Or the city needs to fix their roads! Lol

 

[Wyzz Kydd]

I think it’s hard to significantly improve the 6th gen ‘use ability’.

Form - it’s already pretty sculpted and the outside looks great. Better paint maybe and better interior trim. Ditch the alcantara.

Function - hard to improve 6th gen 1LE handling, but more power would be cool. A place to put my phone, remove the handy coin capturing crevice and put in a better stereo.

 

[arpad_m]

I think it’s hard to significantly improve the 6th gen ‘use ability’.

Form - it’s already pretty sculpted and the outside looks great. Better paint maybe and better interior trim. Ditch the alcantara.

Function - hard to improve 6th gen 1LE handling, but more power would be cool. A place to put my phone, remove the handy coin capturing crevice and put in a better stereo.

Well hello there, "newcomer"

As I tend to say, visibility and headroom could be improved by slightly lowering the beltline and raising the roofline, and the trunk opening would be way more usable with split taillights. This alone takes care of half the usability complaints.

A bit of modernization in the interior wouldn't hurt either (we pretty much now know where wireless chargers belong and how much storage is needed as a minimum), the previous Bose sound system is indeed inferior and in need of a serious upgrade, plus GM now has somewhat stronger engines and better transmissions to choose from even for the base trim.

All relatively simple changes. Give the car some marketing push and people would fall in love.

Unfortunately, this isn't likely to happen given the lack of balls in places where decisions are made.