My New 2011 SS Chevy Camaro

In November of 2010, I purchased a brand new 2011 Chevy Super Sport Camaro with the Rally Sport Package. I purchased it at Bachman Chevrolet in Louisville, KY. I was surprised to hear that there were no special promotions or 0% interest deals for any Camaro models. Even in this tough economy, GM is having no problem selling these sports cars. So needless to say, minus a military discount, I paid sticker price.

A word of advice, don't buy the special Xzilon treatment for the car. It is the equivalent of a really expensive wax job. For the price of this treatment you can have your car waxed by a detailer every 3 months for 5 years. Also when I had it applied I noticed swirl marks in the clear coat now. Not sure if it is permanent damage but I certainly could have done a better job had I applied it myself.

I had to drive the car back home about 1000 miles to Texas. During the drive here are the good and bad things I noticed about the car.

The good:

• Plenty of power provided by the 426HP 6.2 liter V8.
• Bright HID headlamps
• XM radio is nice when taking a long road trip - it makes searching for radio stations a thing of the past as you are almost always in range
• The heads up display on projected on the windshield displays useful information without detracting your eyes from the road
• The integrated steering controls for cruise, radio, phone and voice commands are easy to use
• Bluetooth integration with smartphone and mp3 audio devices is easy to use eliminating the need for a hands-free headset.
• The ultra-sonic reverse sensors are useful
• On-Star smart phone remote functions allow you to check information like:
  • Tire pressure
  • Oil life percentage
  • Gas mileage
  • Trip mileage
  • Total mileage
  • Remote lock/unlock (nice when you don't remember if you locked your car)
  • Remote horn/lights
  • Remote start(automatic models)
• USB port for a storage stick / iPod / smart phone / etc. for playing MP3's is convenient and easy to use
• The ambient blue interior light strips look good
• The cool body style
• The safety features:
  • 5 year Manufacturer roadside assistance
  • Traction Control and StabiliTrak
  • OnStar crash detection and emergency help contacted
  • Front and side air bags

The bad:

• Lots of rear and side blind spots
• Cup holders are located right behind the shifter.
  If use them your beverage will get in the way of your shifting arm
• Have you heard of "skip-shift"? A gas saving feature that forces you to shift from 1st to 4th at certain speeds. It can be disabled. I will post a separate article on how to do this.
• The On-Star turn by turn directions feature doesn't match the convenience of a real GPS system.
  The voice asking if you want to update, or cancel your route gets annoying when you are just stopping for gas. Also you can't see the entire map of your trip at anytime. Sometimes you just don't want to talk to a person when punching in your destination.
• There is the lack of uniqueness while driving on the road. You will most likely run into someone else driving your car due to its popularity. Not sure if that is actually good or bad but all the same you won't be the only one on the road with your Chevy muscle car.

One of the strange things I found was that the car doesn't have a spare tire. Instead, it comes with a flat repair and re-inflation kit. Also, a strange location for the battery. It is actually located under the floor of the trunk. All in all, the Camaro is exactly what you would expect a mid-class sports car to be: fast, fun and affordable.