Test Drive (Review added)
 

Well my guy at the local Chevy dealer called today (as requested) to tell me they just got in a 6th Gen SS/A8 (2SS I believe). So I made an appointment to go in and check it out. I really love my '13 1SS but just have to check out and drive the new 6th Gen for myself... just to see the improvements they made.

I expect it will take quite a while to soak it all in, but was wondering if anyone who has bought or test driven a 6th Gen could tell me what to expect and maybe what to pay special attention to. I really don't plan on getting one right away... maybe not at all, but you never know.

Thanks for any input. I'll let you know how it goes.

Here is my assessment of the Gen6 2SS that I drove: http://www.camaro6.com/forums/showpo...84&postcount=7

So much to take in. I would sit in every seat and take video or pics of everything. You will forget to look at something and want to see it again later. The interior is so much better than the 5 its insane. I really liked the feel of the 5th Gen when it first came out and this is just a whole other level. Check the recline on the seat. It doesn't bother most people but I would love another inch or two to recline. I would also put something on the radio with a little bit of bass and pay attention to how well you can hear the bass at low volumes. Besides putting in a sub this system has the best low volume bass response I've ever heard.

Thanks for the input. I'll definitely check the seat recline & sound system.

Palms, see if it really does feel "nimbler"....see if it "feels" lighter....and punch it for a good but-dyno comparison...

Will do! Thanks.

Waiting to hear how your test drive went. Post some pics too if you have em!

Well, the 2SS I test drove was absolutely loaded and had a MSRP of $46,895 (destination charge included). It was black, so I wasn't in danger of doing a spur of the moment deal today. It was the first Gen6 into the dealership and my salesman said it was held up for 41 days in Quality Control (not real comforting to hear). They have another 2SS coming "sometime soon" (the best they could say) and it is SIM, which is what I prefer because it shows dirt/dust the least.
I met with the Order Workbench guru and we worked up a 1SS with some options I would want. The base model 1SS has a MSRP of $37,295 including destination charge. The options include: Low gloss 5 spoke wheels, Sunroof, Magnetic Ride Control, 8-speed auto trans, and dual Mode performance exhaust which ran the price up to $42,480. That's $4,415 less than the 2SS - I can have a lot of fun w/ 4 grand.

About the 2SS I test drove. EXTERIOR: Obviously, we all know how good it looks on the outside although I am really not crazy about the rear end, the hodge-podge looking front grille work, the clunky looking (compared to Gen5) sideview mirrors, or the three post rear spoiler. These things though I'm sure I could grow to like, if not love. TRUNK: The trunk space sucks. It's considerably narrower than the Gen5, though it may be a tad bit deeper. I had to remove the driver AND 3-wood out of my golf bag to fit it in the trunk (at an angle). INTERIOR: It's beautiful, but there sure are a crap-load of buttons all over the place. And lights and gages all over the place too, which are actually kind of distracting initially. Didn't take the time to play with all of the buttons. The seats are every bit as comfy as on my Gen5, maybe more. I only drove it about 10 miles so it's hard to say what a lengthy ride would feel like. The individual climate control is a great feature. Position of the seatbelt shoulder strap fits (me) better than on the Gen5. I'm 6'-3" so I have the seat pretty far back and this means I can't recline the seatback very much due to interference with the back seat. There is no way anybody could sit back there with me driving - there's less room than the Gen5. The upgraded Bose music system sounds GREAT, but it's really just one more expense I can live without - the basis one in my Gen5 works just fine for me. Lastly, the console is considerable smaller than even the miniscule one in the Gen5 - guess I'd be putting more crap in the glovebox. PERFORMANCE: With a push of the keyless ignition button, this baby roars to life. The NPP exhaust sounds amazing on startup and doesn't disappoint when driving either. Outstanding! The LT1/A8 combination is awesome, as is the smoothness of the ride. I didn't drive it long enough to get a true sense for the different ride modes, but the touring and sport modes were super smooth. I expected the Goodyear runflats to feel kind of hard (similar to the P-Zeros) but the combination of them and MRC was smooth as silk. Needless to say I punched her pretty good a few times at various RPMs and the A8 transmission is remarkable. Strong shifts through 3rd, a little softer to 4th and 5th, and you could barely feel the shifts to 6-7-8, even with my foot in it pretty good. If not for the sound of the NPP I almost would not have know it shifted in the upper range. Brakes are excellent, of course. Less roll through curves than the Gen5 (I guess due to MRC). And... I really didn't notice the AFM at all. Maybe they made it less sensitive that the A6 Gen5 versions, I don't know.

OVERALL: So the test drive was pretty short but, overall, I'm giving this Gen6 2SS a 9 out of 10 for the driving part. I really loved the performance and handling. For appearance, I'm giving it 7.5 out of 10 because of the rear end, front grille, and mirrors.

My main general complaint with the Gen6 is all the extra crap they slap in the 2SS package and the price they ask for it. I miss the good ol' days of ordering a new car exactly the way I want it. Even so, and even though I love my '13 SS, I am definitely going to consider a Gen6. It's going to take a lot of thought and weighing the differences.

Sorry... didn't take any pics.

Great read, thanks...

I'll take the "clunky" mirrors thanks - bigger is better, and you'll have to rely on them heavily with no real rearward visibility on this car. Test drove an MX-5 a few days ago and the tiny mirrors looked great but were next to useless. The Focus ST I also tested had fantastic mirrors and it really makes busy urban freeway driving more relaxed to have them.

I sat in one. I'm 5.7 and when I sat in the car, the front Gauge cluster was completely blocking my front view. I had to raise the seat to the point that I could see the hood. By then my head was about two inches from the low roof, which in a pump I could hurt my neck or spine hitting my head straight up. That huge ugly cluster blocking the driver is big visibility issue. For city driving, where you need to make a quick glance to see cars to your right/behind (blind spot). The visibility is very poor.

The front windshield's height is too low (due to roof being so low), that if you're the first at a traffic light, the roof blocks you seeing the traffic light.

For straight driving is ok, but for city driving is not optimal.

I am off the same height as you... I agree with everything you say... That is one thing that I not to find off.. It's more of a hindrance and they chose styling over function..

That's why Camaro 6 is off my list. In a congested city driving, visibility is the most important thing. That's were Audi, BMW and Benz do a great job in visibility and functionality.

Next dealer was a Subaru and I sat in a WRX, and what a great sitting position to have a full control and view.

Nice review, thanks for taking the time to do it.. Probably one of the first I've seen that isn't blindly fawning all over the gen6. The things you pointed out I noticed as well. I think that most people are taken with the newness more than anything.
Most of the things you posted you'd most likely just learn to ignore after a while.. eventually the newness wears off and at some point it's just a car.
A really cool one, but still...just a car.

Buying a sports coup or sports car (Camaro & Corvette) is very different than a sport sedan (ATS-V or M3/4) so the driving position will not be a good fit for everyone so this car will not be for a lot of people who cannot live with the tradeoffs it may present.

I think the packaging of the Camaro in Chevy's lineup leaves space for a limited run modern day Chenille SS like muscle car for people who need more interior room that could be scaled on a larger CTS like dimensioned layout to replace the SS sedan down the road when it goes out of production.