8th Anniversary Wrap Up, Part 1: May Muscle Car Mayhem 2017! #Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible vs. #Dodge Challenger R/T vs. #Ford Mustang Ecoboost Convertible – Consumer and Car Exam
May Muscle Car Mayhem 2017! Chevrolet Camaro SS 50th Anniversary Convertible vs. Dodge Challenger R/T vs. Ford Mustang Ecoboost Convertible – Consumer and Car Exam
Finally! Consumer and Car Exam & The Car Exam has the battle royale both have long waited for: Camaro vs. Challenger vs. Mustang! Which car reigns supreme in this test? Let’s find out!
2017 Chevrolet Camaro SS 50th Anniversary Convertible
Plusses: This car looks and plays the part of menacing American Muscle Car. Its 6.2 Liter, V8 Direct Injection engine, packing a very robust 455 hp @ 6000 rpm and 455 lb-ft of torque is no slouch at all. Add the 8-speed automatic transmission, and it accelerates downright fast. It easily beats the Challenger and Mustang in this test. In fact, it feels just as fast as the 483 hp 2016 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack Consumer and Car Exam Tested in 2016. Step on the gas, and you go back in your seat. The 4-piston, (front and rear) Brembo 4-wheel disc brakes stop like a dream, in our limited testing, cornering seemed sharp–not unruly like muscle cars of the distant past. The ride also felt good, due in large part to the Magnetic Ride Control. The dash gauges are laid out much better in this generation of Camaro, the stereo sounds good, the seats are comfy, and even with the convertible top down, trunk room is fair. It has some nice safety features (like Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and the Side Blind Zone Alert with Lane Change Alert–you’ll definitely need that one, and you’ll see why in a moment), but adaptive cruise control is missing, though. Also, the styling even looks better than the last Camaro–but one huge flaw still remains…
Minuses: …that one huge flaw: the tiny slits Chevy calls windows! Yikes! The poor visibility remains, and there’s no excuse for it. It still feels like you’re sitting in a bathtub. Consumer and Car Exam found the poor visibility so bad, it drove the entire trip with the convertible top down. That was far better than doing nothing at all. Also, the rear seats will fit mice easily, but humans will revolt at having to sit back in such a small area for any period of time (just like the Mustang). Rear passengers fair better in the Challenger. Fuel economy comes in at a dismal 16 mpg city, but an adequate 25 mpg on the highway. The metal dashboard top has no place in a modern car–none. Going retro is one thing, but this is ridiculous. Living with the Camaro on a daily basis would be fun some of the time, but with its miserable visibility, it would be a pain in the rear all of the time–which is a real shame, because there is so much to like about the car.
Final Grade: It’s a great car, but with some of the same (and now different) flaws it had in the last generation. Consumer and Car Exam Grade: B
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