Falling for the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro

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A few weeks ago, I was privileged to join several other car writers, broadcasters, and North Texas automobile dealers in an exciting caravan of 50 brand-new, bright orange, 2010 Chevrolet Camaros that we drove, under police escort, from downtown Dallas to downtown Fort Worth. Cameras were flashing and traffic was stopping all along the way as we rolled along in something resembling a presidential motorcade. No wonder so many people go into politics.

I thoroughly enjoyed my ride with Stanley Chevrolet general manager Michael Davis (Kaufman, Texas), who was thrilled to finally get his hands on the wheel of the car so many of his customers had been clamoring to buy. Like most of the North Texas car dealers, Davis said there had been quite a bit of interest in the first Camaro in seven years and his customers were eager to test drive one. After he did, of course.

Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager and General Motors vice president, said, “The new Camaro delivers a modern, advanced package of performance, comfort, and technology.  It’s a personal car for a generation of enthusiasts, both young and old, that honors the Camaro’s heritage with a thoroughly contemporary design.”

The original design concept came from U. S. engineers, Australian and U. S. teams did the actual work, and assembly was in the GM Oshawa, Ontario, Canada plant. The two-door sports coupe comes in both V-6 and V-8 powered engines and features a design close to its original concept that was first produced in 1967. The fuel-efficient 3.6-liter direct-injected V-6 model achieves approximately 29 mpg on the highway—not bad at all for such a sporty car. The more powerful SS models are equipped with LS3 V-8 manual transmission and L99 automatic transmission with active fuel management.

The interior is very comfortable for up to four passengers, with the ambient light package and advanced LED light pipe technology glowing warmly. Seats are cloth in standard models. Leather appointed seats are available on 2LT and 2SS models. Other special features include a distinctive three-spoke steering wheel with tilt/telescope adjustment, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and every advanced technology tool known to mankind in the Driver Convenience and Connectivity package. The Camaro also boasts abundant safety features for a sports vehicle.

While we drove slowly through the picturesque Stockyard area of Fort Worth, we realized that we were following the trail of long-ago cattle drives—although the Longhorns probably didn’t have all the flashing cameras to contend with. Feeling like celebrities, we all waved and smiled as pedestrians lined the streets to give us a cheer or thumbs up.

One more special treat waited for the Camaro caravan as we arrived at Fort Worth’s Sundance Square—lunch at the Reata Steakhouse, with a special appearance by Texas Rangers President and everyone’s favorite baseball pitcher, Nolan Ryan. 

After experiencing the thrill of being one of the first people in North Texas to ride in a new Camaro, it was no surprise to find the 2010 Camaro winning the title of “The Car of Texas” at the 2009 Spring Challenge held by Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) at the NASCAR track in Fort Worth April 27-28. This time, I finally got to drive the new Camaro around the outer track, and relished every minute of my drive.

Other winners of the TAWA Spring Challenge were Family Car of Texas, the 2009 Ford Flex; Mowt Innovative, the 2010 Volvo XC60; Best New Design, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro; Best Use of Technology, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid; and Best Value, the 2010 Kia Soul.

Jo Ann Holt is a journalist and car columnist based in Dallas, Texas, and a member of Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA).

Last Updated
May 24, 2009