Where culture and transportation converge

2010 Chevy Camaro: Tales of a Street Sensation

by Tamara on May 10, 2009

Woo-ha! I picked up the 2010 Chevy Camaro Friday night from a Manhattan parking garage. Let the games begin. Here it is Mother’s Day and a car show later, I’m celebrating the motherload in all it’s glory. Usually, we at Gotryke like to digest our reviews before sending them your way, but we’re just too thrilled to be muscling our way through Brooklyn on this sunny day that we had to spout off with opinions. We’re reporting to you live from a Brooklyn cafe a s the blazing Camaro taking a siesta in the afternoon sun. More coverage, flicks & thrills after the jump.

Our test car is the one that’s been styling and profiling in New York City — ground effects, sunroof, 21″ wheels, a painted engine and special red-jewel tinted paint. These extras jack up the base price from 26k to $38,000-and-change, but we have to admit they add sassafras to this celebrity’s persona. No, it’s not loaded with a virile V8, nor is it a speedy SS, but in New York City, it’s looks that count, and that’s where the sophisticated styling of Camaro scores big.

First pass was the West Side Highway on Friday night. It took me a minute to adjust to Camaro’s considerable girth on these obnoxiously skinny stretches of pavement. By design, Camaro is wide and outside, which makes it more LA style than east coast, but that’s probably a better landscape for this vehicle. So, I drove furtively, taking time to soak up the mood of the interior lighting. I’m feeling the sleek blue LED setup blended with vintage fonts on the dash. Some people say dull, I say minimal — which is fine with me. What I’m not feeling is the steering wheel plastic encasing that resembles a Transformer part. Is that a direct cue to product placement in the upcoming movie?

Without a cloud in the sky Saturday was right for flexing. I picked up our resident muscle carhead Lee Quinones and headed to Whitestone, Queens to show off for the weekly cruise. When we pulled up in the parking lot, a herd of dudes surrounded the crowd, gaping and cheering. The questions were flowing — MSRP, “is that a six?” One shy young man inquired if he could peek inside. Naturally, with in seconds the hood was popped. One Camaro owner said in an authentic Queens accent, “Hello, this is the car I want to drive to Fort Lauderdale. Me and the wife, together on a road trip. I’m done with these old loud cars.”

There and back, the 3.6 liter V-6 engine had enough pep to handle the New York freeways — where top speeds are surprisingly lagging — people hold steady at 55 mph. We’re good with 304 horsepower and loving the 29 mpg. Now when it comes to trunk space, we caution those who carry a big load.

Talking in brass tacks,Camaro is a car that’s meant to be driven. Who said muscle had to be bullheaded? Let’s ride.