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The sleek and fast 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible drew attention and admirers at every stop as I drove the 426-horsepower ragtop from Detroit to New Orleans this spring.
From crowded Midwestern truck stops to the college town of Hattiesburg, Miss., and New Orleans’ funky and historic Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, strangers asked about the gray convertible at every stop.
The Camaro SS’ power and style lived up to their expectations, but a long trip with the car revealed drawbacks including an inconvenient trunk opening, the lack of some features common in $40,000-plus cars, and a heavy curb weight.
The Camaro’s virtues outweigh its faults, though. Chevy’s powerful new convertible is good company on a road trip.
The Camaro convertible is a microcosm of what Chevrolet does best and where it must improve as the brand begins its second century.
Several weaknesses diminish the convertible’s appeal, but its looks, performance and value offset them.
The Camaro SS convertible carried me in speed and comfort from the Great Lakes to the gulf coast, about 1,100 miles each way.
Prices for the 2011 Camaro convertible start at $29,275 for a base model with a 312-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 and six-speed manual transmission. A six-speed automatic raises the base price to $30,270.
The more powerful SS model comes with two flavors of 6.2-liter V8, with 426 horsepower mated to a six-speed manual transmission and 400 horsepower with a six-speed automatic. SS prices start at $36,775 with the manual and $37,770 for the automatic.
I tested a loaded SS with the manual transmission that stickered at $41,350. All prices exclude destination charges.
The Camaro competes with other fast and sporty convertibles. That used to be the Ford Mustang and not much else, but sophisticated new features and rising prices have moved the Chevy and Ford into competition with luxury convertibles from Audi, BMW, Infiniti and Lexus.
The Camaro’s a steal compared with the pricey luxury cars and holds its own versus its old arch-enemy, the Mustang.
The Camaro has much more power than the six-cylinder Audi S5, BMW 335is and Lexus IS C 350. Various independent road tests rate it faster than them from 0-60 mph.
The Camaro also has more power than the Mustang GT, but it weighs 346 pounds more than the smaller Mustang, while offering only an extra 14 horsepower. I couldn’t find any trustworthy 0-to-60 comparisons between the two, but I’d expect it to be a good race.
The Camaro SS I tested managed just 16 mpg in the city, 24 on the highway and 19 mpg in combined driving in EPA tests. That’s worse than all the competitors I’ve named except the Infiniti G37, which got the same rating.
The Camaro and Mustang both use regular gas, while the others require premium. That reduces the Camaro’s pocketbook disadvantage, but the Audi, BMW, Ford and Lexus will all cost less to keep fueled, according to EPA projections.
The low-slung Camaro SS’s powerful V8 generates 420 pound-feet of torque, providing terrific acceleration in the manual’s first four gears. Fifth and sixth gears were designed to maximize highway fuel economy, and acceleration suffers.
The 6.2-liter is one of the few V8’s I ever had to downshift for a highway pass. One adrenalized sprint to 80 mph in third gear on a highway entrance ramp went a long way toward making me forgive the tall gearing, however. The clutch does not provide much feel or feedback.
The steering is quick and direct, but the heavy car feels a bit reluctant when tossed into a turn. The brakes provide excellent stopping power.
The Camaro has big, clear gauges, simple controls and a useful head-up display. Other welcome features included OnStar’s turn-by-turn directions, which brought me flawlessly to a friend’s incredibly well-hidden house in rural St. Bernard Parish. The hands-free phone system and iPod interface also performed well.
The trunk opening is small and located very high. Fitting big objects in and lifting heavy loads high enough can be difficult. The trunk also lacks an inside handle.
The Camaro’s 10.2-cubic-foot trunk is small, but one of the best among sporty convertibles. Luggage room declines to just 7.9 cubic feet with the top open. Pack light if you want the wind in your hair.
The Camaro’s windows are notoriously narrow. The convertible’s wide header atop the windshield and big B-pillars could have created major visibility problems, but wide sideview mirrors and ultrasonic rear parking assist solved the dilemma.
The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible is a fast, pretty and advanced car. I’d like to see it shed a few pounds so its performance and fuel economy would be clearly best in its class, but its value and style captivated observers along my route and kept me satisfied behind the wheel.
2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
Rear-wheel drive four-passenger convertible
Base price: $29,275
Price as tested: $41,350
Rating: Three out of four stars
Reasons to buy: Looks, power, convertible
Shortcomings: Small trunk opening, lack of common features, clutch feel