Car and Driver: How We’d Spec It: The Mustang-Hungriest 2016 Chevrolet Camaro

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Whenever an eagerly anticipated new car’s online configurator goes live with full pricing, option, and color choices, we’re immediately sucked in, trying out different combinations. After being teased a few months ago by an incomplete 2016 Chevrolet Camaro configurator, the full monty has finally gone online. And you know what that means: It’s time for our latest installment of How We’d Spec It! This is the 2016 Camaro we’d build, both for our own pleasure and for maximum Ford Mustang–fighting skills.
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MODEL:

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Chevrolet Camaro 1SS (base price: $37,295)

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For as compelling as the latest V-6–powered Camaro is—it’s lightweight, handles extremely well, and even sounds good, in addition to being more affordable—if we’re stalking the streets for Ford foals, the V-8 is the only option. And what a V-8 it is. For the sixth-generation Camaro, Chevy didn’t bother detuning the Corvette’s 6.2-liter V-8, meaning it packs the same 455 horsepower as its sports-car sibling. Eight-cylinder Camaro coupes come in two flavors, 1SS and 2SS; the nicer of the two, the 2SS, includes parking sensors, a head-up display, a Bose nine-speaker audio system, power-seat memory function, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, illuminated doorsills, wireless phone charging, and dual-zone automatic climate control. Those niceties are all great, but we’re fans of performance on the cheap, so we stuck with the 1SS.

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The 1SS comes with key items such as a six-speed manual transmission, that 455-hp V-8, a limited-slip differential, and 2o-inch wheels with summer tires. And “base” doesn’t, in this case, equate to “barren wasteland of high-horsepower sadness.” Standard features include an eight-way power driver’s seat, cloth sports seats, a backup camera, HID headlights with LED accents, LED taillights, and Chevrolet’s eight-inch MyLink infotainment touch-screen display. It also comes standard with Brembo four-piston front brakes, oil and differential coolers, and an auxiliary radiator—stuff Ford makes Mustang GT buyers pony up extra for.

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OPTIONS:

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Blue Velvet metallic paint ($0)

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20-inch split-five-spoke wheels ($200)

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Magnetic Ride Control ($1695)

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Performance Brake Upgrade kit ($3175)

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Dual-mode performance exhaust ($895)

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Silver Rally stripes ($470)

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Kalahari knee pads ($350)

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In optioning our Camaro, we sought to keep it as performance-oriented as possible. That doesn’t mean we didn’t get a little distracted with some interior and exterior dress-up items. Over the Blue Velvet metallic paint, we slathered on a classic set of silver rally stripes for $470, matching the scheme with a $200 set of gray-finished 20-inch split-spoke wheels with machined spoke faces. Of the two interior color choices, black or gray, we stuck with black, but to liven it up a bit we added Kalahari brown “knee pads” (door and center console trim, essentially).

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Our vanity satiated, we also went for the $1695 Magnetic Ride Control adaptive suspension dampers, which are tied to the Camaro’s drive-mode selector to vary damping from sports-car stiff to around-town comfortable. Because we dig bright-red brake calipers—and appreciate superior braking performance, or at least the perception thereof—we replaced the stock four-piston Brembo front brakes with six-piston jobs with slotted rotors for $3175. Finally, we also grabbed the dual-mode performance exhaust, which opens up at higher revs to really let the small-block V-8 sing. It is a steal at $895, which is good, because we deem it a must-have.

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• Pony Car Comparison Test: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS vs. 2015 Ford Mustang GT-
• How We’d Spec It: The 2015 Ford Mustang of Our Dreams-
• Chevrolet Camaro Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More-

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All in, our Camaro comes to $44,080. Since we’d be tempted to track our Camaro, we’d keep the optional brakes, but if you plan to keep your Chevy strictly on the street the base binders are plenty acceptable and lower the price to a more manageable $40,905. Either way, you’re getting a sharp-looking sports coupe with impressive performance—even more so with the optional eight-speed automatic transmission. And based on the results of our 2016 Camaro-vs.-Mustang comparison test, you’re also getting a Ford-chomping monster.

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looks good.