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I drove a $52,000 Chevy Camaro SS to see if the legendary muscle car could live up to its reputation - here's the verdicthttps://www.businessinsider.in/miscellaneous/i-drove-a-52000-chevy-camaro-ss-to-see-if-the-legendary-muscle-car-could-live-up-to-its-reputation-heres-the-verdict/slidelist/66627475.cms2018-11-15T02:01:51+05:30

I drove a $52,000 Chevy Camaro SS to see if the legendary muscle car could live up to its reputation - here's the verdict

Nov 15, 2018, 02:01 IST

Behold! The mighty mullet-mobile, in all it's "Crush" orange, black-racing-striped, Hot Wheels-package glory! That'll be $5,000.

"The Chevrolet Performance design studio is full of designers who were inspired by Hot Wheels," Tom Peters, director of Exterior Design for Chevrolet Performance Cars, said when this very special Camaro was unveiled.

"The Camaro Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary Edition captures that passion, turning childhood fantasy into reality," Peters added.

It's legit, by the way. You can still obtain a proper Hot Wheels Camaro, which is much, much smaller than the real deal.

My test car stickered at $52,000, about $10,000 above the base Camaro 2SS Coupé base price.

With its high beltline, bold rear haunches, low-slung stance, and overall spirit of throwback, muscle-car aggressive — not to mention the orange paint job — the Camaro SS makes a statement, anywhere and everywhere.

"SS" stands for "Super Sport" and is a performance setup that has been an offer, in various guises and on numerous Chevy vehicles, since the early 1960s.

The double-ess badge appears front and rear. Oh, and look closely for a little more Hot Wheels branding.

A fastback slopes to a rear decklid spoiler.

The trunk is ... modestly scaled. But it can handle short roads trips, as well as grocery store runs.

And should you require additional cargo capacity, just drop the back seat and open the pass-through.

A pair of symmetrical hood scoops.

The black bow-tie Chevy badge is one of the Hot Wheels extras.

As is a dealer-installed aerodynamic ground-effects package.

The satin-graphite 20-inch wheels are a Hot Wheels edition special.

Complete with custom, orange Brembo brake calipers.

So you guessed it! When you slip inside, you're greeted by a two-tone black-and-orange interior. Obviously not for everybody.

As with all proper muscle cars, the Camaro SS is fairly snug for seating.

Some SS branding on the well-bolstered seats.

Plus some Camaro-specific details.

The steering wheel is suede, with orange topstitching and paddle shifters for manual mode.

And yes, Hot Wheels is at the wheel!

The instrument cluster is an analog throwback.

The Camaro SS is a 2+2 layout, meaning you're only getting a pair of passengers in the back seat.

It's cozy back there.

My eight-year-old and his booster seat fit in fine, however.

The moonroof lets in some natural light.

OK, motor time!

We have a 6.2-liter V8, making 455 horsepower with 455 pound-feet of torque. This mill is all motor — not turbochargers or superchargers anywhere in sight.

The eights-speed manual offers the same rev-matching feature at the Corvette Stingray. Fuel economy is 17 mpg city/27highway/20 combined. The 0-60 mph sprint passed in about four seconds, on the way to a top speed of 155 mph.

Your drive-mode options are Tour, Sport, Track, and Individual (which can be customized to your style), and you can turn the traction control off if you want to sling the Camaro's tail around.

The MyLink infotainment system, running on a relatively small eight-inch touchscreen, is Chevy's version of the GM system that we've been uniformly pleased with.

It provides excellent navigation, along with Bluetooth connectivity, 4G LTE wifi, and USB/AUX ports.

New owners can enjoy an introductory SiriusXM subscription, and the Camaro has Apple Car Play and Android Auto.

The Bose audio system is generally splendid.

OK, now let's fire this muscle car up and see what it can do!

So what's the verdict?

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