2018 Chevrolet Camaro

The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro is a two-door sports car available in coupe or convertible body styles. The Camaro gets as many as six trim levels namely 1LS, 1LT, 2LT, 1SS, 2SS, and ZL1. The base trim comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine and is priced at $25,905. It gets a basic set of features and remains a perfect entry-point for budget buyers, The next in line comes the 1LT trim which is priced at $26,700 and replaces the six-speed manual of the base trim with an 8-speed automatic with steering column-mounted paddle shifters. Then there is 2LT trim priced at $30,500 and adds a couple of creature comfort features over what you get in the base trim.

Optional on the LS and LT trim is a 3.6-liter V6 engine. From 1SS trim the Camaro gets a V8 engine with 1SS trim starting at $37,000 and adding a sportier suspension setup and reverting to the manual transmission but this time it comes with a rev-match downshift feature. Then there is 2SS trim priced at $42,000 and is based on the 2LT trim with added driver-assist features and cosmetic mods. Sitting at the top is the ZL1 trim powered by a supercharged V8 engine with performance upgrades ranging from sports seats to performance-oriented suspension and exhaust.

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For majority buyers, the 2LT trim with a host of creature comfort features and the option of upgrading to the V6 engine will suffice. The 2LT trim demands a five grand premium over the base trim but for the extra money, you get a better cabin and comfortable seats with a premium audio setup.

“Chevy’s iconic small-block V-8 makes magnificent power and pulse-pounding sounds. The gutsy V-6 has its own distinctly searing soundtrack and redeems generations of ho-hum six-cylinders” – Car and Driver

2018 Chevrolet Camaro Engine and Transmission

There is a bevy of engine options available on the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro. As standard, the Camaro is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine producing 275 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Optional on the LS and LT trim is a 3.6-liter naturally aspirated V6 engine that puts out 335 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque. While the 1SS and 2SS trim get a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine that pushes out 455 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque.

Sitting at the top of the trim level is the ZL1 trim powered by the powerful 6.2-liter Supercharged V8 engine that churns out 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. The turbo-four comes mated to either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic gearbox while the V8 engine gets the same manual transmission option but comes with a rev-match downshift. 

In this comparison, the Nissan 370Z powered by a V6 not only commands the highest premium but is also the one with the most power-producing engine. While the Mustang and Camaro do away with a turbo-four in their respective base form and the Mustang's turbo-four puts out the best torque figures among all.

2018 Chevrolet Camaro Acceleration

The 2018 Camaro powered by the turbo-four engine hits 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds and covers the quarter-mile in 14 seconds. The V6-powered Camaro manages a 0-60 mph time of 4.0 seconds and the quarter-mile comes at 12.4 seconds. The supercharged V8 reduces the timings even further with 0-60 mph coming in just 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile in 11.7 seconds. 

In this comparison, the Mustang and the 370Z beat the 0-60 mph timing of the Camaro by two-tenths of a second while the Camaro was behind both the cars by three-tenths of a second in covering the quarter-mile.

2018 Chevrolet Camaro Ride and Handling

Either choose the lighter turbo-four engine or the heavier V8 engine the handling of the Camaro remains athletic and engaging. The Camaro is very quick to change direction yet feels sure-footed for its size. The nimble handling is further assisted by the razor-sharp steering which feels connected and even the slightest steering change is immediately reflected on the road. That's the level of calibration of this wonderful steering setup.

The ride quality of the Camaro is another feather in its cap. While most sports cars have bone-jarring ride quality the Camaro even in the base setup offers a comfortable ride quality. Rough patches and bumpy roads are gobbled by the Camaro's standard suspension setup with ease while adding the available adaptive dampers further improves the ride quality.

2018 Chevrolet Camaro Braking

The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro with its standard braking setup manages to stop this 3,354 lbs heavy beast in 112 feet from 60 mph. Add the four-piston Brembo brake setup and the Camaro stops from 60-0 mph in just 102 feet.

That said, depending on the engine you choose the brakes provided adequate feel and feedback with reassuring braking force. The pedals are also easy to modulate with soft travel.

In this comparison, the heaviest Dodge Challenger took the least 105 feet to stop from 60-0 mph which when compared to the Camaro is 7 feet less. 

“While the Camaro and its domestic contemporaries are surprisingly fuel efficient, they haven’t reached the status of the Toyota Prius just yet. The Chevy’s turbo inline-four has the highest EPA estimates, and the V-6 and V-8 engines performed well in our real-world testing” – Car and Driver

The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro powered by the turbo-four engine returns 20 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 23 mpg combined. Going for the same turbo-four Camaro but with the automatic gearbox bumps the gas mileage figure by 2 mpg in the city and 1 mpg on the highway. The V6 powered Camaro on the other hand will get you 16 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway while with the automatic gearbox there is an increase of 3 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway.

Then the V8-powered Camaro returns 16 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway while the same with the automatic gearbox returns 17 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. While the top dog Supercharged V8 powered Camaro ZL1 trim returns gas mileage of 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.  

In this comparison, the Ford Mustang with a turbo-four engine betters the Camaro's figure by 1 mpg in the city and highway each and 2 mpg in mixed driving conditions. The Challenger and 370Z both are powered by a V6 as standard so they return lower gas mileage and between the two the 370Z is the least efficient one.

“It’s improved over the outgoing car in layout and materials quality. But it still suffers from poor outward visibility and trades function and space for style. There are also some ergonomic foibles” – Edmunds

2018 Chevrolet Camaro Seating and Comfort

The stiff rivalry in the muscle car segment has led Chevrolet to significantly up the ante against the rivals by giving a plush cabin to the Camaro. As the majority of the time, the owner will be looking at the cabin or spending time there so a well-designed interior made with quality parts is surely a crowd puller. Except for a couple of hard-to-see places the cabin of the Camaro is fitted with top-notch soft-touch plastics all around. That said, the layout of the dashboard and other controls aren't ergonomically sorted out and takes time to get used to it. While the low seating position and usual blind spot hamper the visibility thus we suggest picking the blind spot and rear cross-traffic monitor.

The front row seats are not only spacious but offer the best-in-class comfort. The seats are well-contoured and the bolstering is the right size to ensure you sit snug and don't slide away while taking hard corners. Moving to the rear seats the things get gloomy with dark interiors, negligible legroom and headroom, and a namesake window. We suggest unless you seat kids in the rear there is no point taking the Camaro as a four-seater. For adults, the Camaro is strictly a two-seater. While in general the seating space can be classified for 2 adults plus 2 children. 

Except for the 370Z, all the sports cars offer seating for four. But take that with a pinch of salt because only the Challenger offers rear-seat space which is suited for adults. As far as the front row space is concerned the Mustang offers the best legroom among all while the Dodge Challenger comes with the best head and shoulder room among all. While the 370Z and the Camaro share an almost similar front-seat space.

Interior Features:

• Power-adjustable front seats
• Available dual-zone automatic climate control
• Available leather upholstery
• Available heated and ventilated front seats
• Available Recaro sports seats

2018 Chevrolet Camaro Infotainment System

The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro comes standard with a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system that runs on Chevrolet's MyLink system. The interface is slick and intuitive offering features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with Wi-fi hotspot as standard. A six-speaker sound system takes care of the audio on the standard setup.

Stepping up the trim level or adding the Technology Package gets 8-inch touchscreen infotainment with MyLink and 9-speaker Bose premium sound system. While navigation is available as an optional extra on the 2018 Camaro.

2018 Chevrolet Camaro Cargo Capacity

The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro offers 9.1 cubic feet of trunk space which is very small for the segment. Over that the opening of the trunk is very narrow with a high loading lip thus making it cumbersome to haul in luggage. 

Only the Nissan 370Z offers a smaller trunk space compared to the Camaro otherwise both the Mustang and the Challenger offer bigger trunks with the Challenger getting 16.2 cubic feet of trunk space.

2018 Chevrolet Camaro Dimensions and Weight

The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro comes with no exterior design change and sports the same look it got after the redesign in 2016. The front fascia has a unique look with the headlight and the upper grille forming one complete unit while the lower part gets a bigger grille and a vertically stacked LED foglights flanking from both the side.

Come to the side and you will immediately recognize the coke bottle shape with 110.7-inches of wheelbase available between the wheels and a massive 188.3-inches of length. The rear profile of the Camaro is unmistakable with the almost rectangular brake lights and the exhaust tip poking from the rear bumper.

Dimension wise both the Mustang and the Challenger dominates this comparison with the Challenger being the longest, widest, and the tallest among all. The Challenger also has a longer wheelbase of 116.2-inches which when compared to Camaro's is longer by 5.5-inches thus making it clear why the Challenger has better rear legroom compared to the Camaro.

Exterior Features:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• LED daytime running lights
• Available rear spoiler
• Available rear parking sensors
• Available 20-inch alloy wheels
• Available xenon headlights
• Available LED taillights

Muscle cars have always been criticized for being low on safety and offering not many standard safety features. Well in the case of the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro the former is true but the safety rating of the Camaro is reassuring. The NHTSA gave a perfect score of five stars to the 2018 Camaro for overall safety ratings with a perfect score in side crash and rollover mitigation while a four out of five stars score in the front crash test.

Moving on to IIHS, it gave the 2018 Camaro the highest rating of 'Good' in four out of five parameters while the roof strength of the Camaro was rated the second-best 'Acceptable' by IIHS.

Safety features:

• Rearview camera
• Chevrolet’s Teen Driver technology
• Available Head-up display
• Available Blind-spot monitoring
• Available Rear parking sensors
• Available Rear cross-traffic alert

2018 Chevrolet Camaro vs 2018 Ford Mustang 

The age-old rival to the Camaro is the Ford Mustang. Both the cars are neck-to-neck in terms of pros and cons. The Mustang EcoBoost powered by a turbo-four is a more powerful engine than the Camaro's, this engine helps it not only be quicker but also fuel-efficient compared to the Camaro's turbo-four. But step inside the cabin and you would see for an almost similar price the Camaro gets an overall better cabin and comfortable front seats when compared to the Mustang.

Both the cars have namesake rear seats while the Mustang takes the edge by providing better trunk space than the Camaro. Thus between the two, we would go with the Mustang as it offers better overall practicality and track-ready options in the form of Shelby GT350 which has no rival from the Camaro stable.

2018 Chevrolet Camaro vs 2018 Dodge Challenger 

The Dodge Challenger is in a true sense a proper muscle car. It gets a big V6 engine with oodles of power and torque. It has a bigger footprint which also translates into better cabin space and a bigger and usable trunk. Both of which are lacking in the Camaro even though it also has a dimension that is at par with the segment.

The Camaro in its favor has a nimble handling and better overall driving dynamics compared to the Challenger but when it comes to brute power and straight-line speeds there is no match from the Camaro lineup to some Challenger model-like the SRT Hellcat. Thus for the practicality alone, we prefer the Challenger any day over the Camaro.

The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro is a dominating figure in the muscle car segment the reason for this is that right from the base trim you get superb handling, fuel-efficient engine, comfortable ride quality, and a well-put-together and upscale cabin. All these traits are lacking in both its direct rivals the Mustang and the Challenger. So anyone who is looking for an entry-level Camaro could go with it eyes closed. But if you are someone who can stretch his/her budget then the pricier options from the Challenger and the Mustang will entice you more than the Camaro. While going for the other two over the Camaro also has an advantage in the form of a bigger boot while if you pick the Challenger then you also get a usable rear seat. Thus the price you are ready to pay will decide whether you should go for the Camaro or not.