FOUR CYLINDERS GOOD
Small block Camaro has serious performance bona fides
You’d be forgiven for thinking the four-cylinder version of a signature V8-powered pony car as just a throwaway model — here only for its fuel economy and low starting price.
Yet when it comes to the Chevrolet Camaro, you’d be wrong. GM is serious about giving its 2.0L turbo-four Camaro — which starts at just under $30,000 for the base 1LT trim with a six-speed manual — some serious performance bona fides.
For 2019, the $5,195 1LE Track Performance Package, previously offered only on the naturally-aspirated V6 and V8 models, is now available on the four-cylinder Camaro.
Power does not get a boost with this package, remaining at a healthy 275 horsepower
and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. The 1LE package is all about handling, and it’s the hardware that turns this Camaro into a track star — upgraded performance suspension featuring larger-diameter front and rear stabilizer bars, uniquely tuned dampers, stiffer rear cradle bushings, and upgraded rear toe links designed to improve lateral stiffness.
You also get a limited-slip differential, 20-inch forged alloy wheels finished in black and wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 performance rubber, Brembo brakes, heavy-duty cooling and an engine oil cooler. Rounding out the package are LED headlamps, and a black hood and rear spoiler, plus a flat-bottom steering wheel and shift knob wrapped in suede.
The Camaro starts with the stellar Alpha platform that first broke cover under the Cadillac ATS seven years ago and continues to win over enthusiasts. So, what can make this rear-wheel-drive chassis better? Less weight in the front end, that’s what.
Some cars tell you they’re already well-sorted right from the get-go, and the Camaro is one of them. The structure feels rock solid, the steering is sharp and direct, and the car itself is planted, poised, and hungry for corners.
You probably won’t find the Camaro’s handling limits on the road, but you’ll have fun trying.
Adding to the notion that engineers had their priorities straight are the Camaro’s positive short-throw shifter, excellent brake feel, and pedal placement suitable for heeltoe shifting action.
About the only mechanical part not really inspired here is the engine. Chevy has given this turbo-four some extra snarl, but it still sounds a bit flat and there’s no joy to be found in the upper rev range — this engine does its best work between 2,000 and 5,000 rpm.
There’s a bit of turbo lag, too, but the Camaro is hardly a slug; Chevy boasts a zero-to-100 km/h time of 5.4 seconds. That, by the way, matches the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 with 390 fume-spewing, bias-ply tire-melting horses.
Al Oppenheiser, the Camaro’s chief engineer, points to a faction of enthusiasts who want this small turbocharged engine for its high degree of tune-ability. You can get crazy horsepower out of these, given that Oppenheiser says “these guys want to be able to out-drag the 6.2L V8 car.”
Safe to assume, in this case, their warranty goes up in smoke as fast as their rear tires.
The Camaro’s outward visibility is pretty abysmal — it’s the price you pay for that chopped roof look and gunslit windows. It’s like sitting in a bathtub while wearing a very large sombrero. Add in thick A-pillars, and placing this car in a sharp corner can turn into a guessing game.
Cabin quality is subpar, too, with lots of cheap plastics and big panel gaps. The seats aren’t heated and the infotainment system’s graphics look about a generation behind.
But GM got the parts that matter right — the well-contoured sport buckets, plus the steering wheel and shifter.
As with all GMs, there’s generous standard connectivity, including 4G LTE wireless hotspot, OnStar, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, and more.
Get past the visibility issues, and the Camaro 2.0T 1LE makes for a perfectly suitable daily driver. It’s fuel efficient, relaxed on the highway, and for such a track-focused car, the ride is surprisingly acceptable.
Yes, this bargain performance Camaro is the real deal. Plus, there’s no badging here to give away its four-cylinder status. Fitted with the 1LE package, it looks as nasty as any V6 or V8 Camaro — and you’ll probably take them in the corners.