txGarage » Camaro

Top 10 Reviews of 2011

Adam Moore — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:34:13 +0000

Incase you are new to txGarage and missed out on some of our reviews from the past year, or you just want to check out what’s hot on txGarage; here are our top 10 reviews from 2011.

We poped open Google Analytics and listed out the reviews with the most views in order. Easy enough.

Those are according to the readers but what about the txGarage staff? Which cars, trucks, or SUV’s were on the top of our list?

James Wood Motors donates Chevy Camaros to two lucky teachers.

Toby — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:14:01 +0000

Teachers of the year win 2011 Camaro for the summer

Two teachers were selected this week as Decatur ISD’s Teachers of the Year. Not only are they recognized by the school and the community, but Craig and Kristi will each get a new Camaro to drive for the summer thanks to the donations from James Wood.

Obviously, we think very highly of James Wood Motors as they are one of our biggest sponsors and supporters and all the work they are doing in their communities is really showing strong. This is just the latest in a growing list of donations and community involvement by our friends at James Wood, so be sure to show them some love too.

Check out the video below.

Check out James Wood at:
JamesWood.com

Chevrolet Camaro ZL560 reviewed by txGarage

Toby — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:05:21 +0000

2011 Chevrolet Camaro ZL560

We have driven many Camaros during our time here at txGarage, and have come to the same conclusion with all of them; great looks and design, great engine and exhaust note, but mostly lackluster while compared to its competition.

This car has the potential to break that mold. This is no ordinary Camaro; this is the ZL560 package from SLP Performance. There really isn’t much they don’t touch here. Walking around the car in anticipation of the drive, you notice the slight extra hints in the body kit. It’s not way out there changing the looks of the whole car, but accents the looks and makes it just that much more aggressive looking. You are missing the bowtie upfront replaced by a clean, white SS badge. Around the back, you get two huge exhaust ports that look like cannons turned around, ready to fire upon the people you just blew past. The wheels on this ZL560 are 20” five-spoke Red Line wheels, 9” wide in front and 10” wide in rear. They are massive, but look great. They’re definitely one of my favorite features on the exterior of this car.

Inside the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro ZL560

On to the inside of this Camaro, we see even more changes. Both front and rear seats are fitted with black leather with a Hounds Tooth accent color integrated into the seat and a big ZL560 logo stitched into the headrest. One great feature we loved was the replacement of the plastic door siding that wraps around to the dash. They replaced it with a cloth material that really changed the interior for the better, in our opinion. This particular model was equipped with Chevrolet’s 6-Speed automatic gear box with shifting buttons mounted to the steering wheel. Obviously, we would prefer the manual, but it never really took away from the fun of the acceleration.

Which brings us to the party-piece of this package – an Eaton 2300 Series TVS high-output supercharger mashed on top of the 6.2 liter V8 lurking under the hood, and you guessed it, we’re looking at 560 horsepower. That number tops this ride above the GT500, CTS-V, and BMW M5. You can feel it in your seat, too. Push down that right peddle and listen to the wine of the supercharger almost drowned out the noise coming from the exhaust. Notice I said almost. The exhaust note is loud and mean, everything we want from our muscle car.

The upgrades don’t stop at the power output of the engine. You also have many upgrades that help you put that power to the ground. We are talking upgrades like coil-over spring and shock package, sport suspension spring package, Brembo brakes, and an adjustable sway bar package. This gets enough power to the ground to get you from 0 to 60 in about 3.6 seconds. All of this with a 5 year or 100,000 mile warranty backing the full system. SLP only built 500 units of this car in 2011 so finding another one at the red light in your town will be a rare site. This is one of those few cars worth scouring the country for, and when you find it you won’t want to pay a car transport fee to bring it home. You’ll want to blow throughout the heartland hearing this big supercharged V8 roar!

the Engine of the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro ZL560

So you’re still confused? All other Camaros have been lackluster, how can we like this one so much? It’s not just the power, although that helps. It’s the power put to the ground, the feel of the steering, the way it takes corners, and the always aggressive looks and sound. This is no normal Camaro, this is the Camaro we always really wanted to drive. This great Camaro comes at a price though. This specific model is for sale, on the lot of our friends at James Wood Chevrolet for $73,590. That’s a pretty penny to invest into a Camaro, but what a Camaro!

Check out more pictures of the ZL560 Camaro on our Facebook!

2011 Chevrolet Camaro – Reviewed

Adam Moore — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:50:52 +0000

2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS

Last year, we pitted the 2010 Ford Mustang GT against the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS. Not so surprisingly, we left that week with a common thought, the Camaro looks awesome, but on par, the Mustang wins our vote.

Last year, the Mustang had over a 100 horsepower disadvantage, yet with less weight to push around the Mustang could more than hang with the Camaro. For 2011, Ford stepped up its game dropping the new “Coyote” 5.0 engine into the GT. This engine upgrade changed the game giving the Mustang GT a whopping 412hp. GM upgraded the new 2011 V6 engine, but the V8 in the SS Camaro is basically the same with 426hp. Dont get us wrong, 420hp is a great deal of power and the SS is by no means a slow car, but with its weight disadvantage, it’s not much of a match to the Mustang anymore.

What’s new for the 2011 Camaro then? Not much as far as we can tell. Our favorite new feature is the Heads Up Display. It’s crisp and clear with nice transitions between info and has lots of info that displays. It’s not just a speedo and RPM tach, it also displays radio information, cruise control information, and even alerts for things like leaving your blinker on too long. The retro style of the interior is still appealing to us as well, although style over function was definitely key in the design of the Camaro. You still get gauges that are hard to read, the steering wheel that doesnt fit or form to your hands, seats that are flat and cooshee – not bolstered or supportive – and you still have the big plasticy door panels. The trunk is somewhat large but with a small opening and shallow floor, loading things is difficult at best.

So the reasons for purchasing the Camaro are the same as well. It’s opposing looks, loud exhaust, and 426hp powering the rear wheels makes for a fun and exciting car. All of this in an affordable car, most people would say the benefits certainly outweigh the negatives of this great American muscle car. As for the power issue, there are plenty of performance upgrade available, and GM has anounce recently that they will be launching a special edition of the Camaro every six months starting with the ZL1 showed at the Chicago Auto show. The ZL1 sports the LSA V8, 6.2 liter supercharged engine with 550 horsepower. So keep an eye out for more great Camaros coming from GM soon.

Check out the full Gallery on Facebook

Main Street in Motion: DFW

Adam Moore — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:37:14 +0000

Main Street in Motion

Sunday, we went out to Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie to check out the GM sponsored “Main Street in Motion”. The parking lot was full of all types of cars, trucks, and SUVs parked out in front of makeshift tracks using orange traffic cones. There were only a few vehicles that we were really looking forward to driving, but this was a great opportunity to test many vehicles in the same segment back-to-back. Really, that’s the point of this whole thing: to let consumers test vehicles back to back in a non-sales pressure environment.
The first thing we jumped into was the GMC Acadia Denali. I’ve wanted to drive this ever since last year when we had the Buick Enclave. Next, we went over to the Buick tent where we decided to get a little precursor of what’s to come by jumping in the Buick Regal turbo. We’ll have this car next week for our full review, but we wanted to spin it around the track and give it a quick comparison to the Acura TSX, that was our next pit stop. The TSX felt a little smoother and more planted around the track, but we can’t wait to get in the Regal turbo for a week and see what it can really do. We also jumped in the Acura TL, and besides the looks, it didn’t disappoint either.
We are moving quickly so try and keep up because next was the HD Trucks. We hopped straight into the GMC Sierra 2500 and took it around the special “work site” course. This tests the suspension and handling of these big work horses. The Sierra did a good job. I’m by no means a truck guy, much less a HD truck guy, but it was pretty good. After the initial test in the Sierra, we drove the Ram 2500 and the Tundra. I’ll have to say that the Ram had the best interior of the bunch.
There were more vehicles we could have driven on the GMC / Buick side but it was time to move on, the Volt and the Corvette Grand Sport were calling our names. So we made the hike to the Chevrolet tent where we first stood in line for the new 1.4 turbo Chevy Cruze. We’ll have one of these for a full test soon too, but it was nice to check it out here. The guys at txGarage are split on what we really think about the Cruze, but all in all, I think it’s a great step forward for Chevy. You do notice the quietness of the cabin and the look and feel of the interior is a step in the right direction. Powering this car around the bends, however, wasn’t that enthusiastic. Whether it was the turbo lag or the lag from the automatic transmission, we’re unsure of at this point. Our signature led foots occasionally got the best of us, but by the time we got power to the wheels it was time to brake for the next turn. We’ll give it a more thorough beating soon enough.
After the Cruze, we took the time to hit up the new Hyundai Elantra. I’ve been excited about jumping in this car for a while and figured, what better time. For a compact car, the looks of the new Elantra are fantastic, and the interior is laid out well. The driving dynamics are on par with compact cars, but for the price and fuel economy, this will be a hard choice to pass up.
Next up, we took a ride to the big course, the cars everyone wanted to see and drive. This week we are reviewing the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS and drove the 2010 last year, so we already knew what to expect. We had fun on our test drive anyway. We’ve also had our hands on a Corvette Grand Sport and other C6 Corvettes before, but it was an amazing contrast getting out of the Camaro and into a Vette and hitting the same turns. The Corvette just blazed through the course with ease.
After we were done drooling over the Vette and Camaro, we hit our last stop of the day. The Chevrolet Volt was a big hit out here, and rightfully so. Unlike the rest of the cars at the event, the Volt had a big track, over a mile including a public road. This gave the test drivers the opportunity to really stretch the legs of the Volt. Our first impressions where that it was quite, styled nicely, and had good handling and acceleration; everything we wanted from an electric family sedan.
Main Street in Motion is a great idea and we had a great time out there. If you see that they are coming to a town near you, try and make it so you can check out some of these great cars. When we hear about another event headed to any city in Texas, we’ll let you guys know. If you made it to this one, leave us a comment about your experience, what car you came to drive, and what car impressed you the most.

The Epic Battle: Mustang vs. Camaro w/video

Adam Moore — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:16:57 +0000

2010 Camaro SS vs. 2010 Mustang GT

2010 Mustang GT vs 2010 Camaro SS

Some wars have been waging since the dawn of society with race vs. race, religion vs. religion, king vs. king. Other battles that are more short-lived but still remembered to this day like the Battle of the Alamo or the Battle of Waterloo. We just stumbled into such a battle that’s been waging on the streets for almost 50 years now. There has always been that epic battle between the Camaro and the Mustang spanning back to the late 60′s and revived today. This week at txGarage we were able to get a hold of a 2010 Camaro 2SS and a 2010 Mustang GT Premium, what else is there to do but race!

The Camaro:

The Camaro was brought back for the 2010 model year after being killed off in 2002. When redesigning the Camaro GM was going for the “retro” look to compete with the styling of the Mustang introduced in 2005. You just can’t beat the looks and styling of the new Camaro, it’s really one of the best looking “retro” interpretations out today. The car is low and wide, with great proportions and menacing looks. The interior is all modern with some retro looking gauges. Sliding into our test Camaro, your bathed in black and inferno orange, ambient lighting, accent stitching, and a plethora of buttons and knobs. The best part of the Camaro’s interior is the steering wheel, it is fat and has good hand placement and also has easy to uses and access controls. The biggest gripe I have with the interior is the huge plastic panel on the doors that swoop around the dash. In my opinion, for a $36,000 car they could have easily wrapped that in leather and it would have made ten-times the difference. We were also equipped with the Boston Acoustic premium nine-speaker audio system loaded with all the acronyms of the audio industry. – AM/FM, CD, AUX Input, USB port, Sirius XM Radio – The leather sport bucket seats were comfortable, 6-way power adjustable, and could heat your rear if the horsepower doesn’t already have you sweating.

The 2010 Camaro SS is armed with the LS3 6.2 liter V8 engine with SFI (Sequential Fuel Injection) and bolted to a 6-speed manual transmission. This combination gives you an instigating 426 horsepower and 420 lbs-ft of torque with a reasonable 16 MPG city and 24 MPG highway. You won’t have time to worry about your fuel economy though when you’re going from a standstill to 60 mph in only 4.6 seconds and cursing down the highway, the difference between 60 mph and 80 mph is a twitch of your big toe. To stop this 3,849 pound Camaro they equipped it with Brembo performance brakes with discs at all four wheels. The Camaro also comes with performance suspension, but to us it never really felt sporty just rough. To put the power down our test car was furnished with 20″X 8″ front wheels and 20″X 9″ rear wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tires.

After digesting it all I’d have to say that the Camaro SS is far above what the Camaros of the past have been, and we are forever enamored by the looks of the exterior and interior of this 2010 Camaro. It did take me a day to get used to the Camaro’s clutch, I would like it to be heavier and release lower, and the shifter could have felt more mechanical but that’s a personal preference of mine. In the end the biggest problem with the new Camaro remains to be the Mustang.

The Mustang:

In 2010 the Mustang received two major changes that were desperately needed; most importantly of the two was the interior. The materials used and the looks of the inside of the Mustang has been a neglected afterthought for decades, so when we heard that the interior quality was going to be the main focus of the 2010 Mustang we forgave Ford for leaving the 4.6 liter engine that’s just as old. Our test car was a Grabber Blue GT Premium and the updated interior featured black leather trimmed sport seats with exposed blue stitching and a blue racing stripe down the center of the seat. The materials used in this car are on par with most Ford vehicles of today but are miles above the older Mustangs. Leather wrapped steering wheel, aluminum gear shifter, along with soft touch materials ensure that your touch points in the car are all pleasurable to the hands. This car also featured the Shaker 500 audio system and SYNC voice activated system with the usual SYNC goodies.

The second thing refreshed in the 2010 Mustang is the exterior. Although the dimensions of the car are mostly unchanged the looks are dramatically different, to Mustang enthusiast. It really looks like they stretched the skin of the Mustang over its muscle to expose the power and give it a more athletic stance. I love the rear end, which seems to be the hated segment from most Mustang enthusiast I’ve talked to, with the sequential tail lamps. I also love the new “Power Dome” hood; I think it looks much more muscular than the “fake” ram air hoods. The engine is the tired old 4.6 liter 3V OHC V8 tuned to the max with 315 horsepower and 325 lbs-ft of torque. Although it’s the same old engine, the 4.6 is a great, bullet proof engine that has served Ford well for years, and you still get good power for the 3,550 pounds the Mustang weighs in at. You also still get the five-speed -manual in our case- transmission with great mechanical shifting and an easy good feeling clutch peddle. Of course it has already been announce that the 2011 Mustangs will hallmark a new 5.0 engine with all the newest power and fuel saving technology. Look for that to push over 400 horsepower.

We can’t wait for the 2011 to be penned into our calendar to test but all in all the 2010 Mustang has impressed. It has the great looks a muscle car should have, it has the wheel smoking power a muscle car should have, and now it has a great comfortable interior the Mustang has always needed.

Back to the Battle:

Although they are both modern day muscle cars aimed at the same target audience, the Mustang vs. Camaro comes down to personality and preference. The looks of the Camaro are amazing and will turn more heads right now than most cars on the road, but the Mustang is not repulsive to the eyes by any measure. The Camaro is a fast beast that can burn rubber with the best of them, but the Mustang with 100 less horsepower has less weight and can match the Camaro in any situation. The interior of both cars are modern and comfortable. So which to choose? We liked the Mustang over the Camaro for the driving experience it offered. The shifter and clutch, steering and suspension, and engine and exhaust note won us over in the Mustang. It should still go without saying, though, that the Camaro is a great car and if we didn’t have the Mustang sitting in the driveway we would have been just as happy thrashing it around Texas.

Stats: 2010 Camaro 2SS

6.2L LS3 V8 SFI

6-Speed Manual Transmission

As Tested Price $36,765

16 City / 24 Hwy MPG

426 HP @ 5900 RPM420 lbs-ft torque @4600 RPM

Curb Weight 3,849 lbs.

Stats: 2010 Mustang GT Premium

4.6L 3V OHC V8 Engine

5-Speed Manual Transmission

As Tested Price $33,830

16 City / 24 Hwy MPG315 HP @ 6000 RPM

325 lbs-ft torque @ 4250 RPM

Curb Weight 3,550 lbs

[Gallery not found]

Mustang vs Camaro

Toby — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:49:32 +0000

Mustang VS Camaro

Today we picked up the 2010 Mustang GT and the 2010 Camaro SS! We can’t wait to get them out together and get some good pictures and video! Look for that soon, also look for the upcoming video on the 2010 Shelby GT500.

[Gallery not found]

First Drive: 2010 Camaro SS

Adam Moore — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:06:06 +0000

The 2010 Camaro SS

During the GM media event last week for the State Fair of Texas, we were treated to a special surprise. After announcing and showing off the new GMC Terrain and the new Buick LaCrosse, we got a chance to check out the a car I have been wanting to drive for a while now. As you know, this is a car enthusiast site, and although the Terrain and LaCrosse are nice vehicles and there were things we liked and disliked about these vehicles, we wanted to jump into something a little more sporty. Well, the Camaro then.

We have to start with the looks of the new Camaro because it has been debated both ways, love it or hate it. In all honesty, I’ll admit that I have always been more of a Mustang fan over the Camaro but when I first saw this car it really took my breath away. This is what a muscle car should look like! The proportions are dead on, not too long not too short. The trunk is not massive and the front overhang is short and clean. The rear fenders flair out to cover the grippy rear tires completing the muscular stance. It is just every detail about the looks of this car seems to be dead on.

What about the interior? Well this is an American muscle car so people would forgive GM for putting a cheap and dull interior into the car so long as the power was good. Fortunately for us, and all automotive enthusiasts, GM did not skimp on the interior. The retro layout of the gauge cluster, the center console and the deep-dish steering wheel all fit into the muscular and passionate feel of the car. The seats and steering wheel were wrapped in comfortable thick two-tone leather with exposed stitching. Nothing about the interior, besides being styled in a retro theme, reminded me of Camaros of the past, and that’s a good thing!

So we have the excellent exterior styling and we have a comfortable and stylish interior, but what about the muscle? This is not just a car styled to look like a muscle car; it truly has the bite to back up the bark. The lower end RS that we drove at first has a 304 horsepower V6 using a 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifts pushing its power to the rear wheels. Although the car weighs just over 3700 lb. the direct injected 4-cam 3.6 liter engine never gives up on you. It will propel this muscle car from 0-60 in just 5.9 seconds and to a top speed of 155 mph. But hop in the SS and soon you will see how slow that really is. The SS Camaro is powered by the LS3 6.2 liter Corvette engine. The 426 horsepower V8 matted to a 6 speed manual transmission gets this car up to 60 mph in only 4.6 seconds. Step on the gas pedal and you will be thrown back into your seat and suddenly it all makes sense. The tires screech but grip fast and your off, the short and quick shifts feel seamless with the perfect weighted clutch and when you need to slow down the brakes are there like a brick wall. The four-piston Brembo brakes are responsive to say the least. They will bring this heavy muscle car to a stop like no other stock muscle car I’ve ever driven. After you hit the brakes and turn the wheel, the bolstered seats start to make sense. They don’t just look cool; they keep you in the seat when powering around the corners. I would have to say, even more than the power and the brakes, the handling shocked me the most. I have driven many Camaros in my life and wouldn’t trust any of them around a corner, but this car. Turn in, mash the gas, and the car just knows to grip and go.

Let’s just say that I was pleasantly impressed with the new Camaro. I almost think calling it a Camaro could hurt the fact that it’s such a sporty grand touring car. It took me so long to write this review because I could never come to grips with the fact or put into words that a Camaro built by Chevy was such a good car. I think they do have two problems though. The first problem I would say is the price. The V6 model, although being very good, pushes the high 20k range and the SS pushes the high 30’s. This brings me to the Camaros second problem, this problem has been around as long as the Camaro pulled off the factory lines in 1969. That would be the Mustang. As much as I love the looks and admire the effort they put into the interior and the power it gets, I would still take a Mustang for the price.

The 2009 State Fair of Texas Media Day

Adam Moore — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:06:50 +0000

Terrain Lane

Today we had the privilege of attending the first of two media days for the State Fair of Texas Auto Show. We met up at the Studios of Las Colinas only knowing that today would be dedicated to General Motors, more specifically Buick and GMC. We were in for a treat with two vehicles that I have actually been eager to check out and drive. With all the hype around GM bringing better quality and design to their brands, I knew that these cars would have to be good.

GMC Terrain Front

Our first treat was the all new GMC Terrain, GMC’s new mid-sized crossover SUV. GMC is excited about this new model hoping that it would appeal to a wider audience than the everyday GMC. The Terrain, although built on the Equinox platform, only shares two body panels with the Equinox. It will be offered with a 2.4 liter inline four or a 3.0 liter V6 both mated to a 6 speed automatic gearbox with a manual mode. One big thing GMC tried to tackle in this new SUV was fuel efficiency. The 2.4L has an estimated 22 city and 32 mpg highway rating, which is unbelievably good. Even the V6 has a 17 city and 25 mpg highway rating while still maintaining 264 hp and 222 lb-ft torque and a towing capacity of 3500 lbs. So all in all I think the they did a great job in the fuel efficiency standpoint.

GMC Terrain Dash

So what about the looks a feel of the Terrain? The outside looks sleek and bold. It keeps the masculine look associated with GMC with flared fenders, big headlights, and a big bold grill. The interior was about the best I’ve seen from any GM brand in a long time. The contrast of textures and colors, the sophistication and ease of the center control panel, and the steering wheel and cluster look and feel gives the Terrain an upscale feel. During the drive the suspension felt smooth and direct and the power was never lacking. The Terrain drives with ease like a smaller car or SUV but with the look and feel of a bigger SUV.

I think that GMC and GM has really hit the nail on the head with the Terrain. I was very impressed and thats coming from someone that doesn’t like big SUV’s. I accept GMC will have a real hit on their hands with this one.

Buick LaCrosse

Next up was the all new Buick LaCrosse. Ever since I saw this car as a concept I pleaded for Buick to bring something with as bold and sporty design to the market. Needless to say I think the car looks great on the outside and seeing it in person did not disappoint. It will be offered with a 3.0 liter V6 with 255 HP (replaced later this year with a 2.4 liter four) or in the CXS top of the line you get GM’s 3.6 liter V6 pushing out 280 HP and 259 lb.-ft of torque, both with a six speed automatic gearbox with manual mode. The drive was smooth but not as smooth as you would expect from a Buick. The other thing I just can not get over, even arguing with others at the media event, was the interior. You could tell that they put a lot of thought into the layout and the materials in the car but it just didn’t seem as luxurious as the Terrain, or even any more than an Impala at that. I couldn’t put my finger on it, I just couldn’t get into the gray leather and gray dash and gray headliner. The one good thing that stuck in my head was the instrument panel with backlit gauges and a beautiful ice-blue ambient glow throughout the cabin. All in all I would say the LaCrosse’s design is a success but is it enough to draw people away from Acura or Lexus? I don’t think so.

Buick LaCrosse Dash

The big surprise after driving the Terrain and the LaCrosse was a set of new Camaros. Review coming soon! Tomorrow we check out what Ford, Dodge, and Toyota have for us.

check out the Photo Gallery HERE

Update: Hennessey’s LS9 Camaro SS w/Video

Adam Moore — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:19:58 +0000

Hennessey HPE700

Today we got to see new video of the overly insane project Hennessey has been working on. The first dyno pull to make it to YouTube with speaker busting exhaust notes and all. If you’ll take a second to remember why this project is so… well awesome, here you have a 2010 Camaro with a modified LS9 V8 engine named the Hennessey HPE700. LS9 you say? Yes that would be the same engine found in the ZR-1 Corvette, only finding a new home. With 645 HP at the rear wheels and 653 lb-ft of torque this monster will hang with the best of them. Again this is the first dyno we know about so more tuning may come. No word yet on when the project will be finished and what the planned price for the package will be but trust me, we are all ears.