2011 Chevrolet Camaro Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Chevrolet Camaro review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Camaro, and includes Chevy Camaro safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

Just in time for summer, a new Camaro Convertible model debuts, outfitted with the same engines and features as the existing Camaro Coupe models. Horsepower and torque ratings increase for the 3.6-liter V6 engine this year to ensure bragging rights over Ford. All Camaros get six free months of OnStar Directions and Connections service for 2011, the 2LT and 2SS models receive a standard head-up display, and Synergy Green is a new color choice. There’s also a new 2LS trim level designed to improve gas mileage, bumping the city fuel economy rating to 19 mpg and the highway rating to 30 mpg.

For 2011, the Chevrolet Camaro is sold in coupe or convertible format. Camaro Coupes are available in LS, LT, and SS trim levels, while the Camaro Convertible comes only in LT or SS trim. Chevy further defines its trim levels through 1LS, 2LS, 1LT, 2LT, 1SS, and 2SS equipment packages.

As the least expensive model in the lineup, the Camaro LS Coupe is pretty basic but it includes the amenities that have come to be expected on almost all modern cars. The LS is equipped with 18-inch gray-painted “heritage” steel wheels with bright trim rings. If you think they look a lot like the wheels that came on mid-1970s Camaros, we agree. New for 2011, the Camaro 2LS model has a six-speed automatic transmission, a restyled front end for improved aerodynamics, a rear spoiler, and a modified rear axle ratio, all to ensure that at least one Camaro can get 30 mpg on the highway.

The Camaro LT includes alloy wheels, fog lights, a power driver’s seat, and floor mats. Get the Camaro 2LT and you’ll enjoy leather seats, heated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, Boston Acoustics stereo speakers, Bluetooth, a USB port, a HomeLink universal remote, and a head-up display. The Camaro 2LT also comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, heated side mirrors with an auto-dimming feature for the driver, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, Ultrasonic rear parking assist, and an auxiliary gauge pack in the center console. Many of these upgrades can be added to the Camaro 1LT, but not all of them.

For maximum performance, the Camaro SS is the model you want. It has a powerful V8 engine, unique styling details including a rear spoiler, big 20-inch alloys, summer compound performance tires, a performance suspension, performance Brembo brakes, a limited slip differential, and a more aggressive rear axle ratio. The Camaro 1SS is fairly basic, a speedy Camaro without the comfort and convenience frippery. For a loaded Camaro SS, get the 2SS trim, outfitted exactly like the 2LT.

Camaro options are mainly available for the LT and SS models. Bluetooth, floor mats, an automatic transmission, aluminum wheels, and several fancy stripe packages are offered on the LS. The Camaro 1LT and 1SS can be optioned up to near 2LT and 2SS equipment levels, while the 2LT and 2SS models are available with a two-tone interior accent package, remote engine starting, and a power sunroof. An RS Package adds Xenon HID headlights with LED halo rings, special Midnight Silver 20-inch alloy wheels, unique taillights, and other detail changes on any Camaro LT or SS.

Depending on the level of performance you want, you’ll choose between the 3.6-liter V6 engine that comes on the Camaro LS and Camaro LT and the 6.2-liter V8 engine that’s standard on the Camaro SS.

With 312 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 278 pound-feet of torque at 5,100 rpm, the direct-injected V6 provides plenty of motive force. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard with this engine (except 2LS), and a six-speed automatic transmission with TapShift manual control is optional (except 2LS). The new Camaro 2LS has a six-speed automatic without TapShift, allowing it to achieve 19 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. For other LS and LT models, fuel economy ratings range from 17 mpg in the city with the manual gearbox to 29 mpg on the highway with the TapShift automatic.

The Camaro SS generates 426 horsepower at 5,900 rpm and 420 lb-ft of twist at 4,600 rpm, but to extract this amount of power out of the 6.2-liter V8 you gotta get the manual transmission. With the optional TapShift six-speed automatic, horsepower falls to an even 400 and torque drops to 410. Premium unleaded is recommended for this engine, but Chevy says it is not necessary. Regardless of transmission choice, the Camaro SS will get 16 mpg in the city. Highway estimates are 24 mpg with the manual and 25 mpg with the automatic.

With six airbags (no side curtains on the Camaro Convertible), traction and stability control, and four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with brake assist all featured as standard equipment, the 2011 Camaro includes a comprehensive set of modern safety features. The Camaro also includes Bluetooth hands-free calling for safer cell phone conversations, and the standard OnStar system features Automatic Crash Response service. Automatic Crash Response engages with an airbag deployment, and allows a live OnStar operator to dispatch rescue personnel to the car’s exact location even if the Camaro’s occupants are unable to respond after a crash. The Camaro LT and SS are also available with an Ultrasonic rear parking assist system that helps to detect objects, such as children, that might be hidden behind the Camaro’s tall trunk.

Unfortunately, neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has performed crash tests on the Camaro as this review is written. The NHTSA changed the way it calculates ratings for 2011, so results from last year’s test of the 2010 Camaro do not apply.

As far as predictions for reliability are concerned, Consumer Reports is more optimistic than J.D. Power and Associates. The former expects reliability to be better than average, while the latter predicts average dependability over time.

Last year, we tested a Camaro 2LT with the RS Package and decided that the Camaro was built for cruising in style rather than serious canyon carving, mainly because it needs to shed weight and size while improving its steering and brakes. This year, we gave the Camaro 2SS a try, and the car was equipped identically to our 2LT from 2010.

While we really enjoyed driving the 400-horsepower SS, to the tune of a 14.6-mpg average, our complaints about the Camaro remain. It is hard to see out of the car, which makes it difficult to hustle on a tight, winding road. The car is long, wide, and heavy, and while the 20-inch wheels and tires do a commendable job of gripping the road and the Nurburgring-tuned four-wheel independent suspension makes the car easy to toss into a turn, going fast is more work than pleasure. Manual shifting using the buttons on the steering wheel isn’t ideal, there’s no manual gate for the shifter, and the transmission frequently behaves in unexpected ways. And while the SS model’s Brembo brakes prove incredibly competent, brake pedal feel is unsatisfactory.

As a result, the Camaro SS is best when blasting down a straight, or when bending through a high-speed sweeping curve, or when cruising Main Street on a Friday night. We also think the SS would benefit from some exhaust note tuning to make it sound meaner both from the driver’s seat and from outside the car.

The Camaro is currently outselling the Ford Mustang, and it’s easy to see why. The Chevy has more style, more presence, and an interior that transports its owners back to the 1960s like a time machine. But for serious driving, the lighter, smaller, and easier to place Mustang is our pick.

Basically, you’ve got your Chevy people, your Dodge people, and your Ford people. The sporty coupe that you buy is likely dictated by your loyalty to one brand or another, and you shall not be swayed by what some so-called expert has to say about the Camaro’s size, steering, transmission, brakes, or exhaust note. So buy yourself a new Camaro, now available in convertible flavor, and enjoy it.

By Christian Wardlaw