Camaro has been a poorly designed and executed car for some time. Chevy and Dodge appear to have just packed it in for the Camaro and Challenger. Ford is much more forward thinking with the electric Mustang.
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The Car Thread ... !
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American performance cars have always provided lots of HP for your buck, but with a relatively crude overall design (this is of course a big generalization, there are plenty of exceptions, but I think it's a valid one nonetheless). Maybe with the Camaro GM just went a little too basic on the overall package? I feel like the styling of the Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro are all somewhat blandly macho, and of those the Camaro is the least interesting. It looks like an RWD Malibu (i.e. airport rental car) on steroids.
I don't necessarily think it's a bad car, but the muscle car segment is relatively high-cost, low volume, low profit. I'm sure GM would rather not have to build the Camaro at all and just sell a few thousand more Silverados or Yukons.
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I think, in the interest of selling more cars, there was a shift in the recent Mustang and Camaro revivals to make the cars better to drive every day. Mustang seems to have gotten it.
The Camaro is just an unfathomly bad car to commute in or daily. The trunk is a joke, the visibility out the front is bad, and you're going to kill someone if you don't pay extra for the blind spot monitors in the 2SS package. The whole thing feels so dated and it's just not good.
It seems the car buying public are becoming increasingly intolerant of uncompromising, or specialized, designs.
People want heavy-duty trucks that ride comfortably, are full of luxury touches, and yet can still haul and tow. People want sports cars with superior performance to the sports cars of yesteryear - but are quiet*, easier to drive in traffic and can haul the kids around. Advances in automotive technology can meet these demands to a certain extent, but I think this approach also contributes to the increasing blandness of automobiles. They are all becoming increasingly more alike.
* except when they want them to sound growly...which is why many performance cars are now equipped with some sort of fake exhaust sound generator, cabin sound pipes, or other engine sound "enhancement." I suppose it's just a logical evolutionary step towards entirely artificial engine noise when the transition to electrics is complete.
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Honestly, the muscle car has some appeal, but after owning a luxury small car with a big engine, the appeal of big muscle cars has all but evaporated.
Most people buying trucks never use them for their intended purpose.
People sometimes question/make fun of the oil cooler that was standard on NA market '62-74 MGBs(and I don't think was fitted standard anywhere in the world-it was a competition/racing option). Most of the year, it overkill, but a good portion of the country also sees multiple days of 90ºF+ weather, and it's nice to have on those days. I do blank mine off when temperatures get cold.
Despite the "reputation" of older British cars for overheating, mine actually does well even in miserably hot weather. I do see the temperature gauge creeping up uncomfortably high in stop-and-go hot weather traffic, but that's about it-that's more the result of the mechanical fan not moving that much air at idle speeds, and there not being much/any ram air to cool the radiator. The later ones with electric fans(but no oil cooler) tend to hold their temperatures down a bit better under these conditions.
Your S4? I feel like the S4 could do with a faster engine. You tend to need to step up to the S line just to match whatever BMW offers in that class with their biggest motor for it stuck in there. I think the A4/S4 is getting revamped in a year, right? New everything.
The numbers don't work that way
Audi A4 and BMW 330i have approximately 250 HP
Audi S4 and BMW 340i have approximately 350 HP
The RS4 is the M3 competitor.
382 HP for the 340i, actually. Probably higher knowing the Germans. You're thinking of the old model. The MPPSK package (when BMW decides to release it) should give around 15-20 more HP and anywhere from 10-30 ft. lb of torque, not to mention sound louder.
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And also isn't sold in the US and hasn't been in a while. The 2020 model may provided there's an official announcement.
That said, I find it a little alarming to spend around $60,000 on a performance orientated 3 series or Audi or MBZ that isn't the highly tuned version. I'm also at the age where the stiff chassis of an M car isn't nice to my back. By all accounts, I've read nothing but good about Audi RS models because they aren't as harsh. And having driven AMG, it's obviously comfortable.
Edit: That said, I feel that my memory of you getting an S4 is absent. You had a black on black A4, right? Did you get the S4 around last July or August?
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I have heard the SS sedan being called a RWD Malibu because of its vanilla looks, but never Camaro.....
First time I guess for everything.....
heh my 2000 Prizm (a 5-speed stick) has only a radio and cassette tape gig and no aux-input. That became the least of my concerns once I found several alternate ways of letting an iPod feed the speakers. But the iron worms are starting to emerge now around the wheel wells, so I look around at some newer new-to-me options now and discover it's getting harder to find a stick shift in a regular ol' utilitarian point A to point B vehicle
I used to daydream that my next car would be an electric or more probably a hybrid because I frequently still make day trips that are around 180-200 miles RT, and don't feel like hanging out for a recharge... but the prices for electrics with decent range seem prohibitive and anyway I'm getting on in years.
I'm no fan of aging drivers doing 30 in a 55 zone and similar antics, so I always said I'd hang up my own license by time I was 80 max. Starting to hope the Prizm will behave itself and resist serious iron worms well enough to last a few more years... because I just don't see another used gasoline-drinking car that I feel like springing for so far. New ones look to be pricey enough they remind me that I bought and renovated my HOUSE a long time ago.
You can pick up a used Prius fairly cheap and for the most part they generally seem to have good longevity. Nissan Leafs (full EV’s) can be had for dirt cheap, though they have limited range and charging speed. Chevy Bolts are pretty cheap used too (plug in hybrid). I suppose if you’re in need of a replacement vehicle but aren’t looking for a long term commitment, you could always lease.
I'm way too cheap for leasing something (although I have thought about it a few times) or even borrowing money for a car. I'm most likely to scout up a Toyota winter rat that's good enough so a nextgen can use it for awhile after I quit driving. The import place I deal with sometimes gets a decent trade-in and details it out and sells it instead of shipping it to the wholesalers. That's how I got the Prizm that I'd spent months looking for last time I was car shopping.
The Bolt's not a bad idea though... the price range is just way more than I'd want to lay out at this point. I would keep thinking forever yeah but what if live into my 90s and still want a new laptop every so often. I've always liked the idea of plunking down cash for a new-to-me car after I get my mechanic to look it over. Just takes awhile to hunt the right car down... Of course so far I've been fortunate with my oldies in only having to change the oil and get some brake work done once in awhile, short of a couple of body shop trips for deer hits, but the insurance has covered those.
They all come from the same basic design language. That's not a bad thing (every automaker does the same), but some interpretations work better than others. Plus, style is subjective. I find it a bit too slabby. Others like it, and that's fine.
Oh I know. Just saying never had someone connect Camaro with Malibu before that’s all.
I know styling is subjective( but I believe who ever liked the 2019 Camaro SS front end needs a psych evaluation
)
I know styling is subjective( but I believe who ever liked the 2019 Camaro SS front end needs a psych evaluation
That was not a successful look. On the other hand (I say half-seriously), it's going to be collectible, now that they've changed it after just one year...
In all-seriousness, there is absolutely nothing remotely collectible about the 2019 Camaro (Regardless of one production year). And I say this without any prejudice towards GM.
Liz you live in mountaintops area so go wilt some with at least all wheel drive type cars with a good set of spare winter tires!
At the risk of sounding like a grouchy old masochist, I think AWD/4WD is a little bit overrated. FWD cars have pretty docile handling characteristics, and safe stopping and handling in the rain/snow have everything to do with your tires (and to a lesser extent, traction/stability control) and not the number of driven wheels. I live in a very snowy area and while there is no doubt that AWD is convenient, it can also lead to overconfidence - I can't tell you how often I see SUV's sliding around on garbage tires, while our local taxi (a beat up old Crown Vic, they also have a battered FWD minivan) gets along just fine on its snow tires. Snow tires are like magic. I am referring here to driving on roads - off-road driving is of course a different kettle of fish.
And of course once electric cars take over everything will be AWD and thus this question will be moot.
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While I’m generally not a fan of leasing, I think you’d be surprised on how cheap of lease deals you might be able to find. Especially if you do limited driving and aren’t looking for a long term commitment. Plus you don’t have to worry about out of warranty repairs and maintenance may be included.
While you can’t go wrong with Toyota, I’d also recommend looking at Subaru. Good reliability and AWD is a plus in our northeast climate. Many of the newer models have CVT transmissions which I’m not a fan of but if you’re looking for an older model they’re all traditional automatics or manuals.