Eric's Autos: 2024 Chevy Camaro

It's a strange and sad thing when one of the most popular, best-known cars ever made is about to fade away.

Not because of anything it did, either.

That car -- in this case -- is the Chevy Camaro, which was one of the bestselling vehicles on the market back in the mid-to-late 1970s and through the entirety of the '80s.

Soon, it won't be selling at all.

What It Is

The Camaro is Chevrolet's alternative to the Mustang, which was the car that singlehandedly created such enormous demand for cars of this type after its 1964 debut that a new name for vehicles of this type -- the pony car -- was created for them.

They were smaller than muscle cars -- and less ponderous. They didn't have to be muscular, either -- which a muscle car had to be else it isn't one. While you could get a muscular pony car, that aspect was optional. What was always standard was fun -- and enough room for four (even if there wasn't much room for two of the four) in a good-looking package that almost everyone liked.

And which almost anyone could afford.

That latter has changed a lot over the years -- and it is part of the reason why Camaro no longer sells as well as it used to. And that's part of the reason why it's going away.

You do get a lot more for the money today -- including a standard 3.6-liter V6 that makes a lot more power than most classic-era Camaro's V8s put out. Plus standard features such as 18-inch wheels, a six-speed manual transmission and a six-speaker stereo that weren't even available as options during the Camaro's heyday back in the '70s and '80s.

Prices start at $30,900 for the base 1LT trim with the above equipment standard.

A 2LT -- which stickers for $32,900 -- adds heated and ventilated front seats and dual-zone climate control AC.

The $36,900 3LT coupe includes a nine-speaker Bose audio system, a heated steering wheel, customizable ambient interior lighting and a wireless cellphone charger, among other upgrades.

If you'd like a lot more engine (and power) to go with that, the high-performance LT1 ($38,800) has what you're wanting. It comes standard with a 6.2-liter V8, an engine oil cooler, high-performance Brembo disc brakes up front, a 20-inch wheel/tire package and heavy-duty suspension.

The SS (Super Sport) is basically the same Camaro but with Brembo brakes all around, more aggressive "summer" tires on the 20-inch wheels, a rear spoiler and "SS" badging. It stickers for $42,300.

At the apex of the Camaro lineup is the $72,100 ZL1 -- which shares its name with the biggest-engined, most muscular Camaro you could buy back in the day. Today, a ZL1 has a lot more muscle -- courtesy of what can be thought of as steroids for an engine. That is to say, a supercharger for the 6.2-liter V8 that adds almost 200 more horsepower. Also included are even more aggressive tires -- and even more capable brakes -- along with a host of related high-performance upgrades.

Most trims are also available as convertibles too.

The Camaro's only direct competition is, of course, the Mustang -- which is similarly laid out and comparably priced.

What's New For 2024

For the Camaro's final year, Chevy has added a Collector Edition -- a $4,995 package that can be added to most Camaros. It includes special Panther Black metallic paint with center stripe, a set of 20-inch matte black wheels with black lug nuts, a carbon fiber front air splitter, suede microfiber-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel and Camaro Collector Edition badging inside and out.

Also, for the Camaro's last year, the previously standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four has been dropped.

What's Good

-- Standard V6 replaces previously standard turbo four -- and outguns Mustang's standard turbo four.

-- Manual transmission is standard with the V6; it isn't available anymore with the Mustang's standard turbo four.

-- Backseats give you a place to put what won't fit in the tiny (9.1-cubic-foot) trunk.

What's Not So Good

-- Camaro is well equipped but too expensive for the mostly young buyers who like cars like this.

-- Two-seater Corvette has more space for cargo than four-seater Camaro.

-- GM is giving up on Camaro.

Under the Hood

The 2024 Camaro's standard engine is a 3.6-liter, 335 horsepower V6 paired up with a six-speed manual transmission. It's a bigger, stronger engine than the Mustang's standard 2.3-liter, 315 horsepower four-cylinder engine -- which is also paired up only with an automatic transmission.

The Camaro's optional 6.2-liter, 455 horsepower V8 is the most powerful and biggest V8 Chevy has put into a mass-produced Camaro.

This engine is also available with either a standard six-speed manual or (optionally) a 10-speed automatic.

On the Road

The base (V6-powered) Camaro gets to 60 mph in about five seconds. That is quicker than all the V8-powered Z28 Camaros made from the beginning -- back in 1967 -- all the way through the early '90s, by which time a Z28 was just about as quick as a V6 Camaro is today.

The V8 Camaro is a ferocious car -- even without the supercharger that comes with the ZL1. It is the apotheosis of Camaro performance.

The Camaro's handling -- and its ride -- are better with either engine than either ever was -- in part because this last-of-the-line Camaro shares its basic chassis with the Cadillac CT4 which, of course, is a luxury-sport sedan. A kind of four-door Camaro, if you like. Or, if you prefer, the Camaro is a two-door CT4.

It's pretty much the same thing either way.

At the Curb

The last Camaro is designed to remind us of the first Camaro -- the one that made its debut back in '67 and carried over to '69. It has similarly hunky styling, and it's immediately recognizable as what it is.

The new -- and last -- Camaro is a little smaller than the first-generation '67-'69 Camaro, which was 184.7 inches long -- but it rides on a longer (110.7-inch) wheelbase versus the '67-'69's 108-inch wheelbase, which makes it appear longer.

Interestingly, the current Camaro stands about 2 inches taller than a '67-'69 did. It's interesting because it feels a lot tighter inside the new Camaro, especially in the backseat.

The Rest

Camaros have never been cars with much backseat passenger room, but this Camaro has the least of any of them. Especially insofar as rear-seat headroom, which drops 6 inches from up front, where there's 38.5 inches. In the back, just 32.5 inches. That -- more than the 29.9 inches of backseat legroom -- makes the Camaro effectively a two-seater, with the backseats making up for the extremely small (9.1-cubic-foot) trunk.

The Bottom Line

If you want a new pony car that isn't a Mustang, this is your last chance.

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Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.