2010 Camaro
“Four-Cylinder Camaro.” Now there are three words that, in a perfect world, would never come together. It’s true, though, GM is studying the “feasibility” of a 4-cylinder Camaro. It’s difficult to look at pix of the upcoming Camaro and not hear only the rumbling of an LS3 V8 through dual tailpipes. So, is GM mad or on the money?
With $4 gas, a 4-cyl. Camaro starts to make sense – but only when you know which 4-cylinder they’re talking about. Chevy tried a 4-banger Camaro in the early 1980s. With 92 horsepower and 134 lb.-ft. of torque from the “Iron Duke” 4-banger, that was a clear mistake.
Flash forward to 2010, and you might see a 4-cyl. Camaro with the direct-injection turbo 2.0-liter currently used in the Chevy’s Cobalt and HHR SS models, as well as the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline roadsters. In those models, this mighty mouse pumps out an impressive 260 horsepower at 5,300 rpm and a really impressive 260 lb.-ft. of torque at just 2,000 rpm. That compares well to the 252 hp and 251 lb.-ft. for the Malibu’s optional 3.6-liter V6. A 300-hp version is rumored, too. (The direct-injection, 300-hp Cadillac version of the V6 will likely power a mid-line Camaro.)
The turbo 2.0 can pull the 3,000-lb. Cobalt SS from zero to 60 mph in under 6 seconds and through the quarter mile in 14 seconds flat at nearly 104 mph, according to Edmunds.com INSIDE LINE. That kind of performance would put many a classic Camaro on the trailer. And just as impressive are gas mileage ratings higher than those of the normally aspirated Cobalt motors. More power with less gas — hard to argue with that.
Without knowing the new Camaro’s weight, one can only guess at performance and fuel economy numbers. But figure 3,600 lbs. for a turbo 4, and zero-to-60 in under 7 seconds and a high-14 quarter-mile seem doable, along with 27-29 highway mpg. Ford tried turbo Mustangs in the 1980s, and the SVO model was right in that performance/economy ballpark. But with $1.20 gas, most shunned the cultish SVO for the cheaper and faster V8 models.
Let’s see if $4 gas changes buyers’ attitudes.
Anything can be done. There are turbocharged 4 cylinder imports making 500+ Horsepower and they are daily driven. I have a Turbocharged Mustang Cobra that averages 22mpg with approx. 550 RWHP. I am just a guy with some tools and an idea. They are a multi million dollar enterprise. If I can do this imagine what they can do.
A turbo Camaro would be a bold step. Ford is working on some interesting “EcoBoost” turbo motors too. I owned a ’91 Mustang 5.0 LX but was a big fan of the SVO, even though it was more expensive. I thought, at the time, that turbo 4′s were going to become a lot bigger. But gas stayed cheap and computer-controlled fuel injection made V8′s more attractive for most performance buyers. The 87-88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe was an underrated car, too.