Hertz - 2012 Chevy Camaro 2SS Coupe Ride Report/Review

http://carrentingreviews.com/2012/06/28/2012-chevy-camaro-2ss-coupe/

PBAR
15/24




PROS:

- Attention grabbing
- Marvelous car-shaking V-8 rumbling
- HUD works well in all lighting conditions
- Garishly bright Inferno Orange Metallic paint looks lovely
- Upgraded Boston Acoustics audio system sounds excellent
- Brembo brakes have fantastic stopping power
- Steering has good road feel, not too heavy
- Stable, planted handling

CONS:

- Very limited headroom
- Poor visibility
- Poor interior quality, hard seats
- Still feels too heavy and porky
- Poor real world fuel economy

CONCLUSION: The 2012 Chevy Camaro 2SS Coupe is a much better option than the base Camaro due to its larger engine. General detractions such as poor quality interior and reduced visibility remain. You will have fun with this rental however!

All I can say is... that's a pretty cool car :cool:

I think it's great how there's all this high-tech stuff (the HUD, back-up sensors/rear-view camera, etc.) yet they can still make it look retro (the 4-gauge cluster, etc.).

One thing that surprised me was the gear shifter -- it looks like the same kind of set-up as the 2012 Malibu I rented last October (6 speed with a manual mode, although that had a rocker switch versus the Camaro's paddle shifters). I would have expected something more similar to the Corvette's shifter handle which allows you to use that to shift gears (although that has paddle shifters too...).

I'm also shocked about the gas mileage -- that's pathetic! It's almost enough to make me want to avoid this car. But I still think it's a really exciting car and hope I can get it once :)

-J.

All I can say is... that's a pretty cool car :cool:

I think it's great how there's all this high-tech stuff (the HUD, back-up sensors/rear-view camera, etc.) yet they can still make it look retro (the 4-gauge cluster, etc.).

One thing that surprised me was the gear shifter -- it looks like the same kind of set-up as the 2012 Malibu I rented last October (6 speed with a manual mode, although that had a rocker switch versus the Camaro's paddle shifters). I would have expected something more similar to the Corvette's shifter handle which allows you to use that to shift gears (although that has paddle shifters too...).

I'm also shocked about the gas mileage -- that's pathetic! It's almost enough to make me want to avoid this car. But I still think it's a really exciting car and hope I can get it once :)

-J.

Thanks jzweighaft!

The Corvette you rented has a comparable EPA fuel economy of 15/25; what was your average economy, and was it primarily highway?

Thanks jzweighaft!

The Corvette you rented has a comparable EPA fuel economy of 15/25; what was your average economy, and was it primarily highway?

That makes sense since I'm pretty sure it's the same LS3 V8 in both of them. But the vette gets an extra 30 horsepower over the Camaro :confused: My driving was IIRC an equal mix of city and highway, perhaps a little more of the latter, and I averaged just under 25mpg. But I was also pushing the engine like you were on the side streets :p (or was I?)

-J.

That makes sense since I'm pretty sure it's the same LS3 V8 in both of them. But the vette gets an extra 30 horsepower over the Camaro :confused: My driving was IIRC an equal mix of city and highway, perhaps a little more of the latter, and I averaged just under 25mpg. But I was also pushing the engine like you were on the side streets :p (or was I?)

-J.

There is potential for better fuel economy with the Corvette as it's about 800 lbs lighter than the Camaro SS convertible. Then again the Corvette has more power so it all depends on how you drive it :)

PROS:

- Attention grabbing
- Marvelous car-shaking V-8 rumbling
- HUD works well in all lighting conditions
- Garishly bright Inferno Orange Metallic paint looks lovely
- Upgraded Boston Acoustics audio system sounds excellent
- Brembo brakes have fantastic stopping power
- Steering has good road feel, not too heavy
- Stable, planted handling

CONS:

- Very limited headroom
- Poor visibility
- Poor interior quality, hard seats
- Still feels too heavy and porky
- Poor real world fuel economy


I just rented one of these in MCO for a long weekend. It only had 12,000 miles on it and was in good shape. I was impressed with it. I thought the leather seats were actually kind of nice, I was expecting worse. The interior was so quiet it was hard to hear the V8 rumble. I agree with the poor visibility but the backup camera in the rear view mirror was nice. I loved the heads up display.

Mine was black and my wife commented that everyone was staring at us at stoplights.

Do you ever see those morons at stoplights who floor it and go fast. I was one of those morons at tollbooths and stoplights in Florida. It was fun!

I'm curious, are all the Camaros SS for rental at Hertz all "inferno orange metallic" or are these cars black as the picture on their website?
Never drove one and booked one for a vacation trip to HNL in a few weeks. Not so sure if I like the "Attention grabbing" factor you mention here. Well, black looks less attention grabbing than inferno orange metallic...:rolleyes:

:confused: Should I stick to a more standard type of car in HNL (I literally mean the Standard Nissan Altima 2-door or similar) or keep the reservation on the Camaro (and pay more for it!)? Any thoughts?

I'm curious, are all the Camaros SS for rental at Hertz all "inferno orange metallic" or are these cars black as the picture on their website?
Never drove one and booked one for a vacation trip to HNL in a few weeks. Not so sure if I like the "Attention grabbing" factor you mention here. Well, black looks less attention grabbing than inferno orange metallic...:rolleyes:

:confused: Should I stick to a more standard type of car in HNL (I literally mean the Standard Nissan Altima 2-door or similar) or keep the reservation on the Camaro (and pay more for it!)? Any thoughts?

They're not all orange. I saw a coupe and convertible (both SS) in the Gold Choice upgrade aisle at SLC the other day. Neither one was orange but I can't remember for the life of me what color they actually were. Definitely not orange though.

FWIW I think I've seen red ones in the past.

Also I strongly doubt you'd actually get the Altima coupe... they don't have a ton of cars in HNL (I mean it's a decent location but remember the Island is only so big...), I'd expect you'd get upgraded to an Altima sedan or Impala or something.

-J.

They're not all orange. I saw a coupe and convertible (both SS) in the Gold Choice upgrade aisle at SLC the other day. Neither one was orange but I can't remember for the life of me what color they actually were. Definitely not orange though.

FWIW I think I've seen red ones in the past.

Also I strongly doubt you'd actually get the Altima coupe... they don't have a ton of cars in HNL (I mean it's a decent location but remember the Island is only so big...), I'd expect you'd get upgraded to an Altima sedan or Impala or something.

-J.

Thank you for your quick reply!. Then I'd might need to add a note to the reservation: "no orange cars, please" :)

I'm currently wondering if to take a SS convertible for a trip down to Key West, just read your review of the hardtop and thinking 12mpg and 160mi trip is not good maths especially since I have a heavy right foot. The V8 sound is infectious though like a rural opera, I would imagine you forget the cramped interior, small trunk and poor visibility the minute you turn the key. I have an Infiniti booked for the first few days of my rental and for the last two days I decided to take my bro to the keys(he hasn't been to Miami in 12years) If not the SS convertible...What do you guys suggest for the ride down?

I'm currently wondering if to take a SS convertible for a trip down to Key West, just read your review of the hardtop and thinking 12mpg and 160mi trip is not good maths especially since I have a heavy right foot. The V8 sound is infectious though like a rural opera, I would imagine you forget the cramped interior, small trunk and poor visibility the minute you turn the key. I have an Infiniti booked for the first few days of my rental and for the last two days I decided to take my bro to the keys(he hasn't been to Miami in 12years) If not the SS convertible...What do you guys suggest for the ride down?

It's only 160 miles; take the convertible. :)

Agree with Dr Zoidberg...... take the convertible.

You can read my assessment here (http://themotor.net/?p=427). I think my enthusiasm for the car should be fairly clear!

I have had all of the adrenaline collection cars and prefer the Challenger over them all. The lines are great on the exterior and the interior is the biggest of all of them. The truck is HUGE and would be perfect for the suitcases for 3 adults and a kid. The throttle is very responsive and the engine noise sounds great.

I know this is a review of the Camaro SS so I will get into that now.

I have had the Coupe and Convertible from Hertz. They have yellow, black, and orange. The interior is nice with leather and the HUD. The engine is kind of quiet unless the top is down. Visibility is the biggest issue with this car. The front pillars are massive and block a good 25-30 degrees of visibility in the front and the back glass is small to begin with but also high up on the rear of the car which cuts true visibility way down to where you are almost forced to use the rear view camera.

They are all fun cars to drive and you can't go wrong with any of them. If you are in a warm climate you can't go wrong with a convertible.