Although the Camaro is a low-slung, high-style coupe, getting in and out of it isn't as hard as with the Corvette. You don't need to grab the steering wheel and door jamb to pull yourself up and out.
The rear-seat area is for children and canines only, however, and isn't really usable for grown-ups. But aft of the rear seat, there is still the handiness and openness of the hatchback body style. The huge glass hatch, though, may be somewhat of a problem for the vertically challenged to operate with total ease.
The interior has been up-graded substantially. Chevy designers changed the display graphics from their previous multicolored incarnation to a more peaceful and easy-to-read black and white.
The analog gauges include a speedometer, tachometer, voltmeter and trip odometer. There are also gauges that display coolant temperature and oil pressure.
The driver's controls are easy to reach and use. We liked the large rotary heater and air conditioning controls on our tester, which had high-contrast white graphics.
The Camaro's instruments are housed in a hooded pod that has ventilation outlets on its rim to add visual interest.
We found the seats a little flat around the middle, but otherwise comfortable and supportive - at least for short hauls. Over the course of a long trip, though, they might cause a bit of soreness.
Sitting in a Camaro is like sitting in a tunnel because the windshield glass is steeply angled; the top of the dashboard is so long that the windshield takes on a deep, slotlike appearance. And you can't see any sheet metal beyond the windshield wiper nacelle.
Rear and side vision is somewhat compromised by the camaro's giant roof panels and steeply angled backlight glass. Once you're used to this, though, it's quite a comfy cocoon.
Our Camaro had a truly throaty V6 (the kind that mimics the noisy shenanigans of the V8), provided really good torque for its displacement and moved our car smartly along when floored. And we got reasonably decent fuel economy thrown in. The engine did, however, tend to be a bit on the raucous side.
We also wished the 5-speed transmission was a bit smoother and less notchy and noisy. And shift quality was average to stiff. We can't help but wonder why, if all of the Japanese automakers can build quiet manual transmissions, can't General Motors get one from its suppliers?
The ride of all Camaros, we have discovered over the years, tends to be a bit on the rough side, but the grip is outstanding and the car follows orders beautifully through a power steering system that requires some driver participation. You don't have to actually lift your shoulders off the back of your seat to turn the steering wheel, but it does take some effort.
The Camaro tracks wonderfully, though, and likes to run down rural 2-laners as much as any of the sporty pretenders. Our car felt more solid and pulled-together than previous models, which were too flimsy when subjected to harsh conditions such as slushy roads.