Test drive Chevrolet Camaro 1997 - 2002 compartment

»Kamarinsky» Man

In the USA, the name Camaro has long been a household name - a common definition of a sports car. Not so much a car as a lifestyle.
Camaro is a whole layer of American culture.
See who came
It is difficult to say how it is all over the world there, but among Russian car consumers a very stable stereotype of the American machine has developed - a large, spacious, comfortable and powerful, with a very soft suspension, with a single front -line -raised, automatic gearbox and sticking behind the steering wheel a poker for switching it. A sort of imposing barge, which is not just going, but proudly and importantly floats on the asphalt seas.
Our instance with one appearance to fluff carries similar ideas. Blood-red, with a predatory wedge-shaped nose-the aggressive-sustainable appearance speaks for itself, leaving no doubt about its capabilities and intentions. There are not many cars in the world with such an expressive, elegant-muscular appearance. A stretched spring, a compressed spring, a predator before a decisive jump, the last image logically completes a very convincing and serious roar of a tuned exhaust - a branded American bauble!
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 1997 model year. This year is anniversary for him - thirty years have passed since the moment this animal cub was born in the bowels of General Motors. From the first day of the birth, Camaro has become an outstanding example of a sports car, designed in a classic American style. And impressive technical characteristics, combined with an affordable price, determined its high popularity at home. Despite all sorts of delights in modern automotive fashion, GM designers were able to stay on the subtle face today, beyond which the car practically loses its own face, becoming one of many. I am glad that in the current Camaro they were able to preserve it with a special, unique spirit.
But the one who sits in me ...
The massive door is gently slammed, and you fall into the special world. The fact that on the other side of the glasses immediately goes somewhere far, far, and only two remain throughout the universe-you and Camaro are done so that in a few seconds the driver merges with the car and feels like a whole with him. The turn of the ignition key - and this feeling is reinforcing many times, filling the soul with extraordinary enthusiasm and pride: a telepathic connection arises between you, a silent dialogue begins. A powerful and beautiful mechanical beast, playing with his steel muscles, as if he says: the owner, I am ready, order, why are you hesitating! - And what do you can? - Everything, absolutely everything you want, you and I are the best, we are the strongest, we are the fastest! ..
Mystic, tell me? Maybe so, but the central figure in Camaro, only the one who is driving is recognized as its inner rod. Everyone else is secondary. A deep and comfortable seat with electrical adjustments, the shape of which someone seemed to deliberately adjusted to yours and only your body; Devices and control lamps are perfectly visible and readable; There are exactly as much buttons and switches as necessary - nothing superfluous and all of them are in sight and easily reached. Fat, covered with soft genuine leather, with characteristic protrusions on the inside of the rim and the height adjustable in height itself lies in the hands. No extra body movements, all under constant control.
A high central console, where under the right hand - the gearbox, an ashtray and a box for road trifles, is created by a barrier that separates the world of the right passenger sitting at the wheel from the world. The middle part of the front panel with ventilation controls, air conditioning and music center is turned into your side and only your side. Possible satellites are assigned the role of passive statists, entirely dependent on the main character.
Let's go, beauty, ride
The front passenger (or rather - the passenger) was still lucky. She is allowed to sit with a certain convenience in a similar seat. For its fitting, efforts are already required, since it can be adjusted only in two traditional positions and only mechanically. At the disposal of the companion, an ashtray, one cup holder, she will be able to open the window on her part and, after trying, reach the music center. It's all. And we will not listen to the complaints of those on whom a short skirt, and our legs have to be lifted almost on the shoulder level. Why be shy if the legs are in order and the linen is beautiful?
Those who were lucky enough to get into the back seat remains to be content with the position of guests, and not the most important. It is placed below the front ones, and sitting on it can see, in essence, only the backs of those sitting in front - from the surrounding world they are separated by wide continuous side racks, and only through a huge rear window does a piece of heaven look through. Fasten to fasten and surrender to the mercy of the Lord - nothing else was given to them. Even the famous American cup holders! And who, in fact, are these passengers in the back seat? Girlfriends of the owner's girlfriend? Children? Favorite dog? They will all be fine. And in general: for a sports coupe, the level of comfort of the rear passengers is very high - this is probably one of the most characteristic features of American sports cars.
He said we went!
In the movement, our Camaro justified the most daring assumptions. 290 hot American horses of an eight-cylinder V-shaped motor with a volume of 5.7 liters, known as LT1, significantly swing the car if the gas pedal is slightly pressed in place. You feel how he is ready to break off and go to the point in a matter of seconds. The way it is. The seat is literally imprinted in the body, and a certain effort is required so as not to break the back of the head against the headrest. According to some reports, Z28 easily polishes the rubber from a place to hundreds in 6 seconds. By the way, for lovers of a sharp start or turn on the site with slipping, it provides for the possibility of disconnecting the ASR (anti -circus system). If you want more sports, please, click the button, just do not forget that with a sharp start, even at dry asphalt without ASR, your Z28 is quite capable of just turning 90 degrees on the spot.
In our copy is a traditional mechanical checkpoint, but emphasized sports - six -speed. The course of the gearbox lever is short, the inclusion of the gears is quite clear (and how can it be otherwise!). Thanks to the elastic motor and well -chosen gear ratios of the transmission, the car perfectly picks up at low speed without switching to a lower gear. The quality, in our opinion, is very important for the city traffic mode. You crawl out for yourself quietly in traffic, but there was an opportunity - a r -once, a sharp jump, and you took a new, more convenient niche in the stream. This is very important for maneuvers on a loaded highway, especially when you overtake a sluggish column of gardeners and gardeners.
A special system will not allow the motor crossroads with sharp acceleration and at the maximum permissible speeds will remind you of the need to switch to a higher gear - the inscription Low Track will light up on the dashboard and the speed will fall at the same time.
The steering is worthy of the most enthusiastic reviews. I would like to complain, but nothing to. The suspension left pleasant impressions. It turned out to be stiff enough, which is befitting a real sports car, but does not force me to recalculate all the tubercles and potholes of the bridge. The behavior of the car in steep turns on dry asphalt at a speed of about 80-90 km/h was completely under control - a small roll, and only everything. Of course, on a slippery road, everything will be different, but what's the point of passing it at higher speeds? This is an extreme situation, and we decided not to produce experiments, since it is quite obvious that the supply of stability and controllability is very, very great.
In the current form, Camaro has existed since 1993. During this time, only minor modernization occurred. Our copy is a jubilee, and there is little from the previous ones: the central console of a new, more convenient and ergonomic design, an automatic system for turning on overall lights for day and night, the new Delco musical system with Bose, a CD changer on 12 disks and an amazing The purity of sound, as well as cast aluminum alloy discs with five knitting needles. However, it is impossible not to note one feature of the interior of the interior - a typical American lack of taste: a fairly rudeness of design, coupled with the use of materials completely unable to each other - good skin of elegant gray color and panels made of gray banal plastic, the quality of the fitting of which leaves much to be desired. In general, Camaro deserves the only definition: a serious and correct car with a serious character. It is for those who are vital for the process of driving a car, and not just movements, albeit comfortable and fast. It is for those who need to express their own self, stand out from the faceless crowd, demonstrate a combination of high style, energy and strength.
The editors thanks the company Art Motors, (095) 245 8450, which provided a car for the test.
For the period of the test, the car was insured in the insurance company of the Resa-Garantia, (095) 250 3600, 255 6834, 254 2272.
About the owners of Chevrolet Camaro, first of all, one unpleasant thing should be said - they fight more often than others. This is evidenced with certainty by American insurance statistics of the last fifth anniversary. The second place is occupied by a minimal margin of GEO Tracker, followed by Pontiac Firebird, in the fourth position of the Hyundai Coupe.
It is foolish to argue with numbers. Nevertheless, General Motors hastened to warn potential buyers against their incorrect interpretation. The point is not that Camaro has poorly thought out active, passive or any other security. The point is the character of the driver. Insurers do not argue with a respected company - which does not prevent them from setting an increased insurance tariff for Camaro.
The updated Chevrolet Camaro 1998 of the model year still has the opportunity to officially buy only Americans (it is interesting that more than 40 percent of overseas owners are women). However, the version prepared for Europe is already undergoing tests and will soon go on sale. In any case, the line has already lined up for it. Among the first lucky ones will be, according to rumors, the famous Italian striker Roberto Bajo and stubbornly younger Alain Delon, who made an order last year.
At the Russian representative office of GM, we were assured that both local official dealers have already received permission to accept orders for the new Camaro. Meanwhile, the official dealers themselves did not hear anything about this permission. And moreover: this question is not very interested in them, since there is no buying interest completely.
Camaro of the old years in Moscow, meanwhile, come across. One of them, in particular, is owned by Bogdan Titomir. But, as they say, the circle of these machines is narrow, and a sharp increase in their number is not expected. If 25 cars can be sold in a year, I will be very happy, ”Alexander Moynov shared with the autopilot, the Russian GM corporation sales manager.
Model/Modification Chevrolet Camaro Z28
General Motors Corporation manufacturer
STRAN-manufacturer USA
BODY
Type of coupe
Number of doors/places 3/4
ENGINE
Type gasoline, multi -point injection, ohv
Front location, longitudinally
Working volume, cubic meter 5736
Number/location of cylinders 8/V-shaped
Cylinder diameter/ piston stroke, mm 101.6/ 88.4
Compression degree 10.4: 1
The number of valves per cylinder 2
Power, kW (p.) At about./Min. 213 (290) at 5200
Max. Torque, NM at about./min. 441 at 2400
TRANSMISSION
Rear -wheel drive
Gearbox 6-speed mechanical or 4-speed automatic (option)
Differential disconnected anti -circus
SUSPENSION
The anterior independent, transverse lever, a spring -loaded stand, reptile stabilizer
The rear spring, unreasonable beam of the bridge with a reptile stability stabilizer
STEERING
Type gear rack with a hydraulic booster
Transportable number 14.4: 1
Min. Turn diameter, m 12.4
Brakes
Front disk, ventilated
Rear discs, ventilated
ABS standard equipment
Wheels
Size and type of tires P235/55 R16 or P245/50R16
Dimensions/about EME/Weight
Length/width/height, mm 4908/1883/1303
Wheel base, mm 2566
Clearance, mm 112
Full mass, kg 1630
Dynamic characteristics
Maximum speed, km/hour 250
Acceleration 0-100 km/h, sec. 6.0
Economy
Fuel consumption for l/100 km 10-20 depending on the cycle and mode of movement
The price of the $ 45 thousand in Moscow.

What else
Subsportive or Grand Tourismo car market sector, which we are more accustomed to call sports is relatively small. It seems that the four -seater coupe of this class is a kind of horse of American manufacturers, since among the products of other countries it is hardly possible to choose something completely coinciding in all parameters and technical characteristics without well -known stretches.
Among the closest Camaro Z28 living competitors are two of his compatriots: Pontiac Firebird and Ford Mustang GT. Even GM experts recognized the latter for a serious opponent in all respects. In fact, they are approximately equal, and the issue of choice is rather a matter of taste and personal attachments to the products of a company. If you do not experience special addictions to a particular company and purchase a similar car solely for the purpose of self -expression and seduction, then it is better to stop your pontiac - chic in it is incomparably larger than in Ford. Mustang is simpler, and the prices for spare parts and maintenance will not lie too much.
Mitsubishi 3000GT with an unmistered engine differs from American cars, primarily the engine volume and the transmission type (4x4 formula). In our opinion, this does not stop at all prevented him from putting him on a par with the American brothers in the class, since in all other parameters it is as close to them as possible. A significant difference is visible only in the price and consumption of gasoline. And Mitsubishi seems to us an ideal choice for those who set themselves the goal at the same time and preserve the image and quench their thirst.
 
Andrey Timofeev,
Stepan Rybakov (photo)
 

Source: "Autopilot"