Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 2013 Review - International

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 2013

Seven minutes, 41.27 seconds. Mean anything to you? If you’re a diehard Chevy fan with a bowtie stamped on your forehead you’ll know this is how long it takes the new supercharged Camaro flagship – the ZL1 – to lap the 22.8km Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany.

To give these numbers perspective, consider that the best recorded time for the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera is 7:40.76, while the 997 Series Porsche 911 Turbo has against its name a PB of 7min 39sec.

“So what?” you might say, arguing that race-track numbers have little real-world relevance, especially when they were recorded in different conditions, with different drivers doing the steering and pedalling. However, the Camaro ZL1’s claimed Nordschleife benchmark gives it legitimacy as a serious driver’s weapon, rather than just another pumped-up Yank muscle car.

Put simply, ZL1 is the ultimate take on the Camaro, conceived to serve up heroic performance that matches significantly pricier Euro supercars. It's an objective that seems all the more remarkable when you consider the two-door shares much with our own Holden Commodore.

To achieve this lofty goal, the GM boffins transplanted the 6.2-litre supercharged LSA V8 engine from the Cadillac CTS-V and Corvette ZR1. In the Camaro ZL1 it kicks out 433kW at 6000rpm and 754Nm at 4200rpm -- a substantial hike on the 299kW and 556Nm of the lesser SS (which, incidentally has an 8:20 lap the ’Ring to its credit – almost 40 seconds slower than the big-daddy ZL1).

The LSA is a mighty engine but it doesn’t serve up as much low-down grunt as the latest blown V8s offered by the likes of BMW M and AMG. This is clearly borne out by the relatively high revs (4200rpm) at which the ZL1’s peak torque arrives. It’s not really a problem; all it means is that you need to keep things on the boil by rowing up and down through the six-speed manual gearbox. A six-speed auto is also on the menu, should you be allergic to clutch pedals.

The standard Camaro SS is a bit disappointing aurally but there are no such gripes with the ZL1, which has as fruity a soundtrack as anything else that emanates from Detroit. It’s pleasingly growly as you explore the upper reaches of its rev range – not quite NASCAR stuff, but purposeful enough. And it might sound odd to say this, but lifting off the throttle is the best part as the quartet of tailpipes spits out a delicious assortment of pops and crackles on the overrun.

So much for the vocals, what you really want to know is how fast the thing feels, right? Well, GM quotes a 0-100km/h split of 4.2.sec for the manual (the auto is actually a fraction quicker) and a v-max of 290km/h (296km/h for the auto), which are great numbers for a sub-US$70k car (in the Middle East, where this test was conducted).

In the real world, the ZL1 certainly feels quick – not Lambo Aventador or Ferrari 458 quick, but grunty enough to light up the chunky Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 305/35ZR20 rear tyres at will. Or demolish the vast majority of upstarts in a Traffic Light Grand Prix.

However, raw performance is one thing, equally if not more important is how this performance is delivered, and how the car makes you feel. For me, the ZL1 is a mixed bag in this department.

There isn’t a whole lot to fault with the engine, but the drivetrain loses its lustre via the  Tremec six-speed gearbox, which, apart from suffering from awful driveline shunt, is simply too baulky and obstructive to make for a truly enjoyable drive.

This lack of tactility extends to other areas, too, as the ZL1’s brake pedal feels soggy and the electric power steering is also somewhat remote, not offering the level of feedback you'd expect of a true driver’s car.

You learn to dial in after some familiarisation, but there’s still never the feeling of crispness and connectedness to the chassis you’d get in, say, the Toyota 86.

The Camaro’s chassis is actually very capable but confidence in the car doesn’t come intuitively. It’s more a process of gradually exploring its limits and discovering that they’re actually a lot higher than first impressions lead one to believe.

American cars have traditionally not been blessed with particularly sophisticated traction/stability control systems, but the ZL1 fares very well in this department as its electronic nannies are pleasingly unobtrusive.

What’s really remarkable is how well the latest-generation magneto-rheological dampers unite the opposing demands of compliant ride quality and taut, roll-free handling. The Magnetic Ride Control system offers three settings (Tour, Sport, and Track) and even in Sport mode the ZL1 glides effortlessly over speed humps and corrugations that would be jarring in virtually anything else with even vaguely sporting pretensions.

The supple ride alone makes the range-topping Camaro a sensible proposition as a daily driver, but you’ll need to learn to live with the limited visibility afforded by the letterbox windows all-around. Fortunately our test car was equipped with a reversing camera, which took the guesswork out of backing into tight spots.

Despite its hugely elevated performance credentials vis-à-vis the lesser Camaro SS, the ZL1 doesn’t shout its status via a raft of garish bodywork addenda and decals. The ZL1’s face is distinguished by a redesigned fascia with an integrated splitter, vertical fog lamps and air intakes for brake cooling, but its signature element is an aluminium bonnet with a raised carbonfibre insert incorporating extractor vents that draw air up from the engine bay and direct it precisely over the car for added high-speed downforce.

Other aero aids include reprofiled rocker panels, front tyre deflectors (designed to push airflow around the rotating wheels and tyres more efficiently) and a bootlid spoiler that’s taller and wider than that fitted to the SS, contributing 68kg of downforce over the rear axle.

Trainspotters may also pick up on the bespoke 20-inch forged aluminium wheels that are lighter than the rims used on the Camaro SS. The ZL1 logo appears on the grille, bonnet, rump and brake calipers, but they’re hardly shout-out-loud badges.

The interior is also pleasingly free of boy-racer elements, with the visual highlight being the piano-black strip on the dashboard that sweeps around to the centre of the doors.

There’s a simplicity about the whole layout that will please purists, although the gauges (including one for supercharger boost pressure) nestled below the HVAC controls are a bit gimmicky as they’re hardly in the driver’s line of sight. The speedometer and tacho also look a bit plain for a car as specialised as the ZL1.

The overall impression is of a plasticky cabin ambience, but brownie points are due for the head-up speedo readout, as well as for the supportive leather sports seats with microfibre inserts.

Let’s be clear, the Camaro’s innards are hardly of M3/C63 AMG quality. It’s clearly built to a price and, when you consider that the ZL1 is a sub-$70k offering, you can learn to overlook its slightly cheap feel.

This is ultimately what the equation boils down to: the ZL1 offers pretty much unbeatable bang-for-buck value in its price segment. In the Middle East, the same money could get you into a Porsche Cayman S – a significantly less powerful but far more tactile and precise driver’s car – or a Nissan 370Z with change left over. Also in the same general ballpark is the Dodge Challenger SRT8, but it offers neither the grunt nor the handling prowess of the flagship Camaro.

There are some areas where the ZL1 truly shines – its straightline punch and ultimate grip levels are far superior than one would ever have thought possible of a Camaro. However, it can never truly hide its humble origins -- it might be as fast, or even faster, around the ’Ring, but it never feels as agile, composed of polished say an M3 or C63.

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1: Specifications
Engine  6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power  433kW at 6000rpm
Torque  754Nm at 4200rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual 
Length  4836mm
Width  1918mm
Height  1376mm
Wheelbase 2852mm
Kerb weight 1873kg
0-100km/h 4.2sec
Top speed 290km/h

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site