2010 Chevy Camaro Vs. Drive-Thru

The guys over at Consumer Reports have found a bit of a drawback to the new Chevy Camaro. All that cool design work has led to a car that doesn’t handle the drive-through well. Consumer Reports’ auto blogger Jim Travers explains “Visibility in general is not a Camaro strong suit, but when you can’t see the ATM you’re sitting next to, it takes a lack of a view to new heights. Or lows. I had to crane my neck just to see where the machine spat out my receipt, let alone reach it. And forget about opening the long, wide door to make things easier. There’s no room for that, either.”

Travers says the issue isn’t a “deal-breaker,” so go ahead and pull the trigger and learn to park and use the walk-up ATM.

Camaro driving tip: Skip the drive thru (Consumer Reports)

National Geographic Peeks Inside Auto Factories

Thursday night is chock-full of good TV shows. Perhaps your tastes swing more toward “Survivor” or maybe you’re like me and can’t get enough of “The Office” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” but you’d better gear up the DVR for a series on the National Geographic Channel.

At 8 p.m. EST Thursdays, the channel will show “Ultimate Factories,” a reality show that looks at how some of the world’s favorite cars are built, piece-by-piece. The Chevrolet Camaro get its moment in the spotlight (well, one of its many moments in the spotlight) on Oct. 15 when the cameras peek inside a GM plant.

The show also focuses on the Lamborghini Murcielago SV, put together by hand in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, which already aired this week but is on again at 3 p.m. EST Thursday; the Rolls-Royce Phantom, assembled in Dingolfing, Germany (Thursday); and the Porsche 911, assembled in Stuttgart, Germany (Oct. 22).

It’s an interesting lineup, ranging from the popular but still relatively inexpensive Camaro to vehicles like the Murcielago SV that most people will never lay a hand on let alone consider buying. We look forward to seeing the differences in how these vehicles go from frame to finished product.

National Geographic Channel to Show How a Lamborghini Is Built (Up to Speed)

Cars.com Podcast Show N' Go: 2010 Chevy Camaro RS, Ford Flex EcoBoost

In this week’s podcast, editors Joe Wiesenfelder and Kelsey Mays are joined again by Ask.cars.com’s Joe Bruzek. They talk about the V-6 Chevy Camaro and how the less powerful version of the muscle car handles itself. Ford’s family-friendly Flex has a new twin-turbo V-6 with a lot more power, which also makes it more driver-friendly. Finally, the three discuss a question from Ask.cars.com.

Download the podcast via iTunes here or listen in a browser here. 

Prius Sales Outmuscle Muscle Cars in August

It would probably be best if while reading this blog post you listen to something clichéd like Bob Dylan’s “The Times They are A-Changin’.”

While muscle-car enthusiasts will comb over the meaning behind the Chevy Camaro beating the Ford Mustang in sales for the third straight month, we couldn’t help but notice that the Toyota Prius beat the August sales for the three staple muscle cars — including the Dodge Challenger — combined.

With an assist from Cash for Clunkers, the 50-mpg Prius moved 18,886 units in August compared to 8,680 Camaros, 6,289 Mustangs and 1,132 Challengers (a total of 16,101 units).

The Prius also outsold the reliably robust Dodge Ram (17,514 units in August).

Overall, the market share of hybrids reached 4.5% in August, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That’s up from 3% of all vehicle sales for June 2009 before Clunkers began.

2010|Toyota|Prius

GM Reveals Future Lineup Plans

Today, GM announced it will release 25 new vehicles by the end of 2011. Included in that number are current new releases like the Chevy Equinox, Chevy Camaro and Buick LaCrosse. The usually tight-lipped automotive world is loosening at GM headquarters; they revealed that the well-received Chevy Malibu will get a refresh in 2011 for the 2012 model year. And that’s just one of the vehicles they discussed.

2010 Chevy Camaro Doesn't Get Five-Star Crash Rating

Getting a five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is almost a guarantee; cars have become so advanced that they easily pass the government’s current tests. Even NHTSA knows this and is revising its test to be more stringent. That’s why, when the new Chevy Camaro didn’t earn five stars in frontal crash tests, it made headlines around the automotive enthusiast community. Its four-star rating is for both the driver and the front passenger. It did receive five-star ratings for side crashes.

Both the 2010 Ford Mustang and 2010 Dodge Challenger have five-star frontal crash-test ratings.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — which uses more stringent testing processes — hasn’t rated the Camaro yet.

Chevy Camaro Scores Four-Star Crash Rating Instead Of Five (Jalopnik)

Sports Cars That Qualify for Cash for Clunkers

We’ve had the full list of new cars eligible for the Cash for Clunkers program posted for weeks now, but the L.A. Times wanted to make sure potential car shoppers out there knew they could trade in a clunker for a mean machine. Well, maybe not a top-of-the-line mean machine, but many fun-to-drive cars qualify, including the base version of the new Camaro.

Check out the L.A. Times list — complete with 0-60 mph times — here. 

Reader Review of the Week: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro

It’s no secret that the 2010 Chevy Camaro has created a stir among car buyers looking for some excitement. This particular Camaro owner makes several good points about why he bought the new Camaro, but that’s not why we chose his review. We chose it because CJ from Fort Worth, Texas, explains very simply why you should not buy a Camaro. Read his review and post your own here.

GM Says Camaro SS Transmission Problem Fixed

Earlier, we reported that some 2010 Chevy Camaro SS models were having transmission failures. GM now says it’s figured out the root of the problem in the output shaft of the six-speed transmission, but it hasn’t revealed specifics.

GM says the transmission trouble is confined to a limited number of vehicles, and that it usually occurs during standing starts when hard acceleration pushes the engine to 5,000-6,000 rpm. Only a dozen owners reported the problem.

GM says the issue has been resolved at the Oshawa, Ontario, plant where the SS is made, and that no recall will be issued.

GM Says Camaro Transmission Problem is Fixed (Wheels)

2010|Chevrolet|Camaro

2010 Chevy Camaro SS on Hold for Transmission Issues

There will be a temporary hold on shipment of Chevy Camaro SS models equipped with a manual transmission, GM said. Some owners have reported problems after using the Launch Control feature, including output shaft failures.

The Camaro SS uses the Tremec 6060 gearbox, which is used in other V-8 models.

To be clear, GM has not issued a recall, only an “in production review.” Also, the Camaro LS and LT models are not affected by the hold and will continue to be sent to dealers. The hold could potentially turn into a recall, so we will keep you posted.

2010 Chevy Camaro SS Manual Shipment Hold Officially Confirmed by GM (Camaro5 via Jalopnik)