You wouldn’t normally describe a £40,000 car as great value, but the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible comes with the V8 from the far more expensive Corvette. The 6.2-litre engine has 400bhp and is good for 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds and 155mph.
The good news is that unlike US muscle cars of old, the Camaro handles reasonably well. The only dynamic flaw is some mild scuttle shake through the steering wheel when driving over a bumpy road. Unfortunately, the convertible doesn’t look quite as striking as the Camaro coupe.
And while you expect to be able to hear a rousing V8 soundtrack, it’s disappointingly quiet at lower speeds. Only under full throttle does it burble as a Camaro should. Acceleration is brisk, not breathtaking, and then there’s the horrific fuel consumption – we averaged less than 12mpg during our test drive.
Materials in the cabin are closer to a Korean supermini, not something which costs £40,000, while at this price it’s ridiculous that the electric roof has to be unlatched manually, and it can’t be opened or closed while driving.
When you think the posher, roomier, faster, more economical, better handling and right-hand-drive Audi S5 Cabriolet costs just £5,000 more, in the end the Camaro actually isn’t such great value after all. But that’s missing the point: you’re buying a slice of traditional American muscle for UK roads.
For an alternative review of the latest Chevrolet Camaro Convertible visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk
