2017 Chevrolet Camaro V-6 1LE
In the interest of full disclosure, we’ll begin our official first-drive review of the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro V-6 1LE by admitting that this is not actually our first drive of the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro V-6 1LE. That happened during the 2016 Lightning Lap competition, where the six-cylinder Camaro 1LE and the V-8–powered Camaro SS 1LE not only showed up, but showed up their much pricier competition at America’s toughest track, Virginia International Raceway. But this is our first experience with the car in a more normal setting—sans helmet and on public roads—specifically, the vast and seemingly unending roads of southern Nevada and California’s Death Valley.
Hit the Track, Jack
For anyone who missed class on Camaro day this year, the Camaro 1LE performance package was extended to both V-6 and V-8 Camaros for 2017, bringing enhanced engine cooling, a retuned suspension, a limited-slip differential, Brembo brake components, 20-inch forged-aluminum wheels, and various interior and exterior modifications—all with the singular aim of making mincemeat of a road course on track day and looking utterly bad-ass while doing so.
At Lightning Lap, we couldn’t praise the 1LE’s grip enough. Riding on a suspension largely cribbed from the SS then tailored to the V-6’s lighter and slightly more evenly distributed weight, the thing just sticks in corners. Chevy claims that the 1LE’s 245/40ZR-20 front and 275/35ZR-20 rear Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 RunOnFlat tires can hold on to curves to the tune of 0.97 g, but we’ve seen 0.98 g in a heavier V-8 Camaro with those same tires (our long-term Camaro SS), so don’t be surprised if Chevrolet’s claim turns out to be conservative once we test the car ourselves.
Meanwhile, in the Real World
But the 1LE’s talent set includes far more than driving in circles and connecting apexes on a track. In the real world, the 1LE’s ability to track through a bend utterly impervious to any lumps in the asphalt, buckled pavement, or wobbly camber changes is remarkable. The steering is weighty and immediate, serving up loads of feedback through the microsuede-wrapped wheel, thus keeping the driver ever aware of exactly what kind of ground the car is covering. As we found at VIR, this 1LE’s limits are very high, and it takes a bit of time behind the wheel to comfortably understand where they are. Once understood, however, the 1LE is a grin machine. An occasional whiff of the benign understeer we noted during Lightning Lap returned—but only in our most heated moments.
With a chassis this good, the 1LE can take most corners at more than double the posted speed recommendations and makes slowing down for some curves entirely optional. For those times that rapid slowdown indeed is required, the 1LE’s enhanced brakes, which include four-piston Brembo calipers up front, slow the car down with zero hesitation. The body’s general resistance to roll and dive helps keep all four wheels planted, allowing one to brake deep into corners. And the natural, progressive pedal action keeps the driver fully in charge of the event.
Six Is Less Than Eight
In both 1LE models, the engine is left pretty much stock—hardly a problem with the SS’s 6.2-liter V-8, given its prodigious 455 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque. But as we noted at Lightning Lap, the V-6 model’s weak spot is the V-6 itself. With 335 horsepower at 6800 rpm and 284 lb-ft of torque at 5300 rpm, the 3.6-liter six is the same smooth and revvy mill we’ve praised in other Camaros, but we’re not so smitten with it in the 1LE. Why? Because it’s a 1LE. The quickest manual-equipped 2016 Camaro V-6 we’ve tested hit 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, with a quarter-mile pass of 13.7 seconds at 103 mph, which is hardly slow but is merely adequate by modern pony-car standards. Even with the 1LE’s ability to hook up during launch and its wonderful short-throw, six-speed manual shifter doing its part to facilitate faster gearchanges, we’d be surprised to see the 1LE’s acceleration times dip below those of the base Camaro.
Out in the desert just as on the track, the V-6 simply didn’t feel strong enough. After we carved a path through the trickiest switchbacks at superhero speeds, the road would straighten out and we’d floor the gas pedal, bracing for a bombastic launch into the faraway horizon and . . . the action sequence would slow down. The engine would be working as hard as it could, but the slingshot never releases. The speedometer needle creeps ever so slowly up the dial, and you think, “Oh that’s right, this one has the V-6.”
At least it sounds good while you’re caning it. It’s worth noting, however, that few on the street will spend lots of time at or near its 5300-rpm torque and 6800-rpm horsepower peaks. When not in attack mode, the 3.6’s aural experience is more akin to a sports sedan than a pony car. The SS 1LE’s thundering V-8 rumble is exactly what this package wants, although you’ll have to part with another $11,505 above the V-6 1LE’s very agreeable base price of $32,895.
That V-6 figure is $4500 more than the non-1LE version. The upcharge isn’t a bad deal considering the comprehensiveness of the package. Jumping up to the 2LT trim level costs another $4500, for a total of $37,395. At that point, you’re nipping on the heels of a base Camaro SS, which starts at $37,900, although the base SS gets none of the 1LE’s track equipment nor its suedelike steering wheel and short-throw shifter. The SS would be quicker in a straight line and louder, however, and it’s no slouch in the handling department, either.
The Chevy guys think the V-6 1LE is so good that there may be a market for a four-cylinder version, previewed by the Turbo AutoX Concept seen at the 2016 SEMA show. We’re not so sure. Having experienced the V-6 1LE on the road as well as on the track, we’re impressed with its insatiable hunger for corners, but while we’d like to say we didn’t miss the V-8’s extra 120 horsepower and 171 lb-ft of torque, we did. The 3.6 is a lovely engine that serves many General Motors vehicles well enough—including non-1LE V-6 Camaros—but under this car’s matte-black hood, it feels like a placeholder for the real engine.
So why offer the 1LE in V-6 form? Clearly, the 1LE is at its best on the track, so maybe the best argument is that the $11K savings versus the SS version will buy you a whole lot of track days and plenty of replacement tires.
Specifications >
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
BASE PRICE: $32,895
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 222 cu in, 3640 cc
Power: 335 hp @ 6800 rpm
Torque: 284 lb-ft @ 5300 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 110.7 in
Length: 188.3 in
Width: 74.7 in Height: 53.1 in
Passenger volume: 85 cu ft
Cargo volume: 9 cu ft
Curb weight (C/D est): 3500 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 5.1 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 13.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.7 sec
Top speed: 151 mph
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 16/28 mpg
