The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Bold retro profile
- Numerous powerful configurations
- Deft handling
- Comfortable front seats
Dislikes
- Disappointing exhaust note with smaller engines
- Bigger engines guzzle gas
- Might as well be a two-seater
- Poor outward vision
- Very little storage space
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2023 Chevy Camaro, particularly in V-8 form, inspires enthusiast lust with fantastic power and driving dynamics.
What kind of car is the 2023 Chevrolet Camaro? What does it compare to?
The Chevrolet Camaro, available and equally appealing as a coupe and a convertible, melds 1960s style with exceptional modern performance. It’s up against pony cars like the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger, but can also be cross-shopped against coupes like the Toyota Supra and convertibles like the BMW Z4.
Is the 2023 Chevrolet Camaro a good car?
The Camaro shines on the track, but it’s somewhat less comfortable for the street. Excellent performance scores combined with mediocre scores in fuel economy and interior quality result in a TCC Rating of 5.2 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2023 Chevrolet Camaro?
Not much, aside from moderate price increases across the lineup. Chevy hasn’t announced any other changes for the 2023 Camaro, which means trim levels and engine options carry over intact. Sporty convertible and coupe variants enjoy their throwback styling from nose to tail. The interior is much more subdued.
That showy retro profile may seem like a bluff, but Chevy’s powertrain lineup justifies it. Though the base 275-hp turbo-4 has more in common with an economy car, it can still reach 60 mph in as little as 5.4 seconds, with light, nimble handling. The top-end supercharged V-8 snaps off 0-60 mph runs of 3.5 seconds, the likes of which we’re more likely to see in luxury electric cars these days, and driving dynamics are tight, and, frankly, thrilling.
As usual, the Camaro’s best suited to two occupants, preferably on the shorter side, particularly if a weekend track excursion requires helmets. On the upside, the back seat might become useful by holding items that don’t fit in the tiny trunk. Crash-test scores are decent, though the menu of safety features would benefit from tech that Chevy has in its lineup but omits here.
How much does the 2023 Chevrolet Camaro cost?
The entry-level 1LS starts at $27,495, which brings cloth upholstery, a 7.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and 18-inch wheels. On a budget of $45,995, check out the Camaro 2SS, and consider adding the $7,000 1LE package for a track-ready car with everyday amenities like an 8.0-inch touchscreen and Bose audio. The supercharged V-8 ZL1 costs at least $69,695.
Where is the 2023 Chevrolet Camaro made?
In Lansing, Michigan.
2023 Chevrolet Camaro Styling
It’s a real Hot Wheels car you can drive.
Is the Chevrolet Camaro a good-looking car?
The Camaro’s sleek profile exudes retro confidence. The body’s designed for showing off, though its charm doesn’t carry over to the cabin. It earns two points for the exterior, good for a 7 here.
A high beltline and low roof, combined with a long nose and stout rear haunches, combine for classic sports car styling. The Camaro wears it with pride, even though exterior proportions seriously sacrifice interior space.
The inside’s something of a letdown compared to the exterior, though the argument could be made that an exciting cabin would simply be too much. The small space is dark, with either black or gray material finishes. The focal points are a flat-bottomed steering wheel and either a 7.0- or 8.0-inch touchscreen.
2023 Chevrolet Camaro Performance
The Camaro hustles through corners with V-8 grunt and plenty of traction.
The current generation of the Camaro truly shines thanks to an excellent platform that finally optimizes handling and dynamics to make the most of the car’s significant power. Even evaluating the Camaro on the basis of its more popular and accessible models, it’s nearly perfect, good for a 9.
Is the Chevrolet Camaro AWD?
No, every Camaro is rear-wheel drive.
How fast is the Chevrolet Camaro?
The Camaro’s pretty fast in every configuration. The base 2.0-liter turbo-4 yields 275 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds and great acceleration. Transmission choices are a 6-speed manual and an optional 8-speed automatic. That said, if you’re after impressive exhaust notes, too, you’ll want to stretch your budget.
Mid-tier Camaro models get a 335-hp 3.6-liter V-6, with a throaty note to their 284 lb-ft of torque. With the manual or an optional 10-speed automatic, these models are good for a 5.0-second sprint to 60 mph.
The most lustworthy Camaros, of course, feature one of the two V-8 powertrains. The LT1 and SS models get a 6.2-liter V-8 good for 455 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque and 4.0-second 0-60 mph runs. In ZL1 models, that engine is supercharged for output of 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque, along with the telltale auditory charms of boost. It’s capable of 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile run in 11.4 seconds.
In terms of handling, the Camaro’s evolved to make the most of all that power. There’s plenty of precise grip, even in corners, and steering is also well communicated to the driver. Optional magnetic dampers ensure that the Camaro’s athletic handling doesn’t compromise ride comfort too much. That said, for the best ride, keep wheel and tire sizes modest, if you can. In ZL1 trim with the 1LE package, the Camaro comes topped out with track-tuned suspension, an electronic limited-slip differential, 6-piston front and 4-piston rear Brembo performance brakes, and a dual-mode exhaust system.
2023 Chevrolet Camaro Comfort & Quality
Drivers get the best seat in the Camaro; the rest pale in comparison.
The Chevy Camaro boasts an excellent driver’s seat, and it’s the only spot in the car worth sitting in. The front passenger isn’t treated to the same variety of power adjustments as the driver, and the low seating position offers poor outward vision. Furthermore, the rear row is barely usable for more than a package shelf and adults shouldn’t even try to sit back there, and the trunk, too, is tiny. This all adds up to a 3.
The front seats can be upgraded with heated and cooled Recaro sport buckets, though taller drivers should be aware, since at least two TCC test drivers can’t comfortably sit in the Camaro while wearing a racing helmet.
Coupe Camaro models offer 9.3 cubic feet of trunk space, and convertible models sacrifice two cubic feet of that capacity to the power-folding top. In both cases, the trunk is difficult to access due to a high liftover combined with a small opening.
2023 Chevrolet Camaro Safety
The Camaro has no automatic braking and poor outward vision.
How safe is the Chevrolet Camaro?
The Camaro earns decent crash-test scores, but lack of automatic emergency braking and poor rearward vision sacrifice points. It’s a 4 on the TCC scale.
The Camaro coupe earns a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, while the IIHS gives the 2022 model “Good” crash-test scores, with the exception of an “Acceptable” score in roof strength.
Chevy does not offer the Camaro with automatic emergency braking or adaptive cruise control, and buyers must step up to at least the 3LT trim to add blind-spot monitors and rear parking sensors.
2023 Chevrolet Camaro Features
The sweet-spot Camaro comes with V-8 power, cooled seats, and Bose audio.
With no automatic emergency braking, the Camaro squanders some of the goodwill generated by its user-friendly infotainment technology and wide range of options. That adds up to a 7 here.
The Camaro lineup starts with the $27,495 1LS base trim, and ascends through 1LT, 2LT, 3LT, LT1, 1SS, 2SS, and ZL1. Coupe and convertible body styles are available across the range.
Base standard features include a 7.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 6-speaker audio system, a power-adjustable driver seat, keyless start, and 18-inch wheels.
Which Chevrolet Camaro should I buy?
We recommend the $45,595 Camaro 2SS and add the $7,000 1LE package, which adds up to a well-equipped, track-ready car. Amenities in this configuration include heated and cooled front seats, an 8.0-inch touchscreen display, satellite radio, Bose audio, a rear camera mirror, a head-up display, 20-inch wheels with summer tires, and Brembo performance brakes.
How much is a fully loaded Chevrolet Camaro?
The ZL1 comes in at $69,695 for 2023, which includes a gas-guzzler tax. This model features Recaro seats, a track data recorder, magnetic dampers, and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar summer tires. At this point, we might as well go ahead with the ZL1 1LE Extreme Track Performance package. For about $7,500, it adds front dive planes, a front splitter, a carbon-fiber rear wing, adjustable front ride height, camber settings, and rear stabilizer bars.
2023 Chevrolet Camaro Fuel Economy
The turbo-4 leads in fuel economy.
Is the Chevrolet Camaro good on gas?
The Camaro’s base turbocharged 4-cylinder earns EPA ratings of 22 mpg city, 30 highway, 25 combined with the automatic transmission. Choosing the 6-speed manual drops ratings to 19/29/22 mpg.
Camaros powered by the V-6 come in with ratings of 18/29/22 mpg with the automatic or 16/26/20 mpg with the manual.
With the more popular V-8, ratings drop considerably, to 16/26/20 mpg with the automatic; with the manual it’s 16/24/19 mpg. Add a supercharger and automatic ratings drop to 13/21/16 mpg and manual ratings to 14/20/16 mpg. For all the V-8 versions, we rate the Camaro at a 1 for gas mileage—and wouldn’t have it any other way.
