2010 Chevrolet Camaro

Recently, the Camaro underwent testing at the Nürburgring and we've taken the liberty of adding some stripes and badging to the cars to give a better picture of what it will look like in production trim. Our sources tell us the sheet metal on the test cars is accurate, so what you see in terms of the car's Coke bottle-shaped body, power dome hood with a slit scoop, non-functional louvers ahead of the rear wheels and Corvette-inspired double-bubble roof treatment is what you will get.The Nürburgring test is significant because this is the first time Holden, which has lead responsibility for the Zeta platform and therefore the Camaro, has tested at the famed German track. As a result of that learning curve, the best unofficial lap times we've been able to obtain from observers on the scene are around the 9-minute mark — certainly well off the blistering pace set by the Corvette ZR1 at 7:40 and the Nissan GT-R

Spec V, which ran an unofficial 7:25. We expect to see the Camaro's lap time closer to the magical 8-minute mark by the time the car is ready for production.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro (illustration)

The Nürburgring tests also revealed some other Camaro nuggets, such as the use of 4-piston Brembo brakes and 20-in. wheels shod with Pirelli P245/45ZR-20 tires on the SS version. Non-SS models, which will be powered by V-6s, appear to have 18-in. wheels and higher-profile tires. Both of these wheel and tire combinations, along with suspension settings, were being tested during the session in Germany.

An insider who's driven the car says the performance of the new Camaro "will take 35 years off your life."

Spy photos also revealed that the interior will be very close to the concept car that made its debut at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. The round speedometer and tach are contained in two rectangular chrome-edged bezels behind a 3-spoke steering wheel. The center stack containing the sound system and climate controls is a rounded, organic design, while below are four retro-inspired auxiliary gauges also surrounded by rectangular bezels. While the original cluster included the fuel and coolant temperature gauges, those critical readouts have been relocated to the main instrument cluster. Now, the four console-mounted gauges are for oil temperature, oil pressure, voltage and a new readout showing engine torque output.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro

Slated to bow in the first quarter of 2009 as an early 2010 model, it's expected that the Camaro will be offered in three trim levels — LS, LT and SS. The base LS may be powered by Chevy's 3.5-liter pushrod V-6 making about 220 bhp. The LT models would use the overhead-cam direct-injected 3.6-liter V-6 developing upward of 300 bhp, while the SS will be powered by a 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 (similar to that found in the Corvette) tuned to produce around 400–405 bhp. A year after launch, Chevy will introduce a convertible version and after that a high-performance Z28 model with a super-charged 6.2-liter sibling to the Corvette ZR1's LS9 motor known as the LSA. That engine would make somewhere in the neighborhood of 480–500 bhp and is similar to the engine used in the upcoming Cadillac CTS-V.

In light of increasing gas prices, a crash program has been initiated to study the feasibility of offering the 260-bhp turbocharged 2.0-liter four (used in the HHR SS and Cobalt SS) as a possible base engine to replace the 3.5-liter V-6. However, that engine may not be offered until the 2011–2012 model year.

The Camaro will offer a choice of 6-speed automatic or manual transmissions. While both have beefy gearchange levers with baseball-size shift knobs, in the automatic-equipped car we didn't see any provision for a sequential-shift mode on either the shift gate or on the steering wheel or column.

Slated to go up against the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang, the Camaro offers a fully independent suspension (like the Dodge) compared with the Ford's live rear axle. Despite the added cost of the independent rear, Chevy is looking to keep base prices in the $20,000–$30,000 bracket, while the SS model could be in the mid- to upper- $30,000 range.

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The Best Cars for Your Money

Best in a Small Package

Mini Cooper

Base price range: $19,000 to $26,000

More from CNNMoney.com: • Hybrids: Easy on Gas and Easy to Buy • Lease or Own: The Right Car Option • 50 Years of Toyota in the U.S.

Typical five-year ownership cost: $27,000

It's rare in life that something cute and fun is also a smart buy.

The Mini Cooper is such a thing.

It boasts cool design, easy handling, the ability to park in even the tiniest spaces and the lowest maintenance cost in its class (maintenance is covered for three years or 36,000 miles).

Maybe that's why its resale value is nothing short of phenomenal: 77% after five years.

Best Fuel Miser

Toyota Prius

Base price range: $21,000 to $23,000

Typical five-year ownership cost: $24,000

Okay, it's not the most gorgeous car on the road. But with an electric motor helping out its gas-powered engine, this hybrid boasts the absolute best fuel economy of any car, period (an EPA-estimated 46 miles per gallon overall, twice that of most cars).

The Prius retains 71% of its value over five years. And though it may look small, it has about as much interior space as a Toyota Camry.

Best for Small Families

Toyota Avalon

Base price range: $27,000 to $36,000

Typical five-year ownership cost: $38,000

If you're after a classic sedan, the Avalon's elegant interior, comfortable ride and above-average fuel economy (28 miles per gallon on the highway) are reason enough to give it a serious look.

The fact that it has the best resale value of any large sedan makes it even more attractive. After five years this car is still worth 54% of its original sticker price.

Best for Big Families

Chevrolet Tahoe

Base price range: $31,000 to $43,000

Typical five-year ownership cost: $51,000

Above-average retained value and good fuel economy for its considerable size make this the best buy among the biggest SUVs.

At 20 mpg on the highway, it drinks more like a mid-size utility. And you'd be surprised just how pleasant it can be to drive something this large: The Tahoe's well-controlled ride and responsive steering almost make you forget there's a real truck underneath.

Best for a Midlife Crisis

Chevrolet Corvette

Base price range: $47,000 to $50,000

Typical five-year ownership cost: $50,000

Sports-car snobs used to look down on the Corvette, but that makes no sense anymore. Best-in-class resale value? Check.

Best-in-class insurance rates? Check again.

Above-average fuel economy? You bet: 26 mpg on the highway.

Then there's the performance and comfort of a Porsche 911 for less than two-thirds the overall cost. Who's looking smart now?

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Corvette ZR1

GM thinks that the Corvette ZR1 is pretty much the baddest machine on four wheels, period. This was driven home today in a post on the Fastlane Blog by Chevy general manager Ed Peper. Seeing him advocate his brand's (and GM's) flagship is far from surprising, and as he rattles off the car's positives, it seems like pretty standard-issue public relations fare. It's only as he wraps up that he seems to get a little exercised over some folks' habit of turning all Corvette-related conversations into pushroad vs. overhead-cam arguments. In response, he namechecks some very heavy hitters -- the Porsche 911 GT2, the Ferrari 599 GTB, and the Lambo LP640 -- as he casually pulls the gloves off, matter-of-factly stating that the ZR1 has a better power-to-weight ratio than all of them. Then, in his parting shot, he dons the brass knuckles and calls out any and all comers who would challenge the Corvette ZR1's abilities with two simple words: "Bring it."

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2009 Corvette ZR1

The King of the Hill has returned! The new Corvette that has been variously known as the "Blue Devil" and SS for at least the past five years has now been officially designated as the ZR1. The new monster from Bowling Green has revived the ZR1 designation for the first time since the C4-based original faded away in 1995. Stories and spy photos of this mythical machine have been circulating the web and print media since well before the current C6 generation Corvette debuted in 2005. The program has reportedly been killed and revived several times, but it is now very much alive and we have all the details of the fastest, most expensive production 'Vette of all time. Given the recent developments with fuel economy regulations (35 mpg fleet average by 2020) this new King may well turn out to be last and greatest member of this blood-line. The Corvette will no doubt live on with a C7 set to debut in the next few years. But like the descendants of the Porsche 917/30 Can-Am car of the early 70s, nothing may reach the heights of this ZR1. Of course, the same has been said many times before and look at where we are today. For now just follow the jump to find out what $100,000 will soon be able to buy you.

Related: Detroit 2008: The Heart of the King, the LS9 is born!

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2009 Chevrolet Camaro

On Sale:
Winter 2008/2009

There was a strange time warp at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The calendar said it was January 2006 but the cars on display made many think the clock had been turned back more than three and a half decades.
On display were a new Shelby Mustang, a new Dodge Challenger and a new Chevrolet Camaro. The last time all of those constellations aligned was a quarter-century plus 11 years ago.

But it appears the pony car era, created in the mid-1960s with the birth of the original Ford Mustang and then resurrected a couple of years ago with the rebirth of the '69 Mustang as a 2005 model, is galloping again. Not only did Chevrolet unveil its Camaro concept but the Chrysler Group unveiled a very retro Dodge Challenger concept.

While the smoothly curvaceous Challenger looked like it was simply reissued, though in a somewhat more modern size because of its Chrysler LX underpinnings, the Camaro concept had a more contemporary and angular appearance that looked cutting edge, and we mean that both literally and figuratively.

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