Lutz says GM considering 2.0-liter turbo for Camaro
A four-banger in a Camaro! Blasphemy you say? Could be, but what four-pot are we talking about? In this case, the General's car czar Bob Lutz suggests that the new 2010 Camaro due next February could offer the same 2.0 liter direct-injected engine used in the Saturn Sky Redline, Pontiac Solstice GXP and the SS versions of the Chevy HHR and Cobalt. Before dismissing the turbo-four immediately, consider the top-of-the-line engine options the Camaro offered after the last oil-embargo-driven doomsday. In '72, the big block 402 engine offered just 240 horsepower; in '73, the Z28 was equipped with a 245-horse 350 and by '75 the hottest option underhood made only 155 horses. Ouch. The 2.0 being considered for the Camaro punches out 260 horsepower, and based on our time with the engine, you feel each of them as you run up towards the redline. The next step-up will likely be a version of GM's 3.6, as offered in the CTS and G8, also making around 260 horsepower.
Other Camaro tidbits mentioned by Lutz: it will be priced higher than the Mustang, as GM sees the Camaro as a higher-end offering. Specifically, Lutz suggests that the Camaro will feature a much better interior than the 'Stang, along with its inherently better independent rear-suspension arrangement.
Perhaps a bigger question to ponder is how bad will the performance industry be impacted by new fuel efficiency standards along with the ever-tightening emissions regulations. Just so long as carmakers such as GM continue to offer engine options like their 2.0 liter DI four-banger, the performance drop-off won't be nearly as drastic as it was back in the mid-70s. Thank God for that!
Gallery: Chevy Camaro Concept
[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Johnny 6:10PM (3/19/2008)
A four cylinder camaro? ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?! Whats the Cobalt for?! Even the idea of a V-6 for this car is already painful enough!
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vintage 6:15PM (3/19/2008)
Go chase some minorities with your pickup and gunrack, hick. I'd love to have 250+hp, rwd, and GOOD fuel economy. Just because you're insecure about your manhood you need to get 10-12mpg doesn't mean the rest of us feel like wasting that much on funding oil company CEOs.
Yar 6:18PM (3/19/2008)
Go hug a tree you pot smoking hippie, if you want a rwd 4 banger get a Solstice. 4 bangers don't belong in Camaro's.
geo.stewart 6:25PM (3/19/2008)
all depends on power to weight ratio, and gearing.
referencing the low points doesnt help the case and using best case as a reference doesnt work if you dont reference power to weight.
But yeah, a Cobalt SS that beats out a stock Camaro edges on blasphemy.
vintage 6:34PM (3/19/2008)
I'm not a hippie but I like performance WITHOUT getting 12mpg. And the solstice is NOT a car, it's a toy. It has 2 seats and no roof. A boosted 4 banger RWD camaro sounds like a VERY fun daily driver though! :D
Matt Keller 6:39PM (3/19/2008)
Holy drama batman! An internet feud!
Johnny: 4 cylinders fist appeared in the Camaro in 1982. With something like 90 horsepower. This wouldn't be bad at all. It'd be cheaper than the V6 hopefully (Good Thing) get better mileage (Better Thing) and would be cheaper to repair compared to the complicated HFV6 (Best Thing).
Vintage:
Whoah buddy. Calm down. That made you look like such an ass, and was really uncalled for.
Yar:
*Facepunch*
Mr. Blake 6:54PM (3/19/2008)
@ Matt Keller:
Thank you, mediator. We all care what everyone else thinks about our posts.
Pinhead 7:13PM (3/19/2008)
Different times for call different stylings. 260 hp is not a bad thing no matter where it comes from. I agree a V8 is better but I mean if you want a muscle car go buy one. I've got a car with a 455 rocket V8 under the hood and it cost me $800. You'll save about that much in gas over the course of the year if you opt for the I4 Turbo over the V8. You won't be as loud doing it, but you'll still go about as fast.
DIRETTORE 8:46PM (3/19/2008)
* Johny be good! You took the words right outta my mouth my friend! What the hell is Mr.Putz doing? And who says that dropping a 4 banger will make any benefit? The Vette gets better mileage than a Mitsu EVO!!! So whats the point?
I spoke with Irmscher the German tuner at Geneva about his LSx powered offering. And when I looked at the specs: 0-100=4.3, I said thats not any better than a stock Corvette. He said "I know, its because of the wind resistance. The aerodynamics are better on the Vette"!
Any dealer who gets a V8 Super Sport Cabrio will charge an arm+leg markup because there will be very few allocation if any at all :(
Russell 10:35PM (3/19/2008)
They can use whatever engine they want in there as long as I can buy it used cheap and stick whatever I want in there.
bruno 1:11AM (3/20/2008)
Keep in mind that the target customer for this car will soon not be able to afford the fuel for it with a V8. Those that can will have that engine option. But for the others, they want a powerful but efficient engine. But unless there is suddenly a major shift in who buys this car (young guys w/o a pot to whizz in) it's not guys with money to burn up the tailpipe. These are payment buyers. If they have to spend $75-$125 more on fuel each month they might just choose a different car.
Plus they have EPA standards to meet. what cha gonna do?
Student Driver 1:30AM (3/20/2008)
Considering how much gas the old V6 and V8 would piss away and still not make the HP/torque of this 4 cylinder, I don't see much of a loss. The engine should be lighter and allow for more rearward weight bias, and it would probably be fun to autocross with reasonable mileage. I'd consider it if they could make it weigh less than 3200lbs that would be awesome.
Steve 2:36PM (5/29/2008)
A turbo four is a great idea! The camao is a car that is meant to be driven, not a car to have a big gas guzzling engine that sits in the garage. I see it too often that people buy these things( if they buy them at all) to sit in the garage and then drive a Civic!
Often what people say they want they don't buy! Congrats to GM
idave101 6:10PM (3/19/2008)
Sounds prudent to me. If "entry level" = 260hp w/30mpg. Sign up a good portion of the pouplace. It will sell.
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RP 7:55PM (3/19/2008)
GM -- please give us 300 hp -- like the Subaru STI and Mitsubishi Evo. If they can do it, so can GM.
BTW, what is the curb weight of the Camaro?
vintage 6:11PM (3/19/2008)
F*CK. YES. Now this is the musclecar I'd be excited about! RWD! V8 POWER! 4 banger MPG when you aren't on boost!
HALLELLUJAH GM! DO THIS! DO IT NOW AND YOU WILL SELL A TON OF THEM!!!!
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Bryan 1:20AM (3/20/2008)
Not if they are priced higher than a Mustang. I think it could be a cool thing, but I wouldn't want to pay more for less.
JF 7:17PM (3/19/2008)
Umm, the ls v8's get pretty good mileage for their power output, the turbo 4 might do a little better but I definitely think it won't the difference you're making it out to be. It's NOT just a crate 350 or something.
I hate it when car n00bs make concrete conclusions from just looking at cylinder count or displacement.
DC 6:13PM (3/19/2008)
Funny, I just posted in the G8 Sport Truck thread that GM will need to spread the 2.0L turbo 4 DI throughout more models (I specifically mentioned a future G8) to create more cars that are both exciting and efficient.
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mk 6:14PM (3/19/2008)
HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!!
A 1.75 to 2-ton Zeta-based coupe with a turbo 4.
Then he blasts mustang (which I have blasted it for the same reason, hard feeling interior, no IRS) and says that the Camaro is more "Premium".
I thought the Camaro was going to be within 2000$ of a comparable mustang across the trim lines...
And the refitted Mustang is getting the Duratech 35 V6, a world better than the 4.0 truck-6, and probably more capable of motivating a 3750lb car than a turbo I4, which will have to spool up to even budge a heavier coupe.
This isn't the Solstice Targa we're talking about here. Even if it is significantly lighter than the G8 sedan, it will probably still be 7-800lbs heavier than the Kappa, and heavier than the Corvette's chassis.
Bring on the Turbo-4 comparisons to the 80's fox body Mustangs... HeHeHe, at least those cars were relatively light!
I can't imagine this going over well.
Why not just put CTS's high-feature V6 in this thing? Or is Lutz on the spot after watching those girls driving the Hyundai Genesis coupes, and wanting an I4 Turbo, too???
This is hilarious. And there is more than a year to go until these cars hit the lots.... Plenty of more time for more hilarious Camaro news. :D
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