Quick Facts:
Pros:
- Excellent engine and transmission choices.
- Easy-to-use infotainment.
- Powerful and fun 1LE package.
Cons:
- Cave-like interior with poor visibility.
- Dated styling.
- Unusable back seat.
Vehicle Type: An American sports car that many people consider a muscle car.
Price Range: From $25,595 to $71,590, including destination but before options.
Powertrain:
The Camaro is offered with a variety of powertrain choices for the 2020 model year. At its most basic, the car is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 275 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed manual transmission. A paddle-shift eight-speed automatic transmission is available.
Next up is a 3.6-liter V6 that has 335 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of torque. This engine is paired with a six-speed manual by default and can be ordered with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
A 6.2-liter V8 is available that comes with 455 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque. This engine comes paired with a six-speed manual gearbox and can be optioned with a paddle-shift 10-speed automatic.
Camaro ZL1 models get a supercharger with the 6.2-liter V8, which bumps power to 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. The engine comes with a six-speed manual, but can be ordered with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
More Photos
See more 2020 Chevrolet Camaro photos here.
Overview:
Together with the Ford Mustang, the Chevy Camaro represents a muscle car heritage that has made both cars legends in the automotive world. Today, the Camaro can be had with everything from a tame four-cylinder engine to a fire-breathing supercharged V8, which makes it accessible for buyers with almost any budget.
The Camaro is aimed at new car buyers that want performance and aggressive looks in a somewhat compact package. The segment happens to be small, only really including the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger, but competition is fierce. The good news for Chevy is that the Camaro’s wide range of powertrain choices opens it up to a far larger audience of buyers, but the bad news is that the Mustang looks better and also offers the same breadth of choice.
The 2020 model year brings a few significant updates to the Camaro, even though it saw a mid-cycle refresh just last year. The SS and brand-new LT1 trims have had a facelift over previous cars, getting new front-end styling with an updated grille.
On the bottom of the model line, the 1LS trim comes with a frugal but peppy turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 275 horsepower through a six-speed manual. One step up the ladder is the 1LT trim, which comes with the four-cylinder engine, but can be optioned with a 3.6-liter V6 that makes 335 horsepower. The 2LT and 3LT trims are offered with the same engine choices, but the LT1 and 1SS/2SS trims come with a 455-hp 6.2-liter V8. The range-topping ZL1 trims get a supercharger to go with that V8, making a total of 650 horsepower.
Overall score: 6.4/10
Safety Features: 6/10
The 2020 Camaro earned mixed reviews in government safety testing. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the car Good ratings in small and medium overlap front crashworthiness, a Good rating for side crashworthiness, Acceptable scores for roof strength, and Good for its head restraints and seats. Optional front crash prevention tech only helped the Camaro earn a Basic rating, and car seat LATCH ease of use was rated Marginal.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded the Camaro five stars overall, but front crash tests yielded a four-star rating for the car.
Standard safety equipment includes front, seat-mounted side-impact, and knee airbags, head curtain airbags for coupe models, and a passenger sensing system.
Value: 8/10
The Camaro has been consistently praised for being a great value, thanks to its long list of standard features. The four-cylinder engine, despite being less powerful than the other engine choices, is a solid pick with decent performance and a great price.
Against the competition, the Camaro is similarly priced. The Mustang is fairly evenly matched from a cost standpoint through many of its trim levels as well.
If there’s anything against the Camaro, it’s the somewhat complicated and convoluted trim level distinctions. The trims themselves don’t jump in price to an unreasonable level, but the numerous options can make one trim as expensive as the next level up the ladder.
Tech Features: 7/10
Standard tech features for the 2020 Camaro include a seven-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, voice commands, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, six speakers, and a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot.
Available features include SiriusXM satellite radio, an eight-inch HD color touchscreen with app capability, and a Bose premium audio system.
The Camaro’s infotainment has been praised as being easy to use, colorful, and responsive. The most important features are included as standard equipment, which makes the car a much bigger value draw.
Practicality: 4/10
The Camaro’s purpose in life is performance, which unfortunately doesn’t equate to a generous amount of usable space.
With a truck measuring just 9.1 cubic feet, the Camaro has the smallest trunk in the segment. This is compounded by the fact that the trunk opening is tight and that it has a high load floor. Interior storage is similarly stingy. Door pockets and the center console storage area are tiny.
Outward visibility is another weak spot on the Camaro. The sleek exterior shape means the greenhouse (the section of the vehicle with the glass and roof) is remarkably small, making it hard to see out of.
Styling & Design: 6/10
The Camaro has an aggressive style that makes it stand out, but that comes with key tradeoffs in overall usability. While the sleek greenhouse contributes to the Camaro’s striking appearance, from the inside, it makes it hard to see out of the car.
Controls inside are arranged in a way that may not make sense for many people. There’s a sizable learning curve, but they become usable with time.
The front seats are comfortable and supportive, with a good amount of padding despite being performance-oriented buckets. There’s a decent amount of headroom up front, but opting for a sunroof reduces that spaciousness quite a bit. The back seat is unusable for adults, but kids will be just fine.
Fit and finish, even at the base level, are both solid. The interior of the Camaro has many vintage-inspired touches that are both stylish and functional, and the car is free of rattles or loose panels anywhere.
Driving Experience: 8/10
Buyers can get a Camaro with a fire-breathing V8 under the hood, but even the four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines offer more than enough punch to feel sporty.
The car, despite seeming big from behind the wheel, offers precise handling. That gets even better in higher trims with stickier tires.
The steering gives the driver a sense of confidence that their inputs are being turned into wheel movements accurately. The brakes are excellent, with accurate and responsive pedal feel.
As long as you don’t need to ride in the back seat for any reason, the Camaro has a firm but compliant ride that translates to comfort in the front seats.
Outward visibility is easily the Camaro’s weakest link. A high hood, low roof, sloping windshield, and small side windows make it difficult for drivers of shorter stature.
Fuel Efficiency: 6/10
When equipped with the 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a manual transmission, the Camaro is capable of EPA-estimated fuel economy of 20/30/23 mpg city/hwy/combined. That changes to 22/31/25 mpg with an automatic transmission.
With the 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine and manual gearbox onboard, the Camaro is rated at 16/26/20 mpg and 19/29/22 mpg with the automatic.
The 6.2-liter V8 and manual transmission give the Camaro fuel economy ratings of 16/24/19 mpg and 16/27/20 with an automatic.
The supercharged V8 delivers fuel economy of 14/20/16 with a manual and 13/21/16 with an automatic.
What’s it Going to Cost Me?
The 2020 Chevrolet Camaro 1LS has a starting price of $25,995, including a $995 destination fee. Standard features include a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, a six-speed transmission, selectable driving modes, a limited-slip differential, rear-wheel drive, sport suspension, power steering, dual-outlet exhausts, a 7-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, voice commands, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a six-speaker audio system, a 4G LTE hotspot, cloth upholstery, an eight-way power driver seat, folding rear bench seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a compass, single-zone automatic climate controls, power windows, and door locks, keyless open and start, 18-inch wheels, OnStar, and a rearview camera.
The Camaro 1LS with an automatic transmission starts at $27,490.
The Camaro 1LT starts at $26,494 after destination and comes with a power passenger seat, SiriusXM radio, and silver-painted 18-inch wheels.
With an automatic gearbox, the 1LT trim starts at $27,990. This trim can be optioned with a 3.6-liter V6 that changes the price to $28,090 with a manual and $29,685 with an automatic transmission.
The Camaro 2LT starts at $26,995 after destination and comes with leather upholstery, heated/ventilated front seats, and dual-zone climate controls.
With an automatic transmission, the 2LT starts at $29,990. When upgraded to the 3.6-liter V6, the Camaro 2LT’s MSRP starts at $30,090 with a manual and $31,685 with an automatic.
The Camaro 3LT has a starting price of $32,495 and comes with memory seats/steering wheel, a head-up display, a rear camera mirror, rear park assist, rear cross-traffic alerts, lane change alerts, blind-spot monitors, interior spectrum lighting, and illuminated sill plates.
When equipped with an automatic transmission, the 3LT’s starting price changes to $33,990. The V6 engine drives that price up further to $34,090 with a manual transmission and $35,685 with an automatic.
The Chevrolet Camaro LT1 has a starting price of $33,495 and comes with a 6.2-liter V8 engine, manual transmission, performance suspension, Brembo front brakes, and 20-inch wheels.
The Camaro LT1 starts at $36,590 with an automatic transmission.
The Chevrolet Camaro 1SS starts at $38,495 and comes with an external engine oil cooler, an extra capacity cooling system, an auxiliary engine coolant cooler, a limited-slip rear differential, a differential cooler, a transmission oil cooler, Brembo brakes all around, and an eight-inch touchscreen.
With an automatic transmission, the Camaro 1SS starts at $40,090.
The Camaro 2SS has a starting price of $41,995 after destination and comes with a Bose audio system and a memory package for seats and other vehicle components.
With an automatic transmission, the 2SS starts at $45,090.
The Camaro ZL1 starts at $64,195 after destination and comes with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8, an electronic limited-slip differential, magnetic ride control, a dual-mode exhaust, wireless device charging, dual-zone climate control, a rear spoiler, and 20-inch dark graphite-colored wheels.
With an automatic transmission, the Camaro ZL1 starts at $65,590.
If it were our money on the line, we would opt for a V6-equipped Camaro 3LT. This trim adds several convenience and comfort features and gains real performance from the V6 without breaking the bank. Our second pick would be either Camaro SS models, because of the performance benefits brought on from extra cooling.
More Photos
See more 2020 Chevrolet Camaro photos here.
