Monte Carlo to Camaro transitional review
#1
08-04-2010, 12:17 AM
Monte Carlo to Camaro transitional review
As Space suggested I have taken some time to make a review of my new (to me anyways) 2001 Camaro Z28.
The 2001 Camaro Z28 I have is an automatic 4 speed with OD, it's rated at 310HP and 340TQ, that's a 110HP and 115TQ gain over the 2003 Monte Carlo SS I had before. I purchased the car with 41,000 miles on it. I must say the feel of the Camaro couldn't be farther from the feel of the Monte Carlo. I knew the Monte was always something of a sports car, but I never realized how far from its muscle car cousin the Camaro it really was.
The Camaro is capable of making very sharp turns and has excellent road grip when traveling around corners, and is much more able than my Monte was. The Camaro is quicker/faster in all RPM bands. I recently clocked the car going from a complete stop up to 60MPH in 5.72 seconds, this is with easing on the gas at first and then flooring it a second later. My Monte did a 0-60MPH run in the 7-8 second range.
The 5.7 V8 also produces a lot more sound and rumble inside the car than my 3.8 ever did. The car will shake/vibrate when idling at a red light...it's slight but tolerable. The stock exhaust system produces a quiet V8, but it is still much louder than my V6 ever was. Starting the car up is a joy every time, you feel the engine turn over and it rocks the whole car a few times before starting up. While revving the car, you can feel the car rock from side to side, I do this sparingly, just enough to get a feel for the car. The Camaro carries its signature white fog lights, which I found provide a much greater lighting for the road than the fog lights on my Monte Carlo ever did.
That's it for the pros of the Camaro, now on to its cons. The Camaro is a very poor choice for a daily driver, as it has exceptionally dangerous driving capabilities when it comes to rain/snow. The car is notorious for hydroplaning and low traction The headlights on my Camaro seem to be weak, much weaker in fact than the Monte was, although the Camaro's foglights are better.
My 3.8 Monte achieved a personal best of 32-33MPG highway, traveling at 65-70MPH. My 5.7 Camaro acheived a personal best of 25-26MPG highway traveling at 70-75MPH. The Camaro has a 16.8 gallon tank, which I believe is slightly larger than the Monte, but it also recommends 93 octane fuel, so I have always used it. The Camaro's ride quality is vastly different from the Monte, every bump in the road you feel coarse through the vehicle, it sits much much lower than the Monte, so getting in and out of the car requires effort every time. I find I often have to place my hand on the floor board to help pull/push myself out. I am 6'2 and I fit in the Camaro comfortably, but it is a little cramped.
The backseat is there, but almost useless. I did have one occasion where I fit 4 full sized adults into the car, 3 of us were 6ft or over. So the Camaro can hold it, but it's very very cramped quarters, and on that occasion I wish I had had my Monte instead. The Camaro's interior is cheap and tacky, and aged. The Camaro comes with a monsoon stereo system, which in its day was top of the line equipment, but in comparison to the '03 Monte's is even or maybe even a little lower of quality. The Camaro I have also has T-tops, when heavy rain falls the T-tops do leak, 1 drop from the driver's side will fall in every 2-3 minutes during the torrential rain. It's minimal and tolerable, but still more than my Monte ever leaked (it didn't leak at all). The T-tops when off are nicer than just having the sunroof open, but they are a bit of a pain to take off, store, and put back on. Also worth mentioning, the T-tops do have a weather strip on them, which seals out 99% of the rain, but when traveling down the highway you can hear the air whistling through, reminiscent of the old convertible I used to have, it gets annoying, but with the sound of the engine and music playing you can barely pick up on it. The Camaro is also a hatchback and has very small storage capacity, especially compared to the Monte Carlo.
As we all know, all cars have their blindspots, the Camaro is no exception, however its blindspot is rather small, especially once you get used to the car. The handbrake is poorly placed, for when I plug my GPS into the cigarette lighter, the butt of the charger conflicts with the handle on the hand brake.
All in all I am very happy with the Camaro, its reliability so far, how fun it is to driver, how fun it is to show off, how fun it is to mod, how loud it is. However, I miss a lot of elements that the Monte Carlo had, the computer that told you temperature/direction/MPG/fuel remaining/etc, the sunroof, the heated leather seats, the dual climate control, the power passenger seat, the big backseat, the big trunk, the fuel economy, the 87 octane gas, the ride comfort, the soft purr of the V6. There are elements of both cars that I both love and miss, I would have to say the Monte Carlo serves as a far better daily driver car, but over all I am still happy with my choice to purchase this Camaro.
Below are two youtube links for videos I have made for my Camaro.
1. This is an exhaust clip:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=736zonQCeA4
2. This is a 0-75MPH speed run:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe6y5x-X9GE
The 2001 Camaro Z28 I have is an automatic 4 speed with OD, it's rated at 310HP and 340TQ, that's a 110HP and 115TQ gain over the 2003 Monte Carlo SS I had before. I purchased the car with 41,000 miles on it. I must say the feel of the Camaro couldn't be farther from the feel of the Monte Carlo. I knew the Monte was always something of a sports car, but I never realized how far from its muscle car cousin the Camaro it really was.
The Camaro is capable of making very sharp turns and has excellent road grip when traveling around corners, and is much more able than my Monte was. The Camaro is quicker/faster in all RPM bands. I recently clocked the car going from a complete stop up to 60MPH in 5.72 seconds, this is with easing on the gas at first and then flooring it a second later. My Monte did a 0-60MPH run in the 7-8 second range.
The 5.7 V8 also produces a lot more sound and rumble inside the car than my 3.8 ever did. The car will shake/vibrate when idling at a red light...it's slight but tolerable. The stock exhaust system produces a quiet V8, but it is still much louder than my V6 ever was. Starting the car up is a joy every time, you feel the engine turn over and it rocks the whole car a few times before starting up. While revving the car, you can feel the car rock from side to side, I do this sparingly, just enough to get a feel for the car. The Camaro carries its signature white fog lights, which I found provide a much greater lighting for the road than the fog lights on my Monte Carlo ever did.
That's it for the pros of the Camaro, now on to its cons. The Camaro is a very poor choice for a daily driver, as it has exceptionally dangerous driving capabilities when it comes to rain/snow. The car is notorious for hydroplaning and low traction The headlights on my Camaro seem to be weak, much weaker in fact than the Monte was, although the Camaro's foglights are better.
My 3.8 Monte achieved a personal best of 32-33MPG highway, traveling at 65-70MPH. My 5.7 Camaro acheived a personal best of 25-26MPG highway traveling at 70-75MPH. The Camaro has a 16.8 gallon tank, which I believe is slightly larger than the Monte, but it also recommends 93 octane fuel, so I have always used it. The Camaro's ride quality is vastly different from the Monte, every bump in the road you feel coarse through the vehicle, it sits much much lower than the Monte, so getting in and out of the car requires effort every time. I find I often have to place my hand on the floor board to help pull/push myself out. I am 6'2 and I fit in the Camaro comfortably, but it is a little cramped.
The backseat is there, but almost useless. I did have one occasion where I fit 4 full sized adults into the car, 3 of us were 6ft or over. So the Camaro can hold it, but it's very very cramped quarters, and on that occasion I wish I had had my Monte instead. The Camaro's interior is cheap and tacky, and aged. The Camaro comes with a monsoon stereo system, which in its day was top of the line equipment, but in comparison to the '03 Monte's is even or maybe even a little lower of quality. The Camaro I have also has T-tops, when heavy rain falls the T-tops do leak, 1 drop from the driver's side will fall in every 2-3 minutes during the torrential rain. It's minimal and tolerable, but still more than my Monte ever leaked (it didn't leak at all). The T-tops when off are nicer than just having the sunroof open, but they are a bit of a pain to take off, store, and put back on. Also worth mentioning, the T-tops do have a weather strip on them, which seals out 99% of the rain, but when traveling down the highway you can hear the air whistling through, reminiscent of the old convertible I used to have, it gets annoying, but with the sound of the engine and music playing you can barely pick up on it. The Camaro is also a hatchback and has very small storage capacity, especially compared to the Monte Carlo.
As we all know, all cars have their blindspots, the Camaro is no exception, however its blindspot is rather small, especially once you get used to the car. The handbrake is poorly placed, for when I plug my GPS into the cigarette lighter, the butt of the charger conflicts with the handle on the hand brake.
All in all I am very happy with the Camaro, its reliability so far, how fun it is to driver, how fun it is to show off, how fun it is to mod, how loud it is. However, I miss a lot of elements that the Monte Carlo had, the computer that told you temperature/direction/MPG/fuel remaining/etc, the sunroof, the heated leather seats, the dual climate control, the power passenger seat, the big backseat, the big trunk, the fuel economy, the 87 octane gas, the ride comfort, the soft purr of the V6. There are elements of both cars that I both love and miss, I would have to say the Monte Carlo serves as a far better daily driver car, but over all I am still happy with my choice to purchase this Camaro.
Below are two youtube links for videos I have made for my Camaro.
1. This is an exhaust clip:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=736zonQCeA4
2. This is a 0-75MPH speed run:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe6y5x-X9GE
Last edited by Frosty LS1; 08-04-2010 at 12:21 AM.
#2
08-04-2010, 12:35 AM
Cool review.
If it makes you feel better you can get an Aeroforce Scan Gauge that will tell you mileage, hp, and many different sensor's temps
Plus, you have a Camaro. I'm bragging about having 325whp and someday calling it done when it puts down 400whp. Your Camaro will be able to do that in a blink of an eye. Plus, LS1's are great!
If it makes you feel better you can get an Aeroforce Scan Gauge that will tell you mileage, hp, and many different sensor's temps
Plus, you have a Camaro. I'm bragging about having 325whp and someday calling it done when it puts down 400whp. Your Camaro will be able to do that in a blink of an eye. Plus, LS1's are great!
#3
08-04-2010, 12:38 AM
Thank you for the comment. When I had my Monte I was looking into those Aeroforce scanners. Who sells them for the Camaro? I was very interested in that computer that tells you so much about your engine and its output.
I do have plans to mod the car, upping its power some. Nothing drastic for now, hopefully just enough to put it at or around 350 crank HP or more. Gonna start with a LID or CAI and full exhaust system, SLP LM1.
I do have plans to mod the car, upping its power some. Nothing drastic for now, hopefully just enough to put it at or around 350 crank HP or more. Gonna start with a LID or CAI and full exhaust system, SLP LM1.
#4
08-04-2010, 12:44 AM
Aeroforce gauges work pretty much on any OBDII GM cars. Check out Clubgp's classified section to get one. I bought mine from a guy on there for $185 shipped (They're about $230 new).
To be honest, if you do an intake and exhaust you'll probably be at 350 crank hp. Those LS1's make power quickly.
To be honest, if you do an intake and exhaust you'll probably be at 350 crank hp. Those LS1's make power quickly.
#5
08-04-2010, 12:46 AM
Yes, I've noticed the same mods on the 5.7 offer a lot more potential than the same mods on the 3.8, I have no desire to supercharger or turbocharger this car...as of yet.
Thank you for pointing me in the direction of those gauges, I'll have to look into them again.
Thank you for pointing me in the direction of those gauges, I'll have to look into them again.
#6
08-04-2010, 12:49 AM
No problem. I remember your 03 Monte. I wish you could have kept going with that. But now that you have an F-body, there'll be plenty of opportunities to have fun with that.
If you went turbo or super, that would be awesome
If you went turbo or super, that would be awesome
#7
08-04-2010, 08:04 AM
Nice review! I've always wanted a Camaro...I still would love to own one someday, hopefully a new one!
But when I bought my car, I was looking at brand new cars, or slightly used cars. Then Monte is my "Camaro" for now. LOL. Except as you mentioned, it is probably a better choice for me anyway. I've put over 120K in 3 years, I drive a lot. So comfort and fuel economy matter to me.
Nice Camaro!!! Like I said, I still hope to have one someday.
But when I bought my car, I was looking at brand new cars, or slightly used cars. Then Monte is my "Camaro" for now. LOL. Except as you mentioned, it is probably a better choice for me anyway. I've put over 120K in 3 years, I drive a lot. So comfort and fuel economy matter to me.
Nice Camaro!!! Like I said, I still hope to have one someday.
#8
08-04-2010, 08:21 AM
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Southeast PA
Posts: 25,136
Very nice, it's a shame you can't have both the Camaro and the Monte, but I'm glad you are still happy with the car
And that you still visit us
And that you still visit us
#9
08-04-2010, 10:07 AM
Hi Jeremy,
I really enjoyed reading your detailed review, and I hope our member's appreciate you taking your time to share.
You are a very talented writer and I forgot that you are only 21 years old....I enjoyed the comparisons between your Monte Carlo & your new to you Camaro...
We hope that you continue to visit the MCF and keep us updated on your Camaro & on your `life...
Thank You from `Space & the MCF : )
I really enjoyed reading your detailed review, and I hope our member's appreciate you taking your time to share.
You are a very talented writer and I forgot that you are only 21 years old....I enjoyed the comparisons between your Monte Carlo & your new to you Camaro...
We hope that you continue to visit the MCF and keep us updated on your Camaro & on your `life...
Thank You from `Space & the MCF : )
#10
08-04-2010, 11:29 AM
Monte Of The Month -- August 2009
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Highland, IN
Posts: 5,827
Very nice review. I'm glad you told us about your experiences. It does make me even happier though that I have an LS4 Monte, because I get the performance you see, or close to it, with all the comforts and drive-ability of the Monte.