Punchy V8 Motor
Underneath the hood of the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE resides the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 motor putting out 455 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque. You could get either a 10-speed torque converter automatic transmission or a 6-speed Tremec manual transmission, both routing power to the rear wheels. There is also a limited-slip differential to help put the power down. The car does 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, the quarter-mile run in 12.1 seconds at 119 mph, and reaches a top speed of 165 mph.
Even though it weighs over 3,700 lbs, it is still lighter than the Challenger Scat Pack Widebody. The performance is unreal, and the car speeds up like a bat out of hell. The low-end and mid-range torque is superb, and the automatic transmission is reasonably fast. However, the 6-speed manual is a delight with crisp shifts and short throws. We also love the sonorous V8 and the easiness it has while overtaking fast-moving traffic on the highway.
Mediocre Rear Seat And Cargo Space
Like all its rivals of the American muscle car segment, the Camaro’s front seats turn out to be comfortable for the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE. The Recaro seats offer superb side bolstering and under-thigh support. They hold you in place even when driving enthusiastically around a racetrack. The headroom and legroom are superb and the front seats get heat, ventilation, and powered functionality as well.
Even though Chevy markets the Camaro SS 1LE as a four-seater, the rear seat is practically unusable for adults because of the terrible headroom and legroom – even the kids would find it claustrophobic in the rear. There aren’t any storage spaces either. Even the trunk space of 9.1 cu ft is mediocre when compared to the rivals; the Mustang GT has 13.5 cu ft and the Challenger Scat Pack Widebody has a class-leading 16.2 cubic feet.
Improved Interior Quality And Design
The interior quality has seen a tremendous improvement from the older model years. The dashboard and door cards now come covered in soft-touch leather with contrasting stitching, silver accents, and chrome inserts. Even though there are quite a lot of hard plastics, the Camaro boasts a well-put-together cabin that’s built to last. The subtle interior design gets some elements from the older generations of the Chevrolet Camaro.
The circular air vents are neatly stuck onto the dashboard, and we also admire the white stitching on the leather insert present in the dashboard. The infotainment doesn’t wobble around and is flush-fitted. There are multiple buttons and knobs for the infotainment and the climate control, and all of them feel very tactile. The Recaro seats, red seat belts, and the Alcantara for the gear knob gel well with the overall design language.
Excellent Safety
The American muscle cars have always had a bad reputation for safety. The mediocre build quality, poor engineering, and the lack of a good deal of safety and driver-assistance tech made them an unsafe option. However, the 2022 Camaro SS 1LE got a 5-star rating in the overall crash safety section of the NHTSA, similar to the rivals in the segment.
It also received good ratings in most of the subsections of the IIHS crash test. The standard safety and driver-assistance tech on offer include an HD rear vision camera, OnStar and Chevrolet connected services, airbags, StabiliTrak, teen driver mode, and a tire pressure monitoring system. However, all the other features like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning are optional extras.
The ride quality turns out to be comfortable, which is not what you might expect from a car that is made for setting the racetracks on fire. Compared to the Camaro ZL1 1LE, which comes with a Multimatic suspension setup, the Camaro SS 1LE’s magnetic ride suspension offers a pliant ride quality on most roads and speeds.
Dial the car into comfort mode and this magnetic ride suspension softens up considerably, absorbing most of the sharp bumps and potholes. Even with the massive 20-inch wheels, the ride doesn’t turn out to be bone-jarring at highway speeds. The vertical movement and body roll are much lesser than the Dodge Challenger Scat Pack Wide Body and the Ford Mustang GT with the Performance Pack.
Goodbye Fuel Efficiency
The fuel efficiency will thrill no one, and you will feel the pinch if you are thinking about daily driving the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE. Its big V8 motor with no hybrid assist and hefty weight means that the car only gets 16 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highway.
The Camaro SS 1LE has a 19-gallon fuel tank capacity that can achieve 361 miles of combined range with a full tank of gas. In comparison, both the Ford Mustang GT and the Dodge Challenger Scat Pack Widebody offer a slightly lower combined gas mileage of 18 MPG and 17 MPG, respectively.to a screen on your dashboard. Sensors and cameras work best when used together.