What's the difference?
Nobody really needs to drink beer and absolutely nobody needs to go skydiving. You don’t need tattoos nor to eat ice cream, nor put art on their walls, and absolutely nobody needs to play Stairway to Heaven, badly, on guitar. Likewise, nobody needs to buy a Chevrolet Camaro.
And there’s your answer if anybody has a go at you for arriving home in this big American muscle car, because if we only did things we needed to do, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t be having as much fun.
The Chevrolet Camaro has been the Ford Mustang’s recurring nightmare since 1966, and this latest, sixth generation of the Chevy icon is available to continue the fight here in Australia, thanks to some re-engineering from HSV.
The SS badge is also legendary and was emblazoned on our test car, although it’s really a 2SS, and we’ll get to what that means below.
As you’re about to see, there are many good reasons to buy the Camaro SS and a few that might make you reconsider, but think about this – within the next two decades it’s entirely possible a car like the Camaro, with its 6.2-litre V8, may be banned because of emission regulations. Outlawed. You also never know how much longer HSV will continue to sell it in Australia. Maybe that’s reason enough to get one? Before it's too late.
Thinking of a Toyota GR Supra, eh? Well, come on in, your timing is perfect.
See, up until halfway through last year the Toyota GR Supra only came with an automatic transmission, so I was jumping up and down to drive this version with the six-speed manual.
To me, it’s the way the Supra should be. Not having a manual gearbox in a car like this is like spending the day at an amusement park but not going on any rides.
Not only that but the Supra now has more power than it did when this generation launched in 2019.
See what I mean about your timing?
In a lot of ways the Supra is now complete.
Well that was what I wanted to verify when I tested the entry grade GT, along with what it was like to live with daily, the fuel consumption, warranty and even its practicality; fitting all of me and my stuff.
The Camaro 2SS is a real-life Hot Wheels car. This beast looks amazing, sounds incredible and is not overpowered, making it usable as a daily driver.
Now about that score. The Camaro 2SS lost big marks for not having AEB, lost more marks for the short warranty and no capped-price servicing and also some for its price, because compared to the Mustang it’s expensive. It’s also impractical (space and storage could be better) and uncomfortable to drive at times, but this is a muscle car, and a great one at that. It's not for everybody, but truly perfect for some.
The Toyota GR Supra GT is a superb sports car that’s relatively easy to live with in the city even with the manual gearbox and incredibly fun to drive out where the roads are free from traffic.
Not only is the GT great for the price compared to rivals but it’s the pick of the Supra range.  Â