2010 Camaro Synergy: Limited Edition is Car of Another Color

By Mike Blake, Carlisle Events

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

When Chevrolet turned back the clock last year to re-issue the nostalgic muscle car Camaro, it created a hot retro vehicle with modern performance, combining nostalgia with modern and hip presentation. Based on the 1967-1969 Camaro, the car is both vintage and contemporary, with body-color bumpers and electronics inside.

Historically, Camaro has utilized dramatic and striking colors in its exterior palette. According to Camaro historian Scott Settlemire, “Some of the most sought-after Camaros are first-generation cars – those from 1967 to 1969 – in Hugger Orange, Daytona Yellow and Rallye Green.”

Borrowing from Ralleye Green, but merging it with current color trends, Camaro blends yesterday with today, bathing its base Camaro 1LT with spiffy and mod Synergy Green Metallic Paint as part of a special-edition $2060 trim option it calls Camaro Synergy.
The Synergy Green exterior color was first previewed at the 2009 Specialty Equipment Manufacturers (SEMA) show and the car’s exterior is accented by Cyber Grey Rally Stripes running the length of the hood and rear deck. Other outside features include a standard rear spoiler, and 19-inch, Sterling Silver painted wheels wrapped with P245/50R19 tires.

The color scheme is mirrored in the interior, with Synergy Green instrument panel and door inserts. Synergy Green stitching also accents the Jet Black cloth seats, steering wheel, shift knob and center console.

The 2010 Camaro Synergy Special Edition is based on a Camaro 1LT that is powered by a 3.6-liter variable valve timing V-6 engine, with spark ignition direct injection, mated to either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The V-6 delivers 304 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque and is EPA rated at 18mpg in the city and 29mpg in highway driving.

While the color’s the thing, the Camaro Synergy also showcases its heritage design. Its classic sports coupe proportions measure 190.4 inches in length, 75.5 inches in width and 54.2 inches in height on a 112.3-inch wheelbase. Shouting out “muscle car”, the 2010 Camaro fluidly joins a long hood and short deck connected to brawny shoulders and a 67-degree rake windshield for excellent aerodynamics – 0.37 coefficient of drag. A rear spoiler completes this stylish 21st century homage to the first-generation Camaro, and wheel openings are designed to accept standard 18-inch tires all the way up to optional 19-, 20- or 21-inch wheels (19-inchers are standard with the Synergy trim).

The 3700-lb. Camaro LT1 moves even better than its 1960s predecessor, and in test runs, provided impressive response and thrust in all ranges, sprinting from zero to 60mph in 6.2 seconds during a quarter-mile run of 14.6 seconds. The original Camaros were usually 6.8-second sprinters and 14.7-second quarter-milers. Economical as well as quick, my tests yielded an average of 25.2mpg in mixed-use testing.

Adding substance to the Synergy Green paint job and interior style are such performance inclusions as a new air intake, a Pedders coil-over suspension kit and a set of Brembo brakes.

Having driven a 1967 Camaro decades ago, I can tell you first-hand that the 2010 renaissance handles and performs better than the original. Four-wheel disc brakes provide excellent stopping power, precise rack-and-pinion steering is responsive and sure, and the car moves confidently with little sway or oversteer and accelerates much like the gen-one did, with shift points set a bit high, creating some hesitation before the after-burners kick in.

Safety items are superior to 20th century features, beginning with a reinforced body structure and integral safety cage around the passenger compartment. Attention to safety also includes driver and front passenger dual-stage air bags, driver and front passenger seat-mounted thorax side-impact air bags, head curtain side-impact air bags for front- and rear-seat occupants, front-seat safety belt load limiters and pretensioners and a front passenger detection system that senses children and small-stature adults, and suppresses air bag deployment when appropriate.

Inside, you get another mix of the traditional and the avant garde, with the look and feel of the ’60s melded together with 2010. Inside the four-passenger cabin are ’60s-inspired gauges, dash and console, three-spoke steering wheel with manual tilt/telescope adjustment, cruise control and a rear defogger along with an upgraded 9-speaker, 245-watt Boston Acoustics Premium sound system included in the Synergy package.

The 2010 Camaro LT1 is based at $23,880 plus destination charges of $850. The $2060 Synergy package includes Synergy Green Metallic exterior color, Black Sport Cloth with Green accents interior, Cyber Gray Stripe Package, rear spoiler, 19-inch painted aluminum wheels, Rear Parking Assist, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-wrapped shift knob, cargo convenience net, compass in Driver Information Center and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

The Convenience and Connectivity package added $760: Bluetooth for phone, wireless PDIM, USB port, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-wrapped shift knob and cargo convenience net. It also includes a remote vehicle starter system when the 6-speed automatic transmission is ordered at an additional cost.

The Cyber Gray Stripe package was $470 and a Power Sunroof for $900 put the total package (with discounts) at $28,185 plus tax and license.

The 2010 Camaro Synergy is more than a retro muscle car with a paint job; it is a nostalgic-and forward-looking driving experience.

Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

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