Chevrolet News - 2010 Camaro takes advantage of six-speed for 29 mpg highway rating

March 17, 2009 by tsikot

2010 Camaro takes advantage of six-speed for 29 mpg highway rating

2010 Chevy Camaro - Click above for high-res gallery

With 2010 Chevy Camaros now rolling off the assembly line and into showrooms, General Motors has released all the final specs on its new sports coupe. While the Camaro has never been renowned for exceptional fuel efficiency, the new V6 version does demonstrate the advantages of having extra gears in the transmission. Even though the 3.6-liter direct-injected V6 produces 94 hp more than the 4.0L V6 in the 2010 Mustang, the Camaro manages to get 3 mpg more on its EPA highway rating. The 380-pound-heavier Camaro is rated at 17 mpg city and 29 mpg highway with a manual transmission. The automatic (also a six-speed) bumps the city number up to 18 mpg.

The Mustang, which retains five-speed transmissions for both manual and automatic versions, only gets 26 mpg on the highway. The combination of the more efficient DI engine and taller gearing allows the new Chevy to cruise at lower engine speeds. In city driving, the Mustang pretty much matches the Camaro with 18 mpg for the manual and 16 mpg with the auto-box. The Mustang is expected to get all new powertrains in 2010, including 6-speed transmissions and potentially an EcoBoost engine, which should significantly improve its efficiency.

Gallery: 2010 Chevy Camaro