Chevrolet Camaro Driving Impressions

To borrow from Paris Hilton (cough, gag, ack): That's hot.

When the Camaro pulled up in front of the building, everyone in the office wanted a ride. And, I work mostly with women. The black paint. The orange leather seats. The slick orange inserts on the doors ... that light up at night. The ringed headlights that look slightly demonic in the dark. The sharklike nose. The slick six-speed manual transmission.

Sigh.

That's really hot.

This car pretty much makes me giddy all over. Though I have to say I didn't quite get the attention that I did when I drove the all-new Dodge Challenger for the first time. There were the points and the stares. But no one knocked on my window while I was sitting at a light. And no one asked me out on a date because I was driving such a cool car. And, yes, that did happen while in the Challenger.

Oh, well. Good thing I already have a boyfriend.

The SS model, which luckily is what the test car was, comes with a 6.2-liter V-8 engine that delivers 426 horsepower. (Insert Tim the Toolman Taylor grunt here.) And boy did it sound nice. It was a low rumble that kicked into a roar with a heavy footed acceleration. The downside: My gas mileage was about 13.4 mpg. I had to fill up the tank three times during the test period.

When I went to visit my boyfriend after driving out to the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet (no, Tony, I did not take it out on the track), the test vehicle was coated in dust. I got severely chastised, and before he would get in the car with me, he made me go get it washed. Whatever.

The verdict? I loved this car. But, I have to admit in the muscle car trio, I'm not quite sure how it stacks up. The Challenger probably wins in the flashy looks department -- especially in the Hemi Orange. And the Mustang has some phenomenal handling. But there's something very subtle, sexy and slightly menacing about the new Camaro that sucks me in.

Love it: pretty much everything.

Hate it: the gear shift that forces you to go from first to fourth gear if you're accelerating slowly, and the 13.4 mpg average mileage during the test week.

Can't live without it: the belly flip when I punch the accelerator as I merge onto the highway.