Yahoo Autos 2019 Chevrolet Camaro Turbo 1LE at Lightning Lap 2018
Lap Time: 3:05.6
Class: LL1 | Base Price: $32,590 | As-Tested Price: $40,890
Power and Weight: 275 hp • 3445 lb • 12.5 lb/hp
Tires: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 RunOnFlat, F: 245/40ZR-20 95Y R: 275/35ZR-20 98Y
Both four- and six-cylinder Camaros rev to 7000 rpm, but you only use the full-tach sweep of the bigger engine. The final 1200 revs of the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four are an asthmatic wheeze. Instead of winding it out, you short-shift the four-cylinder at 5800 rpm, just past peak power.
Down 60 horsepower but also 71 pounds lighter, the four-cylinder car keeps close pace with the 335-hp V-6–powered Camaro 1LE-up to a point. Because the turbo four loses so much steam at the top end, we needed fifth gear three times around the Grand Course: in the Climbing Esses and on both straights. These extra shifts into a higher gear kill the 2.0T’s forward progress and are the largest source of its 1.6-second deficit. Heading into Bitch from the back straight, the V-6 car holds a 5.1-mph advantage over the 2.0T.
The 1LE pack establishes road-course credibility regardless of which of the Camaro’s four engines it’s paired with. Like the six- and eight-cylinder 1LEs we ran in 2016, the new-for-2019 four-hole version is armed with 20-inch Goodyear tires, Brembo front brakes, a stiffened suspension, a limited-slip differential, a dual-mode exhaust, a high-capacity cooling system, and engine oil and differential coolers. It also includes a stability-control Competitive Driving mode that you won’t need. With so much stick and such mild thrust, the 275-hp 1LE is as benign as a front-driver, even with everything turned off. It clutches Turn 1 with 1.04 g’s of lateral grip but never threatens to swap nose for tail. The steering is heavy enough that a session at VIR counts for your daily gym visit, and the brakes are tireless. But the engine’s lack of enthusiasm makes this whole exercise seem a bit silly. Spend the $1495 for the V-6 not just because it’s faster, but because it’s better-in sound, in power delivery, in gratification.
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