Friday, February 12, 2016
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Finding new roads with the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS Orlando, FL. – Stepping into the com (Matt and Max) in another humidity of Southern Florida’s air can Camaro. feel like a sudden slap to the face. Initially, the desire was to visit Within moments of leaving the hotel, the Barber Vintage Motorsports the fresh and clean sensation of a Museum in Birmingham, Alabama good night’s sleep and a rejuvenating was the first destination. Though, shower can be wiped away, only to be a late start and upwards of 1,000 replaced by that sticky feeling we try kilometres to drive in less than The comfort to avoid. eight hours would be difficult. of 2016 Chevrolet Nevertheless, we set off north toSoon after, the comfort of 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS sport seats, a wards Birmingham. We would stop Camaro SS sport rumbling 6.2-litre, V8 and the glory of along the way to check out the seats, a rumbling air conditioning eliminates the discom“Live Baby Gators” at the Florida 6.2-litre, V8 and fort of the Sunshine State’s clammy Citrus Centres. the glory of air atmosphere. We drove along interstate 10 Getting this vehicle was the luck of the conditioning heading west with weeping draw. Here’s why. willows swaying overhead. We eliminates the Chevrolet created a not-so-convenstopped at the Waffle House – a tional drive program for the launch of discomfort of southern US dining staple – for their iconic, sixth-generation muscle the Sunshine some less than healthy sustenance. car. Drivers picked keys out of a bag Our marathon drive continued State’s clammy to make it fair for everyone, meaning, along stretches of highway where there weren’t enough of any one type atmosphere! huge billboards were the only of car, whether it was a V6 or V8, man- Alexandra Straub scenery. When we needed to ual or automatic transmission. communicate, we could use the All I wanted was a manual. Didn’t matter the Camaro’s Apple CarPlay to send messages to each engine size. I ended up with a six-speed manual other. Handsfree, of course. Camaro SS. Divine. The Driver Mode Selector allowed me to swap Instead of the conventional turn-by-turn drive between Sport, Tour and Snow/Ice (and also route, we were challenged to find our own way to Track with SS.) These drive modes instantly our final destination. My outbound flight would be tailor up to eight different vehicle characterisfrom New Orleans. I had 36 hours to get there. tics. The Tour mode would seem to be a natural Even though I was flying without a co-pilot, I fit for the long drive, but I had it in Sport and teamed up with newfound friends from techradar. loved every second.
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Eventually, we pulled into John’s City Diner in Birmingham for a late dinner of some deep-fried goodness. Over dinner, we debated the next step: we could stay in Birmingham or push forward to Jackson, Mississippi. Staying in Alabama would make for a longer journey the next day. We pushed on and when I shut her down at that chosen destination I had clocked 1,291 kilometres (807 miles). Surprisingly, after over 12 hours behind the wheel, my back wasn’t aching as much as I had expected. The sport seats proved to be firm yet flexible enough to still be comfortable and keep me in place. Even with the chassis 28 percent stiffer, the ride isn’t bone-jarring, not for me at least. Though, don’t expect it to take road imperfections gingerly. It is a performance vehicle after all so running a tight ship is mandatory. Besides, there aren’t 455 horses under the hood without reason. My voice had tired from singing at the top of my lungs and talking on the phone – I was driving alone, after all. The desire to venture along this section of the program that spanned over the 48 contiguous states was purely personal. I’d never driven in this part of the United States – with the exception of Florida – and wanted to experience what it had to offer. The scenery wasn’t quite as epic as the sultry waves of Florida’s coastline, and all in all, it was quite barren, but there was still joy in the journey. From downtown Jackson, Mississippi, we continued our last leg of the trip towards New Orleans, Louisiana. The total count of states we had driven
through four states, adding 1,600 kilometres to the odometer (actually the US-spec car counted in miles!) When I stepped out of the car in New Orleans, a familiar humidity greeted me. I embraced it with open arms, stretched and thought about how my next trip to this part of the U.S. would include the Barber Motorsports Museum, more deep dried food and an evening on Bourbon Street. And, I hope another 2016 Camaro SS with a manual transmission. The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS with the six-speed manual has a starting MSRP of $42,150 (excluding destination charges, fees and applicable taxes.) alexandra.straub@drivewaybc.ca
Safety Tip: If Give your vehicle some love on Feb. 14. Regular vehicle maintenance is particularly important in winter. Check your tire pressure regularly as pressure drops in winter, don’t drive with worn or underinflated tires and ensure your wiper fluid is full for clearer visibility.
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