QUICK TAKE - 2016 CAMARO VISUALIZER
Almost immediately after the sixth generation 2016 Chevrolet Camaro's reveal in Detroit we were told by Chevy to expect a "visualizer" to hit Chevy's website soon. This Visualizer is similar the the "build and price" feature common to car websites but is meant to showcase instead, accessory options for the car. There is no pricing calculator here. Well, the Visualizer has launched, and it does show the vehicle's color choices as well as wheel options, ground effects and some stripe packages. The visualizer allows you to tweak the car then see it in (only) four views from the exterior and two views on the interior. This setup was somewhat underwhelming and left me longing for the full 360 degree view that used to be commonplace. Here we see a Hyper Blue Camaro SS with ground effects, 20" split spoke polished wheels and a white side spear stripe.
A Summit White Camaro SS with ground effects, 20" bright silver 5 spoke wheels, and a blue side spear stripe.
This new Camaro looks great in bright colors. Behold a Bright Yellow Camaro SS with ground effects, low gloss black painted 5 spoke wheels and a black side spear stripe.
A sinister looking Black Camaro SS with ground effects, 20" Gloss Black 5 spoke wheels with a red outline, and a red side spear stripe.
I like the clean look of this Red Hot Camaro RS with optional 20" split spoke polished wheels.
On the darker end of the color choice spectrum is this dark blue called Blue Ray Metallic. This Camaro RS is fitted with ground effects and white fender hash decals. The wheels are 20" grey premium painted with a machined face. Note the optional RS specific center caps.
This Camaro SS convertible in Nightfall Grey almost looks like a special edition when paired with these 20" grey and machined face wheels.
The "black package" features split spoke low gloss black wheels an black ground effects as well as black side view mirrors and blade spoiler. There is no pricing information available at this time.
Chevy is offering a black-out Bowtie from the factory, as well as dark tinted taillights. The Blade Spoiler is bound to be a popular option recalling styling of the 3rd generation Camaro. Splash guards were available on the current generation Camaro and are back for the 2016. Meant to protect the body from mud and stone chips, lets hope these are better integrated into the cars design then the last ones. Not shown is the illuminated Chevy Bowtie that looks standard but glows with white led at night.
This visualizer gives us our first look at the base model infotainment system. You can see the one on the left has a large 8" screen and a nice chrome dial. The one on the right is the standard version and has a 7" screen and no chrome trim on the dial.
Even though this is the base fabric interior, it still looks quite upscale in this light grey.
The Ceramic White leather interior looks very exclusive and may be a nod to white Camaro interiors of the past.
Adrenaline Red leather is bound to be a popular choice. To the disappointment of some, at this time, it is not available for all exterior colors.
The base black cloth interior can be dressed up with this door accent trim. These will also be available in blue, yellow, and white. These are a good consolation prize for owners who do not have the color changing LED ambient lighting in this area.
An interesting interior option is the the available knee pads in Ceramic White. I was surprised to see these were available separately and can be used to add color and the richness of leather.
The Kalahari knee pads add some visual interest to a sea of black in this base interior.
Here we see the Adrenaline Red knee pads used in conjunction with the full leather interior. This gives the interior an upscale exotic look.
Overall this Visualizer has some great stuff. I was disappointed with a few aspects though. First of all, it would have been nice if the exterior was rendered as a full, fluid, 360 degree rotation as we have seen in the past. I also would have liked to have the blade spoiler and the dark tinted taillights integrated into the Visualizer. Plainly stated, there are alot more accessories, like hood striping packages, and illuminated door sill plates that aren't even shown here. It is possible that this is an early version and a new, better conceived, Visualizer is on the way. At any rate, if you want to customize a Camaro of your very own, head over to Chevy's website to check it out.
Overall this Visualizer has some great stuff. I was disappointed with a few aspects though. First of all, it would have been nice if the exterior was rendered as a full, fluid, 360 degree rotation as we have seen in the past. I also would have liked to have the blade spoiler and the dark tinted taillights integrated into the Visualizer. Plainly stated, there are alot more accessories, like hood striping packages, and illuminated door sill plates that aren't even shown here. It is possible that this is an early version and a new, better conceived, Visualizer is on the way. At any rate, if you want to customize a Camaro of your very own, head over to Chevy's website to check it out.
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