Hot Wheels 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Once again Hot Wheels releases another Camaro, and another, and by next year another.  This is common for the brand even as the muscle car fanatic dies down a bit and replaced with JDM fanfare in the forms of Japan vehicles.  Including that mix is the Ford Mustang as well.  For 2017 the latest is the new Camaro ZL1, so it's time to see if it's as good as the last ZL1 from 2012.

The ZL1 is the top dog of the Camaro line where performance is enchanced by engine and suspension improvements.  Up front the lower grille is larger, ground effects are added along with a front chin spoiler, a separate carbon fiber bulge in the hood, larger rear spoiler, and large quad exhaust tips round out the enhancements.  The interior has the same setup as other Camaro's with the exception of special badges and more bolstered front seats.  The engine under the hood is still a supercharged V8, but now a 6.2L that is borrowed from the Corvette and produces 650 horsepower and 650 Ib-ft of torque through a six-speed manual or a new 10-speed automatic transmission.  The previous ZL1 that was introduced in 2010 morphed the fifth-generation Camaro with wider tires, larger front grille and a hood bulge with front vents.  The supercharged 6.2L makes 580 horsepower and 556 Ib-ft of torque through a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

The new look is much more bolder than the previous ZL1, which looks a bit too similar to other Camaro's from the sides and back.  The front has a much larger black grille with larger side scoops for the front brakes and vertical LED foglights in place of the confusing running and foglight units of the 2012 model.  The separate hood scoop is nice and clean compared to the much longer buldge of the old model, though the front-end of the 2012 is much better as it now encorporates the interior trim detailing of the grille and headlights for a clean and sinister look.  The 2016 front-end is so narrow that it lacks detail, and adding detailing with a sharpie proved much confusing and sloppy no matter how careful i was or how sharp the tip of the sharpie was.  The side profile of the new ZL1 has more pronounced flared rear fenders with crisp edges and a slimmer roof antenna cover.  The rear has a more rounded look with slightly angled taillights that now incorporate the reverse lamps over the separate bumper units of the old model.  Also the quad exhaust tips are much larger.

Also joining the fray is the second recolor of the 2016 Corvette ZO6, now in red, and which shares the same engine despite a few differences to make the Corvette slightly higher in power output.  Here, the Corvette looks much better with crisp lines, more pronounced lower ground effects, an integrated hood bulge with vent, and even adding the missing side details is much easier here than the front-end on the Camaro.  The difference is the two-seater cab placed much farther back and also the center of gravity is lower than the Camaro.  On the track the new 2017 ZL1 Camaro proved to be a fast car with stellar handling, but when compared to the other two it shows some weakness.  Compared to the 2012 ZL1 the handling on the new sixth-generation Camaro is much better improved over the previous generation thanks to the change in platform to the lighter Alpha shared with the Cadillac ATS, but on the Hot Wheels car the new one is rather tall and has a vastly different handling characteristic with more body roll and some controllable oversteer.  The 2012 ZL1 is wide and flat so it takes the corners with no body roll and great control in a fun way.  Against the new Z06 Corvette the Camaro looks a bit unrefined as the lower Corvette handles much better with no body roll and also feels faster than the Camaro.

Inside the new ZL1 interior is a better improvement over the 2012 model with better materials, a new touch screen layout, clever HVAC controls hidden in the air vents, and a shifter closer to the dashboard now that the auxiliary gauge package is gone.  Rear seat room is improved a bit, if not a whole lot.  Still the Camaro has a rather low roofline and a very small trunk opening on both models.  The Corvette bests the two with a beautifully done interior with excellent layout and nice materials, with a larger cargo area to boot.  The new ZL1 Camaro is a nice addition to the Hot Wheels lineup, but it lacks the flair and crisp details of the old ZL1 Camaro, not to mention the new Corvette Z06 has that resolved with better styling and much better performance.