Can a muscle car also be a true sports car? This is a question that GM has certainly tested the limits of with its iconic Camaro.  The last generation Z/28 was a true world-beater, and even the “lowlier” SS model with the 1LE track package could hold its own against certain sports coupes from Germany and Japan.  FOLLOW DAILY NEWS AUTOS ON FACEBOOK. 'LIKE' US HERE.  For 2016, the Camaro is lighter, tighter, and faster than ever before. We took the new SS – finished in “Red Hot” paint, naturally – up to the New York/New Jersey border to find some twisty roads. Of course, with a blizzard just in the rear view, this particular Camaro was fitted with winter tires, but that didn’t stop us from having all the rear-wheel-driven fun 455-horsepower affords.  This new Camaro is so mean, in fact, that it wouldn’t do to have just one reviewer… so we brought two! Buckle up and hold on for the latest installment of the Daily News Autos’ Tag-Team Test Drive featuring Editor Nick Kurczewski and Associate Editor Brian Leon.  Brian: Be honest, could you tell from a glance that this was a brand-new Camaro? I truly couldn’t at first, but as our time with the beast went on, I grew to appreciate its new look. In terms of pure style, the Mustang has it beat, and the Challenger is untouchable with its unashamed retro look, but the Camaro has a new subtle style that I can’t help but like. It’s arguably more reserved than even the previous generation, but up close, the little details in the sheet metal and trim pieces set it apart. I really dig the new front fascia design, and while the rear is a bit off, the side profile is all Camaro in the best way. And of course, who doesn’t love a good “Red Hot” paint job?  READ ABOUT OTHER CHEVROLET MODELS IN OUR BUYERS GUIDE HERE.  Nick: Each new generation of Camaro has always looked radically different from the one that preceded it. That always held true, until now. I was originally underwhelmed by this new Camaro’s similarity to the previous model. Except the more I look at it, the more I like it – a lot! Everything is a little tauter and leaner, especially this car’s seriously aggressive front scowl. Chevy actually managed to shrink the Camaro’s overall length by about two inches, which is a nice break from the car world’s usual ‘new model, bigger size’ norm. I love the car’s muscular rear haunches, and the shallow glasshouse gives it the look of a concept car. Unfortunately, there are some major trade-offs when it comes to this razzle-dazzle design (which I’ll talk about later). But yea, a “Red Hot” muscle car in the dead of winter is never a bad thing…even if you can’t see out of it.  Brian: It’s a good thing Chevy stepped up their game with the interior in the new Camaro, as you’ll sure be spending a whole lot of time looking at it, and not the road! Yes, that is a prod at the horrendous outward visibility that plagued the last generation as well, and spoiler alert: it’s back for 2016. You truly cannot see much of anything out of this car, and though we love a good chopped roofline, please Chevy, give us more glass! Overall, though, it’s a sensible and well-designed cabin. The straight row of buttons can be a bit mind numbing, but the climate controls and interior lighting are achingly cool.  Nick: Brian beat me to it, but it’s worth repeating. Outward visibility in the 2016 Camaro is bad, really bad. I literally got my head stuck in the side window, when parked in lower Manhattan. I reached out to pet a friend's dog and thought I’d need butter to extricate my cranium from the side window opening. And no, smart a--, I don’t have a watermelon-sized head. Oh, and it goes without saying, the view to the rear also stinks – thank gosh this car had a rear-view camera. The GOOD NEWS is that the interior itself no longer needs to make any excuses. The layout is clean and simple, with cool touches like the large center vents that turn left or right, to raise or lower cabin temperature. Like the new Corvette, Chevy finally crafted a cabin that is a match for the Camaro’s performance potential, not to mention its price point.  Brian: Oh hell yes it’s got power, and lots of it! The 2016 Camaro SS makes 455-horsepower and an identical torque figure at the crank, and some tests have determined that it makes as much as 435-hp at the wheels. That’s more power put to the pavement than the Corvette Stingray. Strike up the sibling rivalry, Chevy! I went into this review thinking I would trash the 6.2-liter V-8 for being as stuck-in-the-past as Clint Eastwood, but in reality, it’s one of the best power plants I’ve ever been behind the wheel of. And in 4-cylinder mode on the highway, you can get close to 30-mpg. That’s midsize sedan territory, but with one thousand times as many burnouts!  Nick: The noise, I’m a sucker for great engine noise. The Camaro SS has it, the AMG-GT and Nissan GT-R, well, not so much. Yeah, let the haters hate with that comparison. Only a few cars can match the bellow of this Chevy muscle car – Jaguar F-Type and Dodge Challenger, raise your hands – and I couldn’t help laughing out loud every time the gas pedal was nailed to the floor. This is the most powerful Camaro SS of all time and, even with the 8-speed automatic, this powertrain simply begs you to do stupid things, even if there is snow on the ground. We kept the Camaro in “Sport” or “Track” mode for most of the drive, to get every ounce of those 455 ponies and turn the car’s snow tires into racing slicks by day’s end.  Brian: It’s got lots of that, too. Chevrolet has clearly put their development money into the chassis and suspension of the new Camaro, and they’ve gotten well more than their money’s worth. A weight reduction of 223-pounds over the previous model and an increase in stiffness thanks to the excellent Alpha platform that underpins the Cadillac ATS have made this the best-driving Camaro – and muscle car, for that matter – of all time. It truly feels on par with the likes of the BMW M4 and Mercedes-AMG C63, something that would have been unheard of just five short years ago. Bravo, Chevrolet, bravo!  Nick: Did Brian just compare the Camaro SS to a BMW M4 and Mercedes-AMG? You might think he’s taken a swig from “Lake Crazy,” except I’m here to tell you it’s true. Twirl the wheel and throw the Camaro hard into a corner, or play with the throttle and brakes on a nice twisty road, and you’ll be amazed at how the chassis keeps this car totally under control. The previous Camaro felt bulkier, heavier, and more of a one-trick-pony when it came to driving: Point straight, punch accelerator, BRAKE, hold on for dear life in corner, repeat. The 2016 Camaro SS instantly inspires a ton of more confidence during all driving conditions.  Brian: It’s a muscle car, what more features do you need than a big engine and four wheels? According to Chevrolet, much, much more. Our fully-loaded tester came in at a whopping $48,490 (after $995 destination charge), but that massive MSRP gets you a laundry list of stuff. I won’t bore you with the details, but the highlights included colored interior lighting, a windshield-projected head-up display, and GM’s excellent 4G LTE Wi-Fi, which helped yours truly quite a bit when trying to get a cell signal out in the boonies. If it were up to me, the only option box I’d tick is the one for the V-8, but if you’ve got some cash to spare, it’s hard not to want to spring for the extra goodies.  Nick: I’ll be brave and say it: The 8-speed automatic is one helluva good transmission. When the Camaro SS arrived and I peeked inside, I immediately expected to lose major ‘cool points’ for piloting a muscle car with an automatic. Forget it, this gearbox is a great match for the 6.2-liter V-8. I’ve had only a short amount of time with a 2016 Camaro (non-SS version) equipped with a manual, though I have to say it felt way more precise than the heave-ho effort of the previous gen. Like Brian said, the head-up display is superb, the interior lighting is giggly good fun to mess with, and in-car Wi-Fi matters a whole lot to many car buyers. I’d also consider the Bright Yellow or Hyper Blue Metallic paintjobs, with contrasting race stripes, of course.  Brian: With the massive improvements in ride and handling, and the roar of that sweet, sweet V-8, the Camaro has almost transcended the muscle car class. I’ll be honest, I’ve always been a Mustang guy at heart, but this is truly the first Camaro that could pull me away. It’s just that good to drive in all situations, whether you’re cruising on the highway or blasting through the backroads. The Mustang may be more livable, and the Challenger more like an old-school muscle car, but the Camaro is the best all around. I’d still like to be able to see where I’m going, though…  READ MORE CHEVROLET CAMARO STORIES HERE.  Nick: At more than $48-grand, this is one very expensive Chevy. Not long ago, I’d have said that you’re primarily paying for the powertrain, and everything else was thrown in for free. Now, the Camaro SS is more of a sports car than a muscle car, it instantly vaults to the top of the class when it comes down to sheer driving poise. Even the cabin is classy, without any cheesy materials or cruddy controls to get in the way. I have a ton of respect for the Mustang, though I’ve always been most drawn to the chest-thumping Challenger, thanks to its old school design and hold-on-tight driving manners. I’d be a liar if I said it’s a better car than the Camaro, however. Allegiances aside, no one can get into the Camaro SS and not admit it’s the new standard when it comes to muscle cars.
Chevy’s new Camaro is all new and better than ever. We wrung out Chevy’s muscle car in the snow to find out for ourselves.