2002 Chevrolet Camaro Review
Until recently, 2002 was the last year of the Camaro. The 2002 Camaro was a thing of beauty and performance. Though there were several different options available for the “final” Camaro, we will discuss the 2 door coupe Z28.
This car is fun to drive; it really throws you back in your seat when the throttle is pushed. This is done thanks to the familiar 5.7 liter 350 cubic inch LS1 V8. This muscular engine churns out 310 horsepower and 340 pound-feet of torque. When this car is equipped with the 6 speed manual transmission it achieves 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.
Getting in this car can be a bit of a challenge for a bigger person, especially since it is so low to the ground. However, once in this car it almost seems to wrap itself around you. As if you are not actually in a car, but a rocket ship. The front bucket seats are extremely comfortable, and mold themselves to your body. All of the controls are well within reach, and each control’s function is self explanatory. The radio delivers clear crisp sound that seems to reverberate off of the hatchback when cranked up.
The cornering in this car is not quite as good as a similar year corvette, but the car does cost several thousand dollars less. The stock suspension does its best to keep the driver from losing control at high speeds, while the oversize tires do their best to stay planted to the ground. This car is fitted with 4 wheel ABS brakes that stop the heavy 3,433 pound vehicle well.
This car could be a bit difficult to drive for someone who has never driven this type of car before. When seated, the driver can barely see the hood and has a hard time judging where obstacles are outside of the car. That being said, practice makes perfect and this should not be a disqualifier for the purchase of this car.
The LS1 platform can be heavily modified for racing applications. It is possible with the right tuning to gain several hundred horsepower over the stock configuration. Being that today’s economy is not the greatest and one of these cars can be picked up fairly cheap it is a good option for the racing enthusiast.
