Chevrolet Camaro 1LE review

This is the smallest and least expensive of the track-ready Camaros. It uses the normal 1LE strategy of raiding the parts bin of its bigger brother, which means it’s rolling on wheels, tyres and brakes normally reserved for the SS. And the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine is no stranger to the Chevy or wider GM stable, having featured, in slightly lower powered forms, in everything from the axed Cadillac ATS saloon to the Chevy Malibu. But what this somewhat vanilla spec fails to communicate is just what an excellent car this is, on road and track.

The main changes from the standard 2.0T Camaro are engine, transmission and differential coolers. A mechanical slip diff. The front and rear anti-roll bars are thicker and the dampers plus the rear cradles, bushings and ball joints are stiffer. The 20-inch wheels run on 245/40s tyres at the front and 275/30s at the rear. The brakes are four-pot units. The engine makes the standard 275bhp and 295lbft of torque and the gearbox is a six-speed manual (only).

Other than the ’19 model year exterior styling changes, which include revised headlights, taillights and both front and rear fascias, the car gets the 1LE treatment. This comprises a black hood, mirror caps and a subtly altered front bumper plus a bigger front splitter.

Thanks to economies of scale Chevy can bring to the 1LE, through using all or most of the parts elsewhere, you can get into one of these – rear-driven, manually stirred turbocharged cars for under $30k.

The Mustang EcoBoost costs around the same and, as fun as that car is – and despite it outselling the Camaro by a major margin this year – is not as track sorted as this 1LE. Which, like its bigger brothers, makes this car a bit of a steal. You could track this car every weekend for a year and, accident damage aside, the most expensive thing would be the fuel.

There are bone fide track cars which are more poorly sorted and less fun than this mass-produced Camaro. The V6 version is a bit louder and faster and the V8 is a track monster. But this four-pot version is a great entry to the hallowed 1LE fold.