For 2020, a bright new smile for the Camaro SS

In all honesty, I wasn’t that taken with Chevrolet’s re-envisioned Camaro when it made its first appearance on the streets. Compared to the new Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang, I didn’t think it was as strongly evocative of its roots as its competition from Ford and (then) DaimlerChrysler tried to be. But time passed, and I found myself being increasingly smitten with the Camaro. Attentively, Chevrolet pursued appearance tweaks during the car’s life cycle that I found pleasing to the eye.

And lately, Chevrolet’s been at it again. The manufacturer just announced changes that will be coming to the Camaro lineup in 2020, led by a frontal restyling of the Camaro SS. The SS gets narrower, better-integrated headlamps, a vented hood, and the iconic bowtie emblem is relocated to the center upper grille, with a new body-colored bar separating it from the lower grille and air intake. The new look borrows heavily from the Camaro Shock prototype that was favorably received at last year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas. Along with the new appearance, the Camaro will be offered with a new LT1 V-8 whose availability will extend to the SS model. With 455hp on tap and a projected MSRP of less than $35,000, Chevrolet expects both the LT1 Camaro and the Camaro SS to represent an affordable path to genuine performance. But the base V-6 Camaro hasn’t been ignored: In 2020, you’ll be able to mate that 3.6-liter engine with a new 10-speed overdrive automatic transmission.