Along with its scorching performance and stylish looks, the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro also gets pretty decent fuel economy. According to the EPA’s ratings, the V-8 SS model achieves 17/28 mpg city/highway when equipped with the optional eight-speed automatic transmission, a whole 4 mpg better on the highway than last year’s V-8 automatic model.
Those impressive numbers are no doubt thanks to the 455-hp, 6.2-liter V-8’s cylinder deactivation technology, which can shut off half of the cylinders when running at lighter loads. Opting for the six-speed manual transmission with the V-8 drops those numbers down to 16/25 mpg city/highway. For comparison, a Ford Mustang GT, with its 435-hp, 5.0-liter V-8 engine, returns 15/25 mpg with its manual transmission and 16/25 mpg with its six-speed automatic transmission.
We also have numbers for the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro’s 335-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 engine option, which achieves 18/27 mpg city/highway when equipped with its standard six-speed manual transmission. The EPA has yet to publish numbers for the eight-speed automatic/V-6 combination, but we’d expect slightly higher ratings for that model. The V-6 also benefits from cylinder deactivation technology. When equipped with its 300-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 engine and six-speed manual transmission, the Ford Mustang returns 17/28 mpg.
The real fuel economy champ of the Camaro lineup, though, should be the base 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder model, which hasn’t yet been rated by the EPA. Chevrolet previously promised a highway rating above 30 mpg, along with 0-60 mph acceleration under 6 seconds, so we’ll see if those claims come true once the EPA publishes the turbo-four numbers. The Ford Mustang EcoBoost’s 2.3-liter turbo-four engine manages 31 mpg on the highway with a manual transmission and 32 mpg highway with an automatic.
