[1]Make no mistake about it; the next generation of muscle cars will be unlike the big, bad, ultra-powerful bruisers you can buy today. Automakers are thinking small; real small. For the first time since the early 1980s, it’s very likely that American muscle cars will be available with four-cylinder engines. This includes the next-generation Chevy Camaro, which is rumored to be getting a 2.0 liter turbo as the base engine when it debuts.
The new report comes from GM Authority [2], citing unnamed sources and reflecting the reality of today’s new car market. But this could be a good thing…and there’s good reason to be upbeat about this news.
First off GM already has a 2.0 liter turbo engine in use in the Cadillac ATS. Offering 270 horsepower and 260 ft-lbs of torque and by most indications its a very lively engine, even in the heavy ATS. In a lighter next-generation Camaro, such an engine would offer a spirited driving experience while also returning impressive fuel economy over 30 mpg on the highway.
A smaller engine could also keep the pricing at a competitive level with other muscle cars like the next Ford Mustang, which is also almost certainly getting a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine. Finally, it really opens up GM to go buckwild on the Camaro SS, perhaps offering a supercharged V8 as well as a twin-turbo V6 to slot between the four and eight-cylinder options.
We obviously think a four-cylinder turbo engine could be quite fun in a Camaro; do you agree?