The forest enveloped us as we climbed into the rolling hills above the Mulberry River, on the shortcut through the Ozarks from Eurerka Springs and I-40.
Top down, the 2016 Chevy Camaro convertible allowed us to experience the woods' rich details, the sights, the smells, the sounds of abundant life. The crisp smell of the valley's fresh-cut hay was replaced by clean, tree-scrubbed air, by the pungent smell of peat and mushroom, by the sweet moistness of a mountain spring. Leaves rustled, twigs crackled, jays screeched, a hare scampered and somewhere, one could imagine, a bear lumbered in search of a mid-summer feast.The car was quiet, but it undergirded the forest sounds with a sotto tenor from the chrome-tipped dual exhaust of its 335 hp, 3.6L V-6. Hooked up to silky, eight-speed automatic, which I chose to control with steering-wheel paddle shifters, the car felt and sounded more like something from Bavaria than Detroit.
As we zipped through the crazy and unrelenting curves of the Pig Trail Scenic Skyway, it seemed like there was no wrong gear for this car. The engine's broad torque band allowed plenty of power to pull through curves, and the Camaro's eager steering and tight chassis made it one of the best road-gripping cars for under $100,000 on the highway.
We whipped through a series a tight curves and suddenly the trees opened to reveal a stunning view. Thousands of feet below and for miles in the distance there stood a deeply wooded valley, seemingly uninhabited, lined by mountains that stood like pillars, silent tributes to the majesty of the Creator's hand. I pulled into the scenic overlook, just to breath the clear air and absorb the day.
These are the days to treasure, when we have the freedom and space to understand that our lives belong to us. A forest journey reminds us that we have the power to be a part of beauty. It is a choice no one can make for us. Only we have the power to make our lives happy.As we sat there, in silent reverie, a soft voice came from the other side of the Camaro's beautifully designed cabin.
"Hey, A.J. Foyt. You better slow your roll or you're walking home"
Apparently, not everyone was impressed with my mastery at clipping the apexes.
If you know Beautiful Blonde Bride, you know that I was immediately faced with holding two seemingly contradictory thoughts in my active little mind. One, she really is kind of sweet on me and is unlikely to force me to walk nearly 290 miles back to our home sweet home. The other, of course, is that she darn-sure is capable of doing just that.
Fortunately, a few miles down the road we were off the Ozark Plateau and into the Arkansas River Valley. The rest of our midsummer sojourn was spent on flatlands Interstates. Marriage crisis averted.
Just as fortunately, I had scored some seat time in a similarly equipped Camaro on the road course at Texas Motor Speedway a few months earlier, so my burning desire to see what this baby would do had already been gratified.
Short story, the 2016 Camaro, introduced last fall, is on everybody's 10 Best Car list, and is Motor Trend's Car of the Year, for many a good reason. Great handling, powerful and reliable engine choices, and plenty of technology features seem to be the strong points.
Poor visibility and cramped quarters seem to be critics' chief complaints. The rear seat is ample if your friends have removable limbs, and the smallish trunk really disappears when the convertible top is down.
None of this bothered us. We put a couple bags in what was left of the trunk and used the rear sear to hold the rest of our luggage. For two old folks in love, it was a perfect way to travel the highways, enjoy the open air and avoid the bugs-in-teeth discomforts of riding a motorcycle.
The Camaro starts at $25,700, a little more than the base Mustang. The base engine is a 2.0 L turbo 4 that puts out 275 horsepower. That is plenty of power for this car.
These cars aren't about having enough power, though. The V-6 has plenty of punch and, with cylinder deactivation, can get better than 30 mpg when driving at Blonde-Bride-pleasing highway fashion. We put more than 750 miles on our tester on two tanks of gas.
Our loaded convertible 1LT priced out at more than $40,000. This particular version of the sixth-generation Camaro is not tire-smoking, head slamming, stoplight roaring American muscle. You can get that. A well-equipped SS model with a 450-hp V8 and a few nice things off the Camaro's long option list-upgraded brakes? $3,200-will set you back more than $45,000. Want more speed? A 650-hp LT4, starting at $62,135 is headed to dealer showrooms at this very moment.
For my money, though, I like the 6-cylinder ragtop. It may well be the first true GT, Grand Touring, car built in America.. With the top down, Chevy's attention to detail in aerodynamics is apparent. Wind buffeting is minimal, and occupants can engage in a conversation or, in some cases, one occupant can tell the other what to do without raising her voice.
My favorite sports convertible remains the Mazda MX-5 Miata, but if I'm going to put one in my driveway, rear seats and trunks would bring it down to a Mustang or Camaro. The Mustang has a larger interior volume, 55 cubic feet front, 32 rear, versus 54/31 for the Camaro.
If you care about such things, the Camaro is quicker around the track and feels more refined.
On the other hand, neither offers much in the way of modern collision-avoidance technology, though the Ford does offer front-crash mitigation. In this, the American manufacturers seem to be lagging behind the rest of the world. I seriously doubt I would agree to pay more than $40,000 for a car that lacked technology proven to reduce personal injuries by a third.
The good news is that, despite all the accolades, the new Camaro isn't exactly flying off dealer lots and dealers are offering some attractive deals. Chevy is offering 2.9 percent financing and up to 10 percent off select remaining 2016 models.
Bottom Line: There are few ways better than cruising the mountains in a sweet convertible with a sweeter blonde at your side.