It’s no secret that the Chevrolet Camaro has weight problems when compared to the Ford Mustang. So, engineers have decided to update its direct-injected 3.6L V6 engine.
Gone is the LLT variant of the 3.6L V6 in favor of the highly anticipated LFX version. With the new engine, the 2012 Camaro V6 is SAE rated at 323 horsepower — a total punch in the Mustang’s face, whose V6 engine is only good for 305 HP and a jump of 11 horsepower from the LLT. Torque numbers have yet to be made official, but we’re hoping for somewhere in the ballpark of 280 pounds-feet.
With the extra boost in power, you’d think that the Camaro would sacrifice fuel economy in the process. It doesn’t. Rather, it’s improved with a 30MPG rating on the 2LS model. The LFX engine is also 20.5 pounds lighter than the LLT.
What gives the LFX more mojo for the 2012 Camaro can be credited towards several mechanical improvements, including a new cylinder head design with an integrated exhaust manifold, an improved intake port design and larger intake valves within the cylinder heads. We also see a new fuel pump system and isolated fuel rail, new fuel injectors and a composite intake manifold. Rounding out the improvements are stronger, lighter connecting rods, a camshaft cap and throttle body design enhancements.
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Comments
I see GM used the Volt steering wheel . My girlfriend has one. I see them hitting 4 birds with one stone- saving money on the steering wheel, adding E85 capabilities, Using leather to please the people that are hating on the interior ( Ford employees payed to scout and try to intimidate the competion), and charging more money.
I have a Camaro V6, probably for the Extra cash on this car they could of added Twin turbos and and a new exhaust system. I did Heck! I installed twin turbos and and Exhaust for $6,000 and the Gm dealer did it. That adds up to 450 hp Now I eat GTRs for Dinner, lunch and Breakfast. But don’t worry Friends, if you own a 2010 Camaro V6 and feel screwed just get a cold air intake you’ll get 328 Hp and up to 33 mpg
I’m looking into turbo charging my 2012 V6 Camaro. Do you have any specs on your system?
i have a 2012 v6 too and i dont think theres anything out yet for us man..but just be patient and im sure there will be something soon
bs u cant burn a nissan gtr dats all talk
your full of shit btw dude
V6 Camaros and V6 Mustangs are a dime a dozen. They are meant to be disposable.
IS Holden going to get this engine?
That’s a good question! Most likely… it is.
All GM engines (except for the V8s in the full-size Chevy/GMC trucks) should be global engines. So it’s just a matter of time as far as I know.
Alex
Founder, GM Authority
Still no forced induction…. very sad GM. long live the L67
Let’s leave the forced induction to the Cruzes and Cobalts of the world, shall we?
Would I rather have a N/A 3.6 or a boosted 3.0? I’d take the former — no lag, no high long-term maintenance costs, and more refinement. Oh, and more tuning options as well. So why the need for forced induction?
Hey Alex,
Great comments I own and drive a 2011 Camaro and love it. Twin turbos sound interesting — Thoughts??
Cruzes… they’re an economical bucket and Cobalts, while a few have gotten into the 10sec 1/4 mark they’re a small engine.
why not a boosted 3.6L? The L36 and the L67 have no difference in long term maintenance costs from what I have seen from owning both. Other than a coupler and on the occasion rotor bearings but they’re one offs.
You say no lag? The lag time you get from a force induction engine is basically how the N/A engine preforms. Everything after the lag is out of the vacuum and onto the boost. And if your worried about lag why not engineer an intake manifold and throw a supercharger on it? Back here in Australia company’s have successfully made intake and intercooler plates both W2A and A2A for the L67 to suit the standard M90 with the addition of the M112, TVS, Whipple chargers and turbo applications. we do it out of various composite material. Can’t be too hard with GM’s budget.
As for tuning, here in Australia guys have made their own tuning software. easy to use and no different to an LS series V8 tune in cost.
I guess what i am trying to say is GM’s performance engine is still V8. Sorry to answer your question with a question but why not the need for a V6 with forced induction? is there not enough demand?
here in Australia there is a turbo Ford 6. This particular engine puts to shame GMH V8’s and even their own V8’s. It out sold many of GMH’s HSV (Performance) ranges.
I see your point — you’ve swayed me. We know GM is working in a boosted version of the 3.0 liter LF1:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2010/03/gm-new-twin-turbo-3-0l-v6/
I hope they’re also working on a boosted 3.6 to compete with Ford’s EcoBoost 6.
If one thing is for certain, is that the new fuel Eco regulations are forcing manufacturers to down size and make more with less, which usually means forced induction! We’ll see 🙂
“I eat GTRs for breakfast.”
uhh, no you don’t.
With that kind of power, maybe he does! Especially if the GT-R driver can’t, you know, drive… 🙂
I’m the proud owner of 2012 45th Annivery Camaro … doesn’t just look fast
Horsepower 323@6800 Torque (lb-ft) 278@4800
Congrats Kevin! Beautiful!
Whoo GM, Hyundai’s V6 goes up to 350 and this is all you can offer?
It’s too bad Hyundai hasn’t put the Tau in the G-Coupe yet, or this porky monstrosity would be completely irrelevant.
Say what? Where and when does Hyundai offer a naturally-aspirated V6 with 350 horses? We’re talking production models, not pipe dreams and lab concepts… right?
And for the sake of accurate information, that TAU V8 you speak of is about 40 lbs. heavier than an LS3 and makes 429 horses and 376 lb.-ft. of torque compared to the LS3’s 426 and 420, respectively.
Don’t get me wrong, I really like the Genesis Coupe… but let’s call a spade a spade. If you want to see a monstrosity, just have a gander at the Hyundai Sonata.
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/14/2013-hyundai-genesis-coupe-to-get-350-hp-v6-275-hp-turbo-four/
Congrats GM in all of your unionized glory.
Ah. So this is according to a report that’s not been confirmed… ok, I’ll play.
You’re talking about a brand new engine that is 0.2 liters bigger in displacement than the LFX. So much for job comparing apples to apples.
PS: You do realize that Hyundai and Kia are heavily unionized… in Korea — right? More to the pont, the union has nothing to do with designing or engineering vehicles. Hyundai lol Good job copying OnStar with BlueLink
Yeah Hyundai is moving up in the world. I respect them for making cars today. Just yesterday they were stewing rice paddy rats in buckets for dinner. Now they have something that can beat your average base model V6 Camaro. Do Koreans still wipe their asses with their bare hand?
The Camaro is a bloated pig anyway. The V8 doesn’t mean a damn thing if the Camaro weighs as much as a freakin’ sedan.
Who said sedans have to be heavy? What kind of a comparison is that, anyway?
I take it you’ve never broken triple digits… but if you had, the Camaro’s heft (yes, it does exist) allows it to be extremely stable at very high speeds while the likes of the Genesis Coupe are capable of losing control and ending up in the wall (or a ditch) after a slight breeze.
Well it’s kinda funny that you call a Camaro a bloated pig since camaro runs 4.6 sec and Genesis runs 5.8sec and of course Camaro sells about 6-7000 units a month and Genesis coupe????
Who wants to drive a Hyundai? That’s just silly.
No they don’t.
My father has an SS and I have a V6 track. Not only is the SS only marginally faster, it handles terribly. Sorry, the Camaro is garbage. It’s a shame GM doesn’t sell Holdens anymore, they weren’t terrible.
“not only is the SS marginally faster”… faster is faster. To quote: “It don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winning is winning.”
“No they don’t.”
I’m talking about stability at higher speeds, not handling. I’d agree that the Genesis Coupe is a better handler. Either way, the Hyundai is a lady’s car. If you want a real car with balls, you’re gonna get the Camaro.
Or Mustang.
Yupp, or Mustang.
Oh, and the Genesis sold 2,000 units a month on average in 2011. Hyundai. Lol.
I just bought a 45th edition 2LT convertible and a guy at a gas station asked me, “How fast does that thing go?”. I was a little embarassed since I had no clue. I replied that I’ve only had it to a 100 so far. What would your answer be to that question?
I would say “I’ll show you”, get in turn off traction and stability, and proceed to peel peel out of the gas station.
I believe though, that the V6 does 0-60 in around 6 seconds… And the quarter mile in the high 14s. The SS shaves 3/4 of a second off each time.
LOL! I have done that and it is really awesome. Wow, I would think the SS would be much faster. But I was thinking in terms of reasonable top speed on a long straight road in Texas or something along those lines.
Perhaps it’s faster. I know guys who (know how to drive) run their stock Camaro SS 13 flat in the quarter. I don’t think Chevy ever released an official quarter mile time of the SS or V6, though.
on a curvy hill filled road 137mph from my standard stock v6. gets there quick too.I know i havent reached top speed with it. i just “run out of strip” ive also taken many v8s with it. its about the drive man to me. its comfortable daily driver. track or not.
I’ve noticed a lot conversation on HP when it’s really HP to the wheels that matter; tranny, diff, wheel size, all that good stuff. I’ve seen high HP vehicles left behind by well engineered drivetrains with less HP. My 2012 is very good, not great, but definitely not bad; especially when using the paddle shift
Good point, Dave. I would’ve gone for the stick in the Camaro myself, but a Camaro is a Camaro nonetheless 🙂
I bought my 2012 v6 stick last Nov. I have to say GM really designed a great car. I grew up with a Pontiac 69 Firebird v8 in the family so the Camaro was the perfect choice. Not short on power and handles great plus gets the looks and complements. Its not fat or a pig lol…Its pure BEEF!
I am about to by the V6 Razzi ground effects for my 12 Camaro. Any idea clue as to how this could effect the racing and aerodynamics of the car?
We just bought a new Camaro with the V-6 and the handling is wonderful. Unfortunately with less than 2000 miles on the odometer and 2.5 months old it lost a rod bearing on number 5 cylinder. It was being treated gently until the first oil change and has not tested for how well it puts that power to use but I am shocked to lose a rod bearing on a new car. Anyone hear of bottom end problems on the new V-6?
My 2012 RS with 2LT trim was 60 days old when the manifold direct injection fuel pump suddenly stopped working. Took almost a week to get a new one at the dealership and get it installed. Car was taken to the dealership on a flatbed truck.
It’s now nine months old and has had no other issues.
I’m sorry about your bearing. That’s discomforting information.
-dave
So far GM is saying they wont replace the motor. They want the dealer to rebuild it. I read that the connecting rods are a new lighter weight design in this new version of the v-6 but have heard of no one else yet with this problem….
Torque is one thing, but fuel ecomony is also an issue since we drive in traffic most of the time.
What is the SAE brake specific fuel consumption of the GM 3.6L LFX?
I have the 2012 camaro v6, direct injection. Not to kick up dead posts, but to answer some questions seen above. First gear will take you 0 to 40 mph redline. second to 70 ish redline. and so on.
Average fuel economy is 20.4 with 87 octane running in it. The car is factory speed limited to 155 mph. I have pushed to 145 mph. Smooth. For the bumpy two lane road I traveled it taken the dips in the road very well and was not jerking in any direction. 145 seems to be maxed out as it just doesn’t have any more umpth on flat ground. 0 to 120 is fairly solid and quick, the 120 and up takes some time and road to accomplish.
I test drove the 2012 v8 and really the only difference is it can run from 0 to 135-140 ish before taking some extra time to climb. The gearing is different so thats part of the limits.
In real driving conditions, the v8 and v6 will both run neck and neck. It’s not until you break the 100-120 area that the v8 will pull away. In all seriousness how often is that going to happen on open highway?
I am looking forward to the direct injection v8 and forced injection v8… someday.
There is a company that makes a supercharger for the v6 now called IPF. I have been thinking of purchasing for about 6 months. When I want to pass someone, I want to pass now!
The car is very impressive with the ability to corner. Start into the turn slow and just hold it to the floor, the angle of the steering wheel limits the throttle response, as you come out of the turn you get more and more power, kind of fun. I have done it a few times and had the independant breaking kick in to keep me stright on the road, about 40 mph going into the turn and 70 mph exiting. Anyways thats enough info, the rest is just fun stories of seeing the limits of the car and it’s handling.
Glad to hear you’re having fun! The Camaro is nothing short of awesome, whatever engine is under the hood… and you’re right that in real-world driving, the six and right are comparable… but the experience to get to a certain speed is what’s different.
How is your braking? Do you have the Brembos on yours?
Also, stick or auto?
Auto, I love tap shift for slowing down. No Brembos, just factory with RS package installed.