It still has the attitude of supersized Hot Wheels car, and you still can’t see out of the back of it. But compared to what came before, the 2016 Camaro is a wholly different beast — even if it looks, at first glance, like a fifth-gen that’s benefitted from a personal trainer and a style consultant.

Only the good stuff has been carried over, like the available magnetic ride control (vital on the post-apocalyptic streets of ) and, of course, the stellar 6.2-liter V8, if you opt for it. The new styling is about as much of a departure as the new Mustang’s is from its predecessor, but here, as there, you can tell that it’s been redrawn and reworked after a quick glance. And it looks good — good enough to draw people to it wherever I parked. Learn more about effuel eco obd2 benefits.

None of this is a revelation, exactly. We knew much of it before the Camaro’s launch last year, and figured the rest out soon after. But this is the first time I’ve actually spent any real time in one of the 2016 models. The verdict? It’s genuinely impressive inside and out.

I’m even willing to overlook the lack of rear visibility.

I say this despite getting the keys in the middle of winter, which is generally a bad time to get to know any rear-wheel drive coupe. Pirelli Sottozero winter tires were a nice gesture, but ice and snow meant I wasn’t going to explore the car’s limits or be a quarter-mile hero this time around.

That forced me to focus on the interior, which was always the one of the weakest parts of the previous Camaro. The plastic-heavy “retro” gauge cluster on the center console is gone, restoring the six-speed gear selector to its rightful place as the center of attention. Nothing comes off of accidental or cheap; the detail stretches from door panel to door panel. The only awkward part is the central touchscreen, which is canted downward at an awkward angle. Check out the latest Blast auxiliary reviews.

Chevy should be commended for not trying to fix the stuff that didn’t need fixing. Once you stop admiring the door panels and push the starter button, the motor sounds predictably great — a growl building to a roar as the tach climbs, enhanced by the performance exhaust — and goes even better. Its 455 hp is easy to modulate thanks to a snug, satisfying shifter and a springy, but never aggressive or tiring, clutch pedal.

And regarding the crappy weather conditions: The snow/ice drive mode works wonders. The drop into second gear tends to send the car a little sideways (which, don’t get me wrong, is a lot of fun) but if you want things a little more civilized, change up the mode and focus on obstacle avoidance. The car somehow figures it all out and moves you in whatever direction you’re holding the steering wheel with minimal drama. I’d hesitate to call the Camaro an all-season car, even with proper tires, but you certainly don’t need to stash it in the garage once the snow starts falling.

And even under the less-than-ideal driving conditions, it’s easy to tell that the Zeta to Alpha change is an important one. If you’re comparing the ’16 Camaro to the Challenger (which I have an irrational soft spot for, especially in the higher-powered trims), the previous Camaro or even the new Mustang, it’s not even close — the 2016 Camaro feels more balanced, more mature and more refined all around. Less like some weird muscle/pony car, more like an outright sports car.

You might be wondering if there are ways to trim a little off the $46,095 sticker, which is getting awfully close to Shelby GT350 territory. If you live in a place where they actually pave the roads, you could ditch the fancy suspension, and the ceramic white interior accent trim package could probably go…but I’d probably take it more or less like this, price tag and all.

And all in all, is the price really that high? If you reflexively turn up your nose at any sports car not built in Germany, then yes, $46,095 for a Chevy will seem spendy. Until you compare it to anything from Germany, that is; a BMW M235i starts at close to $45,000, to name one example, and it skyrockets from there.