I like the Chevrolet Camaro because it has history and it looks mean. But a Camaro without a V8 engine just doesn’t seem right to me.

– #Quiz360: WIN a bungee jump with Gravity Zone
– Car of the week – December 11th – Infiniti QX80

Ok, so other car manufacturers have ditched the V8 for a more fuel efficient turbo charged V6 and they are very impressive but muscle cars are different; they need that bonk­ers edge provided by a howling eight-cylinder engine to make them complete…or so I thought.

The Camaro RS convertible has a 3.6 litre V6 and although it lacks the grunt appeal of the V8 it isn’t half bad. To be honest, I was a bit disap­pointed when I fired up the engine and drove off without the dramatic accompaniment of a V8.

It sounded like a muscle car with­out the muscle if you know what I mean but, thankfully, once I opened it up this potent V6 delivered decent acceleration and a surpris­ingly aggressive sound when you hit around 3000 revs upwards.

It might not be on the same plan­et as its awesome big brother, the SL1, but this entry level Camaro convertible is fabulous and with the top down it really is a fun car to drive in the ideal temperatures we are currently enjoying in the UAE.

The latest Camaros have had a slight design tweak with a sleek­er looking front. Thankfully, the shark-like face remains and the high-intensity narrow ‘halo’ head­lights and deeper air intakes give the front a sharp, intimidating look.

At the back there are now once-piece tail-lights, diffuser styling and twin exhausts. Our test car also had an odd looking antennae fin on the boot which looked a bit out of place. RS doesn’t appear to give you much more than a few cosmetic extras like 20-inch flangeless alu­minium wheels, those high-inten­sity headlamps and a slightly larger rear spoiler which certainly adds to the car’s ‘bad boy’ persona.

The whole design package makes the Camaro look more modern without losing that all important ‘muscle car’ appeal. Inside, Chev­rolet have combined the latest infotainment technology with a retro feel and although it works I hate cheap plastic in interiors and unfortunately there is far too much of it in this car. There are nice soft-touch materials on the dash but the instrument cluster, infotain­ment screen, and centre console surrounds are tacky.

Some will say it is meant to be this way with a nod to Camaros of yesteryear, but I think it slightly lets this car down. Apart from that, this Camaro is very hard to fault. The V6 has a lively 323bhp and will get you from 0-100kmh in a not to be sniffed at five seconds.

The interior is spacious and there is ample room for four people, especially with the top down, and it is very comfortable.

There is a half-decent boot although space is limited as it has to house the roof when it is down.

The handling is impressive for a convertible, mainly because the Camaro was always designed to accommodate a drop-top so it has coupe-like characteristics and it certainly feels more rigid than you might expect.

I will always prefer a V8 in a muscle car but with a starting price of just Dh126,900 with a bit on top for the RS package this is a cool Camaro definitely worth having.

Rating: 8/10