Impressively for a car that was once the provenance of mulleted uncles, the Chevrolet Camaro is still in the midst of its remarkable transformation into one of the best performance deals on the market today. The 2019 model brings about a traditional mid-cycle refresh for the sixth-generation model, both to keep up with the Joneses and further bolster the rest of the Camaro lineup with some key pieces of trickle-down tech from the impressive ZL1 variants at the top. But it's two notable changes to the venerable Camaro SS in 2019 are particularly worth discussing: the company's 10-speed automatic transmission, and a new front end that's piled up a Mount Everest of hot takes since its reveal.

I'll start with the former, since that's what Chevrolet specifically invited me to sample in the mountains of Malibu—but rest assured, I also bothered the carmaker's reps about the latter. Chevy brought in Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser to run down some of the updates for 2019, starting by talking about how his team wants a holistic lineup that can offer something for everyone: a chicken in every pot, a Camaro in every garage. To get there, Chevy has done the usual refresh work of trimming weight, upgrading the suspension, and adding tech like a rear mirror camera.