"Holy cow — this thing sounds like a Honda."

That's the first impression I wrote in my notebook after driving the new-generation Chevy Camaro that just hit the market. And it's not even the most shocking thing about this raucous muscle car that traditionally sounds, well, anything but Honda-like.

No, the biggest surprise is that the new Camaro won Motor Trend's coveted Car of the Year prize for 2016.

After two years of lagging sales numbers behind the Ford Mustang and a redesign that looked, at least in pictures, like a rather conservative overhaul, I didn't have high expectations for Chevy's entry-level pony car. Seeing all the praise that Motor Trend heaped on it, though, I had to get my hands on one to see what the fuss was about.

For starters, the praise is justified. While the body styling admittedly looks a lot like the last generation Camaro to the untrained eye—General Motors didn't want to mess with a good thing, I suppose—it feels dramatically different and better underneath the skin.

It drives more like a sports car now, with a light and nimble feeling that seems more in tune with the times. Strapping a powerful engine into a car with a floppy chassis and lumbering suspension just doesn't cut it today, when even the Luddite Mustang has traded its solid rear axle for a more modern, crisp feeling independent suspension.

The Camaro takes the sports-car feeling even further than the Mustang, too. It's dramatically more agile now, not at all like what I was expecting from one of America's most iconic 1960s muscle-car nameplates.

And that brings us back to the alien aural sensations that my particular Camaro tester emitted. It sounded like a Honda because I was driving the version with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a far cry from the rumbling V8s that Motor Trend waxed lyrical about and earned the Camaro automotive sainthood.

While I'm sure the V6 and V8 versions of the new Camaro are fun, the four-cylinder version I drove is no slouch, either. The 2.0-liter turbo makes 275 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, enough to reach 60 mph in "well under 6 seconds," GM claims. That's certainly worthy of the Camaro name, assuming you can get used to the buzzing sound when you mash the gas pedal.

The Camaro is rated for 31 mpg on the highway with this engine, according to FuelEconomy.gov, and is available with what I suspect is the best eight-speed automatic transmission in the world: the Hydra-Matic 8L90. It feels like it's reading my mind, shifting exactly when I'd want to if I had a manual transmission, something I can't say about many automatics.

The new Camaro has still got a fairly small back seat without a lot of headroom, but that's OK with me because it's not what this car is meant for. If you want a comfy back seat, you're looking at the wrong vehicle.

It's also got a center digital display that's angled down toward the floor, not up like most cars, with a highly reflective screen surface. I didn't like how distracting it was, personally, but the system itself worked flawlessly — including with my favorite new-car feature, Apple CarPlay.

I also liked the creative way you can adjust the temperature in the cabin by turning huge rings around the air vents. It's original, stylish and very intuitive to use, so kudos to the GM interior design team for a brilliant idea.

Even the body design that everyone says is so conservative looks better when you see it in person. You can notice the differences more clearly, seeing how it's more angular than before with a lot of subtle changes to make it look sharper and more modern. Those delicate lines just don't show up well in pictures, unfortunately.

Pricing starts at $26,695 for the Camaro 1LT with the four-cylinder engine. A 335-horsepower V6 is available as a $1,495 option.

The high-performance SS version with its dream-car-worthy 6.2-liter, 455-horsepower V8 starts at $37,295.

You also can get a convertible Camaro starting at $33,695.

INFO BOX

2016 Camaro 2LT Coupe

$29,800

Options: Convenience and lighting package ($2,800), RS package ($1,950), eight-speed automatic ($1,495), ceramic white interior accents ($500), Chevrolet MyLink system ($495), heavy-duty cooling and brake package ($485), white pearl rally stripes ($470), 20-inch wheels ($100).

Price as tested (including $995 destination charge): $39,090

Wheelbase: 110.7 in.

Length: 188.3 in.

Width: 74.7 in.

Height: 53.1 in.

Engine: 2.0-liter turbo four cylinder (275 hp, 295 ft. lbs.)

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Fuel economy: 22 city, 31 highway

RATINGS

Style: 8

Performance: 9

Price: 9

Handling: 10

Ride: 8

Comfort: 7

Quality: 7

Overall: 8

Why buy it?

It's an award-winning car for a good reason. With an all-new design, it handles far better than before while retaining classic muscle-car lines and good performance.