Sat in Camaro today, some disappointment

[fastball]

Originally Posted by Redwolf20

Again, though, is there a performance car like the Camaro that has the same STANDARD equipment like IRS and Brembo brakes plus performance marks, that's more affordable? No, there is not. Period.

The Malibu isn't a performance car. Has the luxury of upgraded interior along with Acura.

I completely understand that..... my point is that if GM's cost structure was in line with competition, all GM interiors would be consistently top notch, and the Camaro's performance would still be what it is, and they could sell it without raising the price, and still make money off of it.

No matter what business you are in, cost structure while maintaining high levels of service and performance is critical now. I don't think many people realize or understand what I'm saying.

[Miamimatt]

I dont care i dont care i dont care....... lol. i am getting a camaro and i could give a fu@# chat the 370z has etc. I want my camaro that i love and i dont care about any other car at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[toesuf94]

I am going to put it into terms with my 2004 Vette. I love the car. Absolutely drives beautifully - the power, the lines - everything about that aspect of the car is phenominal. The interior SUCKS. The seats are about as supportive as one of those commuter jets you get shoehorned into. The gaps in the dash are big enough to put your fingers through. The radio is the same one that came in EVERY OTHER GM product in 2004 and it is an ugly color that matches NOTHING else in my tan interior. The carpet is cheap, the door handles, switches, pushbuttons - all off the shelf BS from other cars in the fleet. No heated seats. No Navigation. NO XM radio. This car stickered for $64,000. Better interiors in 2004 in that price range? Hell yeah. Were they as cool as the Corvette Convertible that I bought and still enjoy today? Nope.

With all of that said: NOT ONE TIME HAS ANYONE BUT MYSELF COMMENTED ABOUT ANYTHING OF THE ABOVE, AS THEY ARE BLOWN AWAY BY THE REST OF THE CAR. The shortcomings you see and nitpick over now (the seat thing bothers me too) will all be gone the second you twist the key and listen to that exhaust roar and you chalk up your first Mustang GT Kill.

Me thinks we have all been reading Consumer Reports too much - think back to your first, second, third or fourth GEN Camaros...did you worry about how the dash felt or how the seats reclined? Did you care how somebody got in the back of the car? Did any of you check your mullet in a LIGHTED VANITY MIRROR??? (no...you looked up into the t-tops!! ) You cared that it started and that you looked good. Trust me - the 2010 Camaro foots that bill ten fold!

[Redwolf20]

Originally Posted by fastball

I completely understand that..... my point is that if GM's cost structure was in line with competition, all GM interiors would be consistently top notch, and the Camaro's performance would still be what it is, and they could sell it without raising the price, and still make money off of it.

No matter what business you are in, cost structure while maintaining high levels of service and performance is critical now. I don't think many people realize or understand what I'm saying.

Agreed but I would also point to the Malibu and CTS or CTS-V. Let me change my question to this:

Is there a car made with consistent top notch interior AND performance like the Camaro but ALSO considered affordable by today's economic standards? Keeping in mind that a few extra thousand bucks is a stretch nowadays.

[UCF w00t]

The trunk loom thing bothered me at first too. But then I realized that nearly every car has this "problem". Here's the Camry's trunk...


Yea, it's zip tied to the the trunk arm but the Camaro doesn't have a trunk arm like that. After seeing the car in person, the wire does not get in the way at all and you don't even notice it. It doesn't look out of place or anything like that. I see no problem with it.

Gas filler location is purely preference. Me? I don't give a crap. It's on the passenger side on the 370z people love to compare the Camaro to. Maybe you're used to it being drivers side but this is in no way some sort of defacto standard. It's different on every car! There is no "wrong" side!

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by toesuf94

I am going to put it into terms with my 2004 Vette. I love the car. Absolutely drives beautifully - the power, the lines - everything about that aspect of the car is phenominal. The interior SUCKS. The seats are about as supportive as one of those commuter jets you get shoehorned into. The gaps in the dash are big enough to put your fingers through. The radio is the same one that came in EVERY OTHER GM product in 2004 and it is an ugly color that matches NOTHING else in my tan interior. The carpet is cheap, the door handles, switches, pushbuttons - all off the shelf BS from other cars in the fleet. No heated seats. No Navigation. NO XM radio. This car stickered for $64,000. Better interiors in 2004 in that price range? Hell yeah. Were they as cool as the Corvette Convertible that I bought and still enjoy today? Nope.

With all of that said: NOT ONE TIME HAS ANYONE BUT MYSELF COMMENTED ABOUT ANYTHING OF THE ABOVE, AS THEY ARE BLOWN AWAY BY THE REST OF THE CAR. The shortcomings you see and nitpick over now (the seat thing bothers me too) will all be gone the second you twist the key and listen to that exhaust roar and you chalk up your first Mustang GT Kill.

Me thinks we have all been reading Consumer Reports too much - think back to your first, second, third or fourth GEN Camaros...did you worry about how the dash felt or how the seats reclined? Did you care how somebody got in the back of the car? Did any of you check your mullet in a LIGHTED VANITY MIRROR??? (no...you looked up into the t-tops!! ) You cared that it started and that you looked good. Trust me - the 2010 Camaro foots that bill ten fold!

GM interiors have definately improved since 2004. Both my 2007 HHR and my 2008 Sky have great interiors and the fit is very good on both.. no gaps that I can see into the dash and best of all every knob and switch have a quality feel to them instead of a wobbly click or loose feeling...

[OUTATIME]

You know, I actually read through this because the interior was one of my concerns before I actually put a deposit down. Here are my thoughts:

At a fully loaded price point, we get a lot (albeit, not everything) for the money. Based on early reviews of the V6, we're going to get a pretty aggressively tuned suspension to hug the road and on top of that, add a 426 hp motor which none of the other cars have at that price. I'm pretty convinced that even with the weight of the car, we're going to see some impressive ride characteristics, road holding capabilities and slalom times which out-do the Mustang, Challenger, (and going over to the imports) Genesis, G37, and just about any other sub $40k RWD car.

I think the car is marketed to enthusiasts who truly want a "driver's car" which is where most of the money was spent in R&D - to tune the suspension and engine. What we don't get is the soft-touch plastics, leather inserts, dual zone climate controls, (I still don't know why AT LEAST this one was left out -) NAV; but we still get a pretty damn good audio/electronics system on top of that. <- This is what the 2010 Mustang improved upon from last gen, and in the performance arena I don't think it's going to compete much better.

All in all, the Camaro tops out around $37k but chances are, with all those discounts you'd get it for realistically like $33k - $34k after maybe 6 - 8 months <- that really isn't bad at all.

What I'm saying is, for the money you're paying, what you're getting is a pretty good deal and I don't think I'd mind a slight price increase if it meant the Camaro will come with a soft-touch interior, leather inserts, blah blah all that crap and the capability of a few more options down the line (I don't think it will for at least 1 or 2 model years though). I might as well hold out to see if it happens since I won't be ready to buy a car until sometime at the end of this year.

[Mr. Wyndham]

...no lights on the vanity mirror...I'm gonna remember that one for some time to come...

Everybody's an expert .......but...no feedback means no improvement, I guess...

[DDustiNN]

Originally Posted by HTWLSS

You must really be pissed off about the 1st Gen cars then.

haha, I was going to do this too, but I hadn't finished reading the thread yet... good call!

[DDustiNN]

Originally Posted by OUR72GTO

I don't want chrome in my eyes with the sun bouncing through the glass.

It is that 2 extra cylinders that pump the price up to 38.

This car will be looked at by many more buyers of imports than Mustang or Dodge fans. That is who will decide. Not us.

Man, I was going to point this one out too... for everyone complaining about the lack of chrome around the guages, like the concept had. Although, I do think that a brushed aluminum would look better than the painted plastic. But this is not enough to make me dislike the Camaro in any way

[69 rs/ss]

Originally Posted by Miamimatt

I dont care i dont care i dont care....... lol. i am getting a camaro and i could give a fu@# chat the 370z has etc. I want my camaro that i love and i dont care about any other car at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am with you!!!

[HeatherR]

Before I comment, I know you'll think my comments are biased, but I am no GM "fanboy"--I owned my first GM vehicle in 2005 (and I started driving in '92). Unlike some of you the interior is at the top of my list in terms of importance.

Prior to seeing the car in person, I hated the interior in pictures (loved the exterior). Even when I was in the first one I was not completely convinced it met my expectations, and this was the 1SS from the roadtrip thread. It quickly grew on me in terms of interior styling, and while I do think there is room for improvement the quality of materials is fine. The fit is much better than past GM cars and the quality of materials is acceptable. However, if you're looking for a CTS quality interior you will be disappointed!

My feel is GM spent the most $ on what is important to most Camaro (Performance car buyers), and that isn't the interior for most.

So, I will agree with Number 3--Wait until you can drive it before you make your final judgement. And, make sure you go over the competition as carefully before you make the switch. I sat in the Challenger and I looked inside the 2010 Mustang (couldn't sit in it), and while it was shiny it looked like they used way more "hard plastic" than the Camaro. And the Nissan...I personally can't get past the exterior to even check out the interior

I personally find it very difficult to evaluate a car at an Auto Show...Too many people, too little time in the car..too many cars and my brain overloads! You really have to see these things out in the wild! And that is very soon now...Hang in there

And to the original issues raised...mirror is non-issue for me and I am a woman, fuel door-My current GM vehicles are on the same side, and they usually have a tiny arrow pointing to the side that has the tank on the dash to help remind you if you are pulling into the station and can't remember, and the backseat--I sat back there for several short trips, and I had no problem getting in and out I agree two steps instead of one can be a pain, but lets face it while this backseat is functional, most people will use it on occasion. Also, no one is sticking their 80 year-old grandma back there...most backseat passengers will be kids and they won't mide the two-step process!

Just my .02

[DkknightX]

I think a lot of people are misinformed as to what the back seats in sportscars actually represent. Those seats are actually a discount for automotive companies so they can sell their vehicles for a better price. Part of the gold standard, especially in luxury sports cars. My client has a beautiful Aston Martin he just had built and he too has two rear seats with beautiful leather interior, but literally, you cannot sit in them. The front seats do not fold to allow access to them. He confirmed from the actual guy that handbuilt his car in Britain that was indeed the reasoning behind this. This information is accurate and if I'm restating old information, I apologize, but I felt it needed to be said. You can't be pissed off at Chevy for making the rear seats difficult to get to and then make a gripe about it. Be thankful you have even limited functional rear seats.

For the record, Chevrolet/GM is only earning between $1000.00 to $3000.00 profit on a Camaro (Depending on Trim) assuming it was sold MSRP. So don't bitch and complain about ammenity issues. If you could afford to buy a Corvette, you should. Hell, I would too. You'd be crazy not to. How could you really compare the two cars? If you could afford to buy a Vette, why are you preaching to the choir about your issues with the new Camaro?

[ArcAngel]

I could care less about the seats I'm not really buying this car for a family car. Thats why my focus was on interior appointments not the seats