A few words on the Camaro...interior-wise...

[bobby35ny]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

It may feel cheap to you, and I don't want to discredit you at all, but I just don't understand this attack. I've sat, now, in the 900-series trucks, the most recent Impala, The Malibu....and though those vehicles employed "cushy" surfaces...the plastics in the Camaro are equal to or of higher quality than all those vehicles...so "cheap" is definitely not the first word that comes to my mind.

I'm not attacting anyone or anything. Just my thoughts thats all. If they can do cushy in a truck/impala/malibu, why not Camaro?

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

You assume a lot about money allocation for this car's development...I'm no 'insider', but I'd bet your a little off the mark here.

ZF is expensive no 2 ways about it. It's why they didn't use them.

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Again with the assumptions...29,000+ sold orders in just over 3 months mean nothing to you? I don't think they ignored the 'fact' you stated at all. But the typical Camaro owner, which isn't everyone is not buying this car for the purposes of luxury vehicle. They want a performance car...and the Camaro delivers in spades. What do you think might happen if they had skimped on the powertrain, but delivered an almost-Cadillac type interior?:iono.

All I'm saying is that they saved money by not using ZF for the IRS. Correct 29,000 cars means nothing to me at this stage of the game. The car has been MIA since 2002 I feel more should have been ordered at this time.
Keep in mind, For us die hard guys/gals you can put in a milk crate for a seat and we would still buy the car. It's the LT/V6 buyer that they have to get in the seats. When you get a 28 yr old who wants a cool car and is not CAMARO loyal he will be a hard sell for sure. Look at his options. Genisis, Altima, Mustang the rest of the 2 door V6 cars out there. The guts of those cars are REALLY nice.

If we were talking about the Malibu...this would be entirely different, but we're not.[/QUOTE]

Even a Cobalt has an express operation passenger seat..

=bobby

[THE EVIL TW1N]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

To be fair...the car they were comparing it to when they said "premium" is the '09 and down GT. In that respect, wouldn't you agree that it is a premium product?...imo, it wipes the road with that Mustang....but the 2010 model countered well.

Let the competition continue!

Ford didn't really "counter" with the 2010 Mustang, but rather progressed through evolution. I think it is a mistake if GM based their interior quality goals for the camaro on what is now not only a 5 year old mustang design, but one that was of mediocre quality to boot.

[navmaxlp]

Originally Posted by THE EVIL TW1N

it's a pony car. I find it funny everytime someone refers to these retro cars as "muscle cars".

I don't understand the difference. I checked the meaning for "Pony Car" and "Muscle Car" on wikipedia and it seems like the camaro would fit both. I would honestly like to know the difference between the two if you could explain.

Never mind...figured it out

[RB43TD]

Thanks for the review Dragon. When I test drove the Camaro the only thing that bugged me was the visibility.....and that lasted all of about 10 seconds. Once I had the mirrors adjusted and took off I had no problem at all on my test drive during rush hour traffic.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by bobby35ny

I'm not attacting anyone or anything. Just my thoughts thats all. If they can do cushy in a truck/impala/malibu, why not Camaro?

truck/impala/malibus are meant to be purpose built daily drivers. Primary attention and money goes to the interior. Camaro is a purpose-build performance car...primary attention and money goes into powertrain and suspension.

[GatorBlue371]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

truck/impala/malibus are meant to be purpose built daily drivers. Primary attention and money goes to the interior. Camaro is a purpose-build performance car...primary attention and money goes into powertrain and suspension.

They did a great job with the Camaro, no one is questioning that. However if they go the extra mile and give it the first class interior like some of those we see in Caddy's, they can charge more $$ for it, increasing the margin of profit on each car. The more profit they make, the more they can invest in next level technology and sweet things to put in the cars. Example? BMW.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by GatorBlue371

They did a great job with the Camaro, no one is questioning that. However if they go the extra mile and give it the first class interior like some of those we see in Caddy's, they can charge more $$ for it, increasing the margin of profit on each car. The more profit they make, the more they can invest in next level technology and sweet things to put in the cars. Example? BMW.

Are you proposing selling a Camaro SS for $40,000+? Not sure about everyone else, but...no, thank you.

[GatorBlue371]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Are you proposing selling a Camaro SS for $40,000+? Not sure about everyone else, but...no, thank you.

No im talking about GM getting into the same market of the 335i.

The upscale sports car market, something a potential CTS-V Coupe could hit the ball out of the park with.

Im not specifically talking about what I personally would be able to afford/looking to buy, but rather what would be a great idea for GM to pursue. The 335i is the biggest profit maker for one of the most profitable car companies in the North American Market. It is a perfect mix of quality/performance/moddability/and practicality. Starting at 42k and going up to nearly 60k with options, the car is a CASH COW. And they are EVERYWHERE.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Oh. My bad.

That is a good idea!

[stovt001]

That would be the job of Alpha, if GM ever picks it up again. The Camaro's place is to be affordable.

[GatorBlue371]

Originally Posted by stovt001

That would be the job of Alpha, if GM ever picks it up again. The Camaro's place is to be affordable.

like I said, cts-v coupe....

[stovt001]

CTS-V coupe is still Sigma-based. Plans I heard for Alpha included coupe, convertible, and sedan. We'll see what actually happens.

[GatorBlue371]

Originally Posted by stovt001

CTS-V coupe is still Sigma-based. Plans I heard for Alpha included coupe, convertible, and sedan. We'll see what actually happens.

I dont know much about Alpha, just know that GM needs a <3500lb car with a 350hp+ twin turbo V6 that takes well to ECU upgrades with good interior and exterior styling as well as quality of materials. Give it a good deal of alacantra and real Carbon fiber styling as well as a good Nav/Media screen. Put some Recaros in there as well as a good sporting suspension and you have a car that will compete heavily with the 335i. 40k+. Stop thinking how fast it will do 1/4 and start thinking about quality and corner carving.

[stovt001]

It doesn't even need 350+ hp, at least not in the non V series. Real carbon fiber would probably have to be saved for the V-series as well (look at the M3's roof). Alpha would be precisely a 3 series, C class, A4, G37, IS competitor.