my thoughts on interior

[Optimus Prime]

Originally Posted by stovt001

A care about the dash, but I don't care as much about how "soft" it is. If the texture is better than my Cobalt's, and the plastic is sturdier, and it doesn't rattle (my Cobalt doesn't, so lets keep that up) then I'm fine with it. If it feels like the Mazda3's plastics, I'm good!

Now I wouldn't mind a real brushed aluminum panel or something similar to spice up the interior. I do think that is one area the Mustang has the advantage. The black expanse needs to be broken up, and the dark cubicle wall cloth isn't exactly what I was looking for.

I'm with you stovt001. Heck, I currently drive a Cobalt too. No noise/rattling, which is nice, but yeah, the plastic dash in it is a bit, um, hard, and I don't care for the texture, but as one of the mags put it, it's as good as plastic gets, which tells me it's gotta be pretty good, at least.

I also agree on the passenger-side dash. It seems like it needs something. I'm thinking something like the Corvette, which has, of course, "Corvette" etched in. I'm sure an aftermarket company, or even GM, will come up with some kind of "Camaro" and/or "SS" applique that could go there, which is what I plan to do. It'll look good, and it'll make mine just a little different (until of course, everyone else gets the same great idea ).

[andyrew]

I went and looked at the 370z and I had the same opinion on the interior.

Also talk about a tiny trunk.... Great exhaust note though, I hope the v6 is near that loud.


I also looked at the GTR..

[stovt001]

Another interior reference point - on Friday I went out with my coworkers for lunch, and we went in a Volvo S40 that was a loaner for my coworker's XC-60 that was in the shop. The plastics were hard, but they had a very high quality feel to them as well. Maybe we should start calling it "firm". Hard seems to have a negative connotation.

[justmeron]

Good review. I would have liked the camaro dash on the passenger side or glove box to say camaro or something there. Other than that I like the interior based on the pictures I have seen.

[CaptianSam]

you know what i firstly bashed the interior but reality is lots of other cars have the same thing... 350z charger challenger all have bare right sides... heck even my audi has a bare right side the only thing there is a glovebox handle... and an air vent i agree it looks so bland. this is probably because the angle and the extra piece or the dash that continues onto the door in the same color... but if your buying a car for interior fit and finish and for luxury you honeslty need to go german... there is a reason why these cars are less expensive it becuase they trade power for luxury. audi does have the best interior (IMO) but i always find myself getting bored driving them, my neighbours r8 has an extensive list of problems including lots of electrical. audis have thier faults as well... and the camaros is interior blandness on the passenger side dash... BIG DEAL... i sat in the car at the show and pushed on the dash and it squeaked... i did it my audi and guess what... it squeaked too... the material in the german counterparts seem to be more SOLID in feel, texture and build. thats a german exclusive. and comes with a much heftyier price tag...
if i hear one more person bash the interior my head is going to explode

[Optimus Prime]

Originally Posted by andyrew

I went and looked at the 370z and I had the same opinion on the interior.

Also talk about a tiny trunk.... Great exhaust note though, I hope the v6 is near that loud.


I also looked at the GTR..

Yeah, they had a GTR at my Nissan dealership too. That is one nice-looking car, and the interior is just cool...

[Wicho]

I joined this forum, finally, after seeing this thread.

As a detailer, I have collected quite a bit of experience dealing with interiors on vehicles of every income bracket and style.

My view is purely neutral. GM and especially Ford have never been on the forefront of interior design. As a poster relayed before this, German cars do lead in pretty much every class. I have always been impressed with the Volkswagen GTI. Its a definite winner in the fast-hatch category, with very good build quality. The paint is also very soft easy to work with.

When I detailed classic cars, I would always marvel at the craftsmanship of older times. European cars like alpha romeos and Fiat have always impressed me with wood dashboards, hand stitched leather seats so forth. But then again, they would overheat and sometimes explode after a few laps in those days.

Modern cars do cost much more to make due to regulations and emissions propaganda, but what they are asking for MSRP leaves you wishing for a bit more.

What most fans are being so hissy-fitty about was that they expected this car to rally against its German rivals. It didn't, but lets be honest in saying it isn't far behind.

All I am hoping for this car's quality is that its better than the interior of my 1998 F-Body long term.

[Vash]

Trade off's. I can appreciate the allure of the rice. I have owned RX7's and Nissan Z's.

To me just a different driving experiance. The TCO is higher for Nissan and Mazda as well (high post warranty maint costs).

[MikeZ28]

I owned a '95 Z28 and a 2000 Z28, each for about 5 years, and although the materials were hard and not very pretty, they were very durable and had no signs of wear and tear from my use of the cars. And they didn't really rattle much at all, except the '00 glovebox sometimes would buzz a little bit.

As long as it's solid and tight, I can live with a plastic dash.

[Rodrunner]

Originally Posted by Wicho

I joined this forum, finally, after seeing this thread.
As a detailer, I have collected quite a bit of experience dealing with interiors on vehicles of every income bracket and style.
My view is purely neutral. GM and especially Ford have never been on the forefront of interior design. As a poster relayed before this, German cars do lead in pretty much every class. I have always been impressed with the Volkswagen GTI. Its a definite winner in the fast-hatch category, with very good build quality. The paint is also very soft easy to work with.
When I detailed classic cars, I would always marvel at the craftsmanship of older times. European cars like alpha romeos and Fiat have always impressed me with wood dashboards, hand stitched leather seats so forth. But then again, they would overheat and sometimes explode after a few laps in those days.
Modern cars do cost much more to make due to regulations and emissions propaganda, but what they are asking for MSRP leaves you wishing for a bit more.
What most fans are being so hissy-fitty about was that they expected this car to rally against its German rivals. It didn't, but lets be honest in saying it isn't far behind.
All I am hoping for this car's quality is that its better than the interior of my 1998 F-Body long term.

Good post. Welcome to Camaro5, Wicho!
I had an X1/9 many years ago. It's interior wasn't too impressive. Alphas though, different story, like the Jags, very richly finished, but not really what I want in my SS.

[FirstLSK]

I think Edmunds summed it up the best when it comes to the interior of a modern muscle car.


Read my signature below.

[greenrail]

As an enthusiast, the interior is a minor issue. However, to the General consumer, this may become something of a concern. We need to understand that, as GM needs to sell cars. They are trying to reach a much broader audience for their vehicles.

GM can't rely on the enthusiast base to be strong enough to bring enough sales to the table.

I would easily imagine that is one of the reasons why Ford upgraded the interior of the 2010 Mustang.

In today's market, the competition is tough. Every vehicle sale is important to the Manufacturers.

[Mr. Wyndham]

We're freaking spoiled. Have the interiors of cars are better than the interior of my bed. And we still complain.

I agree with Optimus Prime, 100%. How often, when you're racing...when you're driving at ALL...do you touch the dash? Do you sit there at a stoplight and fondle it? There's no point to it in crashes...because the entire inside of the car will explode with airbags anyways.()

Chevy had choices to make with this car. They saved money and increased durability by opting out of a 'soft-touch' dash. But they still made sure that everything you and I touch inside the car regularly...is soft and cushy. In a 2LT, 1 or 2SS, these parts are wrapped in leather, too! Steering wheel, shifter, armrests....

I think that will sell the car. While folks are hanging onto the steering wheel for dear life on a test drive, they won't ever notice that the IP or doors are made of plastic.


That's not to say I wouldn't like a soft-touch dash - I actually would....but I'm grateful they didn't waste the money (OUR money when we buy it) on such a useless feature. What we're getting....for 22k or 30k...is astounding. It wouldn't be if they made the inside feel like a Buick.

[andyrew]

Originally Posted by Wicho

I joined this forum, finally, after seeing this thread.

As a detailer, I have collected quite a bit of experience dealing with interiors on vehicles of every income bracket and style.

My view is purely neutral. GM and especially Ford have never been on the forefront of interior design. As a poster relayed before this, German cars do lead in pretty much every class. I have always been impressed with the Volkswagen GTI. Its a definite winner in the fast-hatch category, with very good build quality. The paint is also very soft easy to work with.

When I detailed classic cars, I would always marvel at the craftsmanship of older times. European cars like alpha romeos and Fiat have always impressed me with wood dashboards, hand stitched leather seats so forth. But then again, they would overheat and sometimes explode after a few laps in those days.

Modern cars do cost much more to make due to regulations and emissions propaganda, but what they are asking for MSRP leaves you wishing for a bit more.

What most fans are being so hissy-fitty about was that they expected this car to rally against its German rivals. It didn't, but lets be honest in saying it isn't far behind.

All I am hoping for this car's quality is that its better than the interior of my 1998 F-Body long term.

My daily driver is a 98 Audi A4. Basically an entry level audi and the quality of the interior in that day (especially compared to my moms 2001 Mitsubishi galant) is amazing, the materials just feel so nice. I am very excited to see how the materials feel in the camaro but I will say its not a deciding factor for me as I am used to nicer, german cars (Previous daily was a 944 turbo).