Interior issues: GM, are you listening?????

[bonnhew]

may be if they put in a nice navigation system somehow, everything would seem much more better..

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

Bottom line is all of that is your opinion. Now if many, many more people start having the same opinion, then GM might do something. I really don't see this gaining a lot of ground. The interior is not luxury, but muscular, which is the feel it should be.

[Inferno2SS]

Originally Posted by Racerman

Hello to one and all!

I thank you for your thoughts and commentaries. Please know, even though this was my first thread on this forum, I was not trying in any manner to be arrogant. Expressive, perhaps. So, my apologies if this is how it sounded to you and that I upset you.

A short history:
I am a seasoned driver, having owned numerous cars and having begun driving when I was 9 1/2 years old. Also, I have road raced formula cars--Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic on the West coast. This is not to brag, for I'm sure many of you have done much more than me in the arena of motorsports. Finally, I still ride my old '93 Ducati 900SS and '09 H-D VROD. The passion for driving is in the blood (oil).

My critique was to possibly inspire GM, as I have long wanted to own a Vette but could not get past the interior. (When I owned a '95 Mustang GT, I ended-up changing many things in the interior [especially the seats--I swapped them out for a set of Sparcos], suspension & engine.. I even wrote to Ford to try and wake them up. No go...)

To me, the SS is a new, inspiring design with a terrific engine and advanced engineering. It is what I'm hoping for in a muscle-car and I am looking forward to test-driving one w/a manual transmission in the not-to-distant future.

Again, my thanks to everyone for your constructive commentary.

May this note find you and your families in great health and spirits.

Best Regards

No offense taken, everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone has different expectations on what they are looking for. Some of us just dont agree or dont have the same expectations as you. One thing to keep in mind, this is a muscle car, if they were to deck out the interior it would mean a much higher price which would make it unaffordable to many of us. It would go from being a $35-$40k SS to a $45-$50k SS.

[tangorover]

One thing that always bugs me is people bitching about the steering wheel. Before I sat in one that was my primary concern. Once I sat in the car I grabbed the wheel and tried to see what was wrong. Seriously I cannot find one thing thats wrong with the wheel. ONLY thing is the size but thats normal cause Im moving up from a teeny-tiny Toyota Celica. The steering is simply fantastic to hold as I normally do.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Racerman

...and '09 H-D VROD.

That's a freaking awesome bike, by the way. Recognized it in your avatar before I read the message.

Originally Posted by Racerman

My critique was to possibly inspire GM, as I have long wanted to own a Vette but could not get past the interior...

It's interesting you mention the Corvette. Personally, I think the interiors only fault is being a little dated....but take a look at this....
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x...V_CH061_01.jpg
Elements could potentially make it into the next generation Corvette.

Originally Posted by Racerman

To me, the SS is a new, inspiring design with a terrific engine and advanced engineering. It is what I'm hoping for in a muscle-car and I am looking forward to test-driving one w/a manual transmission in the not-to-distant future.

I think you're gonna love it! Just on your test drive -- adjust the mirrors properly and look past that "cave" sensation. The Blind Spots go away, and you get used to (and might even enjoy) the view.

[Sidewinder]

Originally Posted by ron10

thanks for pointing all of that out.i had never noticed that on mine.i love it the way it is.

+1

[josh52382]

1.) I felt as if I was sitting in a cave, with sightlines being very poor on all sides & corners.
At first I felt the same but then it grows on you.
2.) The interior was filled with an overabundance of cheap, hard plastic.
so is every other sports car unless you pay 60,000 or more?
3.) The dashboard was truly cartoonish and, IMHO, could use a complete redesign. The only exception was the 4-gauge cluster on the center console.
maybe you should just rip it out and show GM how to do it.
4.) The steering wheel is an ergonomic disaster. Period.
Only complaint here is the audio controls should be on the left more useful that way.
5.) There was no provision for the passenger seat to be elevated.
my wife is 5'11" and glad there is not a way to elevated the seat fits her fine?
6.) The sunroof, necessary to alleviate the dark-cave syndrome, took-up way too much headroom. I'm 5'-10" and could not put the seat in its uppermost position in order to gain thigh support w/o my head touching the headliner.
I have a sunroof and it does take a lot of head room but why would you want to sit straight up in a sports car anyway you are suppose to be enjoying it not be scared
7.) The shiny plastic strip on the dash, along with the same material in panel-form on the doors has potential. It needs texture and perhaps a CF look.
if you want CF buy a cheap sticker and rice it out, sounds like that is what you want to do any way.
8.) The seatback release mechanism, located just below the headrest on the back of the seat is awkward to activate
I think the release mechanism is in a good place are you going to release the sit while you are in it?
I have a solution for you, just order the body of the car and make your own interior and see if you can do it better. You can buy the body from GM for like $10,000.00 try it. Or go buy the mustang with the same cheap hard plastic on the inside.

[Jagadis]

Originally Posted by Racerman

So, wanting to like this interior lead me to these impressions of this 2SS in the hopes that they would be addressed by GM:
1.) I felt as if I was sitting in a cave, with sightlines being very poor on all sides & corners.
I felt like this the first time I sat in the car. This actually goes away after you have driven the car for a few hours. Now that I have had the car for a a month or so, I don't notice it at all.
2.) The interior was filled with an overabundance of cheap, hard plastic.
I don't agree with this. I've always hated the plastic interiors in GM vehicles and this car's plastics are first rate. My brother just bought a 2010 Honda Accord and its the same.
3.) The dashboard was truly cartoonish and, IMHO, could use a complete redesign. The only exception was the 4-gauge cluster on the center console.
I disagree. The dash it awesome. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the soft blue glow in the dash but its kinda grown on me. Its actually quite easy on the eyes and is a nice change to the harsh whites or reds that you see in other cars. Kudos to GM for giving this car's dash an original look in an effort to differentiate this car. Perhaps it is just different and you need to get used to it.
4.) The steering wheel is an ergonomic disaster. Period.
I'm not sure why people keep saying that the steering wheel is odd. Seems okay to me. My Jag's steering wheel was stranger given it was made of varnished wood and was always cold and slippery.
5.) There was no provision for the passenger seat to be elevated.
I agree on this. My daughter is very short and she has commented that it would have been great to raise the passenger seat so that she can see better out the front window.
6.) The sunroof, necessary to alleviate the dark-cave syndrome, took-up way too much headroom. I'm 5'-10" and could not put the seat in its uppermost position in order to gain thigh support w/o my head touching the headliner.
I didn't order the sunroof. People have complained that the sunroof uses up a few inches of headroom.
7.) The shiny plastic strip on the dash, along with the same material in panel-form on the doors has potential. It needs texture and perhaps a CF look.
As someone else pointed out, it would have been cool if the plastic strip lit up like the door panels. Perhaps they tried this but found it was too much of a visual distraction at night.
8.) The seatback release mechanism, located just below the headrest on the back of the seat is awkward to activate.
I feel this is odd too but I believe that this is a nostalgia feature that was present in the 60s car. What would have been nice is if the seat slid forward when you pulled the latch to give you more room to get in.

Here are a few small suggestions to GM after owning my car for a month or so:

1) The center armrest is in a funny position. I find that my arm tends to rest on the cup holder area with only my elbow being able to use the armrest. It would have been nice if the leather armrest slid forward to cover the cup holder when the cup holder was not in use. Just a small issue that is more important for us folks with the six speed manual.
2) Not sure why the car didn't come with rear floor mats?? Anyone else?
3) The plastic patch on the driver's floor mat always looks dirty. I would have preferred if they left this off.
4) Not sure why they didn't use leather for the boot around the manual gear shift. Looks okay but feels a bit cheap.
5) I kinda wish that the side mirrors would fold. I live in a big city and I constantly worry that someone is going to knock off my mirrors.

Other than these few, little quirks...the car is truly amazing. Its fun to drive and gets comments everywhere you go. Just go for it.

Jagadis

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Jagadis

4) Not sure why they didn't use leather for the boot around the manual gear shift. Looks okay but feels a bit cheap.

Are you talking about the Parking brake?

[Jagadis]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Are you talking about the Parking brake?

No...I'm talking about the flexible leatherette that surrounds the gear shift on the manual transmission. Feels like vinyl. Not sure why they didn't use leather.

Jagadis

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Jagadis

No...I'm talking about the flexible leatherette that surrounds the gear shift on the manual transmission. Feels like vinyl. Not sure why they didn't use leather.

Jagadis

Oh.

Cost and longevity. It's that "pleather" stuff people like to make fun of. But then, so is every 'leather' surface in the car besides the one your behind rests on.

[sprtplt]

my two cents...I had a C5 Corvette (loved the interior) just sold my C6 (interior ok, liked the C5 better). Now am shopping for a 2010 Corvette or a 2SS Camaro. I had a lot more negative thoughts about the Camaro until I drove one. Look, I think Chevrolet just may never sweat the small stuff and I am ok with that to get what I want, a damn fast, good looking car. It is this way with the Corvette and it is this way with the Camaro. Also, i guess everything else- on my 2009 Silverado, there is a piece of plastic under the dash right next to the parking brake release that is sharp as a knife, and easily grabbed by mistake. The back doors of the extended cab rattle. But it is a nice ride OVERALL.
As far as the Mustang GT, they continue to have the finest sounding factory exhaust i have heard, but i won't be getting the 2011.

[sigma_1966]

I don't think 30 minutes is really long enough to form a valid opinion. If I had based my opinion of my wife on my first 30 minutes with her she would probably still be with her ex husband and i would have missed out on 10 years of an amazing woman.

My first week driving the car was iffy but once I got used to it I loved it. Rent one for a week and drive it then your opinion might be different. If its not get a mustang.

Originally Posted by Racerman

30 minutes inside a 2SS "evaluating" the interior.

[balthazar]

Originally Posted by Racerman

On Sunday I spent 30 minutes inside a 2SS "evaluating" the interior. Why? Because I truly like the exterior to the point where, for the first time, I have considered buying a Camaro. (Previously, I owned a 1995 Mustang GT which I highly modified and enjoyed tremendously until it reached the point in the EPA cycle where it would no longer meet emissions. It was sold.)

I have also looked at purchasing a 2007/8 Corvette, but was put-off by the poorly designed & executed interior. Loved the rest of the car.... (As a side note, GM has routinely been hounded for the interior in the Vette, yet has done very little to fix it. Indeed, the steering wheel can be found in their lowly sedans & SUVs. Wow...)

So, wanting to like this interior lead me to these impressions of this 2SS in the hopes that they would be addressed by GM:
1.) I felt as if I was sitting in a cave, with sightlines being very poor on all sides & corners.
2.) The interior was filled with an overabundance of cheap, hard plastic.
3.) The dashboard was truly cartoonish and, IMHO, could use a complete redesign. The only exception was the 4-gauge cluster on the center console.
4.) The steering wheel is an ergonomic disaster. Period.
5.) There was no provision for the passenger seat to be elevated.
6.) The sunroof, necessary to alleviate the dark-cave syndrome, took-up way too much headroom. I'm 5'-10" and could not put the seat in its uppermost position in order to gain thigh support w/o my head touching the headliner.
7.) The shiny plastic strip on the dash, along with the same material in panel-form on the doors has potential. It needs texture and perhaps a CF look.
8.) The seatback release mechanism, located just below the headrest on the back of the seat is awkward to activate.

Please know that I'm NOT trying to bash the Camaro. It is a vehicle that I would very much like to purchase; and by posting this, it is my fervent hope that perhaps GM's people monitor this site and will take note of the issues that we see, as potential customers.

I felt the same way about 1-4 when i bought mine but i can tell you itx nit as bad as it feels.

As for the sightlines, it has nithing to do with the interior and everything to do with the exterior shape. Where the plastic is concerned, i had a 350z before this, and the interior wasnt hard plastic, but the new one? Just the same hard plastic as in the camaro. The cartoonish dash also grows on you fast, the only thing i havent grown to love is the red plastic when its backlit. As for 7-8, i really disagree with both.