WJH'sFormula

I think I need to go on record as liking the interior spy shots. All of the whiners are certainly entitled to their own opinions, but I just don't see what they see.

Sure, I've got my gripes. I don't like the retro numbering on the gauges. I don't like like tinker-toy looking radio/HVAC - I'm sure the finished product will look much better. I'm not, and never have been a fan of the console gauges.

NONE of what I just listed would keep me from buying this car.

I think the car buying public is going to dig it.

notgetleft

That's a big part of my problem. I think GM had a chance for a homerun by being 'different' than the other retro pony cars coming out. If camaro can't pull in conquest buyers, it is doomed. I guess what remains to be seen is, will the retro interior turn more people on than off. And it's impossible for any one of us to accurately predict that since we're all subject to our own biases.

However, since i stayed at a holiday inn express last night, i'll throw something out. For as much as some people love the retro interior and claim the G8 / CTS / malibu interiors are 'just like everything else', i dont think a single one of them would think less of the camaro if it had that interior. Hell, just look at the millions of posts on this board about the last GTO. Almost without exception everybody loves the interior, the complaints all center on the exterior being boring (or other things like the trunk, but you get the idea). I have not seen a single post by someone saying, yeh the GTO interior is nice, but it's too boring and like everything else to be in a musclecar.


As for a comment like 'go buy a G8 / CTS', i would but i don't want a 4 door car. If there was a new GTO coming based on the G8 though, i would hands down in a second buy it over the 5th gen. But my biggest worry is, this new camaro is going to flop and ruin any chance of future GM RWD performance coupes forever. The same way people pissed and moaned about the GTO being too boring, i'm afraid people will complain the new camaro is too retro, with the interior pushing it off that cliff.

z282slo

When I saw the first concept my first thought was "cool, modern 69 camaro" No doubt about it, I called my wife to the computer who can tell a '67 form a '68 from a '69 in about 2 seconds, and she says nice car what is it? I thought anyone not living under a rock for the last 40 years would reckognize it as a camaro. Kinda neat actually, that one car can be different things to different people, broadens the appeal. However I agree with the O.P. that the interior is purely retro, and that may turn off some people who see a sleek modern musclecar. Even if all I see is modern 69 camaro. Somehow they need to make the interior affect different people different ways like the exterior.

BigDarknFast

I did have an 05 GTO and I had mixed feelings about the interior. I liked the high quality. It was quite ergonomic, and a joy to drive in. The seats were super, although a little bulky. But there was a certain element of boredom to it all. It was just like all the other mainstream interiors out there - standard layout, standard (and clackity) HVAC *****, standard stereo in the center stack. Oh, and no OEM sunroof. Oh, and horribly poor access to the rear seat. *yawn*

And one other thing. I've seen an XM-like antenna on the production Camaro pix released by GM. That has me very excited, since I truly enjoy having OEM-integrated XM in my car. I had to jury-rig my own XM in my GTO, and it was a clunky mess. If the new Camaro does end up with a HUD as is rumored, all the better, since I love how my Prix's HUD shows XM and FM stations when I change them.

notgetleft

OK, now the GTO interior is boring That's the first time i *ever* heard that one.

btw, being similar to other cars is not in any way a bad thing. Maybe all dashboards and center stacks are becoming similar is because that's what most people prefer.

I mean, most clothes today look pretty similar too. You can rock a leisure suit if you want to be different, and some of your friends down at the disco might think you're looking groovy, but odds are most people are going to think you're a jack ***. This 5th gen interior is like that leisure suit. There is no reason to bring that style back, IMO, there is not going to be a large population that thinks it's groovy.

Good Ph.D

I love it when people can't keep up with the level of discourse and try to throw out shady objective sounding comments.

Yes, that's all I'm saying. However, I'm starting to believe it will work out.

While I might like to see it scrapped that's not going to happen, but if it is still a prototype. So I'm beggining to believe they've got two or three styles on paper, and that interior is probably pieces from all three, which is why it's not cohesive at all. Once that gets fixed, I'll probably learn to like it.

SNEAKY NEIL

So what is shady and what is objective?

arcticwhite3.8

I'm going to go out on a limb and probably be assasinated for this but ..... This new camaro is ugly as hell. Sorry, but there is no way I would ever buy one and personally I think if GM thought sales were bad on the 4th gen's this thing is going to potentially cause GM a financial disaster.

I've owned 1 of each generations and have to say up until 1998 I really liked them. In 1997 I ordered a new 98 camaro but cancelled my order after seeing that hideous front end. The only reason GM kept my business was they found this 97 I currently own with everything on it that I had wanted on my 98.

My high school car was a 69 camaro sure a beater but it was cool looking. Then I progressed to to a very lightly used at the time 1984 camaro berlinetta and in 1990 I found a really nice 1981 Z-28 that I still actually have as well. Why did I buy them? They each had a persona of their own from the decorative stripes, sleek looks, the berlinetta cause yeah the digital dash looked cool as hell, to the 97's sleek looks and a interior that I just like being in. In short the Camaro was unlike any other now however it looks like any boxy looking wanna be classic.

Dragoneye

That's nice........thank you for sharing.



Now tell that to the hundreds of people screaming at the top of their lungs at NAIAS in 2006. Let the ones who were crying at that show know what a disaster you think this will be.
Then tell all the Auto magazines who believe this car will be the cat's meow....
Sorry. That wasn't an assasination. but I did let the Suburbans know...

On a side note...there was much more to the cancellation of the 4thgen then it's sales numbers. 140,267 in 2001 isn't that bad if you ask me.

BigDarknFast

Well I do agree the GTO interior got a lot of good press, and did/does satisfy a lot of owners. But I've begun following the advice of some here ( ) and reading what some others say about GM cars on other sites. And the folks on a Mazda site were not kind about the GTO interior: http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=179349

"Most people"? "Most people"... are out there buying Honda Civic sedans. "Most people"... leave layers of Dorito crumbs and candy wrappers under their seats for months or years, and get their car cleaned a couple times a year, when they take it to a scratch-o-wash to have it detailed. "Most people"... don't turn around and look at their car when they park it, and don't give a hoot where they park or what happens to their car when a mechanic or valet attendant is driving it. And "most people" could not make you an accurate pencil sketch of their car's center HVAC/stereo stack, if their life depended on it. (UNLESS you just asked them "Go ahead - make a generic drawing of the standard stack now out there in most cars" )

I'm not quite like that. I care a lot about my cars. I polish them... pamper them... worry about them... and stare at them. In return, I expect them to be special, unique, and innovative. Not just a car for "Most people".
There's a yearning out there, for cars that resonate with buyers. America was the cradle for the mass-produced automobile, and nowhere else do people have such a love affair with their cars. The Muscle Car trend was born here and still thrives today. Demand for the 05+ Mustang has been spectacular, even to the point it has become a critically important part of Ford's business prospects. Chrysler has had success with the PT Cruiser and will likely make big money from the new Challenger (not to mention the 300C and Charger RT/SRT8). Heritage cars have hit a wave and it's unlikely to change anytime soon.

Good Ph.D

My car is special because it's mine, not because it's got a bunch of gimmicks in or on it.

An interior is exciting when I don't notice it. If I'm driving fast and the steering wheel is responsive in my hand, if the shifter is where I need it to be with throws the right length, that's exciting. It's working when I don't notice it, if it's dark and I can change the radio, cruise, heat, without looking away from the road, it's doing it's job. If I've gotta look or fumble around for buttons or dials, it's not exciting, it's frustrating.

Adding a bunch of obnoxious features, like five different surfaces to seem race inspired, or red lighting, Pontiac, or a ten cent analog clock to seem luxurious, Lincoln, or endless buttons to seem high tech, Lexus... Means someone didn't spend their time wisely IMHO.

notgetleft

Not kind? The only negative comments in that thread you posted are people who thought the blue was overbearing or ugly. I'm not going to surf the whole internet looking for other boards opinions, but i'd certainly say you failed at the task.

I pamper my car too, even though it's driven daily. These days i often get people who's minds are completely blown that my car is 3 years old and driven daily, people think i detail it daily. So the battle of ewangs of who cares about there car more and thus has a more important opinion is a draw here.

I'll agree with you that most people don't take that kind of care of their machine. Guess what. THAT INCLUDES MOST OWNERS OF SPORTS / LUXURY CARS TOO, especially not if they're daily driven.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080103/..._ge/auto_sales

Hmmm, says here that mustang sales are slipping. Maybe retro is getting old again?

BigDarknFast

And I'm not going to re-hash every little thing I research, just because you find the results unpleasant. Suffice it to say, it took about two minutes to google 'GTO interior boring' and find that result, in which some said they did not like it... including complaints about the color choices being overdone. Overdone color in an interior design can also lead to boredom....
I've not made a claim that my opinion is more important, or valid than yours. We are all equals here. My point instead was, we have a standard center stack in so many sheep-a-cars today out of laziness by designers and buyers... not because it's magically somehow "superior". Every now and then, a carmaker gets bold and makes something cool and different, and owners covet that car for a long time. I believe that will happen with the new Camaro.
If you read my statement - I was referring to the 05-PLUS Mustang design. (Surely you're not going to try and dispute the success of that? ). Sure - Ford's had a tough year. The 2007 Mustang is getting past its "new-gotta-have" phase, so it's bound to fade like all non-new-star products as time goes by. But that car has been a phenomenal success for Ford. The new Camaro will likely have a similar 'big splash'... and I imagine GM is already working on its mid-cycle upgrades. I for one hope those do not include yet another Hyundai-wannable IP.

90rocz

Exactly...that's more important to me than if it's retro or not, but the retro must function!
It must be an extention of "self"...
It needs to have a "flow" to the theme as well, all tied together somehow.
Interior lighting too, is one overlooked area that a lot of times makes a huge difference in how it feels to be in the car, it can really create a good mood.

Speaking of the GTO redesign, I've only heard good things about the interiors, it was the blandness of the exterior styling of the '04 that most complaints were about...that I heard anyways. That's why the remake in '05...

SNEAKY NEIL

One could make the argument that after the novelty of the retro design has worn off, the sales start to tumble. Has this not happened with the Beetle, Prowler, SSR, PT Cruiser(although the PT I think has fared the best)? I'm not saying that is the case but perhapse it is. The third year of production doesn't seem to be so far off from being fresh. I think that most tid bits comming out about the Mustang freshening will be that it will be a more modern design.

Has the '05 Mustang even been that big of a sales sucess over the previous generation? It has been a great PR sucess but I believe the numbers aren't more on average than the previous generation.

About designers being "lazy" about changing the center stack I don't think holds up. Part of the designer's job is to take into consideration user habits, preferences, and intuitions. This is why large sweeping changes like a center gauge cluster fail. This is why there has always been a steering "wheel" and not a yolk or other control configuration. Designing something different, just to be different that goes against user habits, is very risky and has the potential to be a failure. With that said, I don't think the Camaro interior falls into that dramatic catagory, and I feel it is different but just not attractive.