BluegrassMotorsport

I sometimes get frustrated when I hear people talk about it. I also get frustrated when people talk about the quality of the interior of current Corvettes and past Corvette.

Here's the thing:

The Corvette has mostly been, especially currently, about being able to spank cars that are substantially more expensive than it. Porsche, for example, have some of the best interiors there have ever been in a car. But have you seen the price tag? Geez....
The minute people start asking for a better interior for the Corvette, they need to realize what they are asking for. Interiors cost money. Did you catch that? No? I'll say it again: Interiors cost money. And if interiors cost money to build, how to you think Chevrolet plan to compensate for the extra money they have to spend? That's right, you got it! They have to raise the price.

Do you know what happens then?

The Corvette becomes another one of those sports cars that people dream of driving but can only dream about. They see one on the road, sigh, and go about their lives, knowing that no matter how hard they work, they will most likely never be able to own one. It will fade into the background and eventually disappear from the minds of those who once cared.

A better interior would be nice. But, I have been in at least one Corvette from every generation and I can even tell you from my little experience with them that, thought the interiors look cheap, they are not. Especially with the current generation. The 2008 Z51 coupe I had the pleasure of riding in was nothing less than a pleasing experience. The leather seats are much more supportive than they look and even with the performance suspension (as opposed to the comfort one), the ride was smooth as could be.

Well, that's just my opinion I suppose. Feel free to chime in with your's lol

HarryWild

" Porsche, for example, have some of the best interiors there have ever been in a car. "

Strongly disagree with you on that. Have you taken a look at a Ferrari's interior lately? Or even a Austin Martin?

They are like real nice! Comparing these cars to a top of the line interior package in the Porsche; there is no comparison. Even the color is so superior it is just ridiculous. Plus, the way it lay out is. Corvette is very dated and not too functional given all the new items that are needed in the interior of cars these days. Porsche is better then the Corvette; not not even in the same class as a Ferrari!

Jinx

Here's the thing: interior quality and features have gotten dramatically better in all new cars over the past decade. People buying an "econobox" expect steering wheel audio controls, a navigation system, iPod connectivity, and soft-touch materials everywhere. Family sedans today get optioned out in ways that shame luxury marques ten years ago.

The C6 interior is a fine place to conduct the business of driving, generally, but even with leather wrappings it's quite dated. Car buyers expect to be wowed by materials and dazzled by convenience options. C6, with its merely-adequate nav and stereo system and manual (flimsy) seatback adjustment and in-your-face modest carpet, doesn't.

C7 needs to leap ahead, because we know it won't get a mid-cycle update. Sure, it's a performance bargain, but the lack of investment in the day-to-day interface between human and automobile really undercuts the appeal of that bargain for a lot of people.

SCM_Crash

I mostly agree with the OP.

I don't see a reason to have to spend an additional $5-6K for an interior upgrade that I don't need. I like the interior of the C5 and C6. I also couldn't give a crap about what *other* people think about my interior. It's not their damn car and I'm not a gold-chain-wearing douche that craves the approval of everyone else. The Corvette isn't a Ferrari or a Lamborghini; and thank god for that! I know lots of Ferrari and Lambo owners and most of them don't even like their cars. I don't know why. Many of us would kill to have a Ferrari F430 or a Lamborghini LP670. However, what we do have is a FUN TO DRIVE CAR THAT DOESN'T COST A MINT!!!

How many of you guys would have *easily* afforded the car you have if it were $5-6K more upfront? Sure, lots of you have done interior upgrades, but how long did it take to get to where it is? What kind of time frame did you stretch the upgrade over?

I'd say the majority of the guys on this forum couldn't afford $5-6K more upfront. Especially in these hard times. Of course, then you'll have the jerks on this forum that would say "If you can't afford the extra $5-6K upfront, you shouldn't own a Vette to begin with." Of course, those are the jerks that shouldn't own a Vette because the Vette was designed, marketed and sold to the working class man.

I think all these people saying "The Vette needs to evolve into something better," are people that don't know anything about Vette heritage, or people that feel that they're better then other people in a way that simply makes them a douche.


I know what I said is harsh, but it's the truth. Considering that you can get your interior done anywhere for about the same price as you'd pay upfront to GM and get even better quality, I'd say there's absolutely no reason for GM to spend and charge for "upgraded" interior.

madmax13

So... it should just stay the same? Lets stick with the LS3 then as well.



We have to consider the tooling/mass quantity price associated with the C7 redesign (or whatever you want to call it).

The materials don't necessarily have to be astronomically higher in price. It's about how the interior is put together. When you buy XX million units of a certain type of material, it brings costs down. It's just as much about material selection and composition than straight out cost.

I mean, what would be a reasonable "uprgade" cost? $100? $1000? They certainly aren't going to be charging $5000 for an 'upgraded' base interior. I wouldn't be surprised to see a "sport seat" deal with Recaros in the CTS-V. 4LT did its job; most who bought it, at a premium, were very satisfied with the workmanship.

SCM_Crash

Look at the difference between the C5 and C6 interior. The C6 is interior is certainly an upgrade from the C5, but not so much that it affected the cost of the car. Nobody's saying that the car shouldn't get upgrades, but the interior upgrades people suggest are far above the price range of the car. They're expecting Ferrari-style interior with everything leather wrapped and so on... Lets face it, that's definitely an expensive proposition. That's why very few cars do it. That's why the cars that cost over $150,000 do it.

I feel that even if Chevy DID leather wrap everything and they use an economically priced leather (not necessarily cheap leather) we'll still hear complaints from the majority of people about how the interior is still cheap. Supposedly a $50K car is supposed to have a $150K car's interior??? Come'on.

If GM could do it for $1000 or less like you suggest, fine. I'd have no objection to it. But I don't think that's going to happen. Especially since GM charges stupid amounts of money for every little extra for every car they make, the Corvette especially.

They're greedy and it shows. GM didn't put GPS in their cars for the longest time because they wanted people to use On-Stars turn-by-turn system. Why put free instructions into a car when you can have a paid subscription service to do exactly the same thing with less privacy? When you could get GPS Navigation in a base Honda, you still couldn't get it in a Corvette or Grand Prix. Why? Because they wanted to sell more On-Star. Then when they finally decided to put Navi in their cars, they still only put it in the Corvette (Cadillac aside).

Unless GM changes their business ethics (and I don't think the government has anything to do with it) I don't see them putting an upgraded interior in without jacking the price up 5-10 times their cost based on their past.

ZR1Gerhardt

That is not true. I am 38 and have been around Vettes since I was 2 with my father. I have owned four Vettes and my Dad has had three. I have gone to various shows including Bloomington Gold.

But the Vette has to change now. The average Corvette buyer is 54 year old white American male. That is an aging and very limited geographic market. Not to mention the economic landscape has changed for the worse and it is not likely to return to the pre-crash days anytime soon. They are simply not going to be able to sell the 33-35 thousand cars per year that they are used to selling. And with the market aging and tighter credit, that current sales volume of ~14K is not likely to go up dramatically anytime soon.

So GM is looking to expand the Corvette market in two ways:

1. They need younger buyers; and
2. They want to sell more outside of America, especially Europe.

How can they do this. I don't know. It is going to be tough. But in order to sell cars in Europe, the interior has to be improved. They don't want a junkie American interior in it. Just read the European Reviews of the C6 Corvettes.

In addition, the history of having a V8 is also in jeopardy. Don't be surprised to see some form of V6 Turbo. It has been mentioned by the Corvette brass. That may have more to do with the tightening CAFE and environmental changes. Is it a cheaper engine, I don't know. But if it is, it is likely to be in the C7 to lower costs.

Jinx

As long as Chevy trucks have a V8, Corvette can have a V8. Even at 35,000 cars a year it doesn't sell enough to be a CAFE problem. And if cars are legislated for efficiency based on footprint, Corvette's low+wide presence helps.

Also, don't confuse design with engineering. I'm sure the worldwide reach is for styling, not architecture. Corvette doesn't merit a major architectural change. It's already a strong, lightweight, well-arranged, great-performing vehicle. It needs refinement, not reinvention.

C6 is not far off the mark on interior materials; it just needs to be a Buick-Cadillac effort, not a Chevy effort. Where it falls behind is features. The C6 should have been among the first cars to have Bluetooth and iPod integration and an impressive nav system. C7 needs to have full power-adjustable seats and steering column, not the halfassery in C6. The "bargain" argument only goes so far, and Corvette can't do without features that are available in plebeian cars. The iPhone generation defines cool in daily-gadget terms; an aspirational car needs to complement that asthetic, not hamper it.

These features shouldn't be costly to incorporate, because they should fit GM's entire product line. We're not talking Rolls Royce materials here, we're talking designed-in-Cupertino made-in-China (or increasingly designed-and-made-in-China) stuff. In fact, they should enhance the car's profitability, pulling more buyers up to higher trim levels and technology packages. The challenge is that we're not talking five-year lead times and wait-to-see-if-it's-popular decisions.

.Jinx

BluegrassMotorsport

A V6 Corvette is something I do not see happening. Yes, the government wants automakers to produce cars with beeter fuel economy and stuff. But, I like what the head of GM said a few weeks ago. He said that he will build SUVs and he will build sports cars as long as he wants too. You know why? Because the government isn't going to do anything about it. And he's right. General Motors makes far too much money off of their cars that get bad mileage. And now that out government owns much of them, they aren't going to make them stop producing something that turns that kind of profit.

That being said, the Corvette began with a 6 cyliner engine. So, the possibility is still there, especially when you think of all the fans and collectors that may buy one to go along with theirs that they have from 1953 or 1954. But it's still not something I see happening.

The Europeam market do like teh Corvette, but would love it more with a better interior. But there is the problem. Europe and America have 2 completely different ways about building cars. Euro cars have been about comfort and ammenaties since the very beginning of their time. American cars have been about fun for quite some time. These ideas have a possibility of mixing together, but not in terms of something like the Corvette. The Corvette would have to sacfrice too much for it's great interior.

So, it's a bit of a back and forth thing. We will have to see what they do with the next car I suppose.

SCM_Crash

I don't disagree with what you said. But I believe your point only makes my point more valid. If GM's going to sell enough Vettes, they're going to need to be/stay affordable. Honestly $45K for a base Corvette is affordable. Some dealerships you can actually buy a $45K Corvette. In this economy, $45K is a lot. But those looking to buy a new car above $30K are likely those that aren't actually hurting as bad - or even at all.

However, there's a lot of people out there [like me] that aren't hurting but still don't have the money for a $55K car. $45K is certainly reachable. $10K makes a big difference. If GM decides to "upgrade" the leather, you can certainly bet it will end up being a very costly additional price to the car. Even if they made it an option, that adds cost to the car as well because it's another fork in the middle of the manufacturing process.

It'll be a lot harder to sell 33-35K cars each year if the current year model keeps getting more expensive every year by that kind of a margin. I can understand inflation, but 5-10K is ridiculous.

Again, if they could pull it off without the huge price tag alteration, (i.e. Vette tax + GM greed tax + materials & labor), then I'm all for it.

2K14C7

Interior quality has dramatically improved in recent GM vehicles. One only has to look at 2010 Cadillacs and the 2010 Buick Lacrosse to see how the materials and designs have improved.

There is no reason the C7 can't have a higher quality interior at an affordable price. They could keep the 4LT full blown leather treatment as an option like the current car to keep the price down for those that don't want it.

defender90

One of the problems is that, as far as interiors, GM has always played "catch-up" to the Europeans in look, feel and gizmo-quotient. Therefore, when the C6 was launched, it was in rough parity with the Euro-designs that were close to the end of their product life-cycles. When the C6 was first launched, most of the press I read was raving about how much better the interior was over the C5, and that it was as good as anything out there! Now, it's no good? Cheap? I feel pretty good about the interior in my C6Z - keep it cleaned and lubricated with some good leather food and it feels and smells pretty damned good. I sell highline European cars - and yeah, the `vette isn't really in the same league point-for-point, but the difference is not embarrassing, either! I think we all like to bitch alot.

roflpwnmobile

Having lived in the motherland (Germany) for nearly a decade, I have a couple of points about euro cars you all seem to miss;

The vast majority, probably about 80% by my own super refined estimate, of people in europe drive econo boxes, and these econo boxes make the Geo Metro look like a luxury car. They drive VERY fuel efficient/cheap/small cars, however many own a larger nicer car for longer trips.

The econo boxes are FULL of plastics, no soft touches, hell sometimes no glovebox even...


Europeans are ACCUSTOMED to garbage interiors, far more spartan ones than in US vehicles, however when they get in a nice car that they want to take on a long trip, they expect slightly more than Americans do, and they are right about it.


The problem with the C6 is partially a lack of options, however the real problem is the slapped together design/look/feel of it, the Dodge Neon of the 1990s had a more functional interior, and it had about the same amount of plastics That lack of quality, not the lack of pamering, the quality, as in, nicer soft touch plastics,tighter seems, parts that don't eventually loosen and squeak/rattle/rub, substantial feeling buttons (not the typical GM garbage buttons that feel like they are held on with Elmer's white glue), etc etc

Bottom line: Improve the quality as a whole, add in the standard options that most cars have, offer the current interior trim levels and add a luxo interior at 10k price point which includes leather wrapped everything, omg nice etc etc (5LT), then sit back and watch as all the ignorants say "It's better but it's still not european standard" lulz, 99% of Americans think that a full loaded leather equiped BMW is the Euro standard... lol (FYI BMWs in Germany are like chevies here, no leather, rarely auto, hardly ever NAV etc)

Example: Twingo Interior (one of the most popular Euro econo boxes)


Notice it is very spartan, this is the most upscale model, however despite allt he plastics etc, it is well assembled with small gaps and much better design taste, meet these standards!

SCM_Crash

I have to say that after being in both the C5 and the C6, I feel the plastics used in the C6 are a lot harder than those used in the C5. I've never been in an 4LT C6, but honestly the plastic doesn't bother me.

However, I DO agree with roflpwnmobile 100%. The plastics need to be a quality material that won't shrink and rattle after time. The gaps between panels need to be smaller. There needs to be better inside-cab lighting.

And for god's sake, a REAL radio with Navi.

ALMS21

Having owned three Porsche I have to strongly disagree with the OP. Their interiors, while better than the Corvette, pale in comparison to even Audi. Ferrari, Aston, Maserati, etc. are light years better than any Porsche I have seen. The 996 interiors were downright laughable in comparison to the car's price tag.

If Chevrolet simply put the same quality in the Vette as they do in the CTS-V, they would attract those that would buy but just can't get past the current interior. Those that expect Vette performance and a Ferrari interior in a $50-80K car are simply living in a fantasy world and their opinions aren't even worth listening to.

SCM_Crash

I agree...

Why should we put $150-300K interior in a $50K car? That's going to hike up the price a lot. BUT the interior on the Cadillacs have gotten a lot better over the years and Chevy should follow suite.

LMB-C6

I don't think anyone is asking for a $150K interior in a $50K car. I want a $50K interior in my $50K car.

Let's look at it this way. Take away the Corvette name for a minute. You go out car shopping and put that same interior in anything else costing $50K. What would your reaction be? I doubt you would say it's a nice interior.

Edmond

+1 on that one.

How do you explain the nice interior on a $30k car that was the '04-'06 GTO?

It can probably be done at the current pricing. Maybe they don't want to?

Okay, if they didn't want to, at least offer an in house alternative. How about a customized interior that can be installed at the dealer? Or how about selling quality interior pieces over the parts counter?

I wonder how many people have just said forget it, they're going aftermarket with their interiors. I wonder how much money GM isn't making with people going to aftermarket interiors.

0to60

I've never really understood the complaints about the vette's "cheapo" interior. If we're talking about the layout/ergonomics, then "cheap" isn't really an appropriate description. Layout is something that was dreamed up by a designer, and one layout isn't necessarily "cheaper" than another. MATERIALS can be cheaper, but the layout???

Me, I've been a fan of vette interiors since I first became interested in the car in '84. Those early C4's had a digital dash that was MAXIMUM "wow" factor back in the 80's. NOTHING had an instrument panel back then. Dated? Sure, when you compare it to today's panels. But back then it was amazing.

Then they redesigned the interior around '89 or so. The driver's side was a true cockpit that felt completely different from the passenger side. Again, I was floored by how cool it was. Check out an '89 porsche 911 interior! BLAH! Or ferrari? Which one, how about the Mondial? That car has the lamest interior I've ever seen, and I absolutely love ferrari.

When the C5 came out, it had a very interesting instrument panel that had a 3D effect at night. I never got tired of looking at it. As far as materials, no, they weren't premium. But I had absolutely no complaints. Plus, I loved how the shifter was a handsbreadth from the steering wheel. It was a very ergonomic place to conduct the business of spirited driving.

The C6 got some new stuff but the layout is mostly the same. Again, no complaints. I'm not sure which porsche or ferrari has a better layout. In fact, some of the european cars (especially MB) have comparatively confusing ergonomics (it took me several minutes to figure out how to turn off the radio in my dad's 2000 E55).

I guess I can see about the materials, but I don't think there are too many complaints to be had about the layout and content.

SSphantom

I agree it's not that Corvette interiors are cheap per say, but execution could have been better.

The 3LT and 4LT trims look nice. Corvette interiors are pretty roomy and have a clean layout, but they need to be improved on.

I think GM can improve by making the design a little more modern and use richer looking colors with a little more improvement in the materials.

While interior isn't bad, it should and needs to be better. GM needs to put the icing on the cake with the C7.

The Corvette should have a nice standard interior with an option to upgrade to a 4LT trim that's actually worth the money.

Again, I think the current 4LT package is nice, but it was a weak attempt by GM and that's why most people don't get it. It's simply not worth the money. If I buy a 4LT, I expect it to be pretty damn nice.

Additionally, I don't think a nice interior will cost the customer much, if anything at all. GM simply needs to execute the interior better next time. Many argue that you are paying for performance so you shouldn't expect a great interior, but I firmly disagree. When Corvettes can be had for almost 15K off, there's no reason why GM can't put a superb interior in it. There is plenty of room for GM to do this.

GM has already stated that they are trying to appeal to a younger crowd and they are working with European designers on the C7.

Things will change with the C7. It will be the biggest evolution the Corvette has seen in a long time. It will have a great interior with the some nice gadgets and gizmos. A minimalistic approach won't cut it.

The Corvette is an affordable super car and it should stay that way, but let's give the Corvette what it deserves. A few hundred bucks out of everyone's pocket for a great interior won't hurt anyone. It might cost someone $10 extra buck per month over the life of the loan. Many people on the forum spend a lot more than that on after market interior parts. Why shouldn't GM just provide that up front?