C7 Interior Comparisons
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 994
Likes: 30
From: Aurora Colorado
It's apparent the message these new interiors give to the passenger with everything angled toward the driver and partitioned away from the passenger is here's your little cubby, stay over there, you can have some vents and a glove box to fight boredom with. There's no involvement for the passenger.
I rather like it when there is equal symmetry, that invites the passenger to have a role, in the entertainment, hvac, navigation etc., not one that shouts hands off, driver is a lonely control freak.
I rather like it when there is equal symmetry, that invites the passenger to have a role, in the entertainment, hvac, navigation etc., not one that shouts hands off, driver is a lonely control freak.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 188
Likes: 0
It's apparent the message these new interiors give to the passenger with everything angled toward the driver and partitioned away from the passenger is here's your little cubby, stay over there, you can have some vents and a glove box to fight boredom with. There's no involvement for the passenger.
I rather like it when there is equal symmetry, that invites the passenger to have a role, in the entertainment, hvac, navigation etc., not one that shouts hands off, driver is a lonely control freak.
I rather like it when there is equal symmetry, that invites the passenger to have a role, in the entertainment, hvac, navigation etc., not one that shouts hands off, driver is a lonely control freak.
Race Director
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 629
From: Manheim Pennsylvania
And I thought older drivers were the people who wanted automatics. A manual transmission is just more fun!! If you lose a fraction of a second on acceleration because of the shift to second, so be it. I would never purchase a Corvette with an automatic.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 10,776
Likes: 11
Stick shift is a more advanced body-machine connection. It's the beauty of Iron Man, the man/woman that can be more than itself yet still 100% in control.
Automatic is more like an rc robot. Yeah it may have similar capability but there is no human inside of it clad in metal. The robot is not an extension of the human, it's simply a second lower capacity unit that is manipulated.
Stick shift is akin to playing the quitar, piano, or violin. Great brains, physically engaging an organism to multiply it's greatness through some basic extensions of itself.
Automatic is more like a synthesizer. Already produced waveforms, or ones built methodically combined, edited, altered. The brain is still at work but much less body connection is needed.
You say old farts want manual, I say farts of every age want auto. You can lie to yourself and think the mind-body-machine connection doesn't matter. In the end two things have to happen, the performance needs to be supreme, and sweat needs to be poured. If you only have to lift a finger to get great performance it won't be satisfying, in the same way a lot of effort for marginal result is not satisfying.
Automatic is more like an rc robot. Yeah it may have similar capability but there is no human inside of it clad in metal. The robot is not an extension of the human, it's simply a second lower capacity unit that is manipulated.
Stick shift is akin to playing the quitar, piano, or violin. Great brains, physically engaging an organism to multiply it's greatness through some basic extensions of itself.
Automatic is more like a synthesizer. Already produced waveforms, or ones built methodically combined, edited, altered. The brain is still at work but much less body connection is needed.
You say old farts want manual, I say farts of every age want auto. You can lie to yourself and think the mind-body-machine connection doesn't matter. In the end two things have to happen, the performance needs to be supreme, and sweat needs to be poured. If you only have to lift a finger to get great performance it won't be satisfying, in the same way a lot of effort for marginal result is not satisfying.
For me, the Corvette just wouldn't be the same if I couldn't row the gears. With a stick, I control all the timing of the acceleration/power equation. If I do my job correctly, those shifts cleanly slammed home, that clutch quickly engaged/disengaged, that push of the gas at just the right moment...it's just magic!
That is NOT to say there won't come a day when I will need an auto, especially with my bum left knee...but it will be a different experience. Not bad, just different. I do hope I live long enough to drive a great dual-clutch transmission (or equivalent) in a Vette.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,098
Likes: 301
From: North shore,Ma./Naples Florida
Don't worry, it's just that most of the auto drivers have an inferiority complex knowing that they just get to put it in D and go as they watch their waist size expand in their already oversized Dockers.
_Sloth Whisperer_
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 3,369
Likes: 9
From: Malaysia Air Flight 370
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Drifting
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,348
Likes: 733
From: Oceanside Ca
Honestly, I don't get the thing about younger peoples opinion being more important. To begin with, older people have the money to buy a Corvette.
Secondly, after teaching every generation that is younger than 50 years old I can day I would take the wisdom of an older person over the supposedly knowledge of youth.
What's next, we should all wear baggy pants because someone that is young does?
If Gm's plan is to design the C7 for the younger buyer, they will fail. All expensive cars are mainly purchased by older buyers. Corvettes are driven by elite folks because we can afford to have a toy that expensive. Trust me, twenty yeast olds would love to drive a C7 if they could afford it.
For the record, I will drive an auto or stick because I want to, not because someone else is driving something they like.
Secondly, after teaching every generation that is younger than 50 years old I can day I would take the wisdom of an older person over the supposedly knowledge of youth.
What's next, we should all wear baggy pants because someone that is young does?
If Gm's plan is to design the C7 for the younger buyer, they will fail. All expensive cars are mainly purchased by older buyers. Corvettes are driven by elite folks because we can afford to have a toy that expensive. Trust me, twenty yeast olds would love to drive a C7 if they could afford it.
For the record, I will drive an auto or stick because I want to, not because someone else is driving something they like.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 693
Likes: 1
From: CA
Honestly, I don't get the thing about younger peoples opinion being more important. To begin with, older people have the money to buy a Corvette.
Secondly, after teaching every generation that is younger than 50 years old I can day I would take the wisdom of an older person over the supposedly knowledge of youth.
What's next, we should all wear baggy pants because someone that is young does?
If Gm's plan is to design the C7 for the younger buyer, they will fail. All expensive cars are mainly purchased by older buyers. Corvettes are driven by elite folks because we can afford to have a toy that expensive. Trust me, twenty yeast olds would love to drive a C7 if they could afford it.
For the record, I will drive an auto or stick because I want to, not because someone else is driving something they like.
Secondly, after teaching every generation that is younger than 50 years old I can day I would take the wisdom of an older person over the supposedly knowledge of youth.
What's next, we should all wear baggy pants because someone that is young does?
If Gm's plan is to design the C7 for the younger buyer, they will fail. All expensive cars are mainly purchased by older buyers. Corvettes are driven by elite folks because we can afford to have a toy that expensive. Trust me, twenty yeast olds would love to drive a C7 if they could afford it.
For the record, I will drive an auto or stick because I want to, not because someone else is driving something they like.
Porsche 911 buyers continue to be 48-52 years old on average, generation after generation, which means it is an aspirational goal for those in their 30s , which marketing loves.
Corvette's buyer average age is creeping up a few yrs with each of the last three generations and is now late 50s and that is what worries GM beam counters.
You see a lot more white haired guys driving new Corvettes than new 911s and that is not a good long term trend .
Corvette needs to attract more buyers in their 40s .
Last edited by usroute66 MKW; Dec 25, 2012 at 12:16 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,737
Likes: 551
From: North California
Here is another driver-oriented interior, Honda S2000:
It all makes sense if you ever track one of these guys. The digital tach is up top, it's large, and it lights up when redline is reached. It's helpful if an open pipe car is around you and the sound of your own engine is not there to alert you when to shift. So if you can't rely on sound, you can generally get a very good idea where in the rev range you are by looking through that steering wheel for a split second.
The air vents are located where the hands are usually sitting on the wheel, so that on a cold top down morning your fingers don't freeze and you can continue driving.
The volume and fan speed are hand molded pieces that are very intuitive and don't require a look. With the exception of the tach, which is made as clear as possible, you can drive the **** out of this car without ever looking off the road, while controling the stereo and A/C.
The stereo lid on the earlier models is even better, all black and completely hides the radio for a pure drive. In fact, aside from one vent, that's all the passenger gets access to, as it should be!
It all makes sense if you ever track one of these guys. The digital tach is up top, it's large, and it lights up when redline is reached. It's helpful if an open pipe car is around you and the sound of your own engine is not there to alert you when to shift. So if you can't rely on sound, you can generally get a very good idea where in the rev range you are by looking through that steering wheel for a split second.
The air vents are located where the hands are usually sitting on the wheel, so that on a cold top down morning your fingers don't freeze and you can continue driving.
The volume and fan speed are hand molded pieces that are very intuitive and don't require a look. With the exception of the tach, which is made as clear as possible, you can drive the **** out of this car without ever looking off the road, while controling the stereo and A/C.
The stereo lid on the earlier models is even better, all black and completely hides the radio for a pure drive. In fact, aside from one vent, that's all the passenger gets access to, as it should be!
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,737
Likes: 551
From: North California
Did Audi bring about that flat bottomed steering wheel too? I thought it was the coolest thing when I first saw them. I even had my GF at the time buy the Jetta GLI with one. But when I drove it I thought it was a poor choice. A steering wheel should be perfectly round imo. An irregular shape can get choppy in some situations.
Maybe an F1 car where you don't need more than 1/4th of a turn to u-turn can benefit from the extra leg room. But in a passenger car with a high steering ratio that flat part cannot make room for legs under normal driving conditions and then you may have to run your hand over the flat spot too.
Maybe an F1 car where you don't need more than 1/4th of a turn to u-turn can benefit from the extra leg room. But in a passenger car with a high steering ratio that flat part cannot make room for legs under normal driving conditions and then you may have to run your hand over the flat spot too.
