Exclusive: Chevrolet Camaro To Get New Interior for 2012

ADD A NAVI SYSTEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't understand why they are doing this. All of the truly intelligent experts on this blog know that the Camaro's interior is already perfect.

Why is the Navigation so important? Is it really that hard to par 1/6th the price and get a TomTom that you can use in any car?

Product R&D and quality control done by the 1st people to buy the Camaro. New GM? I don't think so.

Accolades to GM...they obviously heard the biggest complaint about the Camaro are are responding. The exterior style and drivetrain deserves a much better interior. The steering wheel looks like an unintended oval, the retro gauges are too large wnd weirdly shaped and the small gauges above the console are all but useless. Plus..no nav? Yeah, yeah, I know it's a muscle car, but so is the Mustang and its' interior is vastly superior. Smart move GM

I don't care much about the materials. They felt just fine to me, and if I owned a Camaro the last thing I would be doing would be fondling the dash.

Instead, spend all the budget on:

New, clearer gauges in a single pod. See Corvette for inspiration
Copy the GTI steering wheel, maybe scale it up just a touch to befit the pony car thing
Recaro seats. Cobalt SS had them. This should too.
Grippy premium cloth upholstery, something like suede.

And please, please, please don't add nav. I'm smart enough to know a decent Garmin can do all the important stuff at 1/10th the price, and I can move it from car to car. Since dealers understandably want higher margin units to sell, they'll stock up on nav equipped cars and reasonable people will get screwed.

Oh, and fix the passenger side A-pillar trim.

For those who care, it will boost sales.

For those who don`t care, they probably are already driving one.

It`s about improving, just like Ford did for the 2011 mustang, despite being "all new" for the 2010 MY.

I drove a Camaro V6 and SS today, and this is good news as I eventually want to get one (though I'm totally fine with how it is now). When I got on the highway, I couldn't tell at a glance how fast I was going, 80 or 90. If you wanted to pick a speed like "82," It would be difficult. Otherwise, its one of the coolest cars I've ever sat in.

This news could really hurt 2011 sales.

@ estreka: doubt it. This type of news generally doesn't reach the average buyer.

Also, some other changes that would be good for 2012:

optional final gear ratio, like the Mustang
retuned suspension to make it sharper and especially to reduce understeer
lighter, smaller wheels
louder exhaust, or even better, the Corvette's two mode exhaust system. That would be excellent.

That Cozy Coupe might have a better interior than the Camaro, but can it do a better burnout? I think not!

I currently have a 98 Camaro SS and owned a 94 Z28, loved both cars, but I admit the interior was a bit too "plasticy" and cheap looking, especially compared to foreign competitors (my wife's 98 Prelude SH for example)-- the interior of the new Camaro looked great in concept drawings, but the finished product came out looking a little cartoonish and lower quality. I think changing the steering wheel and changing the color and design of the numbers in the gauges (I like the actual dash design personally) would be a good start for me....other than that possibly improve the grade of materials used.
I dont know exactly WHAT Ford has done with the interior of the mustang over the last couple of years, but it looks higher quality than previous models without really changing the overall interior design. I'd never thought I'd admit it, but the mustang's interior really looks nice now...GM can do the same...GM HAS to do the same

Hey GM,

Take the car to Ford and see if they can help you out with the interior

;)

"I can't understand why they are doing this. All of the truly intelligent experts on this blog know that the Camaro's interior is already perfect."

someone tell the genius who posted the above that NO ONE has ever said the interior was perfect. An improved interior will help but it will not change the visibility or weight issues so at the end of the day the media will still not like the Camaro over Mustang. I wouldnt expect a nav system because that would basically require a total redesign of the center stack. This sounds like material changes and perhaps gauge improvements. I would expect more colors as well. Similar changes were made to the first CTS interior after about 3 years on the market. They changed the gauges, added more brightwork and wood trim to the interior to brighten it up. The SRX got a more extensive makeover after 3 years on the marke.t

Interestingly, the steering wheel on the new XJ is very similar in design to the Camaro's. Check out the pictures for yourself.

"Product R&D and quality control done by the 1st people to buy the Camaro. New GM? I don't think so."

what about the buyers of the 2010 Mustang? Does Ford fall into the same category for selling an inferior product for a year knowing all new, far superior powertrains were on the way? Try and be consistent and/or intelligent.

"Take the car to Ford and see if they can help you out with the interior"

contrary to all the hype, the Mustang's interior isnt all that great. Check out C&D's comparo at their site. They actually have more praise for the Camaro's interior than the Mustang's. Without the nav screen and upgrades that come in an optional package you basically have a dull, angular black interior. Nothing that would make Audi nervous.

stov1:

I suspect they are going to make the Z28 the hardcore model in terms of handling and noise levels. While auto writers have a lot of problems with the Camaro being less nimble than the Mustang with its optional goodies, the reality is the public apparently doesn't have those concerns. These cars are not track cars and the handling is good enough for all but the most experienced and demanding drivers. The media's needs do not always line up with the demands of paying customers.

Its very interesting to note the difference between C&D's opinion of the Camaro's interior and IL's opinion. People here talk as if it is an universally understood "fact" that the Camaro's interior is total garbage when in fact it recently won an award and has been well received by some journalists and customers.

I'm glad to hear it. I was extremely disappointed with the interior when I first sat in it.

I do wonder if anyone actually paid attention to the conccept car interior. It was about 90% of what the production interior is today. Not sure how anyone was shocked or disappointed with the production interior.

I applaud GM for listening and trying to address the concern of many over the poor quality of the interior on the Camero. Let's see if they can actually make a positive difference.

spelling "Camaro" correctly would make a positive difference for me. Weren't you just calling people stupid?

I don't really get why an integrated navigation system is so important, we have five portable ones: two on the cell phones and three dedicated ones (one is my wife's, my old one is freezing so I just bought a new 4.3in for $89). I travel plenty and I only use it when I'm out of town on long drives which is about once every three months. I can't believe anyone is going to do door to door deliveries in a new camaro, so why not just buy a portable one (for around $100) instead of an integrated display in the dash which will cost over $1k and when its outdated, you will be stuck with an useless screen on top of the dash.

Anyone remembers the integrated analog cell phones?

re: goaterguy -

Some people (myself included) prefer a well-integrated in-dash units as opposed to the "stick to the windshield" or "rest on a beanbag" units because of their generally larger screen size, ability to integrate with the audio system and the fact that you never have to worry about it blocking your view of the road or flying around the cockpit during hard cornering. ;)

"someone[sic] tell the genius who posted the above that NO ONE has ever said the interior was perfect. An improved interior will help but it will not change the visibility or weight issues so at the end of the day the media will still not like the Camaro over Mustang.

You took the bait AND threw out a gratuitous snotty remark. You just won another bet for me. Thanks!

I will absolutely NEVER buy any car that doesn't offer NAV as an option at least. You guys can buy your cheap little TomTom's and litter your windshields with a thousand crappy suction cup mounts if you want to. I want a factory installed nav screen with functionality controls over the stereo and climate system. Until Chevy offers this (and a halfway decent looking gauge cluster) I will not be buying a Camaro....

@1487: While I appreciate that the Camaro goes for stability and confidence (which makes a nice alternative to the Corvette's sometimes homicidal tendencies) I'm thinking more along the lines of some small tweaks, just a little extra dialing-in to add some extra sharpness. Nothing hardcore, just a little edgier. Rather than having the SS at 9 and the Z28 at 10, the SS should be at 10 and the Z28 needs to go to 11! I'm a little disappointed that GM is apparently making the Z28 a supercharged beast rather than a more subtle track machine like the first gen Z28, especially since the SS doesn't exactly lack motor as it is (see recent burnout comparison).

As far as the interior, I also tend to think IL is a little too critical of it. The materials, while not as good as the Mustang's, aren't any worse than the Genesis coupe's, the visibility isn't nearly as bad as they make it out to be, and the overall design, passenger side dash included, is pretty interesting. I could definitely go for more Corvette-style gauges and a little more modern design in the interior, and a better wheel, though again I don't think that's as bad as IL makes it out to be. I won't argue with improvements though.

+1 majin_ssj_eric. I will never buy one of the tiny, crappy portable nav's. To each his/her own. The Camaro should offer factory nav.

Out of all that are posting here wanting an integrated nav system before they buy the Camaro, how many actually own or will own a sport/muscle car with over 350 hp? (keep the answers to yourself, I really don't care) I do own (and bought new) a Pontiac GTO (Goat) and can tell you that I would never buy a car that I would keep until it becomes a classic that has all those integrated gizmos, it just detracts from the real beauty of the interior.

Go to ebay and start looking at 10yo BMW's with integrated nav and experience crappy interiors at it's greatest. I do keep my cars for a long time, change my own oil, and do my own maintenance but maybe I am a minority.

Also having the portable GPS will allow me to easily be able to own the latest design and software.

I have to agree with goaterguy about the nav really taking away from the look of the interior after a few years. For leases or short term purchases, integrated navs are fine, but I personally prefer something simple that won't distract from my driving just changing the temperature or radio station.

As for the Camaro, I'm glad to hear they are fixing the interior, but my biggest gripe with it was never the actual dash, but the view out and space was what would keep me from buying it.

I prefer to do without the added cost and complexity of a Nav system, but then I prefer manual seat adjustments and will always -if possible- delete the sunroof.

LMAO at keeping a GTO as "a classic"!!! Classic Holden???

I buy a car, use it, and get rid of it. I'm not keeping anything more than 3 years and I don't buy used so I could give a crap what its going to look like in 10 years. I can't imagine buying a car today based on what the interior will look like after a decade!!

In fact, the G8 (GTO's Aussie cousin) had the screen you hate so much but DIDN'T even offer nav with it! How will that stand the test of time???

OMG the GTO is really a Holden Monaro, NO WAY! Really.... 2003 called and wants its moment back...

I don't own a G8 so I don't care, but the subject is the nav system, not the screen that controls the A/C and radio.

For you cars are like a vacum cleaner, disposable after three years, well that's great for you, I never expected for all people to be real enthusiasts, I also enjoy not having a car payment. I would never buy an used car with a 3yo outdated navigation system that will be a visual sore everytime I get in it, so to me the integrated nav is not also a big expense when new but also cuts down on the resale value.

And believe it or not, foreign cars can also become classics especially when it was Pontiac's last 2 door muscle car ever.

I don't get it. If the screen is not the eyesore, what is? The nav maps? I mean, every nav-equipped car I've ever owned could have the map turned off if you want. How does the out-dated map (which you can update btw) date the interior if you can turn it off?

That makes no sense at all. Besides, I'm not saying that ONLY nav-equipped cars should be offered. I just think that it should at least be an option to get it. Whats wrong with that?