Our Prayers Are Answered: Camaro To Get Interior Upgrade In 2012
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Remember the days when muscle car was synonymous with crappy interior? Well, it looks like those days are long gone – replaced by a new era where pony car buyers actually care about the quality of the interior, the materials of the dash board, and the overall aesthetics of the cabin.
One can say that Ford bucked the trend of pony cars having ugly/crappy interiors when it introduced the all-new Mustang for the 2009 model year. The interior of the all-new 2010 Camaro, however, wasn’t as lucky. With its subpar materials and rather unappealing aesthetics, Camaro fans who have either sat in or driven Ford’s cross-town muscle car rival clamored for a better interior. Having criticized the Camaro interior every step of the way, we at GM Authority put ourselves squarely in this category. As such, it brings me great joy to report that our dreams and/or prayers will finally be answered by GM!
Citing an unnamed GM insider, Edmunds reports that the 2012 model year Camaro will get a “substantially reworked interior.” While Edmunds wasn’t able to get many details about the much-needed update, their insider did say that the dash – specifically the large span of blackness in front of the passenger – will see most of the changes.
While these are much-welcomed changes, we sincerely hope that they will be accompanied by a redesigned steering wheel and both pairs of gauge clusters. What’s wrong with these elements in their current state? Simply put, they’re tremendously tacky in trying way too hard to be retro. Finally, we hope that an optional built-in (read: non-mountable) navigation system will join the the 2012 Camaro and its redesigned interior.
And that pretty sums up what we want from a new Camaro interior. What other changes are you hoping for? Let us know in the comments!
[Source: Edmunds]
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There are colleges and universities all over the world that teach design in it’s many forms and there are countless students that pay high tuition fees to acquire this knowledge, perhaps you should do the same…
The Camaro award for interior design was given in the Sports Car Category which means , listen carefully, [ It’s not a boxing match! ] that it was compared with the other sports cars that are sold in N.America.
Again — a matter of taste. Anyone who prefers the interior of the 2010-2011 Camaro hasn’t sampled what’s available in the Mustang. It pains me to admit it, but that interior is better in every single way. And as much as you may think that this is in bad taste, it’s the consensus among the automotive media all over North America.
Have you ever driven a 2010 and newer ‘Stang? Have you taken one around a track and then done the same, back to back, with a Camaro? I have — and the interior makes a huge difference in the Mustang.
Yet in all this wonder no awards for the Mustang and the Automotive press are rarely any more knowledgable about design than the great hordes that will buy cars like the Hyundai or the Kia and all their ilk. Just like the exquisite Corvair, G.M.’s briliance with the Camaro is beyond their understanding.
NAVIGATION! Get that navigation into the 2012 Camaro and I will buy a Camaro!
Well, yes, a touch screen in-dash nav isn’t available yet… But how about OnStar?
I find it even more useful on my 2011 Cruze, especially with the Virtual Advisor feature that allows me to send a Google Map address to OnStar… Then I can retrieve directions to it from my Cruze automatically!
Guys…I would have bought the Camaro V6 2011, had the interior been a lil better.. Now im really confused, whether i Shud go for Mustang’s interior or Camaro’s appeal.. Having heard Camaro is getting an interior overhaul, it’s worth waiting..
i have now owned my new 2011 Summit White Camaro Convertible for 3 weeks and over 3000 kms and I am even more relieved to have the original interior design.
The Mustang’s ” built to a price point” tawdry non dimensional interior and it’s ” let’s just cut off the roof ” exterior convertible appearance should be a message to Ford to spend a liitle more money and do the job right. As with everything , you get what you pay for, and , as sales have demonstrated , it’s well worth paying more for the Camaro.
Congrats Richard! Enjoy the Camaro, mate!
I saw the 2012 Camaro SS Convertible (white with the orange stripe & black interior with the orange accents and stitching) at the Inland Empire Auto Show in Ontario, CA yesterday. I can attest that the interior is much improved. The quality of the dash is a nice upgrade. Soft-touch materials are in much wider use; however, some cheap plastic panels, generally below the belt-line are still in use. The new corporate steering wheel looked “right” and felt meaty. The contrasting orange French stitching was nice and tactile. I’m still a bit disappointed in the lack of a proper high-resolution navigation screen, and while OnStar will do the job, I’m not sure I want to continue to pay the monthly/annual subscription fee.
Since the car wasn’t on, I couldn’t see the rear view camera in action, although I knew the camera was part of the package as I could see it on the rear lid.
I’m not sure why people think the Mustang has a “better” dash/interior. While the Mustang offers Ford’s high-quality navigation system with Sync, the center stack is very cheap-looking plastic and plain control switches. The side panels are no better. The balance of the interior is nicely done and pleasing to the eyes, but the interior of the Mustang gave me pause and it’s hard to recommend it, except maybe in the Boss 302 or Shelby 500 GT trim. However, at those price levels, buyers deserve a higher quality interior.
I’m glad to see GM addressing some of the consumer complaints at this time. If possible, car companies shouldn’t wait for a 5-year life cycle to address complaints that are fairly easily mitigated. Mid-cycle significant refreshes are becoming more and more common to keep the product fresh in consumers’ minds.
Alex way to go, Richard good for you (not being sarcastic you wanted the old interior and you got it i applaude that) as for the steering wheel thing why didnt they just use a corvette wheel??
I agree with many of the opinions posted about the interior of the Chevy Camaro 2012 Vs Mustangs. I’m in the market for a Muscle car and looking to get one soon, Ive test driven both the SS 2012 Camaro and a 2013 GT 5.0 Mustang. The one obvious difference in the interiors of both cars was the quality of material and overall design. The 5.0 Mustangs interior is much better and not made of cheap hard plastic like the the SS Camaro. I’d love to see an in-dash Navigation system with backup Camera and Audio control option installed in the 2013 SS. I’m waiting it out to see what changes will be made to the 2013 SS interior, hope GM is listening to all the input from potential buyers like myself. Other than that the Exterior of the Camaro is stunning and flat out better than the mustang. Today’s Muscle car buyers are tech savy and look for better quality interiors as well as performance.. I’m just not too crazy about having to pay an additional $200/yr for onstar.
Eric — you’re absolutely about the interior materials. The ones in the Mustang definitely feel as if they’re of higher quality and are more expensive/upscale. They look better, too. No contest there.
In regards to the 2013 Camaro — MyLink with a 7-inch touchscreen is coming:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/03/chevy-mylink-finally-makes-its-way-to-the-2013-camaro/
Also, you don’t *have* to pay for OnStar, although I personally would — given the added piece of mind offered by the service when it comes to safety, not to mention the convenience of the RemoteLink smartphone app.
In addition, the Camaro is much more “livable” as a daily driver thanks to an independent rear suspension; that solid rear axle in the ‘Stang — while much improved over traditional designs of the past — hurts (literally) on bumpy/cracked/unrefined roads.
Certainly allowed to your opinion. But the interior on the 2010 Camaro is by far better than any interior I have ever seen on a Mustang. I have owned one of them as well… The AC knobs are perfectly design. Very functional and a clean style. The 4 pack gauge is awesome as well the whole interior has a great retro feel, which BTW is what GM and all those scream for them to produce the Camaro again said to do. Keep it retro looking. They had many focus groups and received opinions for all types of people and groups, and they all said keep it retro.