http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/27/2...and-up-to-436/

 

so does this mean we will be beable to pick up '05-'07s cheap since they are "underpowered" like the 350 GTO?

 

something about that interior...I'm not sure what it is...just looks retarded.

 

Good thing that interior pkg is only an option. That padded leather wrapped look is not my cup of tea.

I was hoping GM would change the headlights. I'm not a fan of the current style headlights.

 

I like that there is an exhaust option that is louder AND adds 6 more hp!....that would be cool to have on a Mustang....Performance exhaust....check!

 

Gawd that interior's bad. Say what you will about the 'Stang's interior, but a car that costs that much shouldn't have an interior from the 1990s.

 

I don't know what you're talking about.

 

Everything about this car is simply awesome.

 

Looks like a next-year update on a 98 STi's interior.

 

I like the interior...

 

He could be referring to how the Vette's threads stack up to similarly priced competitors, like the Cayman's interior represented in the pic below. The difference is jaw dropping to be kind. And while Vette enthusiasts may argue that the Chevy's straight line performance makes up for the difference, I'd argue that the Vette still making due with a set of duds more appropriate to a last gen Grand Am than the premier Chevy offering shows that somebody at GM Corporate still doesn't get it. An interior on par with the best competitors wouldn't bump the Vette's price two grand which is what makes this all truly laughable.

 

It doesn't look that bad - other than the hideous center console armrest! It just isn't good either. If not for the Corvette badges, I wouldn't know what GM car it was in. But... I'm willing to say that if Ford offered a 450+ HP car with a similar interior treatment for over $40k, the faithful would forgive Ford because the engine/straight line performance would make up for it. Waitaminit... (cough)(whisper *GT500*)

 

Similarly priced? 'Vettes start at $45k, Cayman Ss at $60k. If the 'Vettes straight line perfomance doesn't make up for interior quality differences, $15k does...

 

The GT500's roots are in a $20K car, though, there's only so much better matierials and badges can do. The 'Vette, on the other hand, is a from-stratch over-$40K car. Its interior should be at least competetive with other cars in that price range, but as I said it looks like a warmed-over Subie from 8 years ago. And how will that interior look when you're paying $80-100k for SE 'Vettes??

J, you're right on as usual. The Cayman's light-years past the 'Vette, in more ways than one.

 

Thanks Moosetang. For those with opposing viewpoints....if the Vettes interior doesn't bother you so be it. But getting out of a Cayman and into a Vette is roughly akin to walking out of the Louvre and straight into Jim Bob's Alligator Farm and Reptile Museum. And since the Cayman starts at 50k that places this car smack in the middle of the standard Corvette coupes price range.

Yeah, the Vette brings a lot more power to the table, but somehow I don't think a guy accustomed to the level of quality found in the interior of Mercedes or Audi sedan is going to be happy when he drops is rear into a Vette. And this is one of the many reasons Porsche continues to sell cars and can continue to ask more money for them..which brings me back to my original point.

The fact that Chevy still doesn't understand the massive change a 2k dollar bump in msrp could bring to the Vette's interior, and through this to the cars image and appeal worldwide, serves as notice that GM still has a long way to go in many respects including their understanding of why their cars don't sell as well as they could or should..

 

So spend $5k more for a 245 hp Cayman.

 

If you want to feel like you actually spent that money on a car with an interior worth the price of entry every time you sit in it..yeah. And frankly the differences in quality don't stop theren with this being but the most obvious of them. Eveything about the Cayman feels polished and balanced, you can't say the same for the Vette. I'm amazed by those who argue that simple speed is everything. In that instance I'd suggest Lotus find a way to stuff the Noble's twin turbo Ford V6 in the Exige since, for the 5-10k max that would up the Exige's pricetag, they'd rule the known world with the insane power to weight ratio that thing would provide.

 

some people don't car about interior quality. I buy a car for performance alone and am very budget minded.

The interior does not help my car go foward backward left or right any better. I could care less if it is made outta soft leather or plywood. Only things needs in the interior that are worth doing somthing with is the seat, and steering wheel.

 

Frankly, if you think that interior quality is all this is about you've missed the point. Focusing on the interior was nothing more than an attempt to simplify the comparison to try and make a point. But even just addressing that one aspect, if you don't care about comfort at all that is fine, for you and others who feel the same way. The point is not everybody agrees and this doesn't seem as though it should be a mystery to anyone seriously involved in the car hobby. I like cars for many different reasons...for me it is always the combination of features and how they contribute to what the car is supposed to do for the owner that appeals to me.

For example I like several cars which possess interiors that could stand improvement....in those cars I can overlook certain shortcomings because I think other areas make up for it or because overall the car is well executed. And like everybody else I also happen to like what I like. But this growing notion that all that should really matter to anyone in a performance car is outright speed is simply ridiculous.

I also believe a great many people who claim that they don't care about anything other than performance often experience an abrupt change of opinion when they have to live with their decision on a daily basis. I say this based on personal experience and simple market realities. For example... If this wasn't the case the market for the Z06 would not have declined as abruptly as it has so soon in that models lifespan.

 

my car is my daily driver...