Adam Bruce

So I went to the Atlanta auto show today and *L*O*V*E*D* the C6 in person, really looks better than in the photos (which I liked too). I had been leaning towards a S4 or CTS-V this fall, but I might have to rethink that and let the little woman be the one with the "practical car" *snicker*.

Anyways, despite some folks here having very low expectations and seaming not too care about the huge sag in the carpet shown in the press-photo-car..

.. I was concerned as a very obvious flaw of that magnitude would hint there are more "quality oversights" under the skin. Now that I've seen the car in person it looks like there is a body line right there that isn't really unatractive, and actually I noticed the XLR has the same bump as well. It doesn't look that major in person and I highly doubt it will cause any anoyance. I do think it's rather unproffesional that a car that has been specically detailed and gussied up for official press photos would have such an obvious mess-up, and indeed it looks like some of the other photo-cars had the same sag as well. (the Silver Convertible and the Coupe show it as well) but it looks like the auto-show car has fixed this problem.

That said I am a bit underwelmed by the interior of the car, it sort of looks Japanese (boring)... almost like a G35, and In my opinion it still alooks a bit cheapy and not becoming of a near $60K car. I think I can get past that though as it does look significantly more upscale than the C5. Can't wait to get behind the wheel of one this Fall!

-Adam
P.S. My Fiance (an avid German-Car lover) has been horrified at the thought of me getting another American car. After seeing the C6 her comment was that she really liked the car and would actually be excited about me getting a C6. Made a believer out of her. The funny thing is that her Uncle is Cardy Davis who was the Corvette Platform Manager before Dave Hill and was responsible for getting the C5 going back in the 80's.

Hoosier Red

BTW, surely you need to educate your fiance that a Corvette is not "another American car." No matter how much money you gave me to buy German, I could always put it to better use finding another Corvette!!

need-for-speed

Glad to hear another positive opinion after viewing the car "in the flesh" . I can't wait to see them at the Houston show. My nephew went to the Atlanta show today. I should be receiving some pics via email any minute.

That's way cool that your fiance is related to a former Corvette platform manager.

DARKKNIGHT

:flag

Lazerwolfe

What exactly is so japanese about it? And what "near $60K car" interior do you like?

S2K

It would make my day if the interior were more Japanese like. Impeccable fit and finish and purposeful. I can only hope that this is true.

amcmahon

What in the world are you talking about? Japanese are known for much better interior than American cars. That would be a major plus. I own a G35 and the interior is quite nice. So far you have us stumped. You've named off quality interiors as if they were bad. So pray tell what did you have in mind? Remember it's a Not exactly known for high class luxury. You're paying more for performance in a Vette than anything else. Not to mention the new hi-tech gizmos.

Adam Bruce

Well the CLK500 comes to mind


And also the SLK55 AMG


As for what's Japanese About it, the large silver-painted plastic console reminds me of the G35.

It's not a great interior but I do think it's an improvment over the C5.

-Adam

Lazerwolfe

I don't know. Maybe I'm not a big interior guy, but I see similarities between the CLK500 and the C6. Same center part with touch screen and aluminum accents. Same slope over the console dials. The real difference is that handle for the glove box.

Oh, and that SLK55 has too many buttons for me. Looks like a SAAB I saw at the Baltimore Auto show.

LS1LT1

Horrified? Why the hell would anybody be horrified by the prospect of someone buying any car designed, manufactured and marketed in the nation in which they live, does she not like America?


That's ironic because I say the same exact thing....remember, it's a Nissan ....when people start boasting about those interiors/quality as well.

:flag

BuckyThreadkiller

On the carpet sag - I'm an advertising art director and I can tell you that in some situations it is impossible to light a subject (without getting the lights in the shots) to where you don't have a funky shadow on some portion of the subject. I think in the case of this photo, showing the overall interior results in a shot with larger than desirable shadow on that area of the floorpan.

I own a BMW 5 series and while the interior looks nice in photos I can tell you that it isn't worth a hoot. Our car has the Sport and Luxury packages with the high end leather and wood trim. The leather is terribly slick and the seats have no lateral support what so ever. The wood veneers that accent the interior are so thin that several have been replaced under warranty as they simply crack due to changes in temperature. There is zero stowage in the cabin and what passes for cup holders are a joke. And there is nothing intuitive about the HAVC controls as there is a completely separate temp control system for the dash vents in appart from the programmable dual zone system.

I have been totally underwhelmed by the appointments my 5 Series and I'd say that the snob appeal of German cars is mainly created by those who don't use them as daily drivers or actually have to live with these cars. It's great on the road but...

rwm1163

Glad to hear that your fiance liked it. I would think that the recent quality problems that the Germans are having would help her to realize that GM is building good cars again. We still have a way to go. The Germans, especially BMW and Mercedes are having real quality problems lately.

By the way, I agree that making the interior look more Japanese is a GOOD thing!

need-for-speed

Well my nephew sent me a few pics from the Atlanta show (yesterday) and this one clearly shows that there is no sag, but possibly a small contour in the floorpan.

WhiteDiamond

And I offer this entire series of replies as evidence of what GM is trying to deal with. I personally feel the C5 cockpit is very business like and acceptable for the price. The magazines and many owners do not and think they should be upgraded. I also find the comment comparing to a G35 interesting as my wife and I decided agaisnt a G35 mainly for the interior. Boring is a good word for it, IMO. Everyone has a opinion and they are not equal. I think GM has done a great job with the new C6. I cannot wait to see one in person and sit in it.

Todd



[Modified by BLK 98WS6, 1:29 PM 3/14/2004]

S2K

You know, it's not un-American to not like something. In fact as a country we are known for our differences and we celebrate our freedom to have them. To me, it's far more un-American for the likes of GM and Ford to sit on their butts for so many years letting competitors trounce them. As an American, I am not going to honor their laziness and ineptitude (I'm not talking the Vette, but in general) via the misguided notion that we have to buy American autos if we love our country.

It does seem that American auto makers are starting to get the idea as I've noticed a very positive trend towards quality and design in recent years. There is much to do, but they have to start somewhere. :flag

need-for-speed

S2k,
To me, it's all about allocation of resources. If you were to consider a BMW, Mercedes, or Infiniti that was comparably priced to a Corvette, your point might be that the interior, and exterior fit and finish of those cars is superior to the Corvette. Could you say the same thing about the performance of those cars as compared to the Corvette? No you couldn't. All 3 would pale in comparison in performance. Put all 4 cars on a road course and see what happens. It wouldn't be pretty. What about fuel economy? I find it amazing that GM can extract such performance and fuel economy at the same time. To me, THAT is superior powertrain design. And don't be fooled into thinking that the Corvette is not a comfortable car to ride in. My wife and I have made the 1700 mile round trip to Bowling Green twice in my C5 and we were very comfortable. If the Corvette had a corinthian leather and woodgrain interior, it would either have to cost more, or have a cheaper drivtrain. Chevrolet allocates their resources just the way I like it. I believe this is also what BLK98WS6 is saying.

I agree that it is not un-American to criticize something. The foreign competition has definitely improved the quality of domestic vehicles. While I'm sure the Japanese would like to claim credit for the concept of continuous improvement, we were practicing this form of Capitalism long before they were. :flag



[Modified by need-for-speed, 4:05 PM 3/14/2004]

S2K

I understand what you are saying about the interior and agree one cannot expect to get everything for 1/2 the price of competitors. That said, I was referring to Japanese interiors not the more expensive BMW or Mercedes interiors. I also, in my post, was referring to fit and finish and purpose, not wood grain and rich Corinthian leather. There are plenty of cars costing significantly less than the Vette that simply have better fit and finish. All I am asking is for them to pay more attention to quality which does not mean Coach or Gucci. Misfit pieces and haphazard placement need not be necessary to keep the prices down.

You certainly won't get me to argue Americas leading role in democracy and innovation. That said, nothing we did or will do should be grounds for a free pass. If we love our country than we should expect the best from it. And the best is not what we've been given in terms of automobiles. Given the rich heritage America has had with the auto, this transgression is especially egregious.

blueboost

what the problem with Nissan interiors? I think they are well layed out, high quality, and usually copied by other manufacturers afterwords. hell, the new C6 interior was just compared to the G35's. case in point.

need-for-speed

S2K, I find nothing in your reply to disagree with.

American cars have come a long way. Have you looked at a Tahoe or Explorer lately? Have you test driven a NEW American car lately? Many people are still criticizing American cars when in their mind, they are comparing todays foreign cars with American cars from the 80's. The fit and finish on my wife's 2002 Eddie Bauer Explorer is pretty good. And for $30K, it's pretty tough to find a comparably sized Japaneese SUV with a V8, IRS, and a 5 speed automatic transmission. We drove it to New York City and enjoyed every mile of the trip.

S2K

It will take many years of quality autos for America to make up for so many years of sub par vehicles. You simply cannot make up all the damage done in just a few simple years. While the 80's were bad, the 90's weren't particularly stellar either.

I actually have been in both an Expedition and an Explorer over the past years. I am sorry to say that there driving characteristics and interior fitment were sub par. While I didn't own either, both had reliability issues as reported to me by their respective owners.

You are right about the power and capacity for the price. However, the vast majority of the people (certainly not all) buying those autos hardly need a V8. Most would get all they needed out of a Honda Pilot or Toyota 4Runner.

The closest I've come to test driving any American car are my experiences above and rental cars (Bonneville, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Taurus, Explorer, Alero, etc.). Most of these are very low mileage. They are more than fine for the rental car need, but I wouldn't buy one compared to their foreign counterpart. That said, these aren't really in the market segment I've been shopping. Our other "car" is a 2004 Acura MDX (prior to that an Acura 3.2TL). The only other SUV we considered when looking at the MDX, was the Lexus GX470 (which I felt the MDX trounced). I suppose we could have looked at Cadillac, but I saw nothing there that really interested me enough to want to move away from these industry leading and proven vehicles.

Fortunately the MDX is for my wife. I like to be as close to the pavement as is possible.



[Modified by S2K, 12:22 AM 3/15/2004]