QOTD: Department of the Interior?

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

The new Corvette showed up in a war-era hangar last week, wearing slinky new bodywork and an engine mounted amidships. This change has reliably rattled some corners of Vette fandom.

Another part of the new Chevy halo car that caused controversy? Its interior. The reconfigurable screen ahead of the driver was expected, given what’s being deployed now by the likes of Audi and a few others. But the rest of the Corvette cabin? Very surprising.

Which is today’s question: what production car interior, good or bad, has surprised you the most?

As for the new Corvette, it is — to put it mildly — driver focused. Passengers will have an easier time reaching the dash mounted stereo volume control in an S2000 than accessing the new Vette’s infotainment touchscreen. Given the C8’s intended performance deliverables, perhaps that’s a good thing.

But it’s that strip of buttons that have set most tongues wagging. Perched atop a tall ledge, they bisect the cabin like a surgeon’s scalpel. A bold design it most certainly is and it has, after all, gotten us talking. I truly cannot wait to see it in person.

What’s your pick for a production car interior, from any era, that you found most surprising?

[Image: General Motors]

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • Ryanwm80 Ryanwm80 on Jul 23, 2019

    The 1960 Chryslers with the Astra-dome instrument cluster, E.L. lighting, and transparent acrylic steering wheels.

  • Krhodes1 Krhodes1 on Jul 23, 2019

    Best interior gauge and control layout to me is the classic Saab 900. Just perfection. For modern reasonably priced cars, my '17 GTI is hard to beat too - my only complaint is too many silver accents strewn around. I would prefer good old German matt black. As for bad? The Tesla Model 3 is simply in a class by itself, especially for the price.

  • Lorenzo I just noticed the 1954 Ford Customline V8 has the same exterior dimensions, but better legroom, shoulder room, hip room, a V8 engine, and a trunk lid. It sold, with Fordomatic, for $21,500, inflation adjusted.
  • Lorenzo They won't be sold just in Beverly Hills - there's a Nieman-Marcus in nearly every big city. When they're finally junked, the transfer case will be first to be salvaged, since it'll be unused.
  • Ltcmgm78 Just what we need to do: add more EVs that require a charging station! We own a Volt. We charge at home. We bought the Volt off-lease. We're retired and can do all our daily errands without burning any gasoline. For us this works, but we no longer have a work commute.
  • Michael S6 Given the choice between the Hornet R/T and the Alfa, I'd pick an Uber.
  • Michael S6 Nissan seems to be doing well at the low end of the market with their small cars and cuv. Competitiveness evaporates as you move up to larger size cars and suvs.
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