2000s GM interior comparison

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 09/22/2014 at 10:39 • Filed to: interiors, old shitboxes

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GM is pretty hit-and-miss with interior design. Here is a comparison of a few tiers of interior.

1 - Pontiac

This is the interior of a 2000 Pontiac Bonneville. Gray, gray, with more gray. Light gray buttons on dark gray, and round jelly bean styling absolutely everywhere. Pretty terrible.

2- 2000 Chevy Camaro

A bit of a step up, but still not fantastic. Still black, still cheap plastic, but at least the buttons are nicer. Those seats look like a decent place to be (in the front).

3 - 2000 Buick LeSabre

I was going to choose the Park Avenue, but honestly its interior was too nice and would have upset the Caddy.

Nice place to be. Most of the plastic of the previous examples is now cow hide or vinyl with padding. Wood is still plastic imitation, but the seats are now unbolstered leather couches.

4 - 2000 Cadillac Seville SLS

Say it with me now, everyone: two tone! Soft light grey leather seats and lower dash contrast with the dark grey of the upper dash, and everything you touch is smooooooooth. Easily the most modern-looking design of the four, and if you scroll up and compare it with the Pontiac, it really makes it look straight out of 1991.

midengineer > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 10:42

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Hey... What's wrong with '91 interiors?

DeltawingGothamDeserves > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 10:43

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Funky air vents.

MultiplaOrgasms > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 10:43

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Honestly the LeSabre looks best. The Cad looks like a (admittely decent) copy of a Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag interior.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > midengineer 09/22/2014 at 10:43

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Nothing... in 1991.

In 2000 it's a bit ridiculous.

Blake Noble > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 10:43

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I had a 1998 Chevy Camaro with the 3800 V6 and a 5-speed. I know first hand those seats are absolute crap.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > MultiplaOrgasms 09/22/2014 at 10:46

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Lemme start out by saying: OH LORDY YOUR USERNAME IS FANTASTIC.

And yeah I think the LeSabre looks the best, but I was trying not to be biased. The LeSabre with the two-tone interior is incredibly modern.

pauljones > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 10:46

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Of note, I think that you're confusing design with material quality/construction. Those are two very, very different things. In terms of material quality/construction, I would agree that the Bonneville shown was terrible. On the other hand, in terms of actual design, I think the Bonneville is actually perhaps the best that you've shown.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Blake Noble 09/22/2014 at 10:48

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Hmm, damn. How was the 3800 with a 5-speed? Seems like a pretty decent combination.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > pauljones 09/22/2014 at 10:49

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I've never been in the Bonneville or Camaro, so I can't really vouch for how well or how poorly they're screwed together, but the grey jellybean buttons on a black interior with THOSE VENTS are just vomit-inducing in appearance to me.

Bandit > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 10:54

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Those camaro seats are crazy comfy, my Trans Am came with a set of those installed. I have a 2000 Blazer. The interior is rubbish, everything plastic is broken and the electrics are starting to go... but the AC controls are the best things in the world. So easy to figure out and get working exactly the way you want. None of that silly dual zone, .5 degree accuracy, programmable based on the position of the moon and stars crap you get on new cars.

Leon711 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 10:54

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other side of the pond 2000 gm interior

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Bandit 09/22/2014 at 10:58

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I dunno, as someone who seems to have weird reactions to temperature based on other people, my LeSabre's dual-zone thermostat is pretty damn fantastic.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Leon711 09/22/2014 at 10:58

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what is that out of?

pauljones > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 11:00

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Again, with the colors - that's material stuff. In terms of functionality, those "jellybean buttons" are actually great. Buttons like that make it very, very easy to navigate console controls without having to take your eyes off the road. The vents are indeed a little odd, but again, on that car - supremely functional, especially when you're in the passenger seat. Those suckers cooled you off or warmed you up more effectively than damn near any other car.

In my opinion, one of the best GM interiors of the 2000s was the Pontiac GTO

Leon711 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 11:01

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Vauxhall Astra.

Blake Noble > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 11:02

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Normally, the Tremec T5 3800 F-Bodies are pretty decent as far as '90s V6 pony cars go. You can certainly wring a little more juice out of that old pushrod V6. But, on the other hand, my particular Camaro was probably the most unreliable piece of shit I've ever owned. I had the car for a little over a year and I had to replace the slave cylinder two months after I bought it and then the entire clutch went not too long after that. Before I traded the car off, the Tremec T5 decided it no longer wanted to be a synchronized gearbox, so yeah. That got a bit annoying.

In all honesty, the Firebird's interior was nicer than the Camaro's. Less hard plastic, slightly better seats.

I loved the hell out of my '98 Firebird before some asshole totaled it. The Camaro, although it did have the 5-speed, just didn't have the same charm.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Blake Noble 09/22/2014 at 11:06

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I've been wanting a 2001 Firebird with the V6 for quite a while. Toss a supercharger on it and you have a 300hp V6 that gets 28mpg highway and 17 city and is stupid reliable.

Same engine in my Buick, it's a pretty nice mill.

Blake Noble > Leon711 09/22/2014 at 11:07

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... Andddddd it's still crap.

Leon711 > Blake Noble 09/22/2014 at 11:09

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YES.

Blake Noble > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 11:12

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I wanted to supercharge the Camaro initially. The cheapest option is to, obviously, nab the Eaton M90 from a W-Body Grand Prix GTP from a junkyard, but the retrofit is neigh on impossible thanks to the fact the fourth-gen F-Body cars weren't really built to accept the 3800 V6 and, as a result, the engine bay is very badly packaged. Seriously, the coil packs were pretty much underneath the dash, and changing the back two spark plugs required having sticks for arms.

Blake Noble > Leon711 09/22/2014 at 11:18

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I'm not an (open) fan of cruel and unusual punishment, but if anyone needs to understand why the whole concept of "design by committee" is a bad thing, point that person to any GM interior built between — oh, I don't know — let's say, 1985 to 2005 and then make them live for a month with it. Doesn't matter if you're in Europe or America, it's the same either way.

camaroboy68ss > Blake Noble 09/22/2014 at 11:30

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but that cloth wears like iron, my 98 SS still looks perfect, but I'm looking at swapping to corvette seats at the least.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Blake Noble 09/22/2014 at 11:32

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Ew, that sounds nasty. My plans for my next car are to get a Buick Park Avenue Ultra or a Riviera supercharged.

Because race couch.

A Camaro or firebird would be nice but eeeeh insurance on a sports car is no Bueno.

MultiplaOrgasms > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 11:40

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What is it with my username these days? Been using it for a couple weeks or so.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > MultiplaOrgasms 09/22/2014 at 11:41

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First time I've seen it. That's clever as hell.

MultiplaOrgasms > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 11:45

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I had a few similar replies recently.

Hooker > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 12:23

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Does it make me a bad person that I not only loved the exterior of these cars (the last ones) but also the interior? I mean, the quality sucked but I just loved all the buttons!

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Leon711 09/22/2014 at 13:29

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Looks like a Honda.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 13:31

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You, of all people, didn't show us a Riv's interior?

Anyways here's an Aurora:

The black plastic on the center console looks like the kind that squeaks if you so much as look at it wrong but other than that I think the interior's pretty nice.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/22/2014 at 13:37

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The Riv wasn't made in 2000 and I wanted cars all made in the same year :P

What year is that Olds? That's pretty nice working except for parts of the center console.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 13:45

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What is it with GM and awful shifters?

The 1gn Aurora had this nice swoopy thing going on on the dash and then the shifter is this massive block that looks like it won't fit in your hand

The one from the Monte Carlo/Every 90's Pontiac is just waaay too tall and that vinyl boot screams "PENIS!" at me.

And lastly the Riviera has a fantastic interior aside from a shifter that looks straight out of an 80's Corvette.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 13:50

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2000. I agree, that black plastic looks like the kind that squeaks if you so much as look at it wrong but styling-wise, the dash is pretty nice.

twochevrons > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/22/2014 at 14:01

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The one from the Monte Carlo/Every 90's Pontiac is just waaay too tall and that vinyl boot screams "PENIS!" at me.

CANNOT UNSEE

deekster_caddy > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/22/2014 at 14:02

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Having driven a '98 Riviera for many years I can say that the shifter felt a lot better than it looked.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > twochevrons 09/22/2014 at 14:02

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That was the intent.

Mark Schmidt > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 14:03

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Can we be honest.

What is to like about those three cars?

GM interiors were crap. Crappy seats, dash, console. They would creak like a lego set.

 > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/22/2014 at 14:04

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You mean you don't want to grab hold of a scrotum every time you put your car into drive?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Mark Schmidt 09/22/2014 at 14:10

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Four cars.

And I've been in the Seville, and I own the Buick, and they both have well-fit, very comfortable and spacious interiors. The seats in my Buick are one of very few things that offer the right amount of lower back support for my jacked up vertebrae.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/22/2014 at 14:11

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Holy crap that is a 2000? That looks SUPER modern. Wow. Just slap a double-DIN touchscreen in where the radio is and you'd have a hard time convincing me that was made before 2010.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/22/2014 at 14:12

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<3 my column shifter

itschrome > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 14:13

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the SLS looks 100% in black!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > itschrome 09/22/2014 at 14:20

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an STS is on my want list, but they're not the most reliable or easy to fix cars in the world. Which is annoying because with just a tune to fix the lethargic transmission (similar to what I did to my Buick) they would be very respectable performers.

itschrome > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 14:26

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whats this transmission tune you speak of? And the later models are not that bad on reliability. At least not the sls. Man issues with sts of later make is that damned self leveling suspension, ugh

Mark Schmidt > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 14:27

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Not knocking your choice of cars.

But having been in the industry and seen how these interiors are designed they are crap compared to their competition.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > itschrome 09/22/2014 at 15:13

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hptuners lets me change shift delay, speed, line pressure, etc. makes shifts a lot faster/firmer/less comfortable, and it's easier on your clutches.

Boss2452stolemylunchmoney > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/22/2014 at 16:02

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As I recall, the awful didn't stop at the shift cane.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 19:43

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Oh you mean like the soooooper rare factory GPS/radio option?

ranwhenparked > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/22/2014 at 21:27

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Of course, on that Cadillac, all that Simu-Wood ™ is paper thin and flexes inward to the touch.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/22/2014 at 22:38

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I'm shuddering at imagining how awful early-2000s GPS technology was

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > ranwhenparked 09/22/2014 at 22:38

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The plastic wood on my Buick is about 1/5th of an inch thick and stronger than a LEGO.

I kinda doubt the caddy is that bad.

Tohru > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/23/2014 at 02:53

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This reminds me of why the Corvette got such a bad rap with a lot of people. 1990-2004, the 'Vette interior was going through its Hot Topic phase where it wore weird stuff and screamed at dad that THIS IS WHO I AM INSIDE THIS IS NOT A PHASE.

This is an '89 Corvette dash. SO GODDAMN 80'S DIGIDASH BRO, but completely understandable for the period. It was like a concept car dash made into production. (I love this dash by the way. Slight homo.)

This is the '90-'96 Corvette dash. What the fuck happened? What did you steal this from - the Cavalier or the Lumina? Why does the passenger get 3 vents aimed at their knees?

Here's the 2000 Corvette. Why is the "oh fuck" handle ABOVE the airbag? So when it deploys it snaps both your forearms? Why is the radio and HVAC hidden even more deliberately from the passenger? Why is the driver's vent in the door card but not the passenger's? Why is the emergency flasher button in the center vent? WHY IS IT AN AUTOMATIC?

This is a 2005 Corvette. Big almost featureless slab in front of the passenger (and they get the e-brake handle for some reason) but finally starting to sort its shit out.

Tohru > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/23/2014 at 02:57

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That's a Gen2 Aurora, and that's kinda awful.

This is the Gen1 for comparison (1995). The dash flows smoothly into door card and console. No weird-shaped vents. No big blank areas where it looks like they forgot to put something.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Tohru 09/23/2014 at 03:19

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Yeah. just a massive slab of a shifter.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Tohru 09/23/2014 at 08:43

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Dat '89. I want it.

Tohru > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/23/2014 at 11:38

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It's sexy.

Tohru > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/23/2014 at 11:40

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Yeah. It's chunky as fuck.

Miata2016GT > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/23/2014 at 15:49

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And that engine/trans combo is popular to retrofit into MGB's... :-)

Alex B > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 09/25/2014 at 09:00

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Except the steering wheel, if you ask me.