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Critics have gushed over the exterior design of the new-for-’10 Chevrolet Camaro since its introduction a year ago, and now the car’s interior gets its just rewards.

The Camaro wins a 2010 Ward’s Interior of the Year award in the sports car segment for striking the correct balance between modernity and nostalgia, using quality materials, combining comfort and performance and executing crisp fit and finish.

“A beautiful exterior writes a check that would be tough for any interior to cash,” writes Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter on his Camaro scoresheet. “But this is simple, modern, yet still delightfully nostalgic.”

WardsAuto.com Associate Editor Byron Pope adds: “Very tight gaps. You can barely see the outline of the glove box.”

When GM decided to bring the Camaro back from its 7-year hiatus, the auto maker turned to the first-generation car, or the three model years between ’67 and ’69 when its styling was richest.

But GM designers exercised admirable restraint, choosing only those design cues with carryover appeal, such as deeply recessed gauges in square housings with chrome outlines and a console-mounted gauge package with oil pressure, oil temperature, voltage and transmission-fluid temperature.

At the same time, they delivered all the pleasant surprises 2010 can offer, such as ambient lighting, Bluetooth and USB capability and a booming Boston Acoustics 9-speaker audio system.