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What makes a "stylish" interior?
First off, this is not meant to turn into a "Corvette vs the World" thread... ;)
But I was wanting to see a level headed and adult discussion about that really subjective area - Interior asthetics. So a I grabbed some random cars and provided interior shots to start the whole discussion. What is it that for example, has people saying "the boring bland crappy Corvette" interior, vs the "stylish Ferrari" interior vs the "Clinical Audi" interior etc? Shown side by side - are individual inetriors really that different or even that special? Comments, discussion and especially pictures of what you consider good and bad interiors would be great. BMW M3 http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...m3.int.500.jpg Acura CL http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...rstack.350.jpg Audi RS something or other http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...20023549-E.jpg F430 http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...er.int.500.jpg Boxster http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...ter.cc.500.jpg F360 http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...f1.int.500.jpg F575M http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...75.int.500.jpg SL500 http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...00.int.500.jpg 911 Turbo http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...bo.int.500.jpg And finally... the offensive Z06... ;) http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...06.int.350.jpg |
The Vette interior is just great, I dunno what all the fuss is about. Honestly except for the steering wheel I dont see a problem.
Ferrari on the other side went way down....THe F430 interior just sucks. |
BMW- is really nice, just red leather interiors please ;)
Acura - Stereo looks cheap, and the gear shift is awful so is the wood trim, BTW i don't like wood trim Audi - overloaded, steering wheel is just horrible ! F430, F360, 575 - they all look the same just some different details here and there Boxster - nice center console, some of the rest isnt very nice looking, same thing with the turbo, id prefer a color combination SL - nice, though id change the wood for aluminum of CF Z06 - well, hmm, the leather looks cheap, including the steering wheel, the shifter is horrible, the stereo buttons are huge and looks like cheap plastic. |
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Surely you see how that Vette interior is plastic toy car like? |
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Really, THe F-cars are nothing like they used to be...Its to empty and boring.....thats not what a super car should look like. |
You'd think the moderator of the F-Car forum would see the beauty and appreciate the style of the F-Cars... they have that something special visible in the quality and style - not to mention the performance.
Vettes really lost a lot in the pursuit of speed - sure they are fast, but then again so is a rocket-powered dump truck. |
I for one will admit to loving Ferrari interiors :D
The 575's interior shown above just oozes quality. The leather all looks great, the air vents are neat, the aluminum trim is just shiny enough. I'm also quite fond of the curves above the air vents on the dash. The Z06's interior is also pretty stylish, but it does look pretty cheap in comparison. The dash and doors look like they've got vinyl instead of leather, or some weird soft plastic. With the exception of the steering wheel I think it looks great, though. Just needs some new materials to give it that "quality" feel. That said, I'd still love to own one. The last thing going through my mind while blasting around a track would be the quality of the plastics! Another couple of interiors for debate 8) Ferrari F355 http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/4...oto47us.th.jpg Pagani Zonda http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8...07512lr.th.jpg |
personally, i think it really comes down to texture.
An interior can look good, but if the texture is crap (ie the "Leatherette" of the X3) then it's a complete waste. The BMW interiors are nice for the most part, though the E65/66 cluster is a little too busy for my tastes. Ferrari's do seem to be lacking something to their current interiors. And Audi just seems to have gone SCi-Fi with theirs. The Corvette, i can't really say much about because the last Vette i sat in was a C4, and that was in high school. Mercedes, i just despise. The steering wheel is the main thing i hate about it. It's just too thick. The radio/nav screen just looks cheap and the wood trim around it isn't much better. The Acura interior posted is quite reminiscent of the E36 in the way the vents are designed. Somewhat bland and dated if you ask me. Porsche it seems really doesn't give a hoot about their interiors. Why that is, i don't know, but perhaps they don't want their drivers distracted while screaming down the road at Mach 3 :lol: |
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call me old fassioned, but i really like those 60-70's Ferrari interiors... with Nardi steering wheels ( they look it anyway) for modern cars.... i simply love the Audi RS interior! top notch driver feeling about it the vette... Steering wheel is crap... and the wheel is reinvented for MY 06 yea! the Ferrari 360/430.... the flow is nearly non-existant... but does appear better in the 430 M3... the instrument cluster looks great lit up at night ;) but that picture doesnt do it much good Acura: Gehay.... i just cant bring myself to like 96% of all hondas Mercedes.... and JC was complaining about a Mark VIII having too much "cream" leather? puhlease! oh, and crappy giant bus steering wheel 575... only one thing wrong here... its missing its 3rd pedal :? ;) 911.... well, to me the 997 makes a huge difference... the center console may not have changed much, but that little +1 model range makes a world of difference IMO |
I think the interior must be in sync with the purpose or ethos of the car.
For instance if the car is a gung-ho, balls to the wall kinda car I expect a simple purposeful interior with no-glare matting on most parts to hide reflections. Simple flick switches, large rev counters, lightweight seats. The best examples I can think of here are the Ferrari 250 GTO, F40. These cars have purposeful minimalistic interiors with less is more design philosophy. The Challenge Stradale is a good modern interpretation of the same. Instead, if it is a luxury car, I want to have butter soft leather, expensive looking interiors with wood panelling. There has to be serious effort in ergonomic design to fit all the inevitable bells and whistles as is the norm in such cars. I like the fantastic quality of interior in Audis - they make use of excellent materials, lighting, damping of retractable devices (e.g. cupholders) - you get the impression you are in a more expensive car than it actually is. However Audis have a lot of buttons and knobs low down that force you to take the eye off the road. BMW interiors do not impress me as much to be honest from a material standpoint but are otherwise excellent as long as you dont pick the iDrive. I think Jags make the best looking interiors by far. So if I could choose I would have Jag design the interior and Audi make it :) As for my personal tastes, like nthfinity, I like the simpler interiors from the older cars. I like Nardi wheels, engine turned dashs, black on white Veglia or Smiths instrumentation Here are some of the cars that I like: Ferrari Daytona http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/9...nterior3es.jpghttp://img511.imageshack.us/img511/2...side1qy.th.jpg - I like the instruments, the wheel, the seats ... actually there is nothing I dont like in this car 250 GTO http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/6...orlr3uz.th.jpg Here's what I mean about a simplistic perfect interior Bugatti Type 35 http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/2...6int6tb.th.jpg Engine turned dash :drool: Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/5...yp574qz.th.jpg Look at the sheen of the wood 8) This car is the epitome of elegance Lotus 49 http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/9...us494bg.th.jpg Huge rev counter, classy wood gear shift ... perfect As far as American cars go I think they are improving in leaps and bounds but still need to have better quality Japanese interiors are extremely well built but lack soul and style. There are lots more cars with stupendous interiors like the Duesenberg SJ, Bentley Speed Six, Pagani Zonda (love the switches, glass roof and the Alcantara), the dials and unique seat placements of the McLaren F1 |
I have given this topic much thought over the years, for me what it comes down to is this: the Pagani has the best interior of any car currently for sale, absolutely no exceptions. Car journalists are always talking about interior quality, and how in that field VW is probably one of the best, but Christ, VW interiors are also the most boring. How about some emotion? Car companies should spend half as much on the aesthetics of low end cars and repump lots of money end effort into the ergonomics, because the interior is the place from which the owner will experience the car most.
And then there's wood, 90 percent of the time it's fake, and in all cars in which it's real, its ugly. There are very few exceptions to this rule, namely the Aston DB9 with it's matt mahogany or bamboo center console or the swathe of wood on the dash of the MB CLS, which is also matt. The steering wheel is another place where car interiors often go wrong, too often they're plain ugly. In this particular section cudos must be given to Ferrari because their steering wheels are gorgeous, especially that of the F430, the addition of the starter button and manettino to which being absolutely genius. It must be said that MB's have terrible steering wheels, with the exception of the SLK and the SLR, both of which being 3-spoke as opposed to the 4-spoke wheels of the other Mercedes. Porsche should burn in hell for the steering wheels of its cars, they're all attrocious. The gearlever is another downfall of the moderng interior. Is the ugly floppy leather surround really necessary? From what I see it serves no ergonomic purpose other than hiding the ugly mechanicals of the gearchange, which it would achieve equally successfully if it only came up un inch or two on the actual stick. In regards to leather, that which is gray in colour should be outlawed, it always looks (and often is) fake. If you want gray interiors than have them in upholstery or alcantara, or suede. I think that we can all agree that there are few modern cars, with the exception of a few top end ones, that have interiors that are either a) pleasing to behold or b) satisfying to use. |
Besides the obvious style/build quality etc criterias, to me, a good interior should also give you a big variety of choices. That's why I like italian interiors so much (Ferrari, Pagani, Maserati) - you can choose tons of colour combos, different stitching, etc...
A good example is the Maserati Quattroporte - looking at its interior really makes me want to be there. http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3...sitecar9pa.jpg Other current favourites of mine are the 612's interior and the Stradale's. The 612's interior is actually the best one (or close) that Ferrari has made, if you ask me - it totally fits the purpose of the car, plus the harmony of it is hard to beat, IMO. Then there's the Stradale, which simply means business. :D Ah, and I couldn't leave the Pagani out - it's over the top, flamboyant, just like a supercar's interior should be. And last, all of the cars I mentioned give importance to something many seem to forget - details baby, details... ;) Now, from those you've posted I gotta say the Boxster's interior is the one I like the least. The Z is pretty lame too, but since the purpose of the car is to go as fast as possible for the least possible money, it's almost forgiven. ;) Anyway, back to the Boxster... I really like Porsches, but the latest interiors... :puke: I mean, look at it - not just it's ugly with all those buttons and shit, but it shows a total lack of innovation. It's BORING; plus, you have almost no choices - it's either a black, blue or grey interior pretty much, since the tan interior has well... too much tan. From more normal cars, I think the worst interiors come from VW and the best from Alfa Romeo/Lancia and some BMW interiors are very nice too. VW Polo (so plain it's not even funny): http://www.havanacarhire.com/images/...o-interior.jpg Alfa 159 (:love:): http://www.reportmotori.it/Alfa%20Ro...Plancia800.jpg |
Grr. I just wrote a long post and lost it somehow (probably pressed ctrl instead of shift) in response.
Man am I pissed off now and have given myself a custom title just for today! I'll come back later - needed to google for some pics of interiors anyway... |
Umm i really like an interior with the center part of the dash tiliting...so that all the controls are allmost on a 45 degree angle, or flat allmost... :?
Thats not really a good explanation but the following photos of the Audi A8, and the BMW 850 show what im on about... http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5340/cimg00087ni.jpg http://img424.imageshack.us/img424/1561/a80200763zo.jpg |
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