Interior quality

snowdog

snowdog

snowdog

Soldato
Joined
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Netherlands
Not wanting to trash another thread, I thought I'd create my own.

I saw many people in the ''worst car driven'' topic complain about the interior quality. I don't exactly understand what people mean by this, what do you consider a quality interior, what are ''shoddy plastics'' ? If they work & don't break & don't rattle/squeek/make unwanted noise then what exactly is wrong with it ?

Had some replies already:

Some people like nice things. Some people don't.
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What do you consider nice about a button that turns stuff on or off :confused: ?

snowdog said:
If ''people'' are driving, are they busy watching the road or the plastic in their interior ?
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Are being serious?
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Yes, I've driven a lot in the past week ( as in pointless driving around for fun) and I still don't know too much about the interior, I don't yet know what every button does ( still haven't looked at engaging my cruise control or how it works for example) and keep finding out new stuff ( eg. only just found out what a button in my console did, disabling the rear window controls near the rear windows), I barely ever look at the interior, only when I'm parked or waiting for something, do some of you really spend ages looking at your dash while driving ?
 
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Oh dear. This thread is quickly going to go downhill but I'll begin my taking it seriously.

From a personal perspective I like things that feel well built (even though often the feel is just that - a feel!). When you touch something, its nice if it feels of quality construction. I don't like cheap flimsey plastics etc. It's not just cars its the same with everything - mobile phones, computer keyboards, mice, whatever you touch/use some people like to have stuff that feels like its of reasonable quality.

This is obviously a popular feeling as well - maybe not on this forum but in the general public certainly as many reviews of often quite average cars will go into great detail about interior quality - VW have more or less crafted an entire brand image on it.

When driving you press buttons, operate stalks, look at displays, hold a steering wheel - its nice when all this stuff feels like there is an air of quality to it.

When driving you do not spend 100% of your time staring at a road. Sometimes you'll be sat in traffic. Sometimes you'll be sat in the car waiting for your GF in a shop, or whatever. There are many times when you'll interact with/view the interior of your car.
 
it's got nothing to do with having to look at it, it's just the quality of materials and construction.

pushing buttons that have a nice weighted feel are so much nicer than some nasty plasticky switch.
it's the same with grab handles for example.
weighted ones are so much nicer than ones that just slam back with no smoothness in the spring.

it really does make a difference.

also, seeing as you have a V40, what does this knob do? i've seen it on every S/V40 interior and i've always wondered what it does..

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Doesn't bother me but I'm sure it will as I get older. It's odd as like Fox says, I tend to appriciate well built feeling things, phones etc etc.

The mini amazingly doesn't rattle or anything though, just lots of road and engine noise ;)
 
mjt said:
also, seeing as you have a V40, what does this knob do? i've seen it on every S/V40 interior and i've always wondered what it does..

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I have an old ( pre facelift) model V40, so I'm not sure, but the button in my car that is located there, is to switch between the various board computer data on the dash, you use it to switch between: Current mpg ( or well, x L/100km on mine), avg mpg, avg speed, Range, Oil temp ( under 55c ( I think, lowest I've seen it say) it says ''cold'' above that it shows the actual temp.), engine/water temp, and exterior temp.

EDIT yes I'm sure, the facelift model also has the same button layout, that button is to operate the on dash computer.
 
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Don't really know what to say to this one, I do love the feel of a really good quality interior, nothing quite like a stitched leather dash for instance, looks and feels great.

At this point in my life, I'm not sure that I care too much about it, I like my car at the minute for the way it drives. You're not going to buy an F430 Scuderia and then complain about the lack of interior comforts are you? However if you are buying something luxobargish then you are going to want a more suitable feeling dash.
 
The interior of the Manta is made of brittle and cheap feeling 70's plastic. I would be really genuinely pleased if it felt and looked nicer - particularly the indicator stalk which honestly feels like it's going to shatter into a billion pieces every time I look at it.

It doesn't "matter" to me in as much as that the interior could have been made from Cornflakes boxes and I'd have still bought it. But I would be a happier person if it was nicer.
 
Quality materials are nice and all, but a poor interior for me is one where you can feel the wipers through the pedals. You indicator stalks bend before clicking into place., The cup holders are wobbly plastic that flex when holding a drink. The ashtray doesn't close properly and then pop open by it self. Buttons on the dash have a loose 'play' in them.

Oh wait I just described a vectra b interior.
 
Mine is pretty crappy, solid though and is pretty good ergonomically so I like it even though it browny-grey colour. People often hark on about how awful 90's Japanese interiors are but lets me honest it's streets ahead of anything you could have in a French hatch at the time apart from maybe a 306 and the Germans didn't offer anything any better at the same price point.
 
Film clunk to the indicator stalks
All buttons etc feel solid
No bits fall off
No creaks/rattles/squeaks
All switches have good feedback and a nice feel

Lord how a Rover 600 is different to a 400 :p
 
whitecrook said:
Quality materials are nice and all, but a poor interior for me is one where you can feel the wipers through the pedals. You indicator stalks bend before clicking into place., The cup holders are wobbly plastic that flex when holding a drink. The ashtray doesn't close properly and then pop open by it self. Buttons on the dash have a loose 'play' in them.

Oh wait I just described a vectra b interior.
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Can't say I had any of that when I owned mine. Don't know why you'd put anything other than a can into the cup holder as they were crap.
 
The thing I most care about from an interior quality perspective, is rattles. If I can hear any it drives me potty and I tend to invest far too much time in hunting down and eliminating them. However to be classed as a good interior rather than just non-rattly, it has to be tactile, solid-feeling, and use good quality materials.

For example imagine you go into a 5* hotel room then the next night stay at a youth hostel. Both rooms perform a very similar function i.e. allow you to sleep whilst remaining warm and dry, but one experience is very much nicer than the other in part due to the quality of the finish and furnishings.
 
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