vishnus11

Got back from NAIAS yesterday. Great show, and many great cars - ZR1, GTR and LF-A were all stunners. I got a chance to take a closer look at the CTS, and with much ballyhoo about the "vast" improvement in the interior of this vehicle, I thought I'd compare them to the competition

I took a look at the CTS's interior in detail before checking out the IS350, the TL, the G35, C350, 335i, and the A4.

The vinyl stitching on the dash is a nice touch and a welcome alternative to soft-touch plastics. The door panels used soft touch materials and leather on the upper parts, but I felt that the grab handles, and especially the lower part of the door panel could have used improvement. Overall, I loved the DESIGN of the interior and thought it flowed VERY well, but the execution and quality of materials wasn't the best that I'd seen in that class. That said, the new CTS has an interior that is miles and miles better than the one in the previous CTS

As for the other cars...if I had to rank the interiors, I'd say that the G35's was the poorest, with OK materials and some awfully hard plastics used on the lower console. The design was boring.

Next up would be the TL and the IS350 tied - the TL used good materials and the design has endured well, but the door grab handles could use improvement. The IS350 interior uses good leather and nice splashings of wood, but the plastic silver finish around the nav and audio controls is tacky, and the overall design of the interior is boring.

The best interiors were those of the 335i, yet-to-be released 2009 Audi, and the 08 C class. The C350 in particular is dogged for having a subpar interior in the magazines, but in reality this one took me by surprise - BRILLIANT execution with good but not excellent materials. You could see the attention to detail in the way the power window switches engaged, and the chrome surround around these switches. The lower parts of the door panel are covered in a woven material, and the overall feel of the interior was great. The BMW and the Audi as usual, delivered excellent materials and very good execution - the 335i in particular has some VERY nice quality leather and wood, and precise build quality. The Audi has excellent execution, but I would rank the materials used as being just behind the BMW.

I'd say the Cadillac's interior would rank somewhere behind the German's and tied with the TL and IS350. Definitely better than the G35 though.

These are just my opinions and I haven't driven the CTS yet - I'd like to hear those from folks who have sat in any or all of the above vehicles.

FiveLiterCheater

I agree with about the new CTS' interior being very nice, however, I think the 3 series major downfall is in fact its interior. The new ones are IMO worse than the previous design, especially if you get nav, which looks like a tumor growing out of the dash.

I thought the TL had the best interior in its class, but that is now replaced by the CTS. The 3G's interior is years old now, and IMO doesn't show one bit of age. I can't wait to see what they do with the 4th gen.

Crazy Bimmer

This shows that pictures can be misleading since i think the C-class looks cheap in photos but i have never sat in one.

G35 looks great in photos but agree with you that the lower console isnt pleasing with the hard plastics in person.

CTS sounds impressive and cant wait to sit in one. Of course i still think the TL and IS350 have great layouts/materials but once again i agree that the door handles on the TL and silver trim on the IS350 needs improving.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

i find the quality of materials of the CTS and C-class pretty similar. Everyone keeps raving about the CTS...i thought it was pretty nice but not stellar, WAAAY better than the outgoing generation. The MB was a bit of a let down. There were some hard plastics that were unexpected...but it lookd good.
I have to admit that the 335 interior is of pretty good quality. It feels substantial. I have heard mixed things about longevity, however.
I did notice that the CL seats in the winter would have that "freeze bite" when I would first sit on them in the winter....which i attribute to the type of hard shiny leather it had. In the 335 the leather feels more like cloth seats and a lot of times i forget to turn on the seat heaters because they don't freeze my cheeks like the acura did.

majin ssj eric

I really have no idea what "hard plastics" you are talking about. My G's interior is definitely up to par with the IS/TL and is miles better than the BMW/Mercedes. In fact, this constant bemoaning of hard plastics is really starting to annoy me. First, what car doesn't have a single bit of hard plastic in it? None. Second, who the hell said hard plastic was so bad anyway? As long as the texture is pleasing to the eye, who the hell cares how hard it is? If a car's only fault is a bit of hard plastic in the lower area of the console, then the car must be pretty damn good (not just talking about my G here, but any car)......

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

I have sat in one - top of line C350 Sport. Believe me, it still looks kinda cheap. The design just does not work well.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

You know....i really try to avoid negative posts but you are getting really annoying. You bought your car, enjoy it and shut up. My god. If you think you car is the greatest thing since slice bread good for you, that means you bought the perfect car for you. But, don't for instant think that it is w/o fault. The hard plastics i refer to are the ones that you seem to not wanna pay attention to. If it doesn't bother you let it go.
AND to top it off, the G wasn't even mentioned in my post. So stop getting your undies in a bundle and stop being insecure about your purchase.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

You should have bought the BMW...you would've have fit in with half the kids on e90post that think the 335 can drive on water.

F23A4

I have spend some drive time the new C-class.

Of the group, I like the IS interior the most followed by the TL then CTS by a hair over the G35. The E90 interior isnt all that great but the performance, handling and exterior design of the 335i more than makes up for it.

Crazy Bimmer

Dang, never seen you make a post like this before. Im kinda proud... you BMW prick.

BUt seriously I agree, im the biggest BMW nut swinger and you hardly see me arguing when people say anything negative about the looks of them. Its all matter of opinion and thats all there is to it.

Be a boring world if everyone liked the same things.

charliemike

I hate to say it but I have to disagree with Vishnus. I test drove a C300 with a tan interior. It was horrible. The lighter color really brings the cheapness of the materials out for all to see. What Mercedes does do well is make all the buttons and switches of the highest quality. Unfortunately, they were seemingly surrounded by Chevy plastic and Dodge leather.

Without any hyperbole, the CTS interior materials were much, much better. The A4 interior was much better as well. I did not sit in a 3-series for fear I might go buy one

When I was evaluating the C300 as I drove it, I thought that perhaps the interior in it wouldn't be that bad at $32k (though I wouldn't have bought it). But when you get into a C350 and load it out you're looking at $45k. There is no way in hell that interior belongs on a car that expensive.

Perhaps if you go with a black dash and dark leather it would look okay. Both my buddy (who owns a S60R) and I did not like the C-Class. His S60R is much nicer inside (ergonomic design aside which is definitely hit-or-miss with people) with nicer materials and seemingly more road isolation.

vishnus11

Haha, its all good.

I see that plenty of folks (and plenty of magazine reviews) feel that the C class's interior is a cut below the competition, so your not alone.

Maybe I should clarify - I went to look at the C class expecting the worse, and came away pleasantly surprised - maybe this altered my perspective. And the one I looked at was a C350 with a black interior, so maybe a tan interior would have altered my perception.

The plastics on the dash weren't the best grade, but then again, they weren't "cheap, hard" plastics either. The woven effect on the bottom of the doors was brilliant, and everything in the interior "looked" solid. With better materials that would have been the best interior in the business bar none, because its execution was brilliant. Somehow, just sitting in the interior, gave me the impression of sitting in a high quality piece.

Who knows - I could have been high from all the plastic fumes and new car smell given the number of car interiors I checked out!

zeroday

zeroday

You trying to say it can't?

GIBSON6594

You're absolutely right, material quality has nothing to do with the interior

It seems like you're not catching the concept: hard plastics=cheap

majin ssj eric

I wasn't even referring to your post, I was referring to the OP. I'm not insecure about anything, I just think that the G's interior is as nice as the TL/IS. Anybody is free to disagree with that. My complaint about the hard plastics thing isn't even about my car in particular (its about any car). I personally don't give a crap about hard plastics, I care more for design. That's why I can't fathom anyone thinking the 335 has a better interior than ANY of the japanese offerings. But thats just my opinion. I didn't mean to piss anbody off......

zeroday

I've been on car forums since..well...way too long...and If what you say is true about caring about design only and not materials used, surfaces, etc, you are in the extreme minority of car enthusiasts. We can't fathom why you wouldn't care about that. And there's the rub.

majin ssj eric

I didn't say I don't car about materials. But a minor amount of hard plastic in the lower center console of a car, to me, does not equal a "crap interior". My friend has a Nissan Frontier and the entire dash is hard plastic. That IMO does look bad. But to search out every nook and crevice of a car searching for the smallest amount of hard plastic like some of you guys do is, IMO, ridiculous. Every car has hard plastic. It just makes you sound like such a Car & Driver snob to bust out the "but its got hard plastic" card everytime you evaluate an interior.....

charliemike

Let's define hard plastics once and for all.

If your interior looks like it was injection-molded with bullet-resistant plastic from a 1985 Toyota Corolla then you have hard plastic.

If your interior is made of plastic you'd think would be equally suited to cover the door sills you have hard plastic.

If you're pretty sure the interior of your car has materials of the same grade as your bathroom scale you have hard plastic.

Every car has hard plastic, that much is true.

HOWEVER, it's where the hard plastic is that makes a difference. The door sills, lower center console where the shifter is, seat belt covers, and the area around the steering column can understandably be harder plastics.

When a company wants $30k+ for a car, the dash, upper center console, and arm rests (to name a few) should NEVER be cheap textured plastic.

Unfortunately, it seems that in some cases near-lux and lux cars have had their corners noticeably cut.

Everyone can feel free to agree, disagree, amend, or add to my definition.

zeroday

Not insecure? Not trying to piss anyone off huh?

riiight...

Enjoy your car dude. No I mean really, like go hump your tail pipe.

majin ssj eric

You hit the nail on the head....

majin ssj eric

That sounds like good advice. See ya!!

JediMindTricks

i haven't sat in the CTS, new C class, or new A4 so i can't comment on them.

but i personally liked the G35/37 interior. is there a lot of plastic? yes. but i really didn't mind it that much. i didn't think it was as cheap looking as the IS' interior with the aluminum trim.

but i really like the G's layout and the stitching on the seats so perhaps that might be enough to compensate for the plastic for me.

the 3 series' interior does have a nice touch to it, but i prefer the look and layout of the japanese models than the germans.

it's all just a matter of opinion though.

charliemike

The CTS' "aluminum" trim is really silver painted plastetics. Should have been real metal but I guess they didn't want to be sued by old people in AZ who burn themselves on the trim pieces

cob3683

2009 A4 > * (If the pictures do it justice)

That car just looks awesome

halfaznguy87

LOL that is so true. That forum is full of punks..

Best Interior I would have to say is the TL (to each his own). I just love the detail compared to the others. I have really high expectations for the 09 TL's interior.

If I had to choose between the IS and G's I would go with the G's.

The MB C-class has a lame-o interior. There's nothing design wise pleasing about it and quality is whatever.

When it comes to the BMW for me it depends trim. Black stained wood and red leather is to die for..

Costco

The never ending debate of car interiors. Who gives a shit. As long as it doesn't look like a 1987 RX-7's interior (now that is really hard on the eyes). I agree with Eric though, I judge a car's interior more on ergonomics than aesthetics. Who cares how nice it looks if you have to get up out of your seat to adjust the radio? Don't even get me started on cars that don't have radial HVAC dials....

Most important things to be aesthetics-wise is how the gauges look, how the steering wheel looks/feels/size, same with the shifter, and the seats especially! IMO those things can make a break an interior, at least for me. Honestly I couldn't give 2 shits about how the cupholder or kick panel looks/feels. As long as all the materials/colors/shapes flow together well and the knobs and buttons are nice, have a clicky-rebound, and the displays are easy to read, that's all I need. I don't give a crap about some tiny isolated piece of plastic on the dash that I will never even touch.

One example of what I think is a terrible interior.... the Tundra. I know its a truck, but it 'looks like it was designed by some guy with a ruler.' NONE of the colors/materials match!!! The plastic also felt cheap, for those of you nit-pickers.

majin ssj eric

^^^Totally agree on the Tundra. I can't believe how far Toyota has fallen in terms of interior styling (the current Camry is real bad too)....

zeroday

Since when besides the supra has toyota had good interior styling? They've always looked like shit inside.

Will Y.

I actually like the look of the Tundra's interior as pictured...

And since I'm posting here, for interiors, TL>G35/G37>BMW 335i. I haven't seen/felt the C class or the 2008 CTS (the photos show an interior which is a huge improvement over the 2003-2007 CTS interior, which I would place behind the 335i).

cusdaddy

CTS: I was at the DC auto show this weekend and sat in the car for the first time. Overall I was very impressed. It looks beautiful and the material quality is mostly very good. Definitely competitive with its class

G35: my good friend has a new G35 and the interior is very nice. Not the most beautiful but it is very solid with no rattles in just over a year driving in NY. Overall a huge improvement over the last G

335 coupe: another good friend has the coupe and the material quality is excellent. I hate the iDrive and I dislike the interior style - I like an interior that envelopes the driver instead of curving away but the materials make it great

S5: another felroend just received his S5 and I have to say by far this is the best interior of the group period in every way.

C350: by far the worst interior. It was actually embarrasing how bad it was having the MB badge. The plastics were very cheap, the design was boring and it wasn't comfortable to drive. Overall the worst

FiveLiterCheater

Doing car audio for so long really puts you in a lot of cars. I guess I just see too much "behind the panels" to really fall in love with any interior in a mainstream car. Most people see an interior and think wow this is amazing and extremely well built! Unfortunately, when I see an interior, I think of ways to tear it apart to the frame. All these amazing materials you guys praise are cheap pieces of fragile plastic covered in some soft, textured vynal that unscrews to reveal the frame and nasty wiring behind it. I'll tell you one thing, Toyotas/Lexus are assembled like TOYS. You can pretty much tear the whole dash apart without a screw driver...everything just snaps in place. However, I do think BMW's are assembled the best, follwed by Honda/Acura and Nissan/Infiniti.

I just wish BMW would step their game up in the interior design department, they really do have some of the most bizzare/untasteful designs i've ever seen. I really want to get an E46 M3 in a year or two, but man, that interior is a real turn-off. Hopefully I can look past it when the time comes (and they drop in price!)

SeCsTaC

[QUOTE]


Got Damn this man speaks the truth

I couldn't agree with you more. OH NOEZ!! THE AREA UNDER THE DASH THAT I'LL NEVER EVER FUCKIN TOUCH IN MY LIFE ISNT SOFT TOUCH PLASTIC!!11!

Don't get me wrong, the Interior material quality is crucial and makes or breaks the interior, but seriously, as long as they use high quality materials in the right places that actually get touched day to day or are clearly visible then that's really all that matters.

Some people frisking the entire car to find where the hard plastics are...

BTW, design wise, CTS > A5/G35 > TL/IS > the rest.

majin ssj eric

[QUOTE=SeCsTaC]

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

for me the qualitiy of materials in the interior is of the upmost importance. I don't want hard plastics anywhere on a "luxury" car. Door pockets, transmission tunnels, etc drive me up the wall. My hands are there constantly. The Range Rover sport has hard ass plastics down there. No way. If I am spending that kind of money i want quality. 335 layout design is OK....it's growing on me because I sit in it everyday. The quality and workmanship, however is awesome. But, I much prefer the cockpit look of the G and old 3 series.

zeroday

except for liking the interior of the G..not seeing how it's driver centric at all. I have never really liked my 335i's interior design since it's not 'cockpit like' but it's grown on me a little (as most ugly things usually do ). Materials wise, it leaves very little to be desired. I dislike the interior of the G even more though as it just feels cheap to me. The multi color guages are just hard to look at too. My old 350z's layout was better, even though the materials used were hard plastic junk.

I miss the e36 dash actually. It was very driver centric. I think navi displays are what's made manufacturers move away from this kind of design. It's a shame.

Costco

As I often say (or, overuse) looks are subjective. My older brother has an almost fanatical obsession with the Tundra, I actually don't believe he really likes the way it looks, and merely overlooks the small, ugly things. This is a big deal because he nitpicks small things, for example he doesn't like Camaros/cars in general that taper inwards at the side skirt (giving it the look of a pill). When I ask him about the interior, he kinds gets quiet and mutters 'its okay'.

I happen to agree with you for interiors though... TL is the classiest looking IMO. also agree with zeroday, the driver-centric interiors of past were great, but new cars seem to move away from this. The old CTS interior was absolute garbage though, it seems like each panel was designed by a separate person and they somehow just made everything fit. The new CTS interior is a huge improvement over the old, and it sorta reminds me of the G35's with the analog clock in the middle and tall HVAC vents. Still like the 335i's interior a little more though, that thick steering wheel is too nice.

Crazy Bimmer

Exactly.

If you search my old posts i always said i think the new BMW interior designs took a step back. I hated the 7series, 5series and 3series interior layouts for years. But now i kinda just tolerate it. But i never question the build quality since thats always great. IMO Everything fits and sounds solid unlike most cars that i test driven.

I still LOVE the E46 design since the lines are all smooth and flowing.

majin ssj eric

To me, this is still one of the great interior layouts of all time (I love the whole car really).....

zeroday

^^ I actually agree with that (for once). The NSX is up there too, but that old 300z interior was sexy as hell. The materials etc were very top notch. The cloth dash covering was a great idea that seemingly died with this car. People probably tried to armor all the shit and complained when it looked like crap after.