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Post by LandieMark on Oct 4, 2017 12:07:47 GMT
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Post by michael on Oct 4, 2017 12:19:58 GMT
I wouldn't. Land Rover.
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 4, 2017 12:56:43 GMT
I've not been in either a current Volvo or a current Land Rover, so can't comment. But I imagine it's one of those two judging by what I've read, at least in terms of materials and design. Whether they are the most user-friendly is another question.
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Post by Blarno on Oct 4, 2017 13:10:31 GMT
Depends. I find most modern vehicle interiors unecessarily trinketty. (If that's a word)
I've been in a modern Range Rover and found it utterly hideous inside (for me), but I like simple things. Wood, leather and thick carpets just make me think of stately homes and not cars.
I guess I really don't pay that much attention to the interior of a car: as long as it works and works logically, that's all that matters.
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Post by johnc on Oct 4, 2017 13:28:44 GMT
Proper Range Rovers are very nice places to sit but I was very impressed by the S63 Coupe I drove at Mercedes World and a 6 Series always impresses especially with the full leather dashboard. I had a look in a Discovery Sport and a Velar recently and they were nice but not exceptional, so it would appear that you need to climb to near the top of the tree to get the best. |
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Post by grampa on Oct 4, 2017 13:46:40 GMT
Cars I've just been in, so on the basis of just nice places to be rather than ease of use or any other consideration, another vote for Land Rover - lower down the price range, I'd say Citroen
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Post by franki68 on Oct 4, 2017 13:55:46 GMT
I have always been impressed how land rovers look inside,but not with the quality..The interior of the sclass coupe was the last one from a major manufacturer that really impressed me,it really oozed quality even if the design was not as good as others.
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 4, 2017 15:04:27 GMT
Proper Range Rovers are very nice places to sit but I was very impressed by the S63 Coupe I drove at Mercedes World and a 6 Series always impresses especially with the full leather dashboard. I had a look in a Discovery Sport and a Velar recently and they were nice but not exceptional, so it would appear that you need to climb to near the top of the tree to get the best. Actually now you mention it, yes, the interior of the 6 with the full leather dash is lovely. Very superior to even a fully-leather-lined 4. My car's interior is well designed and very user-friendly but the none of the materials are anything particularly special and the overall design is functional rather than showy. Although I quite like the way the rear seat wraps around at the sides a bit like in a Phantom. |
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Post by Martin on Oct 4, 2017 16:17:23 GMT
Are we talking looks or quality. The Volvos look good, but based on an XC90 the quality isn't special. The current A8 is the opposite, but full looking but significantly better quality than the similar looking A6/A7.
A fully leather lined Range Rover is a nice place to sit, as is the latest 7 Series. The soon to be replaced Cayenne is lovely too, but needs full leather as Porsche aren't great with dashboard plastics imo.
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Post by Alex on Oct 4, 2017 16:45:57 GMT
User friendliness certainly has to be a factor. I remember the 2006 Civic I had (the model where they went all triangular) and to look at the dashboard was an utter dog's e dinner with buttons appearing all over the place, but when you actually use it you quickly find that the designers were incredibly clever with how things were placed. The opulence of the latest FF Range Rover is all very well but it needs to work easily without distracting the driver, something my Golf does very well. You almost never have to take your eyes off the road to hunt for a switch. The one exception which someone at VW should be shot for is the removal of the dimmer toggle for the dashboard light. The function has been moved to a sub menu hidden on the touchscreen and is a right pain to use. Oddly in markets where such luxuries as touch screen infotainment are not available guess how they've solved the problem? That's right, they've reinstated the switch!
Over the last 24 hours I've driven the current shape i30 and Astra and the quality of the plastics in both was just aweful compared to my car and felt cheap and nasty. Having also been in he current shape Focus I'm happy to suggest the Golf is easily best in its class for interior design and quality right now. Even it's stablemates the Octavia and Leon, which I've also driven, don't do it as well as the Golf does.
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Post by michael on Oct 4, 2017 17:18:22 GMT
Ease of use and ergonomics are one area where Volvo are particularly poor these days although the same can also said of any car with an over reliance on a touch screen.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2017 18:25:12 GMT
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Post by Nelson on Oct 4, 2017 20:00:11 GMT
Having driven both and spent time in a far bit of each of the range I would say for mainstream you cannot beat a Volkswagen product. Quality, simple design yet ergonomically easy and pleasing to the eye. I do like to full length vents on the Passat but further up the price food chain I do like a quirky Lexus. No touchscreen, proper heater and radio controls and I love the 2 rotating bezels either side of the instrument pod. Quirkly yet strangely feelgood.
Never sat nor driven one but the E-Class and S-Class Mercs are a thing of wonder for me, that looks a proper nice place to be. The new Panamera has design sown up though. Traditional 5 dials and a futuristic console. I would so love a Panamera Sport Turismo, possible my perfect car
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Post by PetrolEd on Oct 5, 2017 8:02:37 GMT
Having only sat in the new V90 and not played with the media I put it right up there. You also don't need to go crazy with the spec sheet to get a great interior. Range Rovers are rather lovely but having sat in both a poverty and kitchen sink spec Velar you really do need to go wild with the options list to make them a nice environment.
Surprised there's been no votes for Lexus. The interior of the LC500 is fabulous and not like anything else. Cost no object, the new Bentley Conti GT looks right up there.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2017 8:15:13 GMT
I don't really have enough experience of manufacturers to comment, but I also think delegating too much to touchscreens is poor. It might look clever at first acquaintance, but touch screens are for things which can command your entire attention and so don't want to be things that you use on the move - changing drive mode on the A4 required a bit of a delve into the menu, whereas a simple rocker switch would enable the driver to make the change on the fly with almost no distraction. Not all progress is actually progress.
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Post by johnc on Oct 5, 2017 8:31:28 GMT
I'd agree on the Lexus interior quality. Some of the styling might not be to everyone's taste but the quality and fit are hard to criticise. I'm with twelfth on touchscreens in cars - they shouldn't exist. |
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Post by PG on Oct 5, 2017 9:34:49 GMT
Any view on aesthetics is down to personal preferences and perceptions. Land Rover are really on a roll interior wise, and the Porsche Macan / Cayenne / Panamera family are admirable for their central console design - a lovely thing that angles up towards the dash - really cockpit like.
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Post by Tim on Oct 5, 2017 13:01:46 GMT
..., and the Porsche Macan / Cayenne / Panamera family are admirable for their central console design - a lovely thing that angles up towards the dash - really cockpit like.
It reminds me of photos of the interior of the Ferrari 400/412 from the '70s and '80s.
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Post by michael on Oct 5, 2017 13:10:36 GMT
On a cost versus style basis I think Fiat do well with the 500. Some of the materials are a bit cheap but the way their styled and their application does a good job of hiding it.
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Post by Big Blue on Oct 5, 2017 13:37:41 GMT
..., and the Porsche Macan / Cayenne / Panamera family are admirable for their central console design - a lovely thing that angles up towards the dash - really cockpit like.
It reminds me of photos of the interior of the Ferrari 400/412 from the '70s and '80s.
Is that praise? or damning? |
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Post by Tim on Oct 5, 2017 13:48:35 GMT
Just the look, nothing else  I suppose to my younger eyes it was sophisticated compared with the humdrum mainstream stuff, now I'm not so sure! |
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Post by Andy C on Oct 5, 2017 14:40:19 GMT
BMW - 3 series has a perfect driving position for me, I drive is great and the quality/layout is way above what I'm happy with
New 5 series is above but even more so
My mates new 140i is great too , especially with the new dials
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 5, 2017 14:44:48 GMT
On a cost versus style basis I think Fiat do well with the 500. Some of the materials are a bit cheap but the way their styled and their application does a good job of hiding it. Yes, agreed. I've always thought the interior of our 500 is very well-styled and cheery. It manages to be a small cheap car that doesn't constantly remind you that it is small and cheap, and shows that small cars don't have to be a sea of indifferent dark grey plastics styled to resemble an 1990s stack system. Ours has the "Ivory Ambience", which gives it a retro '50s feel and combined with the retro chrome-ringed Bakelite-type buttons, tiny instrument display, body-colour dash panel (a warm white in our case) and bright red cloth seats and door inserts, just creates a rather stylish and different feel. |
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Post by Ben on Oct 6, 2017 13:47:10 GMT
I like the new Volvos and their minimalist style, but yep, having too many controls via touchscreen is quite annoying. The worst offender these days are Peugeot/Citroen actually.
The best combination for me is a touchscreen for the entertainment/audio/Bluetooth systems, and knobs/buttons for functions such as air con and drive modes. The Prius was reasonably good at this, not perfect but fairly close.
In terms of simple ambience, I think a proper full fat Range Rover is hard to beat.
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Post by Nelson on Oct 8, 2017 20:54:00 GMT
One interior that slipped my mind but shouldn't have done given that I used to own one and in-laws currently run one is the MINI Cooper interior
really nice combination of traditional analogue instruments (albeit I dislike the digital bar-graph style fuel gauge) but for warmth (how all the controls light up), feel good factor and bespoke toggle style switches it really does make it feel a really nice place to be.
I also judge an interior of how it would make you feel if faced with a 200 mile trip home at dusk going into night on a cold autumn evening when you just want that secure feeling that everything is ok and you feel at ease. I don't want a screen constantly on at night, I want classy well backlit controls that convey a sense of quality and warmth and feel good factor. BMW's red hue is a class example of that
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 10, 2017 13:44:20 GMT
Talking of Minis, I'm always amused by the "disco" interior lighting in my mother's Countryman that at night slowly fades through the full colour spectrum - it's particularly visible on that metallic runner thing that goes along the transmission tunnel between the seats.
Largely because it's so out of place in a car driven by a 70yr old!
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Post by PG on Oct 10, 2017 19:33:20 GMT
Talking of Minis, I'm always amused by the "disco" interior lighting in my mother's Countryman that at night slowly fades through the full colour spectrum - it's particularly visible on that metallic runner thing that goes along the transmission tunnel between the seats. Largely because it's so out of place in a car driven by a 70yr old! Don't forget the 70's - discos, light balls, Saturday Night Fever and all that - are 40 years ago. Your mum probably finds it all very comforting to be taken back to her 30's... The S class Merc loan car I had a few years ago had a choice of interior light colours at night. The neon blue or baby pink looked totally weird. |
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Post by rodge on Oct 11, 2017 3:09:05 GMT
I’ve not got a lot of experience with interiors of new cars, but I’ll say this.
My Lexus is 17 years old and everything still works in the cabin- the only downside is the leather has cracked in the seats and armrests. But a quarter of a million miles will do that.
I’m not a fan of luxurious interiors and prefer one that’s ergonomically sound- some of the current top of the line Mercedes are just gross they are so over done.
They remind me of cars that are specced for Arabs and painted in gold leaf and parked beside a diamond encrusted Aventador...
I find non leather seats more comfortable and think touch screens in a car are the devil.
Bah humbug.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 11, 2017 7:36:09 GMT
I had a Ford Focus with the Sync 3 touchscreen and didn't like it - the touchscreen was not as responsive as I'd like and you ended up with fingerprints all over the screen meaning you got OCD about wiping it clean all the time. The BMW control knob way of doing things is much better - or going the next step, the voice activation for navigation, calls etc.
Interiors are important to me, I like a bit of flair and imagination, the 500 was excellent in that regard, as was the MINI, even if all the plastics weren't of the highest quality. The Qashqai impressed us with the quality of the materials used and felt only a small downgrade from the Audi offering, the seats being particularly excellent.
VW, Skoda and SEAT interiors generally depress me with their acres of "elephant arse" black/grey plastics.
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Post by Tim on Oct 11, 2017 9:26:54 GMT
VW, Skoda and SEAT interiors generally depress me with their acres of "elephant arse" black/grey plastics.
You can add standard specced Audis to that list in my experience.
I've tried the voice activation for calls in the Nissan and find the process distracting, I'll admit that I've only used it a couple of times as I don't like the feeling of distraction from actually making a call.
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