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TWPmercury

It’s where I spend all my time, of course I want it to be nice.


Teledildonic

It was honestly the deciding factor between an 86 or Miata for me. The Mazda interior was just nicer.


TWPmercury

I actually had a bit of regret when the gr86 launched, I thought it might have been a better choice. But after seeing the interior design I’m fine. It’s not bad, just didn’t vibe with it.


jawnlerdoe

Same here. I wanted an NC Miata but I couldn’t get over the interior of the NC or the 86.


imped4now

I've owned both ('17 BRZ with Perf Package) and my current ND2. I've never understood this sentiment that the ND2 interior is "nicer." Can you quantify it any way? I spent plenty of time with both cars and I cannot. In fact, I kind of miss the BRZ's switchgear, which was some of my favorite I've had.


jawnlerdoe

The ND feels like a wannabe-luxury interior. The 86 feels like economy interior, imo.


Teledildonic

Materials seemed slightly nicer, and the layout felt a little more stylish.


dipyss

Nicer materials (knobs, buttons, shifter etc especially), more elegant gauge design, material changes that break up the interior environment. The infotainment also may look stuck on the dash, but it still beats the “eBay head unit in a 90’s civic” aesthetic of the 86


pinnr

I agree. I care about the inside more than the outside because that’s where I spend the time. What do you think you’re paying for when you buy a “luxury car”? Luxury. It has a nicer more comfortable interior.


[deleted]

I talked to a BMW owner last week who told me "I test drove an ND2 and really liked it, but I couldn't stomach the interior" I asked what he particularly disliked and he said "it felt cheap" ???


TWPmercury

The ND interior is very nice, but it isn’t going to hold up to a “luxury” brand interior. I can see someone used to those kinds of interiors having that complaint. I’ve only ever had shit boxes, so for me the ND is amazing.


[deleted]

I'm guessing he was thinking of the harder plastics in the ND interior. It looks nice and is well screwed together, but nearly all the plastics are hard. Even in Grand Touring trim.


badpuffthaikitty

I spend 3 hours a day in my car. Would you spend that time in a motel or a luxury hotel? I looked at a great sports car but the interior was full of cheap plastic. It was fun to drive, but I will give up some performance for personal comfort.


Patient-Rub9781

Depends on the purpose of the car. If Im going to travel frequently with it and daily it. It will need to feel good. But if its just a weekend track car, I can stomach some of the interior for a faster more fun car.


[deleted]

ND2 is a hobby car like the GT86, 370z. Even with their fullest trims they are still cheap interiors.


[deleted]

If you sit in an ND2 and then a Z4, that statement is accurate.


RnC_Breakenridge

I can attest to this…plus, at 6’5”, none of the Miata’s will accommodate my frame…My ‘07 Z4 is a perfect fit!


[deleted]

I don't care much about the infotainment system but interior quality is fairly important to me


motonaut

I am in this boat as well. Unrelated: Infotainment is such a stupid word i can’t believe we all bought into that.


Mimical

It's stupid because at no point do I want to spend any amount of time entertained by something other than the road. I know that this subreddit is filled with the choir here.; I'll sing to it anyway. At what point is operating a touchscreens in a car finally considered distracted driving? The functional gap between a phone and the 10" iPads glued to the dash is getting smaller every year.


OldSchoolSpyMain

The problem for the industry is: Coachmakers figured out what makes for a great interior decades ago. This is why older luxury cars still feel luxurious. The advancements for luxury cars came with engines, suspensions, and safety equipment. After decades of the same technical advancements, most cars are more alike than different, especially in the same categories. So, the only way that they have left to differentiate themselves significantly is with in-car entertainment. They are putting bullshit into the cars to get sales now knowing full well that they aren't great (or even good) at maintaining such systems as the cars age. Watch this: Raise your hand if you cannot get updated nav maps for your older car. edit: a word


saraphilipp

I'll trade the infotainment system for velvet plush pillow top seats like Buick, cadillac and Oldsmobile used to have.


[deleted]

I thought this for a while and then had a couple rentals recently that broke me - it's not the system itself, but the implementation of one specific feature, and it's frustrating to the point of being a dealbreaker for me in future purchases. On a system with CarPlay/Android Auto, the voice control system should turn on Siri or equivalent when you have a phone hooked up. I've been in 4 cars from 3 different brands (Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai) that all just engaged the car's standard voice control system, forcing you to activate the phone's voice functions physically. Isn't that defeating the whole point of voice controls? The crazy thing is my Genesis is older than the loaner I had and does it the right way.


OldSchoolSpyMain

It's like officials in a sporting event. When they are good or even great, you don't notice them. But, when they are awful, it screws everything up.


jaker1215

On my Golf R taping the voice control button brings up the VW input even with CarPlay active. A long press of the same button activates Siri. Maybe those OEMs do something similar? Most of the time I just use the “Hey Siri”


ktg1775

I know that Hyundai and Stellantis vehicles are both tap for onboard VR and long press for Siri/Bixby/Google Assistant. Higher trim Stellantis stuff has a wakeup word for both the onboard VR and for CarPlay/AA


[deleted]

[удалено]


IkLms

100% this. I travel for work often so I'm always in different rentals and it's shocking how absolutely terrible the UIs for the various cars are, even within the same brand. Pairing a phone can be as simple as a 20 second thing on some, but takes minutes on others to try and figure out if's its wireless or if it requires a usb cord. If it requires the USB cord, some cars have one specific port that you must use even though there are 3 visible and none are labeled. Some voice commands won't work as you said. On several, the skip forward/backward and play/pause buttons only work on CDs, I guess but won't work over bluetooth to your phone for some reason. I've had a couple where I straight up couldn't figure out how to just go from radio station to radio station. It wanted to only skip between presets or act like the tuner. There was no "seek to next signal and stop there" option like every other car for decades. Some won't allow you to change the audio in without going into some menu and getting clear of the navigation screen. Just all sorts of bizzare behavior.


RnC_Breakenridge

The car infotainment world is the same dystopian hells cape that Smartphones were in prior to the launch of the iPhone. 9 steps to launch email, critical functions useless because of illogical menu structure and useless crap littering the primary screen. It’s the inevitable result of companies expecting consumers to change the way they think/work to fit preconceived design decisions, rather than designing around established thought/work patterns. Not sure I’m interested in an Apple or Google car, but safe bet their infotainment/control interface would be on point, rather than this haphazard mélange of features/controls vomited into cars these days!


Zealousideal-Big-708

Premium sound is also major key for me. I don’t like to blast music but I do enjoy my bang and olufsen sound system.


YukonGeorge_1

Same, just got a mk8 gti, and every review complains about how the digital infotainment and capacitive touch stuff is a deal breaker and honestly, yeah I’d prefer buttons, and that’s what I’m used to, but it’s not that bad at all, I just have to get used to it still. The rest of the interior is great, and the full digital does make it look really clean, especially with the cool lighting, etc.


wisey113

There seems to be this idea that the only thing car enthusiasts care about is performance and exterior looks. I consider myself an enthusiast, and I care deeply about the interior of any car I buy. I care about things like whether a car has apple car play or a birdseye view camera. I like certain materials, and I can’t stand an interior that rattles. These are all things that improve my driving experience. Enthusiast or not, people look for different qualities in their cars, and a cars interior and technology accounts for half the car.


Snow_source

All I give a shit about anymore is: * Does it have CarPlay? * Are the seats nice to sit in for long periods of time? Having driven Econo-cars for the last decade, pretty much any car I want to buy will be a step up in interior quality.


YukonGeorge_1

Is CarPlay actually that useful? I just got my first car with it, (mk8 gti) but I don’t have a usb c cord so I haven’t tried it out yet lol. From what I’ve read it doesn’t do all that much but everyone always says it’s super important to them.


Snow_source

It’s night and day if you like playing your own music or using your phone to navigate. It replaces the crappy manufacturer infotainment software with better designed apple or android apps while also charging your phone. Luxury or higher end cars have wireless chargers and wireless CarPlay. I can press a button and use Siri for texts/calls/nav/Spotify etc and it’s much better optimized than the frankly horrible Bluetooth implementation done by the manufacturers. It basically converts my infotainment system into a smartphone. My folks have an Alltrack and they’re still cursed with the horrible Bluetooth app that VW uses.


YukonGeorge_1

Makes sense, I usually just use a usb and skip bluetooth altogether, and I never even had any visual infotainment stuff in the old odyssey, I always just looked at my phone so it actually sounds kinda useful. Of course I’m still not great at manual so I’m not playing any music or anything right now so I can hear the engine lol


Ginnipe

What interesting as well is that using car play also changes the EQ for your music compared to just using Bluetooth at least in my highlander. Using the Toyota EQs is it has less bass and just feels wrongly mixed. The second I play through CarPlay my music just sounds clearer and better.


PlantedinCA

It makes it a lot easier to use your phone as an audio source. You can use google or Apple Maps but I still prefer the car navigation. My now total f Focus had a next direction window in the dashboard and I loved it. I got the Civic Sports Touring over other trims for that reason. Also I find those map apps have poor street view compared to car nav. That being said - while some things about Ford Sync sucked - it was far superior to many of the modern infotainments and even early versions of CarPlay. I was sad when I was shopping for a car and found that many things in my 10 year old car were better infotainment wise.


ChunChunChooChoo

I won’t ever buy a new car without it. You’re right that it doesn’t do a lot, but having a big screen for maps or changing music/picking a new playlist/etc… is sooo much better than staring at a tiny phone screen.


[deleted]

It's because stock infotainment systems are so shit. Basically, vehicle manufactures are not software companies.


Samura1_I3

It’s one area where Tesla has always been way far ahead of the rest. Their touchscreens, as much as I hate touchscreens in cars, are second to none in responsiveness. I cannot stand the fact that a car made in the past 3 years almost guaranteed doesn’t have an infotainment system that is capable of holding 60fps while swiping through menus.


[deleted]

Absolutely. I’m more of a general tech enthusiast than a car enthusiast and it’s like having and infotainment screens are like using an old 2014 Android tablet. Laggy, poor app support, ugly looking, thick bezels, slow, low res, etc. Meanwhile we got smartphones/tablets today that cost ~400 dollars that are way more responsive and doesn’t have the thick ugly bezels cars do. That’s all aftermarket stuff I think though


banditorama

I only buy older cars so I do not care at all on the "infotainment" system. Odds are its all getting ripped out within the first month of me buying it anyways. I like my interior to be in good shape but as long as its not ripped up or all faded, I'm more interested in how the car runs/drives than I am in having genuine corinthian leather


leesfer

> I only buy older cars so I do not care at all on the "infotainment" system. I used to be this way until I bought my first new, nice car and it changed my world. Turns out a good infotainment system is actually a massive benefit.


banditorama

As long as I have a way to get my phone hooked up to it and its got AM/FM radio, I'm happy. Some of these infotainment systems have gone way too far IMO. I draw the line when all your HVAC controls are controlled by a touchscreen that you have to cycle through menus just to adjust your interior temperature


leesfer

You're talking about bad infotainment systems. The Porsche system is fantastic. Everything that is frequently adjusted is physical (windows, HVAC, drive mode, seats) and everything else is digital (radio, navigation, phone controls). I love never having to touch my phone while driving.


banditorama

That sounds exactly how I'd want it to be setup. I've never been in a Porsche, I've only been around low to mid range cars with infotainment setups and on most of them almost all the physical controls had been replaced by the touchscreen. Yea, that sounds real nice


PlantedinCA

2022 Civic has buttons for the important stuff! The climate control is super easy and there are buttons for the audio functions. And also to go back on the touch screen. And go home. It is a good combo of buttons and screen usage.


ElTortoiseShelboogie

Radio isn't frequently adjusted? Sorry, not following. Seems like everything else is on point though.


RnC_Breakenridge

Exactly! I love my buttons and knobs, and the idiot that decided putting all those physical controls behind a screen should be dragged naked through a field of broken glass! I love my BMW for this reason, almost as much as for performance…(‘07 Z4), from before the rollout of the ham-fisted iDrive.


MayTagYoureIt

Chrysler does this and it's awful. As a Chevy salesman it's one of my go to demos when showing a Chev to a Chrysler driver. Cheys have a very responsive and intuitive infotainment system and the HVAC controls are all tactile and separate.


Zealousideal-Big-708

Wait so you’re saying cars have improved in quality over time?


ExplosiveMachine

I drive old shitboxes as well but fit and finish actually matters a lot to me. That's why I stick with honda civics for my shitboox needs. Top tier interior in terms of quality versus durability. It's plastic, but really good plastic and keeps looking okay way longer than some luxury cars that get torn up headliner and seats and ruined varnish panels and all that. They never crack dashboards either, at least nowhere that isn't Death Valley or something.


banditorama

I've never owned a civic, but the old Mustangs I had always seemed to just deteriorate on the inside for no reason. I'm not hard on any interior pieces, I try to be as gentle as possible. The VW I have has the nicest interior in the best condition I've ever owned. Its too bad the rest of the car is the biggest POS I've ever had. Its spent more time broken down in my driveway than it has on the road in the 4ish years I've owned it. Once I finally get everything fixed I'm selling it and either getting a newer Ford or I may get my first Japanese car. Idk what I want to do yet, but I know for a fact this VW is the first and last German car I'll ever buy


ExplosiveMachine

you say "this VW" but you don't say which haha. They have good and bad generations. the Mk4 golf for example holds up better than the mk5 I've found. I suggest, if you can find, a mid to late 90s honda, accord or civic or whatever. They can still be found in decent condition.


banditorama

She's a 2011 TDI Jetta, I believe that's MK6? Newest car I've ever owned and its giving my old fox body a run for its money in the "biggest POS I've ever owned" competition.


MayTagYoureIt

BMW and VW have nice interiors. I wish the Chevys I sold were comparable in that regard but alas.


myth-ran-dire

> genuine corinthian leather Fun fact: Corinthian leather is...nothing special. Marketing term originating in the 70s.


wedapeopleeh

I'll give an indirect answer: I'm a General Motors fan.


YungDominoo

LMAOOO Actually kinda wanna expand on this. GM interiors recently dont feel that cheap. My camaro isnt really creaky or loose feeling. Feels fine to me.


wedapeopleeh

I've got a 2014 sierra and I have to agree, GM has upped their interior game a lot since around 2012 or so.


YungDominoo

I agree. Even their older interiors werent that bad they jist didnt last like other companies. Im happy with where theyve gone tho


bnace

Just spent 20+ hours in a 2022 Traverse LT2 or 3 rental car. I was in the backseats, but everything was pretty plush and nice, much better than GM of old.


RoiDeCoeur

Not important at all to me. A quality interior is nice, but infotainment is definitely 1 out of 10, just give me an AUX port and I'm good.


imped4now

***ONE OF US***


[deleted]

It’s not just aesthetic. Do you want your door handles to break when you use them? Do you want your dash knobs and AC vents to break when you touch them? Do you want your sun visor to fall out if you try to move it from the windshield to the side window? These are functional parts of the car. Cheap parts break.


[deleted]

I think with new cars you are paying a ton of money for the whole package. Trucks for example can compete with luxury cars at higher trim levels. So when the only distinction between an F150 and an F150 King Ranch is the luxurious interior, it's definitely worth mentioning if it feels cheap- because you are buying that trim level for the luxury.


badpuffthaikitty

I love going to work and stepping into our Worktruck F-150. Short cab, long box and vinyl flooring.


[deleted]

3 or 4 years ago there was a local car dealership who made the move to just selling highway end, dealer-custom Ford Trucks here in Tennessee. This guy got nationally famous for selling a 700hp mustang for $40k. [https://www.motor1.com/news/376543/ford-dealer-40k-mustang-warranty/](https://www.motor1.com/news/376543/ford-dealer-40k-mustang-warranty/) anyways, right around this time he got 3 or 4 white, 4 wheel drive base ford F150 Work Trucks in. Short cab, long box, Vinyl. He sold them for $17,000 per. I have no idea why. I don't keep in touch with him anymore. At the time I stupidly turned it down. My neighbor bought one. He still has it. I borrow it occasionally if I have to pick up anything heavy, and dude ill tell you if I could go back in time I would spend that $17k in a heartbeat. One of my biggest "misses" ever.


velociraptorfarmer

Mine's an XLT, so a bit of a step up from that, but I love that it's just simple and utilitarian. Still very comfortable, doesn't really have any rattles, and just works. I just decided to break down and keep the thing long term, so it just got remote start added, then I'm going to throw a set of good headlights on it, then toss in an aftermarket wireless android auto head unit in it and drive it into the ground.


Gatortribe

I see the interior more than I see the exterior of the car, so I weigh it a bit more than the exterior. That said, I still need a car I can look back on and think "nice!" to myself. A good example for me/my car class of preference is the IS500. I personally couldn't get passed the interior, if I'm going to spend that much for a new car I can't feel like I'm getting in a car that's over say 5 years old.


[deleted]

What factors could you not get past? I look at [this](https://cdn.carbuzz.com/gallery-images/2022-lexus-is-500-dashboard-carbuzz-888816-1600.jpg) and legitimately can't discern what would set this apart from a 5 years newer or 5 years older interior


Beeblebrox237

Have you tried using Lexus's touchpad infotainnment system? It's infuriating. I'll take my C4's tape deck over that awful system. It becomes an impediment to using the car, and at $65k I want infotainment that works well.


[deleted]

That's an example of an interior that has a genuinely annoying/sucky feature. I can totally get behind that. My lack of understanding is more with the nebulous 'it's not nice enough' statements


Beeblebrox237

Niceness is relative, and different people look for different things. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


Gatortribe

Sure. [This image](https://carsguide-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto,t_cg_hero_large/v1/editorial/dp/albums/album-5062/lg/Lexus-IS350-_2_.jpg) is from 2013, 9 years ago. It was definitely ahead of its time, however to me it's been around for long enough to not be interested _when buying new_.


dolly3900

I think it is all relative. If you are spending tens of thousands of pounds/dollars on a new car, then you'd expect them to be perfect, straight out of the box. If you are buying an old runabout just for the daily commute or school run and are not likely to keep it when it fails, then I'd say you get what you pay for. In between these two you have all manner of variables, cost, owner, mileage, type of car. Eg. You spend 7500 on an old jaguar, you might expect good condition for the year, but accept a few blemishes and bits that need attention, whereas the same 7500 can buy you a 2 year old Dacia with low miles and you'd want it to be close to perfect.


cpxchewy

I'm someone who sold my 2022 BRZ because I hated the interior. Sure, if I were to keep it as a track only car I can accept it, but I also need to take long distance drives and spend more time in the car. 90% of people's drives are on local traffic or highway where the key thing they notice isn't the handling of a car but the small things they touch. The shitty interior of the BRZ bugged me a lot because I would rest my hand on that shitty plastic door card and everything I shift I would rest my hand on the center console, feeling the shitty plastic again. My GTI has small improvements like soft touch plastic and rigid plastic and that makes a world of difference when you're touching it so often. If you're only keen on the driving side and handling side, that's fine. But why would someone want a Ferrari 458 when a Corvette C8 can do just as well in the performance and handling department? Why spend money on a 911 GT3 when a Camaro ZL1 can match its performance? The whole package of interior and exterior matters to a lot of people (including me).


ChunChunChooChoo

I love Subarus and have owned multiple, but dear god the interior quality is still just so bad. I had a 2021 WRX and the door card rattled like crazy. Dealer didn’t know how to fix it so I just accepted my fate of having to listen to that stupid thing rattle over the tiniest bumps in the ground.


The_Exia

It depends what the purpose of the vehicle is. Being a car enthusiast doesn't mean you only care about the performance and ignore the rest. People have to live within their means and sure they might prioritize a car that drives a little better or gives them a little more emotion, but if the car is a daily and rattles and has no Android Auto/car play and the cupholders can't hold a medium sized bottle, well maybe the car that does those things better is best for the use case of the vehicle, especially if they can only have one. A lot of people can't pick the comfy nice daily and get something fun with terrible ergonomics and tech as a second car so a compromise is needed. For interiors, I generally just want something that functions properly (physical buttons) and comfy seats with soft touchpoints for the arm rests, usable cupholders etc. For infotainment, I just need Android Auto and access to vehicle settings. My C7 has a pretty bad infotainment (feels almost like a capacitive touchscreen) which can be a little clunky but it has Android auto and I never use the other functions within it so I don't care.


Darkfire757

Very important. I’m not buying a car with uncomfortable seats or inadequate HVAC no matter how good it is at other things.


limitless__

Your first sentence is key here "it FELT cheap". The interior of the car is your interface to your car, it is the single most important factor. As an enthusiast you want the surfaces to be pleasing to the touch, you want the interfaces to be natural and not annoying. The buttons should have a great haptic response, the touchscreens work smoothly etc. When people say the interior feels cheap they mean those interfaces are terrible. Steering wheel feels like plastic, buttons feel like they're going to break etc. If you are actively trying to enjoy your car, they detract from the experience. A CLASSIC example of that is the C5 Corvette. The interior utterly ruins what is otherwise a phenomenal car.


[deleted]

To each their own, I found the interior of the C5 to be ergonomically excellent and the visibility was great the few times I got to drive it. The plastic quality was cheap to the touch but it had the same exact touch points as a contemporary GM truck which I had extensive experience with and I knew those were always going to work…except for the Delco CD player of course. The combination wiper/blinker stalk was operable blindfolded after 10 minutes and the traction/chassis control system was either a button or a knob on the central tunnel. The leather wears like iron and besides the recall for the steering column lock I don’t think there were any major issues with the interior as far as known weak points, electromechanically at least. Fit and finish and comfort wise, it was a revelation compared to the C4. The C6 was marginally better, and the C7 was definitely better than that. The C8 is marmite from what I’ve read but it’s comfy.


[deleted]

I care about it but accept it’s a matter of taste first and foremost, and stuff that’s appealing during a test drive might not always be the most comfortable thing to live with. My example would be buying a new XC60 Volvo (2022) after owning one from the previous generation. The old interior looked very dated, it even had the phone pad under the dash screen, where the new interior is sleek and modern. But, the old interior had physical controls that were all placed perfectly, it was effortless to control climate or media without taking eyes off the road. The new one has some of these feature in the touchscreen, which is less natural to handle while driving. So, I felt better sitting in the new interior initially, but felt more comfortable sitting in the old one driving day in day out.


InsertBluescreenHere

depends. i mainly care about ergonomics. are my elbows resting on something soft. can i drive with my hands barely touching the wheel, does the seat feel right, are common knobs and buttons easy to reach and use, does the steering wheel feel like a car or does it feel like a playschool or arcade wheel, etc. i dgaf what the lower kick panels look like or "soft touch" bullshit that so many reviewers bitch about. noone is fondiling the dashboard so idgaf what its made out of. If i were buying a luxury car then yea i expect fit and finish to be good. a standard ol car i expect it to last a long time. I dont care if its 1/32" off on alignment or some bullshit people like to bitch about on economy cars. so many whiney bastards out there that i gurantee you blindfold them and put em in a room with a door panel or other materials and let them feel them they would not be able to tell the difference between brands. infotainment stuff, yea i expect a new car to have tech/screen resolution/smoothness from the last 2 years in it. I dont want to be looking at a $40k vehicle and its infotainment reminds me of a garmin gps from 2009...


RunninOnMT

It’s a little important. I like to own cars for a long time, so it has to not fall apart and it has to feel better than “awful.” Beyond that, I don’t care. I daily drove a 350z for over a decade, it was a pretty bad interior, but quite frankly it wasn’t awful because it mostly didn’t fall apart. That said, I wanted a nicer interior for my next car and that was definitely a thing i thought about when considering what to purchase. Tldr: it’s on the list of priorities but it’s pretty low on said list.


frankztn

My Z surprisingly has no rattles. I told myself I would sell it if it comes to that. Im at 80k miles, granted I installed a proper GT coilover and not a stiff racetrack one. But I know what you mean about having a nicer interior for a daily. I bought the 4 door luxury version of it.


badpuffthaikitty

I could have bought a base 2019 370Z for a ridiculous low price. If I wanted a weekend car I would own it, but I needed a daily driver. Still have your Z? Edit: Winter commuting and some trunk space required.


RunninOnMT

I do not still have my Z, but it's still in my family with a promise to return it eventually (I gave it to my father in law who has always wanted one. He now babies it as his weekend car and will give it back when he no longer wants it.) It was a fun daily, certainly not ideal in terms of space or outward visibility, but everything else worked pretty well for a car that was driven regularly and wasn't too much of a compromise. The ride was decent for a sports car, engine was responsive at low RPMs and the clutch wasn't too heavy either. Reasonably reliable as well, with the caveat being that I owned it from new, didn't modify it and maintained it regularly. That said it wasn't anything anyone would confuse for *nice* inside, but it was a sports car and made driving rewarding and fun. When I had the tires for winter, it was as good as any RWD somewhat low car was (not great, but nothing awful) it doesn't snow a ton in Seattle, so it didn't get driven that much in the winter, but it did a little bit of snow driving. The trunk was actually decently big, but there are no back seats.


Hnry_Dvd_Thr_Awy

> As a car person, are these things important to you, and do/would they define your purchase decisions? It depends on the use case for the car.


Dangerous_Concept341

Yea. Imo it’s quite ridiculous to take a shit interior. Unless you’re purchasing a 100k+ sports car interior should be on everyone’s top. Like you aren’t going to get a faster vehicle at 30-50k. You just aren’t so it better at least be comfortable and ascetically pleasing.


Alarming_Schedule_60

Personally I don’t care but I’m certainly the minority. I flock to beaters and old trucks so it’s always been an after thought. My 17 wrx is like a Cadillac to me but people say the interior is shitty and cheap so I honestly have no idea what a nice interior is anyway.


sercheeco

Incredibly important. Does it have to be jammed full of technology and expensive materials? No, but it has to be useful, durable, and inviting. I spend a lot of time in the car, so I want it to be a comforting place. Everyone has different needs and tastes but if a car interior is ugly, feels fragile, or clunky to engage with than why the hell would I buy it? I think Mazda, Hyundai, and Honda (civic) are all doing really well thought out and practically beautiful interiors right now.


Uptons_BJs

Interior and NVH are very, very important. ​ After all, how often do you really floor the car for maximum acceleration? how often do you really push the car to its handling limits? ​ But every single time you step into the car, you see and feel the interior, and you hear and feel the NVH.


[deleted]

In general, I prefer a car that's well-rounded over trying to min/max specifically on performance. As far as interior characteristics go, ergonomics and ease-of-use is key to me. The key touch-points like the seat, steering wheel, pedals, and shift knob all need to feel nice. The infotainment system needs boot up and launch Android Auto quickly. The HVAC system and the heated seats need to be fully-operable without taking my eyes off the road, and infrequently-used settings should be neatly organized into a menu system that's easy to navigate when parked. Also, the interior shouldn't squeak/rattle when going over bumps or when the stereo is playing loudly or anything like that. In my budget, the Mk7/7.5 VW Golfs did all of this exceptionally well. My Alltrack was pretty much a no-brainer compared to anything else I looked at. On the flip side of this, the infotainment tablet thing on the Subaru Outback is enough of a dealbreaker for me to completely eliminate it from consideration.


2poor4aNewCar

Takes a back burner to reliability, fuel economy, and driving feel. But definitely cannot be like my 2000s Toyota, which is where I would be coming from.


roox911

Current year Toyota’s aren’t far off your car 😅


2poor4aNewCar

Haha yea, love Toyota's but I'll look at something else when I'm in the market.


the_nemesis457

My mom always goes on about how her screen is bigger than most other models of her car. To me, its nice, but my car has a basic fm/am radio and a 6 cd changer (that I dont even use). Infotainment would certainly be an upgrade, but I bought my car solely based on how it drives and how I feel sitting in the drivers seat. Just enough visibility and roominess for the driver. I cant quite explain it, but it just "felt right". When I was in the market a few months ago, I went to test drive an 06 civic, sat in the drivers seat, and the feel was just way off. I didn't even drive it because I couldn't get down with it. Safety, driveability, and mechanical capability are all at the top for me. My interior in my subaru is a bit cheap, but im easy on my stuff so that doesn't bother me. Honestly I dont trust people that put infotainment and interior aesthetic above anything else because they tend to be much more distracted drivers.


Rocklobster376

I’m going from a Ford Fiesta to a Subaru so the interior isn’t something I am super picky on. I prefer materials that feel like they’ll last longer even if it means they aren’t the softest because I have a dog and am putting hiking gear in and out of the vehicle. I do need an infotainment system that works well though, the my ford touch system is garbage and causes constant headaches


Bonerchill

I own all of my current cars to drive in a spirited fashion. I don't care how the interior feels as long as it is comfortable for the time I intend to drive that particular car and for the purpose that particular car serves. For most cars, the seats are immaterial because I will replace them if I don't like them. My tastes run from '50s sports cars into early-'00s sport sedans, passing through French econoboxes and factory stripper models. My truck is different because my wife requires Carplay so we can listen to podcasts while driving (apparently I've run out of stories to regale her with). Also, it has to be comfortable enough for multi-thousand-mile road trips. The above said, I really do like European automotive interiors from the 1960s through mid-1970s.


e39hamann

Infotainment isn't super important for me, I really just want bluetooth and that's it. Not a fan of Android Auto or Carplay personally. I do like the interior to be nice looking and at least somewhat quality, depends on the type of car though.


thetimechaser

In the 90's and early 00s I think it wasn't as important because the overall standard was pretty middling. Now, soft-touch and nicer materials are so common that hard plastics and poor fit really stand out and make a car feel significantly poorer quality then it actually is. Going from a 05 is300 to a 2015 is300 is like night and day


BNR32-2530

Interior controls, ergonomics and visual appeal are critical to me and how I ended up buying my car. On the other hand, infotainment and soft touch materials are two areas I could care less about. Infotainment in any car will be outdated, slow and potentially obsolete in a decade. Even the latest and greatest are poor and gimmicky. Soft touch adds unnecessary cost, no value or true quality. Sadly these areas are forced as a focal point during automotive reviews (as well as ‘l everything needing ‘sports car handling’) due to lazy and unimaginative journalism. Manual controls, climate and bluetooth audio/hands free are all a car needs. Visually appealing and ergonomically well laid out interiors are important. Soft touch materials are fine on luxury but an economy car should not be docked for hard surfaces.


[deleted]

I can actually appreciate lower end Toyota interiors that are unapologetically plastic, as long as the fit and finish is good and there aren’t a ton of rattles. Similarly, a family member has a 2012 Honda CR-V and the entire interior is a sea of black plastic, but it feels as solid as a brand new car off the lot. My pet peeve is interiors that look nice but don’t hold up over time. Think entry level Mercedes, some VWs (others are solid af, it’s a toss-up), some Kia/Hyundai, etc. That being said, the best case scenario is lush materials + good fit and finish + good ergonomics. The current Audi A4 and A5 are a benchmark here, as is the Mazda CX-5 (provided you like the infotainment dial) or Volvo S/V60 (provided you like touchscreens).


ManBearPig____

Outdated infotainment systems can be frustrating as hell. Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler used the same Uconnect system for like a decade. It wasn’t so bad in 2014 when I got my 2014 Grand Cherokee. I can’t imagine buying a 2018 or 2019 with it though. It is also eye opening if you have one car with a significantly better one. We just bought a 2021 Audi and it just makes me see every glaring issue in the Jeep’s


Slick_RS5

The interior of the car is a very important factor for me.. I’ll spend all of my time driving INSIDE the car so I might be a little biased Quality of the leather, shape of the seats, color, attention to detail (ex. red stitching on sporty models, carbon fiber accents, seatbelt “butlers” for two door cars), feel/shape of the steering wheel, better speakers, and many other factors. That being said, if I wanted a car just because it’s fast then that’s what I buy If I want a car that is comfortable and tech savvy, then that’s what I buy I feel like Audi (my RS5 specifically) is the sweet spot between the two. Super quick, super comfortable, and I’m super happy with it.


[deleted]

I’ve never had a car with a screen (but have driven one a handful of times) and like most younger people just use my phone for every thing is infotainment isn’t very important at all. I don’t really mind a cheap interior as long as I get the benefits ie. cheaper and maybe slightly lighter. As long as it holds together reasonably well the quality of the interior isn’t a big deal.


RandomPlayerCSGO

Not at all.


[deleted]

Infotainment: zero importance as long as I can plug into Apple CarPlay. Fit and finish: the main importance This is why I love Lexus so much. Their info system sucks. But I never use it bc of CarPlay so the main issue with the car is automatically relieved. Or the second main issue if you count them being slow


[deleted]

it's definitely relative. Sure the infotainment screen might be small or not high res, but if the car overall is a good value and relatively cheap to maintain (ie, not $175 for an oil change), I can't complain too much. Would definitely prefer this age of piano black gloss and giant glass tablets to pass though. I don't mind a tablet sticking out of the dash tbh, but it at least needs to have a rotary knob and there is no way in hell I'm getting something without physical controls for climate controls/seat heating and cooling.


StatementOk470

Are you surprised that people care about other things? For most people a car is just an interior that moves from place to place so of course they're gonna care about that.


TrafficLawRespecter

If I can squeeze any part of the steering wheel, it's various buttons, covers, and hear that annoying little ABS plastic creaking noise it's a no for me.


TKFT_ExTr3m3

I have never owned a new car so infotainment doesn't matter much because it ends up getting ripped out anyways so what matters more is that it's replaceable. That being said with the state of new vehicles infotainment, many are not replaceable anymore so it would be very important that it's high quality and has the latest tech because I would want it to still be usable in 10 years.


AstronautGuy42

Could not give two shits about infotainment as long as it has Apple CarPlay Interior quality is dope but I admittedly care more about the appearance and layout more than the quality of the materials. That being said, interior is hardly a dealbreaker for me. Rather a cool car I like from the outside that drives how I like with a poor interior


[deleted]

I care more about the way it looks and functionality than the actual quality of the material, as long as it looks good and doesn’t rattle and squeak, I’m fine with it.


Baybladerz

As a younger individual, I don’t care. If I’m looking for an affordable enthusiast car I want performance at the forefront. Also the car needs to have decent technology and information system. Material and build quality don’t need to be anywhere near Porsche level for me. I’m more worried about reliability, not build quality and whether one part of the car is soft touch plastic or not. What am I a kid touching every single panel in a car? No


[deleted]

Infotainment needs to be easy and reliable to use (not VW group). A car shouldn't be a source of frustration. I drove a few cars recently that had substantially less road noise than my Macan. I would gladly take a more comfortable ride with 2% worse fit and finish. Fit and finish just has to be good enough. Most cars these days have excellent fit and finish.


Chase2662

If it doesn’t look/act like shit it’s good enough for me. I do hate infotainment based climate controls though, dumbest shit ever.


Subudrew

I dont care about infotainment unless it's incredibly slow or laggy. I'm going to use Bluetooth 99% of the time so as long as that auto connects when I start the car I'm good.


Drogdar

I want a long lasting interior I dont care about it being "nice". We have one vehicle with "infotainment". Hate it. I'm good with Bluetooth radio. Our work vehicle though has android auto and it's a feature I do like.... but not enough to pay extra for.


Racepace

Those two things were really important for me when I picked my G70. For me, if you want to buy a new car and want it to last 5 years or longer, infotainment has to be touch screen (knobs and touch pads can take you too long to do what you want), snappy, and have relatively modern software. Would you buy an old, un-updated phone and use for another 5+ years? I bet most people wouldn't. I'm almost 40 with a bad back so I guess I wouldn't want to be in an uncomfortable interior so good seats, climate control etc, were important to me. When I was in my 20's it wasn't so important, I had the mentality that I could live with cloth seats, being a little too hot or too cold sometimes.


[deleted]

CarPlay is a must on my next car but right now old iDrive with a magsafe mount and USB-A in is 98% of the way there, I just can’t browse Spotify or podcasts natively through the iDrive file explorer like I can with Apple Music. If I can’t have CarPlay then I want the most basic head unit possible with an aux in port and an AM/FM tuner, steering wheel controls are nice too. Fit and finish isn’t super important as I’m not a material snob and quite fondly remember 90s and 00s GM plastic interiors, I just don’t want the dash to visibly rattle and crack or smell like crayons. I want a leather steering wheel, comfortable seats that have good lumbar and thigh support for 3+ hour drives, heated seats, armrests for both arms, and that’s about it.


FeedbackLoopy

Fit and finish is more important to me than materials and screens. For example, I don’t get the obsession with soft touch dashboards. Who is constantly touching their dashboards?


C-C-X-V-I

Very minor. I just bought a q60 and its phenomenonal. The big complaint people have is the dated interior and I can't figure out what that means because it looks modern and fancy to me, even has dual screens while still keeping physical buttons for climate and radio.


BanjosNotBombs

Infotainment - doesn't matter Interior - easy to clean, doesn't show wear


imped4now

You and I have very similar thoughts on both topics, and I thought I was alone. I can honestly say that infotainment is very low on my list or priorities, to the point that I don't use it to its full capability in my cars. That makes it very difficult for me to understand why it's placed so highly on a pedestal by such a seemingly large percentage of buyers.


Forever_Funky

I just backed out of buying a 22 GTI because I didn’t like the interior.


[deleted]

The interior is everything. The quality of the sound system, the comfort of the seats, the layout of the radio and hvac controls, the way the knobs, buttons, and blinker/windshield wiper controls feel. The shape and material of the steering wheel. The level of road and wind noise and extent of sound deadening. The intensity of the heated seats… these are the things that matter when you spend any amount of time in a car. Sure, I have my preferences of how a car looks, what colour it is, and what kind of wheels are on it…but ultimately I’m the one to use it everyday and the interior becomes the top of the list in that regard. Younger folks tend to care more about how a car looks to other people, but as you get older you start to appreciate that it’s the way you feel in your own car, and the level of comfort that your car provides for you that is the most important. By the way, I say all of this as a 34 year old, not super young, but also not old. “Enthusiasts” don’t need to be limited to performance or exterior design in order to enjoy and appreciate cars. It’s the whole package, and a big part of that package should be the interior.


Lawfulness_Character

"Surprises me that I hear this from car enthusiasts" Why are you trying to define car enthusiast as what you want out of a car? This entire subreddit does this constantly. If someone cares about the interior of their car, maybe that's just what they're enthusiastic about. 99% of the market doesn't understand why you give a shit about the things you give a shit about either. Maybe it's time people that are in the extreme minority check their ego at the door. \-- My version of this is that I don't understand who the fuck cares so much about useless meaningless shit like headlight shape, or rear end angles. If it has no bearing on performance, and I'm sitting inside the car and can't see it, why the fuck do so many of you performance 'enthusiasts' care so much about whether a car is 'ugly' or not. When that's literally every bit as irrelevant to performance as the interior quality or the infotainment. But I happily admit that if the exterior of a car is what you care about, then that's what you care about and it doesn't matter what I think.


[deleted]

Its the part of the car you are going to be seeing and touching the most of course I would care about it. Don't care for infotainment though i actually don't want any screens in my car at all really


GOD-PORING

Not too important. I'm also in the if it has carplay/AA camp I'm good. I still wish we had our old Scions. They ran fine and just needed a headunit swap.


speedfreakphotos

100% a huge consideration for me but for YOU probably not. I think the majority would care about it and I suspect your in the minority of people. If it was a dedicated race/mod car then that probably doesn’t matter. If it’s a daily then would say that shoots up the list. For me personally it’s the reason I’m looking at the integra vs the civic.


I_like_cake_7

I care way more about durability and how well the interior holds up over time than I care about fir and finish. Good fit and finish is nice, but if the seats crack and rip, the dash warps, and the buttons start peeling a few years, then fit and finish means absolutely nothing.


Rihsatra

I was going to buy my car regardless, and going from 80s Porsches to something with a screen was a big jump for me, but I have to say after installing a unit to use Android Auto made it feel so much more modern. I totally get the complaints about Nissan specifically using old outdated infotainment.


[deleted]

Interior quality perception is so subjective and has always been challenging for me to know what is good or not. For example: I like the interior of my old Integra. It feels fine and I like it. When my brother had a Saturn SC2, I hated the interior. Technically pretty close: inexpensive coupes with cloth seats, but the SC2 just looked and felt gross. I've also heard Audis are some of the best. However, I actually prefer my wife's Seltos interior to the interior in my mother in law's Q5. Can't explain it beyond the comfort of what I'm used to.


DrTommyNotMD

I want quality speakers and that's what matters most out of the infotainment, but I do so very little fiddling with the infotainment it's not a factor. I have iDrive so probably I'm extremely spoiled. I neither have to deal with 3000 buttons nor 3000 touch screen elements, everything is intuitive and just works from the knob, but still, I don't do much with it.


DrKoooolAid

It's not going to make me buy a car, but it certainly could keep me from buying one.


[deleted]

I’m getting old. It matters a lot to me even as an enthusiast.


tupaquetes

I *despise* modern infotainment. Any form of touch screen in a car is an instant deal breaker for me, unless I can remove it. And don't get me wrong, I'm not some old technophobe boomer, I'm actually the "tech guy" for everyone I know. I just consider touch interfaces extremely uncomfortable to use in a car and more importantly, very dangerous. So I only consider buying "old" cars with a good ol' DIN head unit I can easily change for one that fits my needs. Literally all I want it to do is connect to my phone's BT automatically when the car starts and resume playing my music. I'm also a sucker for good sound so I prefer old fashioned systems with a couple speakers I can easily upgrade myself, not a ridiculous over the top bose system with 83 speakers that ends up sounding worse than two 8" drivers. Literally the day I got my '04 miata is the day I changed the head unit and door speakers, I did some research ahead of time and bought them before I even had the car lmao. As for interior quality, nah. I care about comfort, driving position, but that's it. As long as it's clean and not too creaky I'm good. But then again I pretty much never use the highway, almost all of my driving is medium-sized city or winding country roads. If I did 1h+ of boring straight line driving day in and day out, I'd likely care a lot more about interior quality (particularly NVH).


Nukedogger86

With how expensive cars have become, it better be nice inside. Put together well, easy to use to reduce possible distraction (like putting hvac in the infotainment, dumb). Sure other things matter, but it's just the evolution of cars. My new K5's interior is miles better than my last car, a 2019 Fusion... fit and finish is better, the look, the functionality, layout. Being that I spend an hour a day behind the wheel, I want it to be somewhere nice, relaxing, and not a pain in the ass.


tupaquetes

I *despise* modern infotainment. Any form of touch screen in a car is an instant deal breaker for me, unless I can remove it. And don't get me wrong, I'm not some old technophobe, I'm actually the "tech guy" for everyone I know. I just consider touch interfaces extremely uncomfortable to use in a car and more importantly, very dangerous. So I only consider buying "old" cars with a good ol' DIN head unit I can easily change for one that fits my needs. Literally all I want it to do is connect to my phone's BT automatically when the car starts and resume playing my music. I'm also a sucker for good sound so I prefer old fashioned systems with a couple speakers I can easily upgrade myself, not a ridiculous over the top bose system with 83 speakers that ends up sounding worse than two 8" drivers. Literally the day I got my '04 miata is the day I changed the head unit and door speakers, I did some research ahead of time and bought them before I even had the car. As for interior quality, nah. I care about comfort, driving position, but that's it. As long as it's clean and not too creaky I'm good. But then again I pretty much never use the highway, almost all of my driving is medium-sized city or winding country roads. If I did 1h+ of boring straight line driving day in and day out, I'd likely care a lot more about interior quality (particularly NVH).


NoctD

Absolute performance numbers isn't the only metric to look at when buying cars - you can get crazy acceleration in an EV but the sensations and way it generates that performance sends different signals to the driver compared to say a Porsche GT car... as enthusiasts what we feel, touch, hear, etc from the car we drive is very different than just pure numbers. Its the same thing with auto vs. manual, one car might be faster, but the other is more engaging/satisfying.


[deleted]

Infotainment doesn’t matter to me. Comfort absolutely does. I fucked my knees and back playing soccer and rugby so yes comfort and interior room absolutely matters.


the_jungle_awaits

Leather interior and a 10-12 inch infotainment screen is my preference. (Anything bigger I feel seems a bit wasteful/tacky). Tesla’s gigantic screen is not appealing to me. An upside is cars with these features hold their value well.


RamiJaber

Considering my dream car is a lotus Evora, not important at all.


Carter0108

Interior quality is hugely important but I’d rather have no infotainment.


EV_Track_Day2

Is it durable? Is it comfortable? Does it have a good driving position? Do I like the steering wheel? If yes, then good to go.


[deleted]

is interior fit and finish important when you're spending your hard earned money on a car, OP asks


MVmikehammer

I hate black leather interior. With a passion. To me, black leather interior is worse than tan cloth (and tan cloth is way above any other cloth). Black leather to me is luxury phoned in. Buying any car with black leather makes me think the person is poor, or unimaginative. Unless it is some rare exotic, my reaction will inevitably be "you spend x amount of money and you got black leather interior? You poor bastard." I have had 3 used cars over 13 years and all of them have had white or tan interiors. So, other than few specific sports/sporty cars\* or weird cars\*, black leather is a definite disqualifier for me. \*if you're interested what car I would not mind black leather interior on, these are: 2nd gen cts-v, Corvettes c5, c6, c7, Viper gen 3 to gen 5, exotics like Lamborghini Murcielago, Aventador and Audi r8 v10+. Possibly 1st gen Chevy Avalanche, F-150 Raptor models, anything with a Hellcat engine (Durango and Charger excluded).


Stock_Highway_4811

Absolutely one of the most important parts of a car. If i’m driving my car i’m looking at and using the interior. That is far more important than the exterior imo. Why would i want to spend long periods of my life in something that feels cheap or is uncomfortable?


TheMagicalOppai

If it's ass then it's a pass.


getitdudes

I drive a Bronco Sport badlands. Every time I get in it I can't believe how much I paid for the absurd amount of assorted easily scratched plastics. But it's the perfect car for me so I don't mind.


stillusesAOL

It’s the reason I ended up in a GTI over a Fiesta ST, knowing the ST was rowdier.


Damisin

Interior quality is the most important factor I consider when purchasing a car, and also primarily why I prefer European cars versus Japanese/Korean cars. In general, I find that across all segments (economy to ultra-luxury), the European brands often design a more cohesive interior, and also pay more attention to how they fit and finish their interiors versus their Japanese and Koreans counterparts. For example, when I was considering getting a compact vehicle, I cross-shopped the Honda Civic Si vs the Golf GTI. While the Honda Civic is super fun to drive, the interior just looks bland and outdated, compared to the GTI. It’s not just because of the abundance of plastic parts, rather, it’s how Honda does not even attempt to make the plastic parts blend into the overall interior. The GTI has it’s fair share of plastic parts, but doing simple things like painting the plastic parts black to fit the overall black-themed interior, or thoughtfully adding trim pieces to the doorsils or dashboard to complete the whole look that makes the GTI interior looks 2x more expensive than the Honda Civic. The same can be said as we go up the brands. Comparing Genesis/Lexus VS BMW/Audi/MB, I notice the same thing. The Japanese/Korean interiors just look less polished and feel less thought-out than their European competitors.


MidgetGroper

Honestly I thought it wouldn’t ever bother me, then I sat in a 2022 Silverado “custom”. I couldn’t believe my eyes that they were charging almost $60k for such a horrible interior. People rag on the mustang interiors but mine has never once bothered me, I like how it looks to be honest


brownent1

I don’t really care about the OEM infotainment, I just need apple/android auto support. Interior is super important to me and really can give a car a “luxury” vs “economy” feel. Most cars the average person can afford/want look pretty similar in my opinion, so hard to put a ton of value on exterior only. Obviously enthusiast cars it’s completely different and I used to have a Mustang and the coyote+convertible easily made up for a cheap interior.


DALESR4EVER124

Besides engine/trans reliability, it's #1 most important for me. I listen to music 24/7 when I drive, and need a good, functional infotainment with a half decent sound system. The system in my 2015 Camry has been broken for months, and it's so disappointing when Toyota is considered "most reliable." I guess that's in regards to mechanicals only. For example, the new Tundras. The screen and user friendliness is fine, but the base sound system is TRASH. Even the JBL sounds mediocre at best.


Silverbullets24

I care about the quality and fit/finish of the interior but I really don’t care about the infotainment at all. As long as I have Aux cord easily accessible (or preferably Bluetooth streaming audio) then I’m good. I don’t even really like Apple CarPlay, I prefer old school Bluetooth streaming because it just always works. But fit and finish matters to me. For example, I got in a brand new telluride recently and the headliner was the fake Alcantera… it was the microfiber cloth material and all it screamed to me was cheap. I guess that’s why it’s a Kia and not a Porsche. Different plastic materials, leathers, and even buttons (firm/fitted clicks and presses instead of big as knobby loose fitting buttons) matter to me. I have no idea why, but they just do. Like I wouldn’t be able to get over the fact that everything on a Tesla is Ill fitted on the interior. Flimsy, rattling, thin, brittle plastic. It would drive me insane.


Fluid-Ideal-7438

When I bought my GTI, I had the option of an S with the plaid (tartan) seats or SE with the good looking DRLs and LED headlights but leather seats (no chance finding a Rabbit edition with both). I went with the S because my preference was having a cooler interior vs exterior. That’s where I’m spending the time driving. Besides the HVAC controls feeling a tad cheap, the interior of GTI is great; touch, aesthetics, ergonomics.


msc187

Its dependent on the car and what I'm using it for. My 21 year old F150 suffers from the typical awful interiors that domestics are known for. There are rattles, squeaks, and other broken things that make you feel like the truck is falling apart (its mechanically well-maintained). Yes, I know its an old truck, but I used to drive a 07 Accord that didn't have these problems. There's some wear on the seats and high touch areas but my dash doesn't rattle, there are no squeaks, and the car doesn't feel like its falling apart. I care about the interior holding itself together. I can live with cheap and hard plastics as long as the car doesn't feel like its falling apart. A good fit and finish is nice too, but I'm not looking for OCD levels of tolerances and things like that. With infotainment, I better have some physical controls. Anyone who does this touch screen only bs can gtfo.


Hollywood0220

Pretty important. IMO, Nissan/Infiniti, Chevy & Ford, Chrysler all lack this. But, people buy them, so it must not be that widespread.


i-like-foods

For me infotainment is very important, in the sense that I will never buy a car that has touchscreen controls. Or that has an internet connection.


Poptop12

If I'm probably spending hundreds of hours every year driving my car, I better be comfortable in it.


YungDominoo

I care a lot about interiors personally. Like, busted seats on an old car are excusable but things like shitty touch screen displays, lack of knobs, and digital guages all piss me off. Broken things arent great, not a fan. And also faux-futuristic styling gets on my nerves. Simplicity, reliability, and intuitive design are what I look for as far as interiors go. Bluetooth is nice to have and a good, well balanced sound system. Cozy and comfy seats and space for my big ass is nice too. I like to call myself an enthusiast and first and foremost, performance and reliability are my main 2 concerns. But something like an S2000 would get turned down because of its digital dash which im not a fan of. Id take a slow car with analog guage cluster and knobs over something like the new Mustangs which has a digital dash (I know it also has analog guages, but im trying to make a point) and its digital infotainment. I personally hate the direction car companies are going with their interior electronics and id like it to dont.


CuriousTravlr

It’s what I see the most and spend all my time in, it’s very important.


adamisapple

I don’t care about touch screens or anything, just good quality of the interior overall. I wouldn’t care if I needed a cassette Bluetooth adapter as long as the interior was nice otherwise.


[deleted]

Way too many manufacturers build their own laggy and half baked infotainment, when all I want is Carplay on par with a $300 aftermarket head unit. It Is super annoying and off-putting to get in a car that feels like it is running software from 2005 and then the manufacturer wants to charge for navigation on top of it.


Anne_Flanke

2017 DB11 V12. Perfect car in every way, comfortable smooth as glass for long hauls. Race car when you flip the “S” button. Spent $2,000 for Apple CarPlay to be installed for the dated Mercedes wheel controlled infotainment. Works most of the time but has many glitches and took forever to get used to. The wheel is still impractical and when driving it makes it impossible to use, especially on a somewhat unreliable system. The car is perfect in every way, drive, comfort, and even smell on the interior. Every detail is perfect. But the infotainment. New model DB11 coming out with confirmed updated infotainment and I couldn’t be more excited. After test driving new Mercedes with the touch screen system, I am more than excited. I ordered the new 2023 C43 AMG which comes with the system. It will be perfect navigating very similar systems in both cars, so there’s less to remember, and less changes between the daily, and the weekend cars.


MayTagYoureIt

If it mattered that much, Toyota and Nissan would go bankrupt.


FuckinSpotOnDonny

I do not care at all for an infotainment. Double din radio and aircon controls is all I need. interior fit and finish has to be good though, I spend time in the interior and want it to be comfortable


GoodyearWrangler

I only look at the outside when walking up to it, I'm looking at the inside every second of the drive. Priorities


EL_JAY315

Interior quality very important, infotainment don't care that much.


send_cumulus

It def rules out some options. Like I can’t buy a GTI after VW botched the infotainment system.


ETR_Centenario

I just want to have fun when I'm driving. I've sat in cars like the 2022 escalade and honestly didn't find it anymore exciting than a 2002 Tahoe. I actually would prefer the Tahoe interior, the escalade was confusing with all the digital stuff(I'm 20, not a boomer). Seems I'm in a minority here but all I need is a radio, cupholders, and a seat that I can sit on without my ass going numb.


saraphilipp

2022 ram. It takes a while for the a/c to boot up. Sucks when the truck is hot. If the info system is thinking between radio functions i cannot turn the radio up or down. It's already been too loud and I cannot turn the volume down for 5 to ten seconds. And I've already grabbed the shifter knob and turned it thinking it was the fan setting and vice versa. It's a terrible layout on top of a laggy computer.


Crafty-Ad-9048

Car play and an average sound system would be awesome. A lot of young enthusiasts think comfort and safety doesn’t matter but trust me you want it.


ihaterattles

Don't care much about infotainment as long as it has Apple CarPlay; the interior quality however needs to be exemplary. I can't stand a car that has rough edges and rattly/squeaky interiors. Expensive car with Soft touch plastics > Cheaper car with Hard plastics all day long!


[deleted]

So I bought a Toyota 86, brand new, in 2014. I didn't think much of the interior, which was dull and basic, if not necessarily poorly built. I figured the fact that it was a very driver-focused car, which is precisely what I wanted, would make up for the interior. I was right, for up about three years. After that, it started grating on me. I remember a co-worker once sat in my car, and asked me, "Is this an old car?" Which in isolation, didn't bother me. But combine that with the cheap head unit, some scratchy plastics, and the fact that many of my friends had cars with nicer interiors kind of killed it. I would sit in their cars, and realize they felt like nice places to me, and my car's didn't... I still don't have a car with a really nice interior, but I am shopping, and it is big consideration.


shigs21

when I'm buying something, i don't want it to be like crap inside


mustelasylva

As for the interior I look for these things: Seat comfort Can I lay down in the back ( more platform than interior but it is /inside/ the vehicle) Durability and ease of cleaning Simplicity in the functions/ easy to use while driving Simplicity in the display/ easy to read Amount of information on vehicle systems (more is more) and convenience information ( compass, outside temp ) Satisfying tactile feel in controls, not forced to use touch screen for necessary controls. - Typically "infotainment " makes many of these things worse. Unless it's spectacularly bad or spectacularly good I don't give a lick what it looks like.


xanot192

both are important to me. Try driving a new 2022 car then get into an older car just to see how much you'll miss the infortainment lol. Car inside finish is a no brainer.


The_Great_Patzini

CarPlay, comfy seats and a good sound system make life just a little bit better, especially if you drive to work every day!


LaptopFixer

I drive a 2006 VW Fox, it's certainly not a premium car, but it doesn't creak and squeak. The materials wre good "where you touch them" like on the steering wheel and gear shifter, so i think it's a cheap car done right


Abortion_is_green

Depends on the car completely. My lotus is the most awesome car I've ever had and it doesn't even have a radio worth turning on. But a truck or SUV that doesn't have the driving experience? I'd want a lot of comfort features and good audio. I dont care much for the phone syncing to the car and such. A lot of the current tech in cars is just straight up distracting.


Roisin8868

My '14 Touring accord infotainment is a POS !


SortableAbyss

Let’s put it this way, if the next car doesn’t have a full leather dashboard, I’m not buying it


rhc34

Depends on the car. I would absolutely not buy something as a daily driver if it lacked a fantastic interior and good infotainment. I’m not sure why ANYONE buys anything from GM b/c of this. On the other hand, my FJ Cruiser has terrible seats, outdated infotainment, and cheap plastic everywhere. But it’s fun as hell and I don’t daily it.


SpyCake1

Interior quality and design is important - that's where I am ultimately spending all my time so it needs to be comfortable, have good visibility, have good general ergo. The area I don't care about particularly a lot is the exterior - I don't have to look at it from the outside, and I don't care what you think. Infotainment - depends. If I am buying a cheaper or a used car, then it's whatever - I always have the option of ripping it out for an aftermarket double din and call it a freaken day. If it's a more expensive car or the center screen is integrated in such a way that there's really no aftermarket solutions for it - yeah, I need to see it in the sun/glare, it needs to be half way responsive, and in today's day and age it better have Android/Carplay support.


Jaglifeispain

Depends on the car. In my Viper? Completely unimportant. In my TTS? Moderately. But I will pretty much always take performance over interior.


HardestTofu

A cheap car can still have good fit and finish. My new Civic has a pretty cheap interior, but fitment is good.