Ward’s Auto announces 2009 Interior of the Year winners
04-09-09, 07:12 AM
#1
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
Ward’s Auto announces 2009 Interior of the Year winners
Ward’s Auto announces 2009 Interior of the Year winners
SOURCE
The award for the best interior in a premium priced car was given to the Acura TL
While we all like to go on about horsepower or differentials or suspension arms when discussing new cars, we often overlook the place where you and your car will spend the most time together - inside the cabin. In order to recognize this aspect of vehicle development, Ward’s Auto releases a list every year for the best car interiors in a number of different vehicle segments.
After driving the vehicles over a two month period, judges evaluated the them during their daily driving cycles and awarded points for design, material selection, fit-and-finish, ergonomics, driver information, safety, value and comfort.
For 2009, the awards were not dominated by luxury car brands that like to swathe their interiors in leather and wood as you might think - rather than that it was the cheaper end of the spectrum that impressed the judges most. For example, taking out the top prize for an economy-priced car was the Honda Fit Sport, which managed to capture the judges' attention thanks to its high-quality feel and clever design.
Kia's new Soul was given the award for the “grooviest interior”, and with its red dashboard and lights that flash to the beat of music we would probably have to agree with that one. Interestingly, the award for the best interior in a premium priced car was given to the Acura TL, while the award for the best interior in a popularly-priced car went to the Volkswagen CC.
For sports cars, the new Nissan 370Z in Touring trim managed to claim the best interior award, while the Dodge Ram won in the popularly-priced truck category. The Ford Flex took out the award for premium-priced trucks, while the Ford Fusion hybrid won for best graphic display - giving Ford two winners in the competition, more than any other manufacturer.
Meanwhile, the new Audi A4 won the award for the best interior redesign, and the premium Lexus RX 450h won an award for having “design harmony”. Finally, the award for best brand expression went to the Cadillac CTS-V, with the judges noting the car's handsome instrument stack and long list of electronic gadgets as some of the highlights.
This year’s winners are as follows:
- Honda Fit Sport (Economy-priced car)
- Volkswagen CC (Popular-priced car)
- Kia Soul (Grooviest Interior)
- Acura TL (Premium-priced car)
- Nissan 370Z Touring (Sports car)
- Dodge Ram (Popular-priced truck)
- Ford Flex (Premium-priced truck)
- Audi A4 (Best Redesign)
- Ford Fusion Hybrid (Best Graphic Display)
- Lexus RX 450h (Design Harmony)
- Cadillac CTS-V (Best Brand Expression)
While we all like to go on about horsepower or differentials or suspension arms when discussing new cars, we often overlook the place where you and your car will spend the most time together - inside the cabin. In order to recognize this aspect of vehicle development, Ward’s Auto releases a list every year for the best car interiors in a number of different vehicle segments.
After driving the vehicles over a two month period, judges evaluated the them during their daily driving cycles and awarded points for design, material selection, fit-and-finish, ergonomics, driver information, safety, value and comfort.
For 2009, the awards were not dominated by luxury car brands that like to swathe their interiors in leather and wood as you might think - rather than that it was the cheaper end of the spectrum that impressed the judges most. For example, taking out the top prize for an economy-priced car was the Honda Fit Sport, which managed to capture the judges' attention thanks to its high-quality feel and clever design.
Kia's new Soul was given the award for the “grooviest interior”, and with its red dashboard and lights that flash to the beat of music we would probably have to agree with that one. Interestingly, the award for the best interior in a premium priced car was given to the Acura TL, while the award for the best interior in a popularly-priced car went to the Volkswagen CC.
For sports cars, the new Nissan 370Z in Touring trim managed to claim the best interior award, while the Dodge Ram won in the popularly-priced truck category. The Ford Flex took out the award for premium-priced trucks, while the Ford Fusion hybrid won for best graphic display - giving Ford two winners in the competition, more than any other manufacturer.
Meanwhile, the new Audi A4 won the award for the best interior redesign, and the premium Lexus RX 450h won an award for having “design harmony”. Finally, the award for best brand expression went to the Cadillac CTS-V, with the judges noting the car's handsome instrument stack and long list of electronic gadgets as some of the highlights.
This year’s winners are as follows:
- Honda Fit Sport (Economy-priced car)
- Volkswagen CC (Popular-priced car)
- Kia Soul (Grooviest Interior)
- Acura TL (Premium-priced car)
- Nissan 370Z Touring (Sports car)
- Dodge Ram (Popular-priced truck)
- Ford Flex (Premium-priced truck)
- Audi A4 (Best Redesign)
- Ford Fusion Hybrid (Best Graphic Display)
- Lexus RX 450h (Design Harmony)
- Cadillac CTS-V (Best Brand Expression)
04-10-09, 12:49 AM
#6
I got to sit in the new TL and TSX at the local car show. Both interiors are really nice, and I really did like the fit, finish and feel of the TL interior. It would be an all around winner car if it were not for the exterior. I like the two tone saddle brown interior of the TL show in the pic above.
04-10-09, 12:57 AM
#7
Lexus Test Driver
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: CA
Posts: 1,279
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I could think of quite a few interiors that eclipse the Acura TL's interior quality. Not sure if they judged based on design impressions, but materially, there are much better cars in this class than the TL, which is riddled with cheap plastics everywhere from the door pulls to the center console. The Lexus ES/IS, by comparison, uses many more soft coated and finished pieces.
The Acura TL's interior may look great in pictures, but in real life I've found it to be only marginally better than an Accord with some cosmetic upgrades. The buttons on the center console, for instance, are the same cheap feeling creaking buttons the Accord's been using since 2003. The German competition, as well as Lexus have this car beat fit/finish wise. All of that silver trim is hollow when you knock on it, by the way.
The Acura TL's interior may look great in pictures, but in real life I've found it to be only marginally better than an Accord with some cosmetic upgrades. The buttons on the center console, for instance, are the same cheap feeling creaking buttons the Accord's been using since 2003. The German competition, as well as Lexus have this car beat fit/finish wise. All of that silver trim is hollow when you knock on it, by the way.
Trending Topics
04-10-09, 05:49 AM
#8
Rookie
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: US
Posts: 55
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I could think of quite a few interiors that eclipse the Acura TL's interior quality. Not sure if they judged based on design impressions, but materially, there are much better cars in this class than the TL, which is riddled with cheap plastics everywhere from the door pulls to the center console. The Lexus ES/IS, by comparison, uses many more soft coated and finished pieces.
The Acura TL's interior may look great in pictures, but in real life I've found it to be only marginally better than an Accord with some cosmetic upgrades. The buttons on the center console, for instance, are the same cheap feeling creaking buttons the Accord's been using since 2003. The German competition, as well as Lexus have this car beat fit/finish wise. All of that silver trim is hollow when you knock on it, by the way.
The Acura TL's interior may look great in pictures, but in real life I've found it to be only marginally better than an Accord with some cosmetic upgrades. The buttons on the center console, for instance, are the same cheap feeling creaking buttons the Accord's been using since 2003. The German competition, as well as Lexus have this car beat fit/finish wise. All of that silver trim is hollow when you knock on it, by the way.
Anyway, great job Acura.
04-10-09, 05:57 AM
#9
Lexus Test Driver
TL and Acura in general, except for the RL use cheap material in their interior. It looks good in picture, but it just doesn’t feel right. Once you operate it, you know you are in a Honda. The other problem with the TL is the rattles. You can have the nicest interior in the world, but if the interior rattles and squeaks like the TL's, you are not going to enjoy your environment.
04-10-09, 07:12 AM
#10
Pole Position
I could think of quite a few interiors that eclipse the Acura TL's interior quality. Not sure if they judged based on design impressions, but materially, there are much better cars in this class than the TL, which is riddled with cheap plastics everywhere from the door pulls to the center console. The Lexus ES/IS, by comparison, uses many more soft coated and finished pieces.
The Acura TL's interior may look great in pictures, but in real life I've found it to be only marginally better than an Accord with some cosmetic upgrades. The buttons on the center console, for instance, are the same cheap feeling creaking buttons the Accord's been using since 2003. The German competition, as well as Lexus have this car beat fit/finish wise. All of that silver trim is hollow when you knock on it, by the way.
The Acura TL's interior may look great in pictures, but in real life I've found it to be only marginally better than an Accord with some cosmetic upgrades. The buttons on the center console, for instance, are the same cheap feeling creaking buttons the Accord's been using since 2003. The German competition, as well as Lexus have this car beat fit/finish wise. All of that silver trim is hollow when you knock on it, by the way.
Hey, congrats on the CC winning "Most Popular!"
TL and Acura in general, except for the RL use cheap material in their interior. It looks good in picture, but it just doesn’t feel right. Once you operate it, you know you are in a Honda. The other problem with the TL is the rattles. You can have the nicest interior in the world, but if the interior rattles and squeaks like the TL's, you are not going to enjoy your environment.
04-10-09, 07:38 AM
#12
I could think of quite a few interiors that eclipse the Acura TL's interior quality. Not sure if they judged based on design impressions, but materially, there are much better cars in this class than the TL, which is riddled with cheap plastics everywhere from the door pulls to the center console. The Lexus ES/IS, by comparison, uses many more soft coated and finished pieces.
The Acura TL's interior may look great in pictures, but in real life I've found it to be only marginally better than an Accord with some cosmetic upgrades. The buttons on the center console, for instance, are the same cheap feeling creaking buttons the Accord's been using since 2003. The German competition, as well as Lexus have this car beat fit/finish wise. All of that silver trim is hollow when you knock on it, by the way.
The Acura TL's interior may look great in pictures, but in real life I've found it to be only marginally better than an Accord with some cosmetic upgrades. The buttons on the center console, for instance, are the same cheap feeling creaking buttons the Accord's been using since 2003. The German competition, as well as Lexus have this car beat fit/finish wise. All of that silver trim is hollow when you knock on it, by the way.
=MPLexus301
...The interior was a real let down though. So many different plastics, textures, and a very busy design. The steering wheel and center stack are especially busy. I also noticed that many of the plastics on the interior felt hollow to the touch and sounded like it if you knocked on them. The door panels were especially cheap feeling. Overall I would say that the plastics they are using seem a solid cut below some others in this class- BMW, VW, Lexus, Audi, etc.
Overall, one common issue I found in almost all of the GM products, Nissan, Infiniti, Acura, and others were EXTREMELY cheap plastic, light weight, could-break-in-your-hand interior and exterior door handles. The interior door handles of the TL were by far the worst. I have pens on my desk at work that feel more substantial. Some of the exterior door handles, especially for Infiniti, Acura, and GM, felt like they would break upon letting them go as you open the door."
...The interior was a real let down though. So many different plastics, textures, and a very busy design. The steering wheel and center stack are especially busy. I also noticed that many of the plastics on the interior felt hollow to the touch and sounded like it if you knocked on them. The door panels were especially cheap feeling. Overall I would say that the plastics they are using seem a solid cut below some others in this class- BMW, VW, Lexus, Audi, etc.
Overall, one common issue I found in almost all of the GM products, Nissan, Infiniti, Acura, and others were EXTREMELY cheap plastic, light weight, could-break-in-your-hand interior and exterior door handles. The interior door handles of the TL were by far the worst. I have pens on my desk at work that feel more substantial. Some of the exterior door handles, especially for Infiniti, Acura, and GM, felt like they would break upon letting them go as you open the door."
04-10-09, 07:59 AM
#13
Pole Position
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: MA
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I agreed. The exterior is something else on the TL, but I really love the interior. I also sat in the accord, I really don't know how other could compare the TL interior to the accord but it's just night and day. I actually like the interior of the TL more than my RX350
04-10-09, 09:21 AM
#15
Every car on that list is either a brand new model or have just received a brand new redesign so I think that explained why the TL is the winner for the premium-priced car category.
By the way, to see that TL beats out the A4 in the premium-priced car category just shows you that Audi is no longer the leader in the interior business. I've sat in both the new TL and A4 before and have to say that the TL definitely has a better interior.
It's funny how Ward felt sorry for Audi so they gave a pity price to the A4 as the "best-redesigned"...
By the way, to see that TL beats out the A4 in the premium-priced car category just shows you that Audi is no longer the leader in the interior business. I've sat in both the new TL and A4 before and have to say that the TL definitely has a better interior.
It's funny how Ward felt sorry for Audi so they gave a pity price to the A4 as the "best-redesigned"...