I got my top gear and they did a test on small MAVs (think mini-mini vans) which are quite popular in Europe. The Honda FR-Vt fared well, 2nd behind the Toyota Corolla MAV (or Yaris, I don't remember) but what was striking was the interior, which was very close to a the much more expensive Acura RL and Honda Odeyssey. I wonder if all Hondas will share this new design, with a big piece of wood/plastic over the center of the dash. These are all 2005 and up models. Look at the pics.
FR-V (this is what it looks like)





Odyssey

RL

 

imho, within the same brand of vehicles, having the layout more or less the same is actually a good thing. for returning customers they actaully have a "i know it, this is my home" feel. for example me, i owned camry to begin with. going to the gs4 it took me a while to adjust, but not hard, to all the bottons and controls.

then going to the is3 and now the sc430 it's been a breeze, everything is like "umm, let's see, i must be around this area". even the ls430 i find the car very "easy" to get used to (at least to me).

now when i jump to another brand, even when i got my acura tl-s, it's very easy to adjust, but for the first couple of days i found myself looking for bottons everywhere. not to mention the bimmer and mb, where i probably can't find the bottons for a long time after i own one @_@

 

I agree w/you. I feel at home in any Toyota/Lexus vehicle since i know where most all the controls are. One great example was during the Taste of Luxury Event. I fumbled around in the 7 series and S-Class to find the lights, door lock switches, headlights and etc. When I jumped in the LS430, everything was cake and knew where everything was. Very intuitive design.

 

yup, that's where exactly i learned that feeling. i guess germans must be good coz' they are able to actaully find a botton. and when i was in the s class, i had trouble reaching for the bottons, gues si am too short

 

Haha, I still find myself searching for buttons when I switch between my Infiniti & Lexus, particularly the controls of the Infiniti seems more like it's for a RHD car.
Maybe I should go Henry's route & go all Lexus

 

Including the Prius?

 

I think so, my friend bought a new Prius about 6 months ago.
Other than the funny looking gear level and somewhat BMW 7-series starting sequence.
Everything is in its usual place, including the NAV controls.
You know you're in a Toyota the first time you sit in it.

 

hahha, there IS a reaon why i have all lexus you don't know how much trouble i had when i test drove the m3

 

Surpisingly yes. Other than the odd Audio/HVAC controls, everything was easy to find.