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Old 29th November 2008, 16:47   #1
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How important is the cars interior for you?

some Indian cars have crappy interiors. we were used to it. but in the last few years things have started changing. and it seems the internal environment is as important as the exterior looks.

when a person buys a car any car for that matter. he/she spends spends lots of hours in it. just an example if you spend 2-3 hours daily in your car driving,(assuming traffic and other stuff) then in the next say 3 years, you would be spending. approx 3285 grueling hours of you short life just in your car. and this is only 1 car. after 3 years you will buy another car and so on.

this leads to the following questions.

1)so would the cars interior be a priority to you? while selecting the car

2) would you base the decision of buying the car based on the interiors.

whats your opinion on this?
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Old 4th December 2008, 11:07   #2
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1. yes, very much
2. yes again.

for me the comfort on the seats, pedals, and gear shift matter a lot more than anything else. next in the order is the suspension and boot space. after that would be the visibility and tolerance of window panes to rains and fog. cant think of any more things, but then these days other goodies are by defaults on most cars save airbags.
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Old 4th December 2008, 11:10   #3
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For me, it is the ergonomics and the overall comfort level and interior space in the car that matters. If the interiors do not look that great, it is fine with me. Looks do not bother me.
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Old 4th December 2008, 11:31   #4
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Car interiors matter to me even more than the (exterior) design. People might admire the car from outside, but if the insides are not comfortable then it just does not make sense... to me at least.
A car's interiors should be welcoming, cool & everything must fall in place. Guess thats the reason why people prefer to have audio controls on the steering wheel itself.
A good interior space will also ensure that ppl with you inside the car enjoy the journey & the kids (especially) dont ask one of the most dreaded question whilst travellin - 'Are we there yet?'
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Old 4th December 2008, 11:52   #5
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not much. as long as it doesnt impede functionality and is easy to use, anything goes.

thats why i have an indica :P
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Old 4th December 2008, 12:18   #6
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1) NO.
2) NO.

Its basically functionality. I would prefer very simple large designed buttons, meters, etc. so that I dont have to search for operating something.
The interiors must be very simple in design rather than being flashy.
That my opinion.
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Old 4th December 2008, 12:25   #7
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yes to both the questions,

interior quality, feel factor and ergonomic are important.
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Old 4th December 2008, 12:36   #8
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Can you be more specific (or classify) by what you mean as interiors?

Most responses are pointing towards ergonomics - which I also agree with. For example - I will never buy a car if I don't fit into it or feel crampy. For me space is premium. I like basic necessities like AC/power steering but I am not into gadgets, buttons and lots of warning lights.

So from basic comfort point of view - interiors is priority.
From gadgets & goodies - its not.
My main priority will be the performance & maintenance cost of the car

Quote:
Originally Posted by Caramelo View Post

1)so would the cars interior be a priority to you? while selecting the car

2) would you base the decision of buying the car based on the interiors.

whats your opinion on this?
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Old 4th December 2008, 13:10   #9
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To me, there are multiple aspects of interiors.

1. Ergonomics - How comfy are you behind the wheel?
Are pedals easily accessible? Does the gear level fall in place? Are the stalks easy to operate? Can you operate climate control / ICE without taking your eyes off the road? How good is the front/side visibility?

To an enthusiast this is really, really important! To a commuter it needs to meet basic hygiene levels.


2. Fit, finish and feel - How does the car make you feel?
I loved the fit and finish of the Opel Astra / Vectra and the original E-series! The damped release of the ash tray, the "click" when you turned a knob, rich leather on a meaty steering, the soft backlighting. These are nice to have, probably more important in a 15+ lakh bracket.
At the other end - you can have horrible reflections in the windscreen (from light colored interiors) due to poor choice of materials.

I guess this may be lower priority for many - case in point: many like the OHC interiors despite the shockingly low-rent materials, simply because of how good it was in point 1


3. Features - How many do-dahs can you occupy yourself with?
I guess the Laura /Passat rocks in this dept - so many Gizmo's that you can spend hours playing around in traffic snarls. I dont want to stero-type here, but I think this matters much more to men than women!!!

I personally am a gadget guy - many probably dont value the features over points 1 & 2 though. But the rapid proliferation of feature-laden marutis may change things soon.

Related question - when you say "this car has good/bad/ugly" interiors which of the above points bugs you the most?
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Old 4th December 2008, 13:50   #10
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I'll be honest here : Interiors aren't high on my priority list and don't really matter when I am considering a car. Factors like performance, looks, reliability etc. are of supreme importance. If nice interiors are coming with the car, fine. If not, that's okay too.
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Old 4th December 2008, 13:54   #11
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The point is that one spends the most time inside the car, and as long as they are contemprary its fine. I quite like Civic's interiors vis a vis fake wood types like Chevrolet Optra (old/dated). But the thing is they do carry some value, perhaps they are the only thing putting me off from new Honda City.
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Old 4th December 2008, 13:55   #12
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Good roomy interiors are key

To me while selecting a car Besides Good engine + Gearbox & fuel economy, Good roomy interiors is important along with basic functional features like A/C, power steering, Central locking, Immobilizer, Good seating & day to day required utility features.

Audio, Keyless entry, alloy wheels and other safety features , rear demister, rear wash +wipe , ABS & Airbags to be available as buyer selectable build on optional modules.
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Old 4th December 2008, 14:19   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aseem View Post
The point is that one spends the most time inside the car, and as long as they are contemprary its fine. I quite like Civic's interiors vis a vis fake wood types like Chevrolet Optra (old/dated). But the thing is they do carry some value, perhaps they are the only thing putting me off from new Honda City.

I so agree with Aseem here! I went to buy the City AT...saw the interiors and was disappointed enough to change my mind. the salesman at Courtsey Honda Okhla agreed...tried to sell the NHC..and subsequently told me that if i could wait till Feb/March; there is a very very good chance for a 'fully loaded' ANHC to come out.

I guess if the Linea comes out with the 'Blue & ME' etc + all the other options everyone is talking about; Honda will definately have to come back to the drawing board.
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Old 4th December 2008, 14:24   #14
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Hmmmm...interiors!

Depending upon the money and the range I have in mind this keeps changing. As an example, my first car was M800. I simply took whatever interiors came with it! My second car was Ikon 1.6: here the requirements went up. Wanted better seats, good steering feel, Nice roof, bright interior lights and a good dash. My next two cars were Scorpios. Now the latest mHawk, I am not happy with interiors because relative to Innova, the Scorps interiors can move up quite a few notches!! However, they are ok and therefore I am fine.
So, after the vehicles reliability(engine, service etc) I would position Interiors as an priority. (Interiors should be directly proportional to the car's cost!)
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Old 4th December 2008, 14:42   #15
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My priorities would be performance, looks, ease of driving & then the interiors. I love to have nice interiors, but not at the cost of performance.
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