Only yesterday, WardsAuto came out of the woodwork to post its top interiors of 2013. That sounds good and well, but the reality is that their selections are weak with a couple of exceptions.
The only cars that actually deserve to be on this list are as follows:
- Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- Lexus GS450h (Really just the GS, not sure why they ONLY selected the hybrid)
- Nissan Pathfinder
- Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Why the others made it is beyond me; however, let me suggest some replacements:
- Toyota RAV4
- Honda Accord
- Volkswagen Golf (MKVII)
- Dodge Dart
- BMW X1
- Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
Let's get real, the Cadillac XTS looks good for a General Motors product but is CUE system has been panned by just about everyone who's had the chance to get behind the wheel.
It should be a rule that anything priced in the Chevrolet Spark's price range is not eligible to get a "Best Interior" award. Even if Ward's is distributing it.
The Toyota Avalon is likely one of the biggest disappointments I've experienced when it comes to the interior space. It looks pretty cool from afar but when you're actually sitting in it, the experience goes downhill, fast. I'll start off with the plastic that's given a chrome treatment. Why did Toyota have to use SO much of it? How about the infotainment screen that's small and frankly a distraction to operate? Toyota has to start scaling out the mouse-like technology seen in its Lexus'. By far the worst offense is the upper dash. Not ONLY does a portion of the dash cut through the instrument cluster in a completely disgraceful way but Toyota tried to dress up the upper dash by having stitching on the instrument cluster surround. I am not a leather expert but there's no way this stuff is leather. Toyota actually stitched what felt like plastic to dress it up. I felt like I was in a GM product and not a Toyota. That's how bad it is.
Am I overreacting or am I onto something?