Interior of the year award winners announced

Domestic auto makers make an impressive showing at the seventh annual automotive “Interior of the Year” awards, presented this week at the Ward’s Auto Interiors Show here.

DaimerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. take home the lion’s share of the awards, given in 12 categories broadly defined by cars, trucks and cross/utility vehicles (CUVs).

Winners in each category were based separately on votes from those in the industry and the news media.

Winners in each category, as determined by voters working within the auto industry include:

Popular-priced car: Pontiac Solstice
Premium-priced car: Lincoln Zephyr (’07 Lincoln MKZ)

Popular-priced CUV: Chevrolet HHR
Premium-priced CUV: Subaru B9 Tribeca

Popular-priced truck: Chevrolet Tahoe
Premium-priced truck: Cadillac Escalade

Automotive journalists, meanwhile, demonstrate somewhat different opinions regarding vehicles with the best interior in the same categories:

Popular-priced car: Audi A3
Premium-priced car: Lincoln Zephyr

Popular-priced CUV: Mazda CX-7
Premium-priced CUV: Audi Q7

Popular-priced truck: Toyota FJ Cruiser
Premium-priced truck: Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Source: Wards Auto

szyszek - 6/8/2006 5:13:33 PM

+1 Boost

I hope the award is for screwed up interior of the year. I wanted to buy a FJ until I saw the interior. Tons of grey, cheap plastic that was all scratched up at the car show.

dblo7 - 6/8/2006 5:17:12 PM

+1 Boost

Well things change ^^^ Maybe more good publicity will change that perception. The new Tahoe and Escalade truly have great interiors. No MB, but much improved.

Don't forget how many of your criticized Consumer Reports for picking mostly Japanese cars. Just because people don't like a particular brand does not mean it does not warrant good reviews.

Designer1 - 6/8/2006 5:41:13 PM

+1 Boost

Who ever casted a vote must be either completely blind, or has color blindness. American cars and their interior quality? lol that shouldn't even be considered to be looked at.

But I do agree that the Toyota and Nissan interior quality is getting worse by the day and all that thanks go to building them here in the US and using US made material. For God's sake US manifacurers, help yourselves and help us with you, START USING QUALITY MATERIAL IN ALL DIRECTIONS!!!

Designer1 - 6/8/2006 5:41:13 PM

+1 Boost

CarFreak - 6/8/2006 7:27:41 PM

+1 Boost

Ive worked for GM and definitely dont agree with this and for premium no Audi or MB or Jaguar BTW have these idiots ever loked at the interior of a lambo or an Aston?

wwww - 6/8/2006 11:48:00 PM

+1 Boost

AGREED WHOLEHEARTEDLY with szyszek, what the heck happened to that interior. I know is trying to do the retro look, but the use of colors, material layout..is just plain failure. Looks like some plastic toy truck i have in the basement.

I don't get why the automotive journalist would choose that. Even the Honda Element has a nicer design than the FJ.

RacerRX - 6/9/2006 12:05:33 AM

+1 Boost

Can someone say payola.

three2four - 6/9/2006 8:04:00 PM

+1 Boost

I have no idea what you are talking about with the 2007 escalade interior, i just bought one and its by far the nicest interior ive ever seen in a luxury suv. The wood only on the front of the steering wheel was done for design purposes only, not for cutting productions costs. There is not one feature that i can think of that another lux suv has that the escalade does not, and it also is the most powerful and the fastest. I own multiple cars between $60,000 and $250,000 and i will be the first to tell you that the escalade is at the top of its game. The escalade owns almost 50% of the lux suv market and no one has come close to hurting it.

Hyundai - 6/11/2006 7:56:43 PM

+1 Boost

You are bang on there. Anybody who picks the Escalade over the Cayenne Turbo S, Range Rover Sport, X5, or G55 is clearly hitting the crack pipe one too many times. To boot, three2four also says that it is the "fastest" "luxury SUV".

"There is not one feature that i can think of that another lux suv has that the escalade does not, and it also is the most powerful and the fastest."

Features - How bout durability, efficiency of the powertrain, technology, and style.

My best friend had a Cadillac Escalade and by darnit, it was the biggest heap of trash ever! Everything fell apart... EVERYTHING! The assembly was none better than a Tahoe. "Gap city", and "things falling apart city" too. The steering wheel also sure does look like some knob put a fake wrap-around addition to it.. haha.. what a joke of a car. Money does not account for class...

G55= Faster
Cayenne Turbo= Faster
RX 400h= Faster
Range Rover Sport= Faster

three2four - 6/11/2006 11:04:33 PM

+1 Boost

The cayenne turbo S is not a full size luxury suv, the cayenne competes against the cadillac srx, not the escalade. In the UK, the escalade would probably be priced about 35% higher than it is here in the states. Did you ever notice how cars are cheaper in the countries they are built than in countries they have to be exported to. Take for example a mercedes S-class,that here you pay over %80,000 for, in their home country of germany, they are used as taxi cabs. I meant that the escalde is faster than the navigator, the QX56, the LX470, and yes your presious Range Rover HSE and supercharged.

three2four - 6/11/2006 11:08:17 PM

+1 Boost

Maybe you cant read but i said that the escalade was the fatest full-size suv, the four that you mentioned are smaller suvs and crossovers. The escalade is the best full size lux suv that i have owned or driven, and i know what i am talking about when it comes to luxurious, fast, and in some cases extremely expensive cars that most people could only dream about and bad mouth them because they are jealous that they are driving honda camrys and caould never afford a real car.

three2four - 6/11/2006 11:12:09 PM

+1 Boost

Check your stats on the all new 2007 cadillac escalade, the 403 horsepower V8 and 6-speed hyrda-matic transmission get the escalade to 60 in 6.7 seconds, and last i checked, thats the fastest in its class. Also, there is an escalade v-series on the drawing board which will probably feature a 600 hp V10 and starts at around $85,000, is that too cheap for your checkbook.

three2four - 6/11/2006 11:14:19 PM

+1 Boost

I dont know what the two of you drive, but maybe you should actually get some first hand knowledge about cadillac, instead of just reading biased opinions in the car mags.

three2four - 6/11/2006 11:17:42 PM

+1 Boost

Rupert, you also say that the escalade is just a tahoe with a few upgrades, but nobody seems to mention that every single lexus and infiniti are just upgraded toyotas and nissans.The escalade is one suv and believe me, it is worlds different than a tahoe or yukon.

Hyundai - 6/11/2006 11:40:13 PM

+1 Boost

Wrong. The only upgraded Toyotas that are Lexus are the ES, and the SUVs. None of the others are upgraded Toyotas since they have redesigned all their cars.

You said luxury SUV, not full-size. Maybe you can't read, but I did quote you word-for-word.

Grow a weiner, we do not need to know how well off you are you schmuck.

Also, I wouldn't bother Rupert with Lexus' since I know he doesn't like them much. :)

Hyundai - 6/11/2006 11:51:02 PM

+1 Boost

"three2four - 6/9/2006 OFFICIAL BELL & ROSS TIMESTAMP: 8:04:00 PM EDT
Title: Johnny Wolf
Comment: I have no idea what you are talking about with the 2007 escalade interior, i just bought one and its by far the nicest interior ive ever seen in a luxury suv. The wood only on the front of the steering wheel was done for design purposes only, not for cutting productions costs. There is not one feature that i can think of that another lux suv has that the escalade does not, and it also is the most powerful and the fastest. I own multiple cars between $60,000 and $250,000 and i will be the first to tell you that the escalade is at the top of its game. The escalade owns almost 50% of the lux suv market and no one has come close to hurting it."

You never say full-size once here so I think you are lacking the reading comprehension ability. I love it when people tell me I can't read. I always make them look like such idiots! :D You, my friend, look like an idiot now! Hooray for idiots!

Hyundai - 6/11/2006 11:51:50 PM

+1 Boost

tongue.. whoops. I can't type. I can read. Caught that right after I posted. I am an idiot.

SteveL - 6/12/2006 12:43:48 PM

+1 Boost

You people who do not agree with the domestic picks probably have a bias. The Tahoe’s/Escalade have some of the nicest interior I have seen in any SUV or car and I have been in cars that are over 100 grand. You need to get over your bias and look at the newest vehicles. Granted this poll is not perfect and the domestic interiors used to be crap but they have come a long ways lately. Now it’s our job to make sure they never fall behind again. Open up your blinders!

three2four - 6/13/2006 4:38:37 PM

+1 Boost

The ES and suvs are not the only lexuses based on toyotas. The SC is a solara and the GS is a Avalon. That only leaves the IS and the LS not being toyotas, so the majority of their products are toyotas. You say that you love when people say you cant read, co it must happen a lot to you.

scottcampbell10 - 7/9/2006 8:57:26 PM

+1 Boost

It is obviously common sense that the Cadillac Escalade is not anything else but a full size luxury SUV. You would have to be in 1st grade not to realize this without someone explicitly stating this in their comment. But I suppose you need everything you can get for your argument when you find yourself standing on the side of the issue you are. Maybe you can read, but you lack common sense. Also, MikeG, I would take three2four's word any day over yours, not because he is a "well off schmuck", but because he has actually owned some luxury vehicles and most likely knows more about this particular subject than you. But please correct me if i'm wrong. Back to common sense, that Escalade interior has to be one of the most beautiful interiors I have ever seen. Way better than any Ford owned Brit companies, and much more stylish than a Mercedes or BMW or Toyota. And the Interior Design Awards further prove my point.