http://www.autointeriors.com/awards/


The semi-finalists in each category are:

Best POPULAR-PRICED CAR INTERIOR
• Audi A3
• Buick Lucerne
• Ford Fusion
• Toyota Camry
• Pontiac Solstice
• Honda Civic
• VW GTI

Best POPULAR-PRICED CUV INTERIOR
• PT Cruiser
• Chevy HHR
• Toyota RAV4
• Mazda CX-7

Best POPULAR-PRICED TRUCK INTERIOR
• Chevy Tahoe
• Ford Explorer
• Jeep Commander
• Kia Sedona
• Toyota FJ Cruiser
• Nissan Quest (07)

Best PREMIUM-PRICED CAR INTERIOR
• Mercedes S-Class
• Lexus GS
• BMW 3-Series
• Audi A6
• Lincoln Zephyr
• Cadillac DTS

Best PREMIUM-PRICED CUV INTERIOR
• Mercedes R-Class
• Infiniti FX
• Mercedes GL-Class
• Audi Q7
• Subaru B9 Tribeca
• Acura RDX

Best PREMIUM-PRICED TRUCK INTERIOR
• Land Rover Range Rover Sport
• Ford F150 King Ranch
• Saab 9-7x
• Cadillac Escalade
• Lincoln Navigator

Best INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
• Chevy HHR
• Mazda MX-5
• Audi A6
• VW Passat
• Ford Mustang
• Audi A3
• Honda Civic Hybrid

Best NAVIGATION SYSTEM
• Land Rover
• Acura
• Audi
• BMW
• Infiniti

Best SOUND SYSTEM
• Acura TL (ELS Surround)
• Audi S8 (Bang & Olufsen)
• Mitsubishi Eclipse (Rockford Fosgate)
• Ford Mustang (Shaker 1000, opt. 1000 watt)
• Mercedes S-Class (Harmon Kardon Logic 7)
• Dodge Magnum (Boston Acoustics)

Best SEAT SYSTEM (DRIVER)
• Mercedes S-Class
• BMW 3-Series
• Jaguar XK
• Dodge Charger
• Lincoln Navigator

Best INTERIOR INNOVATION
• Dodge Caliber (MusicGate, ChillZone and built-in flashlight)
• Dodge Grand Caravan (Stow N' Go)
• Nissan Xterra (integrated cargo area)
• BMW (Heads Up Display)
• Dodge Ram (back seat)
• Volvo S40 (slim center stack)
• Honda Ridgeline (trunk in pickup bed)

Best CUP HOLDER
• Lincoln Zephyr
• Mercedes M-Class
• Dodge Caliber
• Hyundai Tuscon

Best SOUND SYSTEM
• Acura TL (ELS Surround)
• Audi S8 (Bang & Olufsen)
• Mitsubishi Eclipse (Rockford Fosgate)
• Ford Mustang (Shaker 1000, opt. 1000 watt)
• Mercedes S-Class (Harmon Kardon Logic 7)
• Dodge Magnum (Boston Acoustics)

I really wouldnt have a problem if the Mark Levinson system didn't come in first, but I do believe it should atleast be on the list. :rolleyes: :thumbdn:

Best INTERIOR INNOVATION
• Dodge Caliber (MusicGate, ChillZone and built-in flashlight)
• Dodge Grand Caravan (Stow N' Go)
• Nissan Xterra (integrated cargo area)
• BMW (Heads Up Display)
• Dodge Ram (back seat) :D It got nominated just for having a back seat ? :uh:
• Volvo S40 (slim center stack)
• Honda Ridgeline (trunk in pickup bed)

I really wouldnt have a problem if the Mark Levinson system didn't come in first, but I do believe it should atleast be on the list. :rolleyes: :thumbdn:

No Harmon Kardon either...

No Harmon Kardon either...


the mercedes s-class has the HK

lexus is missing in alot of categories

I would disagree on more than 1/2 of those.... :thumbdn: . Some of those cars don't deserve to be there.

I really wouldnt have a problem if the Mark Levinson system didn't come in first, but I do believe it should atleast be on the list. :rolleyes: :thumbdn:

I know, right? When i was at the lexus test drive event last year, i was blown away by the ML 5.1 surround on the 3GS.

This list is retarded....

The Nakamichi in my 99 RX was nice and then I also heard the Levinson and was like wow, what a difference and I still remember it to this day. Not sure what these folks were thinking. I know some people that can't get hooked on the B&O stereo stuff, because certain sounds (treble, bass, octaves, etc.) don't sound right to them when played. I guess that is might of what happened here.

Best PREMIUM-PRICED CAR INTERIOR

• Mercedes S-Class
• Lexus GS
• BMW 3-Series
• Audi A6
• Lincoln Zephyr
• Cadillac DTS

:eek2: :egads: :confused: :thumbdn:

Poll time, magneto?

Since you started the thread on this subject, I won't post a poll myself but leave it up to you if you want one or think it is necessary.

Here are my votes, for best interiors BTW, for what little thet are worth: :)

Best Popular-Priced Car Interior: 2006 Lexus ES330

Best Popular-Priced CUV interior: Subaru L.L Bean / VDC Outback

Best Popular-Priced truck interior: Ford F-150 Lariat

Best Premuim-Priced car interior: Cadillac STS with wood trim luxury package / Audi A8 ( tie )

Best Premium-Priced CUV interior: Lexus RX330 ( NOT the 400H )

Best Premium-Priced truck interior: 2007 Cadillac Escalade / 2006 Lexus LX470 ( tie )
Yes, technically these are SUV's but they are truck-based.

Best Instrument cluster: Chevrolet Corvette C6 / Dodge Viper ( tie )

Hehe Mark Levinson, Harman Kardon, JBL and Infiniti are all part of Harman International. Mark Levinson is part of Harman's Specialty Group.

They should gag and kill whomever that group was that made those decisions. They probably think the earth is flat and Elvis is still alive with 2pac.

Morons

They should gag and kill whomever that group was that made those decisions.

Well, not only those decisions but also whoever came up with the titles for those categories as well . Talk about something awkward and misleading.

wow BMW got nominated for best interior inovation for a "heads up display". my 240sx from about 15years ago had that

wow BMW got nominated for best interior inovation for a "heads up display". my 240sx from about 15years ago had that

.........as did the Pontiac Grand Prix of the early 1990's.

no lexus on best gauge cluster? the new es,is has some cool ass gauges....

no lexus on best gauge cluster? the new es,is has some cool ass gauges....

I agree that the backlit electroluminescent dash lights are nice but the Corvette and Dodge Viper ( and some other higher-line sports cars ) have a number of gauges on-board that I have not seen in any Lexus, such as oil pressure gauge, ammeter, and oil temperature. That is why I specifically mentioned those two cars.

The first IS300, for instance, had room for an oil-pressure gauge in the little chronometer-style 3-ring setup inside the speedometer but instead, in the U.S.-market versions, chose to put a tiny vaccum-operated gas-mileage needle in its place.

I think grading best interier all sucks. It doesn't include RX330, ES350, IS350, LS430, GX470,and LX470! I am very angry, but they didn't vote any Lexus SUV on the lists! Very poor grading on Wards. Only new GS on the list premium luxury sedan. Wards sucks as hell! :thumbdn: :mad:

I cannot believe the 3 series is nominated and not my beautiful IS interior. WTF.

This list is retarded....

Just one more list to point out how retarded this is or even the editor's oversight to put this list out :thumbdn:

Best POPULAR-PRICED TRUCK INTERIOR
• Chevy Tahoe
• Ford Explorer
• Jeep Commander
• Kia Sedona :uh: :uh: :uh:
• Toyota FJ Cruiser
• Nissan Quest (07) :uh: :uh: :uh:

Just one more list to point out how retarded this is or even the editor's oversight to put this list out :thumbdn:

Best POPULAR-PRICED TRUCK INTERIOR
• Chevy Tahoe
• Ford Explorer
• Jeep Commander
• Kia Sedona :uh: :uh: :uh:
• Toyota FJ Cruiser
• Nissan Quest (07) :uh: :uh: :uh:
I see lots of cheap plastic in that list...

No offense, but who is Wards anyway? :uh:

Wards=................

BMW 3er for the best navigation award. My cousin got a e90 330i and that has to be by far the most infuriating navigation system I have ever laid my hands upon. The screen is incredibly low-resoution, the destinations are a pain in the ass to put in, the map is garbage, it' smissing lots of small streets, the guidance on the map is incomprehensible, etc etc. I could really go on and on and on about how terrible iDrive navigation is. That nomination alone makes me think the rest of this list is absolute garbage.

BMW 3er for the best navigation award. My cousin got a e90 330i and that has to be by far the most infuriating navigation system I have ever laid my hands upon. The screen is incredibly low-resoution, the destinations are a pain in the ass to put in, the map is garbage, it' smissing lots of small streets, the guidance on the map is incomprehensible, etc etc. I could really go on and on and on about how terrible iDrive navigation is. That nomination alone makes me think the rest of this list is absolute garbage.
I just sent all those dumb focks an e-mail. Read below.

Your choices are ridiuclous. Its clear you neither sat nor used most all of the interiors you chose as winners. My blind dog could see better than you. Please revise your winners and actually, open the door and look and touch and God Forbid, drive the cars you claim are winners.
Your choices are not even controversial, they are just retarded, you know, special olympics.

May God forgive you for such ignorant choices, next thing you'll pick a Honda lawnmower engine as one of your 10 best engines.

Sincerely.

Ron Burgandy aka Trying to help ya'lll not look like total clueless dumbasses.

What kind of crap they smokin' Bmw interior always look simple and plain

May God forgive you for such ignorant choices, next thing you'll pick a Honda lawnmower engine as one of your 10 best engines.



ROFL!!!! :woot: :D :D http://www.coolsmilies.net/happy/jump1.gif http://www.coolsmilies.net/happy/grin.gif http://www.coolsmilies.net/happy/grin.gif http://www.coolsmilies.net/happy/grin.gif http://www.coolsmilies.net/happy/grin.gif http://www.coolsmilies.net/happy/grin.gif

No offense, 1SICKLEX, but I do not think a company like Ward's will take a rather scathing, forceful, and worst of all, unsupported letter like your's very seriously. I do realize they probably wouldn't change their list no matter WHAT letter was sent to them, I just think a letter with examples, support, and less flaming would be more effective.

I would disagree on more than 1/2 of those.... :thumbdn: . Some of those cars don't deserve to be there.


Like the Ford Fusion with the cheap interior doesn't belong there.... But as mentioned above Lexus should be on there in more than one catagory... DOn' t you agree.. :)

No offense, 1SICKLEX, but I do not think a company like Ward's will take a rather scathing, forceful, and worst of all, unsupported letter like your's very seriously. I do realize they probably wouldn't change their list no matter WHAT letter was sent to them, I just think a letter with examples, support, and less flaming would be more effective.

I think a letter with examples, support and less flaming woud be a waste of time. :D

It's going right in the trash bin after it's read regardless. Might as well have a laugh over it.

M.

The Votes are in; Eight Automakers take Home 24 Awards for Best Interiors
and Interior Features

DETROIT, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Which automakers are building vehicles
with the best interiors? And which OEMs and suppliers are providing the
best design and convenience features such as navigation or sound systems,
seats, and instrument clusters? And which vehicle has the best cup holder?

The votes are in and the big winners of the 7th annual automotive
"Interior of the Year" awards for all categories are DaimlerChrysler with a
total of six, Ford with five and General Motors with four awards. Honda and
Audi claimed three each, followed by Mazda, Subaru and Toyota with one
apiece.

In the 12 "overall vehicle interior" categories, however, General
Motors took four awards, Ford was second with three top place finishes
(including the Rover brand) and Audi ranked third with two top awards. All
others claimed one each.

Conducted annually by Wards Auto World magazine, the awards were
presented today to executives of the automakers and their suppliers at a
special program held on the floor of the Auto Interiors Show in Detroit.
Winners were determined on two separate ballots, one exclusively for news
media and the other for members of the industry at-large.

Industry at-large winners: Overall Interior

In the voting by industry at-large, GM's Pontiac Solstice won in Best
Popular-Priced Car interior; the Chevy HHR won for Best Popular-Priced CUV
interior; the Chevy Tahoe won Best Popular-Priced Truck interior; and the
Cadillac Escalade took top honors for the best interior in a Premium-Priced
Truck.


News media winners: Overall Interior
In the same categories, members of the news media voted the Audi A3
Best Popular-Priced Car interior; the Mazda CX-7 the best interior in
Popular-Priced CUV category; the Toyota FJ Cruiser Best Interior --
Popular-Priced Truck; and the Land Rover Range Rover Sport as having the
best interior in the Premium-Priced Truck category.

The Subaru B9 Tribeca was voted to have the Best Interior in the
Premium-Priced CUV category.

All Agree on Best Premium-Priced Car Interior

That leaves on one interior category: Premium-Priced Car. This was the
only overall interior category where both the industry at-large voters and
the news media agreed on the winner, and the Lincoln Zephyr interior took
the honors.

New for 2006: Best Interior Features Categories

New this year were six product feature categories that journalists and
the industry at-large also voted on: Best Navigation System, Best Seat
System, Best Instrument Cluster, Best Sound System, Best Overall Interior
Innovation, and even Best Cup Holder.

The two voting groups showed much more agreement in the interior
features categories where they picked the same winner in three of them:
Best Navigation System -- Acura, manufactured by Alpine; Best Instrument
Cluster - - Ford Mustang, by Delphi; and Best Cup Holder -- Mercedes
M-Class, designed by Fischer Automotive.

Dodge swept the awards by the industry at-large voters in the three
other categories: Best Sound System -- Dodge Magnum for its Boston
Acoustics system; Best (Driver) Seat System -- Dodge Charger by Johnson
Controls; and Best Interior Innovation -- Dodge Grand Caravan, for its Stow
N' Go seats, developed by Chrysler Group and Magna/Intier.

However, members of the media picked three different models for these
categories. Their choices were: Best Sound System -- Audi S8 for its Bang &
Olufsen stereo; Best (Driver) Seat System went to Mercedes S-Class, which
makes it own seats; and the Best Interior Innovation was the Honda
Ridgeline for its trunk in the pickup bed, developed by Meridian Automotive
Systems, Inc.

The awards are summarized in this table:


Award Category Industry At-Large Vote News Media Vote

Overall Vehicle
Interiors

Popular-Priced Car Pontiac Solstice Audi A3
Premium-Priced Car Lincoln Zephyr
Popular-Priced CUV Chevy HHR Mazda CX-7
Premium-Priced CUV Subaru B9 Tribeca Audi Q7
Popular-Priced Truck Chevy Tahoe Toyota FJ Cruiser
Premium-Priced Truck Cadillac Escalade Land Rover Range
Rover Sport

Interior Features

Best Instrument Cluster Ford Mustang (Delphi)
Best Navigation System Acura (Alpine)
Best Cup Holder Mercedes M-Class
(Fischer Automotive)
Best Sound System Dodge Magnum Audi S8
(Boston Acoustics) (Bang & Olufsen)
Best Seat System Dodge Charger Mercedes S-Class -
(Driver) (Johnson Controls) Mercedes
Best Interior Dodge Grand Caravan - Honda Ridgeline -
Innovation Stow N' Go Seat System trunk in pickup bed
(Chrysler Group & (Meridian Automotive
Magna/Intier) Systems, Inc.)

The winners of the annual "Interior of the Year" awards competition
were selected from a field of 53 finalists picked by the editors of Wards
Auto World's various auto industry magazines and newsletters. In all, 69
automotive journalists and 991 industry members participated in the voting
which took place via the Internet between April 15 and May 15.

To be eligible for this year's competition, a vehicle had to be new or
redesigned for the 2006 model year car (or a 2007 model available for sale
in calendar year 2006). Selection was based on overall styling,
functionality, quality, fit and finish, convenience, and special features.
Employees of OEMs representing nominated vehicles were not allowed to vote.

About the Auto Interiors Show
Now in its 13th year, The Auto Interiors Show is presented by Ward's
Automotive Group and is the industry's leading trade show and conference
for vehicle interiors. It spotlights the latest innovations in vehicle
technology and design to help suppliers respond to increasing OEM demands
and changing consumer preferences. It features exhibits of leading
suppliers who showcase trendsetting products and materials with a view to
the future of vehicle interiors. For complete information on the 13th
annual Auto Interiors Show, go to: http://www.autointeriors.com.


SOURCE Auto Interiors Show

Best CUP HOLDER

... only in the U.S. :rolleyes: :D

I like how the "industry" picked only one foreign car out of the six overall interior awards, whereas the "media" picked all foreign cars... Sounds to me like Wards is a load of BS.

LMAO Mike !! http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/500/21704sidesplit1.gif

well, they you have it... now DCX, GM and Ford will have this distributed to the dealers, so when customer asks why is the interior so bad, they can show them piece of paper saying how it is the best :-).