LexFather

http://wardsauto.com/reports/2008/in...award_winners/

Interior Award Winners Seal Deal
By Tom Murphy
WardsAuto.com, Jun 4, 2008 9:10 AM Email a link to this articleEmail a link to this article Printer-friendly version of this articlePrinter-friendly version of this article
Special Coverage
Ward’s Auto Interiors Show

Defining a spectacular vehicle interior is subjective business. Different people like different things.

Some buyers think high-sheen piano black adds a unique touch of class, while others see a magnifying glass for annoying fingerprints. Some consumers can’t tolerate fuzzy rat-fur headliners, while others never look up. Some folks can’t survive without something to clutch their Red Bull, while driving enthusiasts view cupholders as frivolous.

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As difficult as it is to identify the specific components that make up a world-class interior, there are many givens: Seams must be flush, seats must be comfortable, materials must be durable, information must be accessible, noise must be minimized, space must be ample and styling must make a statement.

The winners of the 2008 Ward’s Interior of the Year Awards check all of these boxes and more.

Ward’s editors served as judges for the competition, evaluating 36 vehicles in March and April. The pool consisted of completely new vehicles or existing models that received significant interior redesigns for ’08.

Editors submitted score sheets ranking the materials selected, ergonomics, safety, value, comfort, fit-and-finish and design harmony for each vehicle evaluated. Points also were awarded based on a driver’s ability to quickly access vital information, such as navigation routes, diagnostic data and fuel economy.
Ward’s Interior of the Year Awards

Economy-Priced Car ($16,999 and under)
Suzuki SX4 Sport
Finalists
* Chevrolet Aveo
* Ford Focus
* Scion xD

Popular-Priced Car ($17,000–$29,999)
Chevrolet Malibu
Finalists
* Honda Accord
* Hyundai Sonata
* Nissan Altima coupe
* Saturn Astra
* Scion xB
* Toyota Corolla

Premium-Priced Car ($30,000 and over)
Jaguar XF
Finalists
* Acura TSX
* Audi A5 3.2L S-Line
* Cadillac CTS
* Mercedes C300
* Volvo C30

Sports Car ($30,000 and over)
Audi TT coupe
Finalists
* BMW 135i
* Mitsubishi Lancer Evo GSR
* Pontiac G8
* Subaru WRX STI

Popular-Priced Truck ($34,999 and under)
Mazda5
Finalists
* Dodge Journey
* Ford Escape
* Nissan Murano
* Saturn Vue
* Subaru Forester
* Toyota Highlander

Premium-Priced Truck ($35,000 and over)
Chrysler Town & Country
Finalists
* Buick Enclave
* Infiniti EX35
* Lexus LX570
* Mazda CX-9
* Subaru Tribeca
* VW Touareg 2 V-8

Special Achievement
Brand Expression
Volvo C30

Electronic Innovation
Infiniti EX35

Best Redesign
Hyundai Sonata

Clever Utility
Dodge Journey

With the scores tallied, Ward’s editors met in May to discuss the entries and agree on the most deserving candidates, much like we do with our annual 10 Best Engines program.

Awards were given in six vehicle categories: economy-priced, popular priced and premium-priced cars; sports cars; and popular-priced and premium-priced trucks. Several categories required sticker prices of the vehicles tested to fall within certain ranges.

Because interior features are highly influenced by vehicle price and trim level, where a vehicle sits in a segment is determined by its price as tested, not the vehicle base price.

Beyond those six categories, our editors also gave “special achievement” awards to four vehicles that deserved recognition for outstanding features or for best expressing the brand’s character.

This is the second consecutive year Ward’s Automotive Group has followed this format in selecting the Interiors of the Year. It will serve as a template for years to come.

The format allows considerable flexibility by focusing only on those vehicles that are all-new or have new interiors in the current model year.

That means the segments we include from year to year can change slightly based on product cycles. Several sports cars are launching this year, so judges gave them a separate category, unlike last year.

Likewise, pickup trucks were scarce this year because the Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra were evaluated last year, and the all-new Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram will not be available for evaluation until the 2009 competition.

So this year’s truck categories threw a curve ball: Most of the entries were cross/utility vehicles, which fit Ward’s truck segmentation, as do minivans.

The special-achievement awards also will change from year to year, based on nifty new feature content. For example, if an auto maker launches a vehicle with seat fabric manufactured from recycled corn husks, we’d consider a special-achievement award.

The one special-achievement award we hope to bestow annually is for brand expression. This year’s winner is the uniquely sporty and wholly European Volvo C30.

Interiors have become a crucial battleground in every region of the world, particularly developing markets where first-time buyers want the best.

A vehicle with a shabby interior is bound to sit on dealer lots, while a cozy, warm, high-quality cabin can seal the deal the moment a prospective buyer slides behind the wheel. If it sells the car, it has a great chance of winning a Ward’s Interior of the Year Award.

LexFather

That list is full of WTF, sorry.

kit cat

iTrader: (6)

no kidding...

"Infiniti EX35
Best Redesign"


uh....redesign

pbm317

EX35 is for Electonic innovation.. the formatting must be off... either way, i think a lot of those awards are crap... Chrysler town and country?!?

knihc2008

iTrader: (1)

Jaguar XF deserves that win, though. That was a gimme.

encore888

In 2007, the LS 460 L won the Best Overall Comfort award in the Ward's Interior Awards, and also out of the 30+ entrants was named Best in Show. This year I find the Premium-Priced Truck ($35,000 and over) category most interesting, kudos to the Chrysler Town & Country, I must say though that is a huge variety for that section, from EX35 on to LX 570, lots of great interiors here.

Vladi

I agree with XF. Its the first time I really got so excited about the interior since introduction of SC430. XF nailed it, attention to detail is great. From drive selector, rotating vents, standby screen and color combination everything screems luxury.

Audi like always use the finest materials but they lack atmosphere. In Audi you have feeling of solid but it doesnt spice it up like SC430 or XF does. Maybe because Audi dashes are usually black and that takes away from it I don't know. A5 is a nice step forward.

IS350jet

Town and Country beat out the Enclave??

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Edited OP to make it clearer who won what.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I think it's a good list.

Ones I disagree with:

Premium-Priced Car ($30,000 and over)
Jaguar XF

I don't think that comes close to beating the CTS interior.

Premium-Priced Truck ($35,000 and over)
Chrysler Town & Country

Hard to see how that beats an LX570 or Enclave. ALTHOUGH the STUPID LX570 3rd row seats are a deal breaker for me if I was in the market for something like that.

mmarshall

Sorry, Bit. I'm with SICK. That's one sorry-a** list.

Chrysler products have some of the worst interiors in the buisness....the hardware on some of them is so cheap it is offensive. The Buick Enclave is very impressive inside to LOOK at, but is only slightly better in quality of plastics than Chrysler products.

I will give Chrysler/Dodge products one credit, though. They come up with some innovative practical ideas for their interiors...things like stow-and-go seats, built-in fold-down child seats, etc.... They invented the minivan, and it shows. Honda may have first invented the disappearing third-row seat on the Odyssey, but Chrysler one-upped them on everything else.

I agree, though, with the new Malibu and Cadillac CTS. Both interiors are head and shoulders above their pedecessors, although, IMO, the Malibu has a little too much hard plastic in the door trim. The Saturn Aura's interior, like the rest of the car, is similiar to the Malibu's, but not quite as well done.

The Infiniti EX35's interior is also a major improvement over some former Infiniti products.

TRDFantasy

Disagree with most of the list, but looking at Ward's methodology, much of it was subjective and done in their opinion, so not too concerned or interested in this either way. This isn't exactly an influential thing in the industry anyways.

mmarshall

The EX35 DOES have a high-quality interior. Here's my review of it...with some pictures.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...+infiniti+ex35

Threxx

I don't necessarily agree with every selection on that list, but I can see how given subjective factors, those selections were made.

I have seen pics of the XF interior but have not seen it in person. I would be amazed if I thought it was better than the CTS' interior.

I also have not seen a current Town and Country interior but I would be shocked if I liked it better than MOST of the cars it competed with on that list, unless price as well as convenience of storage and seating were taken into heavy consideration.

mmarshall

It's one thing to have a SURFACE layer of glitz and finish, but you have to look at what it really is....in most Chrysler products, it is insultingly skimpy plastic underneath. Same with some Buicks, but to a slightly lesser extent.


If you want to see trim done correctly, with good materials, look at Jaguar, some newer Infinitis, the Lexus LS460, the Acura RL, and and most Audis.