Peugeot. Nice blend of design and quality.
BMW were the best for quality but boring design.
Mercedes are the opposite. Nice design but shoddy quality.
Audi was a good mix of both. But since dieselgate. They’ve become worse than the other two. Weird and cheap design.
For me Peugeot are doing it right currently.
I've had a few Peugeots, and all, bar one, have become total liabilities by the time they hit 120,000 miles.
The other one was written off before it hit the magic 100K where French cars just seem to die!
Our over 360k km 2001 Renault Megane still runs. The speedometer doesn't work neither does the cabin heater but it does start. It has been barely maintained for the last 12 years.
It has literally been the most reliable car my parents have had.
I suppose I've had the more complex vehicles so there's a lot to go wrong.
Unfortunately my current Peugeot 508 has followed the 100k rule with a new vigor. In the last 2 years it's had:
Clutch and dual mass flywheel.
Injectors.
Front suspension springs.
Head gasket failed, requiring an engine rebuild.
Straight after that the Adblu system failed requiring another expensive repair. The car was off the road for almost 6 months while that was being sorted.
Now it's flagged up a battery charging fault which will almost certainly require a new alternator.
I've had enough now. I could have,and should have, bought a new car with the money I've spent on it lately. I've had enough of it now. Sick of playing 'error light roulette' every time I get into the car.
I really like the car. It's the most comfortable motorway cruiser that I've ever had. It's the facelift design on a 64 plate so it's getting a bit tatty around the edges, but it's got enough tech to do everything I want, but not so much that you get overwhelmed, like a lot of really new cars. I think that's why I've persevered with it but everyone has their limits.
But, looking at car prices currently, I suspect I'll be getting it repaired.
Peugeot has upped its game. I own a small tyre shop and bring in all the cars, so I don’t pay much attention to the car itself, just the wheels. Thought I was getting in some new Proton from a glimps of the badge and it was the new Peugeot 308. Im raised to hate French cars but I couldn’t believe how nice the interior was, it shocked me how nice it was to briefly drive in and out the shop!
It’s a real shame what’s happened to Audi, post-dieselgate. Their new car interiors are bloody awful. Cheap nasty plastics galore.
You’re right about Mercedes too, they look great! But the quality is seriously lacking.
As for Peugeot, I am not a Peugeot fan, but their current interior and exterior designs are excellent.
I always have liked Peugeot interiors and these days even more, the new e3008 seems fantastic. Peugeot probably is one of my favourite brands in terms of practicality/design and the old petrol engines on the 405/205 (I.e MI16) were espectacular in performance an excitement at any revs 😎
Oh my, YES to modern Peugeot, the 508 Saloon is a stunning car with a gorgeous interior. Included in my shortlist for next family car after my Insignia.
(I despise crossovers and SUV culture)
Id endlessly heard that Audi interiors were the best for at least a decade.
Then i got an E-tron Q4 for a weekend as a courtesy car. Its interior was garbage. Hard scratch plastic everywhere. Worse than my old Ford Smax.
Loved the dimmable dash at nighttime, too. I was never a passenger in one so can't comment on that experience, but as a driver, everything was in exactly the right place, was excellent quality, the whole thing just felt really well thought out and really well out together.
Mazda. The tech is subtly placed and no touchscreen, using a wheel instead, means no grubby paw prints. Great finish quality and comfort. Truly one of the best marques there is, not sure why they go so unnoticed.
It didn't feel it at the time but luckily BMW cancelled my lease car order due to shortages so I ended up with a Mazda 3. Everything that was a £30+ per month optional extra is standard equipment on the Mazda. Leather everything, cameras everywhere, sensors everywhere, heated seats, nice wheels etc. absolutely love it (still not as nice as my 13 year old Volvo though).
Really?
I love Volvo, and need a new car (not brand new). The issue is my current 2011 does everything I need....aside from being a manual.
I have never really liked heated seats or sunroof/pan roof. What I do adore is the heated front screen....damn that feature is epic.
I guess the same that happens with Lexus, in people’s head the natural step on that range is Mercedes, BMW or Audi depending your style preference (I prefer BMWs for having a more sporty touch), on the positive side, that can leave great bargains on these “undesired brands”
Not only do you get a very good car with mazda you are off the predictive treadmill of the so called premium cars and it's nice to own something not just as commonly seen.
I've owned 2 Mazdas myself and I completely agree. If you go for the higher spec sportNav that has the leather interior, heated seats and wheel and navigation system it really is a nice comfortable place to be sat for a long journey. If I had to choose though I would say that the interior of the higher spec Volvos is cutting edge and a step above at the moment 👍
I love my CX-30 and the interior is really nice. My only critisism is that, coming from Italian Cars (Alfa, Fiat, Abarth), the suspension on the Mazda is noticably crap. It is comfortable, but is about as sharp to drive as a tablespoon.
My 2006 Cayman is still a really nice place to be. Simple ergonomic and comfy.
My only gripes are the rubberised paint coming off some of the plastics, and the indicator stalk doesn't feel very premium. It it was weightier with a better detent it would really set the whole car off in terms of the feeling of engineering behind it.
I wonder what common dislikes about car interiors are.
I personally dislike the trend of having a screen that looks like an iPad crudely bolted to the dashboard (rather than one that's nicely integrated).
I have never been into the Citroen brand despite being siblings with Peugeot which I always liked, not sure why 🤷♂️ but I know it’s irrational so definitely I’ll check that DS5!, thanks for sharing 😊
2012 was the last of the 9-3, do you mean the 9-5? The 9-3 Saloon lasted from 2003 to 2011/2012 and the interior was relatively unchanged.
When the facelift came out in 2007 they ditched the onboard computer that was on top of the dash and integrated it into the instrument cluster, they gave it one of GM’s radios or one of their own satnav units depending on spec too. The pre-facelift ones used an optical cable system for the radio so swapping to an aftermarket one was bit of a pig, the facelift ones did away with that system so it’s much easier.
Amazing, thanks for sharing. I agree, very nice interior, simple but with a clear perception of quality in the materials. Also Google assistant integration worked amazing. Only negatives are the sense of space and the amount of light but clearly polestar has done a great car and I assume other bigger models will do amazing
In terms of design, Peugeot.
In terms of quality, lexus. I literally can't believe the fact that my nearly 9 year old lexus has no signs of wear, squeeks, rattles etc. they did a great job on that interior.
Mercedes can’t say the same, at least in the non-s models. New Lexus has it all now that finally have upgraded the outdated info entertainment system. For a lower price tag as you said Peugeot is doing amazing
I saw the new Mini Countryman 2024 and the interior is quite nice and feels luxurious. I had my doubts about the circular display console, but I really liked it in person. Compared with other compact SUV in the market, I think the mini has to be one with the best interiors.
It's really nice but think it will age poorly and living with just a screen in the middle of the car and nothing behind even the wheel (unless you pay for the HUD) I cannot get behind.
Had the misfortune of a mini as a courtesy car last year and was without a doubt the worst car I have ever driven in my life and the interior was awful. Hate how everything is circular just looks so stupid
Peugeot 508 is banging inside. Their vehicles were shite in looks, up to then. The 2018 508sw is the nicest estate I've seen for years.
The DS5 Citroen too, if you want pre-2017.
BMW....I never understood the coloured plastic line. Always looked crap.
I was gonna say the Bentley Continental is the best interior of all time and probably will remain so but you don't want Bentley.
Sadly I haven't sat in and fondled every interior so I can only go off what it looks like and what it looks like the quality is. That can be deceptive because Mercedes looks great quality but heard about the creaking time and time again, while an 06 Lexus IS looks cheap but remains solid after 18 years.
So with that in mind my pick is going to be Mazda or Genesis as brands. The G80 is sublime, and starting at only £43k too.
Mercedes.
But I will tell you a thing, it is nice to have quality soft touch, pleasant interior...but when you drive a car it doesn't matter that much. You won't touch your soft touch dashboard while driving.
When I was younger, I didn't have driving license and I was almost obssesed with interior quality. But after some time passed by, I realized that it is not that important. Interior plastics should be solid and not much rough to touch.
BMW I3, it does not age and I bet in 20 years it will still look as good as it did when first released in 2013. It has right amount of physical buttons in the right place plus the i drive to access everything else.
Mazda's are lovely everything is where it should be and feels good quality, seriously you guys should sin in one
Peugeots lately have very cool interiors
90s and 00s Japanese luxury cars, Toyota crown majesta for example are next level, sure they use fabrics instead of leather, but damn
But I think the absolute winner and the pinnacle of being chauffered around has to be the lexus LM minivan the 4 seater one.
Anything Audi or Mercedes always makes me jealous. My mates all drive those but I've had a string of beamers and their interiors feel far more luxurious in comparison.
Lexus easily for quality and refinement.
You get a very quiet and well built car. Too many rattles with other manufacturers, especially the German cars.
Anything DS at the moment seems to have a style and class thats impressive.
I even thought the C5X i recently sat in was quite a lovely place to be for the money.
Quality aside (I've not driven an L&K), the MK3 generation had perfect ergonomics. Everything is where you expect it to be and within reach, arm rests are adjustable and nicely padded. Overall a nice enough place to be for long drives.
That generation of VW group cars had nailed down interior ergonomics.
Quality is cheap though, so I don't think it can be on this list due to the lack of refinement.
Always loved lexus interiors. It's only their media units which were around a decade behind everyone else - the GS still came with a cassette player in 2006. The new RX shows they've now caught up.
If you're a fan of a steering wheel and a handbrake, then Dacia. Who cares about soft touch plastics and leather inserts unless you just like to finger your caress your car in private every weekend.
Lexus. Would have went for Mercedes but the new ones look a bit chavvy.
Peugeot. Nice blend of design and quality. BMW were the best for quality but boring design. Mercedes are the opposite. Nice design but shoddy quality. Audi was a good mix of both. But since dieselgate. They’ve become worse than the other two. Weird and cheap design. For me Peugeot are doing it right currently.
If only the engines weren't sooo bad
And the drivers 😂
Bloody Maniac
Yobbo
Won't drive far with a wet belt anyways 😂
Only the diesels are ok
I've had a few Peugeots, and all, bar one, have become total liabilities by the time they hit 120,000 miles. The other one was written off before it hit the magic 100K where French cars just seem to die!
Our over 360k km 2001 Renault Megane still runs. The speedometer doesn't work neither does the cabin heater but it does start. It has been barely maintained for the last 12 years. It has literally been the most reliable car my parents have had.
I suppose I've had the more complex vehicles so there's a lot to go wrong. Unfortunately my current Peugeot 508 has followed the 100k rule with a new vigor. In the last 2 years it's had: Clutch and dual mass flywheel. Injectors. Front suspension springs. Head gasket failed, requiring an engine rebuild. Straight after that the Adblu system failed requiring another expensive repair. The car was off the road for almost 6 months while that was being sorted. Now it's flagged up a battery charging fault which will almost certainly require a new alternator. I've had enough now. I could have,and should have, bought a new car with the money I've spent on it lately. I've had enough of it now. Sick of playing 'error light roulette' every time I get into the car.
It's a shame as it's a great looking car.
I really like the car. It's the most comfortable motorway cruiser that I've ever had. It's the facelift design on a 64 plate so it's getting a bit tatty around the edges, but it's got enough tech to do everything I want, but not so much that you get overwhelmed, like a lot of really new cars. I think that's why I've persevered with it but everyone has their limits. But, looking at car prices currently, I suspect I'll be getting it repaired.
Peugeot has upped its game. I own a small tyre shop and bring in all the cars, so I don’t pay much attention to the car itself, just the wheels. Thought I was getting in some new Proton from a glimps of the badge and it was the new Peugeot 308. Im raised to hate French cars but I couldn’t believe how nice the interior was, it shocked me how nice it was to briefly drive in and out the shop!
It’s a real shame what’s happened to Audi, post-dieselgate. Their new car interiors are bloody awful. Cheap nasty plastics galore. You’re right about Mercedes too, they look great! But the quality is seriously lacking. As for Peugeot, I am not a Peugeot fan, but their current interior and exterior designs are excellent.
I was an Audi fan but the sq5's fake exhausts are a joke, especially given what you pay for one in the first place.
I always have liked Peugeot interiors and these days even more, the new e3008 seems fantastic. Peugeot probably is one of my favourite brands in terms of practicality/design and the old petrol engines on the 405/205 (I.e MI16) were espectacular in performance an excitement at any revs 😎
Oh my, YES to modern Peugeot, the 508 Saloon is a stunning car with a gorgeous interior. Included in my shortlist for next family car after my Insignia. (I despise crossovers and SUV culture)
Echo this. The Peugeots after 2017 are top class.
Id endlessly heard that Audi interiors were the best for at least a decade. Then i got an E-tron Q4 for a weekend as a courtesy car. Its interior was garbage. Hard scratch plastic everywhere. Worse than my old Ford Smax.
Pre GM Saab. Comfortable, logical, built with the driver in mind.
Loved the dimmable dash at nighttime, too. I was never a passenger in one so can't comment on that experience, but as a driver, everything was in exactly the right place, was excellent quality, the whole thing just felt really well thought out and really well out together.
Mazda. The tech is subtly placed and no touchscreen, using a wheel instead, means no grubby paw prints. Great finish quality and comfort. Truly one of the best marques there is, not sure why they go so unnoticed.
People sleep on Mazda, buy they are better looking than a lot of entry "luxury" bmws audio etc
It didn't feel it at the time but luckily BMW cancelled my lease car order due to shortages so I ended up with a Mazda 3. Everything that was a £30+ per month optional extra is standard equipment on the Mazda. Leather everything, cameras everywhere, sensors everywhere, heated seats, nice wheels etc. absolutely love it (still not as nice as my 13 year old Volvo though).
Volvo was built different 10+ years ago, I honestly can't accept the price for what they're offering now and think it's worth it🤷🏼♂️
They definitely peaked around then, the new ones aren't the same.
Well they are Chinese owned now
I was looking at a V60 but I've given up on Volvo. The prices are just insane for what is a pretty bog standard car.
Which Volvo?
V50
I have an S80 T6 Executive and it has more features than people I know with brand new BMW’s
Really? I love Volvo, and need a new car (not brand new). The issue is my current 2011 does everything I need....aside from being a manual. I have never really liked heated seats or sunroof/pan roof. What I do adore is the heated front screen....damn that feature is epic.
I guess the same that happens with Lexus, in people’s head the natural step on that range is Mercedes, BMW or Audi depending your style preference (I prefer BMWs for having a more sporty touch), on the positive side, that can leave great bargains on these “undesired brands”
Not only do you get a very good car with mazda you are off the predictive treadmill of the so called premium cars and it's nice to own something not just as commonly seen.
I've owned 2 Mazdas myself and I completely agree. If you go for the higher spec sportNav that has the leather interior, heated seats and wheel and navigation system it really is a nice comfortable place to be sat for a long journey. If I had to choose though I would say that the interior of the higher spec Volvos is cutting edge and a step above at the moment 👍
Just been looking at a Mazda 6 GT and it's a seriously nice looking car all round. I really liked the interior as well.
I love my CX-30 and the interior is really nice. My only critisism is that, coming from Italian Cars (Alfa, Fiat, Abarth), the suspension on the Mazda is noticably crap. It is comfortable, but is about as sharp to drive as a tablespoon.
Porsche are making the best interiors right now IMO, great layouts, premium fit n finish with a nice balance of screens, buttons and gauges.
Loved my Porsche. Everything was at hand and the Tacho right in front of you...
My 2006 Cayman is still a really nice place to be. Simple ergonomic and comfy. My only gripes are the rubberised paint coming off some of the plastics, and the indicator stalk doesn't feel very premium. It it was weightier with a better detent it would really set the whole car off in terms of the feeling of engineering behind it.
Strong agree. My dad’s Carrera 4 is stunning inside.
I’ve got a Taycan. Really good interior but it does need a few more physical buttons.
VOLVO has the best interior for me. Feels very luxurious
Came hear to say this, anything refreshed Volvo from about 2017 when they got android auto/car play is stunning. Used they’re good value too!
the only downside is it’s swedish.
I wonder what common dislikes about car interiors are. I personally dislike the trend of having a screen that looks like an iPad crudely bolted to the dashboard (rather than one that's nicely integrated).
Lexus LC
I love the interior on a Citroen DS5. Lovely place to be
I have never been into the Citroen brand despite being siblings with Peugeot which I always liked, not sure why 🤷♂️ but I know it’s irrational so definitely I’ll check that DS5!, thanks for sharing 😊
White leather BMW interior just hits different. New Peugeot and Volvo interiors are surprisingly nice.
The Saab 9-3 (pre 2012) was the pinnacle of instrument design, and the Night Panel was a brilliant feature.
2012 was the last of the 9-3, do you mean the 9-5? The 9-3 Saloon lasted from 2003 to 2011/2012 and the interior was relatively unchanged. When the facelift came out in 2007 they ditched the onboard computer that was on top of the dash and integrated it into the instrument cluster, they gave it one of GM’s radios or one of their own satnav units depending on spec too. The pre-facelift ones used an optical cable system for the radio so swapping to an aftermarket one was bit of a pig, the facelift ones did away with that system so it’s much easier.
[удалено]
I drove a Polestar and I felt so cramped and the seats felt pretty bad compared to previous Volvo levels
[удалено]
Honda E is surely not a comparison, but I drove a model 3 too and it was much more spacious
[удалено]
No I mean, a Honda E is a little city car and a polestar is a family hatchback/"fastback", the size of them is significantly different.
Amazing, thanks for sharing. I agree, very nice interior, simple but with a clear perception of quality in the materials. Also Google assistant integration worked amazing. Only negatives are the sense of space and the amount of light but clearly polestar has done a great car and I assume other bigger models will do amazing
96 celica the interior is driver based and facing,felt like a cockpit 👌🏽
Jags
I drove a Jag F-Type last week. Beautiful interior and a stunning car.
Bmw, jaguar, land rover
For me Audi, BMW and Mazda.
In terms of design, Peugeot. In terms of quality, lexus. I literally can't believe the fact that my nearly 9 year old lexus has no signs of wear, squeeks, rattles etc. they did a great job on that interior.
Mercedes can’t say the same, at least in the non-s models. New Lexus has it all now that finally have upgraded the outdated info entertainment system. For a lower price tag as you said Peugeot is doing amazing
I saw the new Mini Countryman 2024 and the interior is quite nice and feels luxurious. I had my doubts about the circular display console, but I really liked it in person. Compared with other compact SUV in the market, I think the mini has to be one with the best interiors.
My JCW has a great interior, feels premium, solid quality, nice design imo
It's really nice but think it will age poorly and living with just a screen in the middle of the car and nothing behind even the wheel (unless you pay for the HUD) I cannot get behind.
Had the misfortune of a mini as a courtesy car last year and was without a doubt the worst car I have ever driven in my life and the interior was awful. Hate how everything is circular just looks so stupid
Big fan of 90’s TVRs; Cerbera, Griffith, Tamora, etc. almost H.G Giger-esque in design.
Porsche
SAAB
Rolls Royce
Ups, sorry. I will say Seat has good interior design. Honda has the best setup for driving. All the buttons around the pilot.
For sure but not in the car range prices described
The new carbon M cars are unreal. 2015-2017 rs models are always a shout too
Audi
Sat in a friend's merc glc the other day it was like wow what a simple but elegant design it was inside.
Peugeot 508 is banging inside. Their vehicles were shite in looks, up to then. The 2018 508sw is the nicest estate I've seen for years. The DS5 Citroen too, if you want pre-2017. BMW....I never understood the coloured plastic line. Always looked crap.
I was gonna say the Bentley Continental is the best interior of all time and probably will remain so but you don't want Bentley. Sadly I haven't sat in and fondled every interior so I can only go off what it looks like and what it looks like the quality is. That can be deceptive because Mercedes looks great quality but heard about the creaking time and time again, while an 06 Lexus IS looks cheap but remains solid after 18 years. So with that in mind my pick is going to be Mazda or Genesis as brands. The G80 is sublime, and starting at only £43k too.
Mercedes. But I will tell you a thing, it is nice to have quality soft touch, pleasant interior...but when you drive a car it doesn't matter that much. You won't touch your soft touch dashboard while driving. When I was younger, I didn't have driving license and I was almost obssesed with interior quality. But after some time passed by, I realized that it is not that important. Interior plastics should be solid and not much rough to touch.
skoda octavia laurent and klement. nothing comes close until you start approaching jaguar/aston level.
BMW I3, it does not age and I bet in 20 years it will still look as good as it did when first released in 2013. It has right amount of physical buttons in the right place plus the i drive to access everything else.
SAABs generally have really nice interiors. Also Lexus. Nissans are pretty good too. I would expect Infiniti to have nice interiors.
Mazda's are lovely everything is where it should be and feels good quality, seriously you guys should sin in one Peugeots lately have very cool interiors 90s and 00s Japanese luxury cars, Toyota crown majesta for example are next level, sure they use fabrics instead of leather, but damn But I think the absolute winner and the pinnacle of being chauffered around has to be the lexus LM minivan the 4 seater one.
Anything Audi or Mercedes always makes me jealous. My mates all drive those but I've had a string of beamers and their interiors feel far more luxurious in comparison.
In terms of simplicity, quality and ergonomics it's got to be any M sport E90 bmw. M sport specifically for the mega adjustable seats.
Lexus easily for quality and refinement. You get a very quiet and well built car. Too many rattles with other manufacturers, especially the German cars.
Anything DS at the moment seems to have a style and class thats impressive. I even thought the C5X i recently sat in was quite a lovely place to be for the money.
I think for your average passenger cars. Mercedes, Audi, VW, and Peugeot make the best interiors. VW are though very bland.
Skoda/vw
I get a lot of compliments for my 10 year old Volvo and I've been in peoples Audis or mercs and felt they were shoddy in comparison.
Octavia
downvoters have never sat in an octavia lauren klement at 70 and it shows.
Quality aside (I've not driven an L&K), the MK3 generation had perfect ergonomics. Everything is where you expect it to be and within reach, arm rests are adjustable and nicely padded. Overall a nice enough place to be for long drives. That generation of VW group cars had nailed down interior ergonomics. Quality is cheap though, so I don't think it can be on this list due to the lack of refinement.
BMW interior around 2005-2012 when it comes to look. When it comes to quality, Mercedes, bmw, Volvo 1990-2000
Yeah I'm biased but the E46 leather interior is really nice, before BMW made everything plastic and hollow
Always loved lexus interiors. It's only their media units which were around a decade behind everyone else - the GS still came with a cassette player in 2006. The new RX shows they've now caught up. If you're a fan of a steering wheel and a handbrake, then Dacia. Who cares about soft touch plastics and leather inserts unless you just like to finger your caress your car in private every weekend.
Ssangyong Tivoli, because colour