Ward’s Automotive, tastemaker for the car interior design industry, has recently announced 36(!) nominees for its Car Interior of the Year Award.
You didn’t know this award existed? Neither did we.
What’s next? Car Bumper Design of the Year sponsored by Pep Boys? What do auto writers really know about design anyway?
Well, to put this award to the test, we decided to peruse the auspicious list of nominees this year. With 36 entrants, we were left to wonder if anyone had been left off the list.
Without further adieu, here is a partial listing of some of the more “questionable” nominees along with appropriate commentary. While we love a good awards show, we are just left to wonder if Cameron Diaz would really be interested in opening the envelope for “Best Car Interior Under $29,000.”
Best Sports Car Interior
(Subaru Impreza WRX STI and Mitsubishi EVO X) – Did no one bother to look at the interior of a Porsche, a Mazda RX-8, or even a Corvette for Pete’s sake? If the plastics on the insides of these two got any cheaper, they would be used as lids for your Big Gulp at 7-Eleven.
Economy Car Interior
(Ford Focus, Chevrolet Aveo, and Mazda5) – We may need a defibrillator to revive us if either the Focus or Aveo wins the award. Or maybe we shouldn't: both have climbed up in quality recently. Uh, huh.
Popular Priced Car ($17,000-$29,000)
(Toyota Corolla, Suzuki SX4, Scion XD) – So, we are calling the use of the same shade of industrial grey design nowadays? At least the Scion has an interesting speedometer--its one redeeming and unique characteristic.
Premium Priced Car (over $30,000)
(Acura TSX, Honda Accord, Jaguar XF) – While we realize Ward’s may not attend the premiere of the fall fashions in Milan, there is no hope if they cannot see the beauty and revolutionary style of the interior the new XF.
Popular Priced Trucks (under $34,000)
(Ford Escape, Nissan Murano, Mazda CX-9) – The Ford Escape? Should be tried and the America concept replace it stat. The Murano is nice, but the CX-9 has style beyond its price point. Advantage: CX-9 Premium Priced Trucks (Over $34,000)
(Buick Enclave, Infiniti EX35) – We don’t really think that using huge amounts of plasti-chrome qualifies as "styling". Bye, bye, Buick. The wood's nice, though. The Infiniti, on the other hand, has a suit coat hanger that comes out of the headrest of the front seat! How cool is that? While the Infiniti may just look like a shrunken FX, it is by far the more cohesive looking design. And where's the Lexus RX? Finally realizing that's old school compared to even Buick?
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