Is it just me, or do American cars just feel cheap inside?

[franksta]

Originally posted by: RiDE
I'm not a dash stroker so I don't really care either way.

Same. As long as the steering wheel doesn't block the instrumentation the rest of the dashboard doesn't much bother me. I don't find myself spending any time plastigaging the gaps between panels.

 

[exdeath]

Yup, thats always been my complaint about American cars. Thats why before I was more interested in a Porsche Boxster S before, I'm a sucker for stitched leather and brushed aluminum accents.

But after driving a Camry for years and being picked on one too many times, it occurred to me that interior touches and how many exotic animals died to make my seats doesn't matter when you wish you had more power. The last straw I found myself staring at my instrument cluster thinking: I don't care anymore, I'd be happy if THIS car had 400+ HP, screw what the gauges look like.

I'd love to see it improve though. I've always hated that you could sit in our beloved Z06 and not be sure if you were sitting in a Z06 or a Cavalier with that similar Armoral wiped black plastic and vinyl.

Going by the GTO and the G8 though, Malibu, etc, I have much hope. I could mistake the new G8 for a Acura or Infiniti as far as the interior goes (and the rest of the car too). Very nice job there. Even I, who go through great lengths to shoot down undeserved anti-American bias, have always had this image in my head of Pontiacs being cheap dull plastic economy cars, but that is changing almost overnight with the new Pontiacs I keep seeing.

Lets hope it propagates to everything else as well.

 

[theeedude]

Silverado interior sure looks more upscale than Tundra.

 

[jdoggg12]

Originally posted by: exdeath
Yup, thats always been my complaint about American cars. Thats why before I was more interested in a Porsche Boxster S before, I'm a sucker for stitched leather and brushed aluminum accents.

But after driving a Camry for years and being picked on one too many times, it occurred to me that interior touches and how many exotic animals died to make my seats doesn't matter when you wish you had more power. The last straw I found myself staring at my instrument cluster thinking: I don't care anymore, I'd be happy if THIS car had 400+ HP, screw what the gauges look like.

I'd love to see it improve though. I've always hated that you could sit in our beloved Z06 and not be sure if you were sitting in a Z06 or a Cavalier with that similar Armoral wiped black plastic and vinyl.

Going by the GTO and the G8 though, Malibu, etc, I have much hope. I could mistake the new G8 for a Acura or Infiniti as far as the interior goes (and the rest of the car too). Very nice job there. Even I, who go through great lengths to shoot down undeserved anti-American bias, have always had this image in my head of Pontiacs being cheap dull plastic economy cars, but that is changing almost overnight with the new Pontiacs I keep seeing.

Lets hope it propagates to everything else as well.

I think you and I are pretty much on the same page... i'll have to check out the new G8, i know every other pontiac i've been in has been... not appealing to me, but i hope this one changes that.

 

[XZeroII]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
I test drove a G6 after I got my Altima... I'm still very happy with my choice.

G6 is a mid-sized car that is Pontiac's lower end car. The Altima is Nissan's big luxury car. Apples 2 Oranges. You'd better like your Altima more.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: XZeroII

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
I test drove a G6 after I got my Altima... I'm still very happy with my choice.

G6 is a mid-sized car that is Pontiac's lower end car. The Altima is Nissan's big luxury car. Apples 2 Oranges. You'd better like your Altima more.

Altima: 18k-28k MSRP
G6: 18k-29k MSRP

Maxima is Nissan's flagship sedan starting at 28K

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi

Originally posted by: themisfit610
I still prefer my 97 Camry, as its interior is very comfortable and extremely relaxing - but that's partially my own bias. She's my baby

~MiSfit

Beyond your own bias...........I agree 110%. My '98 Camry still feels new! I have yet to still feel a car as much ahead of the curve in relaxation, comfort, road isolation as my '98 Camry.

I will admit that some plastics are nicer than others, but this is about the overall *feel* of the car (including interior).

To me, the American cars still just suck donkey. (blue whale?)

I love the latest commercial about the Ford Fusion. They put an AWD Fusion up against the best Toyota & Honda could come up with. (PSA TO FORD ----------> THE OTHER TWO DON'T MAKE AN AWD VERSION OF THE CAR 'CUZ IF THEY DID IT WOULD KICK YOUR FUCKSION'S ASS ALL TO HELL & BACK!!)

Even with the '07 Camry's V-6 tranny prob & supposed "cheap interior" (and believe me I test drove two different '07 Camry's the day they hit the lot & didn't find this to be true) fit & finish.............I'd take a Camry every day of the week & twice on Sunday over any comparably priced American car.

Ford Fusion will = Ford Taurus soon. Just check out their resale value in a few years. :thumbsdown:

Our '01 Camry rattles horribly...it sounds like it's falling apart, but with out 80,000 miles on it.

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: mcturkey
Go testdrive a new Chevy Malibu, Pontiac G6, Saturn Aura, Buick Enclave, Chevy Silverado, Chevy Impala, or any of the GM fullsize SUVs or crossovers. Ford and Chrysler still have a ton of work to do, but any conclusion about "cheapness" or build quality of American vehicles better be based on current models, because the stuff coming out of GM for the past 2-3 years is so much better than the past that it's totally unfair to assume it's the same as a 1990's GM vehicle.

And if you'll note, when it comes to long term reliability, Toyota isn't bulletproof anymore. They've grown way too fast for their own good, and quality is what it once was. That's not to say they're junk, just that the difference between a GM and Toyota (when it comes to initial quality and long-term reliability) is heading the opposite way of what it was a decade ago, and has been for a couple of years; just perception hasn't yet caught up to reality. Toyota's entire sales effort seems to be based on fuel economy (to which they do not hold much of an advantage, if any, for most classes) and quality (which is, per the latest numbers, not as good as it was). Their vehicles are getting uglier (subjective) every year and interior design is seemingly uninspired. Not one of their models is remotely sporty (Scion and Lexus excluded), so in the end, if more folks realize that Toyota isn't the only place for quality vehicles or good fuel economy, their sales will plummet.

To generalize a national industry based upon older specific models that make up a small percentage of total industry sales is a bit foolish. Like saying that since the GameCube didn't sell well, Japanese consoles will never do well again.

You say that until you drive an F-150, damn nice interior. Upgraded Fusion interiors aren't bad either. I'll take a Fusion's interior over a new craptastic Camry interior.
My cloth backpack scratched a Camry door panel. No, I am not kidding.
The Edge wouldn't be bad if it didn't have a whole acre of real estate for a dash.

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi

Originally posted by: themisfit610
I still prefer my 97 Camry, as its interior is very comfortable and extremely relaxing - but that's partially my own bias. She's my baby

~MiSfit

Beyond your own bias...........I agree 110%. My '98 Camry still feels new! I have yet to still feel a car as much ahead of the curve in relaxation, comfort, road isolation as my '98 Camry.

i can say the same about my 96 camry. well built no rattle and drives like new, all 125 HP of it feels better than any new cobalt, g6, ion i've driven in the past few years, maybe just because of the fact they were rentals but that doesnt change the fact that their interiors still blew chunks compared to my lowly camry :thumbsdown:
i've said it before, it's sad when the big three can't even replicate the ride of a 11 year old vehicle. stop feeding us post 9/11 patriotism and give us cars that are actually worthy of purchasing :roll:

 

[mcturkey]

Originally posted by: evident

i can say the same about my 96 camry. well built no rattle and drives like new, all 125 HP of it feels better than any new cobalt, g6, ion i've driven in the past few years, maybe just because of the fact they were rentals but that doesnt change the fact that their interiors still blew chunks compared to my lowly camry :thumbsdown:
i've said it before, it's sad when the big three can't even replicate the ride of a 11 year old vehicle. stop feeding us post 9/11 patriotism and give us cars that are actually worthy of purchasing :roll:

I believe the problem with the G6 is that certain models have different interiors. I don't remember the exact breakdown, but basically the lower trims (which almost always go to rentals) are pretty bad, whileas the higher ones (GTP?) are much nicer. Cobalt and Ion both were uncompetitive when released many years ago, and need total overhauls. If, however, you look beyond economy cars in rental fleets, you'll find a very different GM. Not all their cars are great, but the number of great or at least solid ones is beginning to outnumber the duds like Cobalt and Ion.

Also, what exactly do you mean by post-9/11 patriotism? At the risk of getting totally off-topic, I've got to say I'm a bit bothered by the number of people who seem to think that displays of patriotism are only because of 9/11. Get a memory longer than six years!

 

[Pacfanweb]

It's you, OP.

The public perception has for years been that Jap cars are of better quality, and after that became the public's perception, all of a sudden everyone also thought that they looked "more refined", and "less cheap" than domestics. And in the late 80's to the mid-90's, that was certainly the case, to a point.

But to say a car "just feels cheap", and all the other descriptions I see, well, that's just a perception. You've been conditioned over a number of years to think this way, so you do. Simple as that.

I can assure you that if you disassemble the interior of a Camry, Accord, and a Taurus, you'll see that there is no difference in "quality" of the components, and there is nothing "cheap" about the Domestic.
In fact, if you stripped all 3 cars down to the bare shell, you'll see they each is practically the same...the only real difference is the powertrain, and I'd fully expect a well-maintained domestic to last at least as long as its Japanese contemporary.

I didn't include any of the Euro cars, because they are mostly considered "upper-end" cars and shouldn't really be comparable, although their overall reliability and cost of ownership is not good.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
Ford Fusion will = Ford Taurus soon. Just check out their resale value in a few years. :thumbsdown:

The new Taurus is the old 500. The 500 is as good as any Camry ever made, and so is the Fusion.

They are having almost NO trouble out of either line, compared to the first couple years of the old Tauruses. Same with the Edge.
Warranty work is WAY down, while Toyota and Honda's is WAY up. That tells me a lot.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I look inside my dad's 05 camry and meh... it's alright. Nothing fancier/more refined than even my old 93 taurus really (more modern looking but that's about it). And I personally prefer the interior of my 98 camaro over the camry, of course it might be just because I don't care as much and I know my camaro would leave his camry in the dust, and I only have a 3.8L V6

Then you look inside my mom's chrysler pacifica and it looks nicer than either my dad's camry or my Camaro - but who woulda thunk it

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
I look inside my dad's 05 camry and meh... it's alright. Nothing fancier/more refined than even my old 93 taurus really (more modern looking but that's about it). And I personally prefer the interior of my 98 camaro over the camry, of course it might be just because I don't care as much and I know my camaro would leave his camry in the dust, and I only have a 3.8L V6

Then you look inside my mom's chrysler pacifica and it looks nicer than either my dad's camry or my Camaro - but who woulda thunk it

if they have the 4banger, the v6 in the new camry is faster than more cars out there

 

[Ktulu]

The only difference I can tell between the older foreign cars vs. American cars are the use of soft touch materials. My wifes 2001 civic has an area of nice soft touch, but it rattles worse than my Silverado and has more broken or worn out interior components than my truck. BTW, we use my truck far more than her car. I would say it's more of an issue of perception.