Luxury

[Kieran]

This is an odd one, but I've felt this about all three of my Galants.... They're not posh enough inside!! :inquisiti

To me, the Leather interior I've got is nice..... But it all feels a bit....Well, not exactly *cheap*, but 'built to a price' shall we say? /yes

My idea of ultimate Luxury would be a C-Specification Toyota Celsior (the Japanese Lexus LS400 - makes the UK version look cheap!) or similar, to give you an idea.... And, more specifically, my gripes with the 8G Galant/Legnum are:

Far too much NVH - Particularly Road noise.
Nice seats, let down by no electrics (You UK leather V6-24 peeps can chuckle now!!)
Cheap looking door cards and dashboard plastics
Not enough toys to keep me busy!

I'm not really looking for suggestions as such on this (but they're welcome, as long as they're not the usual 'just drive it' rubbish that some members like to suggest ;)); I imagine most people find the interior quite acceptable - and it's very much down to personal taste... But what does anyone else think? :inquisiti

[The Vee]

Have to be honest, I particularly like the interior of mine. The biggest let down for me has always been the road noise despite my best efforts to reduce it. I do agree on the door cards to be fair. Whilst they're very durable, tis an awful lot of plastic for a "luxury" car

[Wodjno]

I'm not really looking for suggestions as such on this (but they're welcome, as long as they're not the usual 'just drive it' rubbish that some members like to suggest ;)); :inquisiti

"LEARN TO DRIVE FOR REAL THEN"

/pan :evil2: :lipsrseal /Hyper :skull: :toilet:

[I-S]

Agreed on road noise. However, wind noise is lower than things like the passat, but the current primera is a good benchmark for ride, noise and refinement in the class.

I still want an LS400 mk 4... the best looking of the LS saloons, first with a 5 speed box and touch screen sat nav but with the sleeker profile of the 400 series (vs the bulkier 430s). Surprisingly cheap to buy, and probably no more expensive to run than the VR4.... not quite the same to drive though.

[Nick Mann]

I think the toy thing is a valid point. Given some spare cash I would look into doing a BDA MMCS thing (but hopefully a bit more reliable - lol!) with all the stereo & dvd functions plus sat nav, bullet cams etc. I would imagine that you could do some kind of engine monitoring with it too - similar to the gubbins you had in Hordak. All the power accessories are there - and you could swap for power leather seats when you find some - so I think the toys problem is gadgets rather than anything else.

[Kieran]

Still very much /Hmmm :book: :huh2: on this one.... Ideas are gestating - for the moment I am imagining that I have won the lottery to help the ideas flow.

I'm thinking that some Dynamat Extreme will help NVH without harming weight too much.

As for the rest of it, I'm still struggling. In an ideal world, I would gut a top-spec Mitsu Diamante (something like a 30R-SE) and fit what I can, or I would get hold of an old dash and fibreglass up a mold to give it some contours, space for gauges and more of a 'cockpit' feel.... /Hmmm

Dunno why I'm posting this, other than to get the ideas out my head and onto paper, and maybe someone's seen something similar done?

[ariddell]

I wouldn't bother with a Diamante if i were you, from all the pics that i have seen and from a Verada that i drove for a while when i lived out in Australia they are still palaces of plastic with a brief insert of equally plastic tree and some slightly concerning apparently ruberised cow...

Now if you want a proper classy interior you could have a look at the dash etc from something like a Jag XJ8. Proper wood (including a very large plank that looked like it would fly at your head if the passanger airbag ever went off) and completely wrapped in leather. Likely to be a complete nightmare to modify and fit but then i suspect that would also be true of the one from a Diamante, different hardpoints/width etc etc.

You could never tell i still miss my Jag ehh? :embarasse

[ritch_w]

of the three galants i'v had the v6-24 has to be the most luxurious, been thinking about what could be done to improve it so heres my thoughts;

* dash and plastic facia covered in a fine leather of similar colour (not bright gawdy colours)
* change leather power heated seats for leather recaro power multi function jobbies
* additional sound proofing - but standard aint bad (found standard wheels/tyres quieter than 17s). carpet underlay is great for this, and cheap - but would it be too heavy. made a massive imporvement on mazda323 i had that was ridiculously noisy...
* not bothered about toys as i drive the car :evil2: but additional guages / fuel computer type thingy would be good as long as was fitted to look factory
* dvd player to shut the kids up :thumbsup:
* real carbon fibre trim to replace the plastic bonsai

cant think of anything else..... back to work then :embarasse

[Kieran]

Hmmm! Interesting feedback - Cheers Guys! :chugchug:

Al - What year was the diamante you had in Aus? Was it a pre-1996?

[ariddell]

Al - What year was the diamante you had in Aus? Was it a pre-1996?

It was a 2001 (KJ) Verada XI 3.5, drove it as a courtesy car for about a month while my 5.7 v8 Holden SS was in having some major surgery after an unfortunate meeting with a tram. Now that was a car and a half... :evil2:

The Verada was all well and good but front wheel drive really spoiled it & i just don't think the Japanese get how to make a nice interior, no matter how refined they make it even in the highest end cars it is still generally a wall of plastic with some wood tacked into it, and generally not very woody wood at that. The Toyota Celsior that drove us in to the city from Narita airport when i was out in Japan last month was lovely, but still didn't have the same feeling of being special inside as my Jag did.

Found a couple of pics of one the same as i drove if they're any use to ya for interior comparison etc....

Al

[I-S]

Kieran - let me know how you go with the dynamat. If I could cut road-noise on my gls I'd be happy (ok, the KH15s have gone a little way towards it).

It was nice and quiet when I came home from B&Q in february with 20 rolls of loft insulation stuffed into it. Unfortunately it makes a bit of a dent in the practicality...

[Brunty]

This is an odd one, but I've felt this about all three of my Galants.... They're not posh enough inside!! :inquisiti

To me, the Leather interior I've got is nice..... But it all feels a bit....Well, not exactly *cheap*, but 'built to a price' shall we say? /yes

.....

Far too much NVH - Particularly Road noise.
Nice seats, let down by no electrics (You UK leather V6-24 peeps can chuckle now!!)
Cheap looking door cards and dashboard plastics
Not enough toys to keep me busy!


Agree entirely - I think the leather in the VR4s feels particularily cheap, and the lack of heating in the front seats is a real shame. The road noise was the very first thing I noticed having collected my VR4 (and indeed commented on in one of my first posts).

Aside from subtle performance mods, if I had the money I would be spending it on improving the interior almost exactly in line with your comments above.

Although I do prefer a dark cabin to one with bright dials and gauges all over the place - the dashboard is already great in this respect - and my VR4 is developing a nice dim grey/blue glow from the CD Headunit and phone kit LCD screen.

[WildCards]

I don't think the Japs can make a quality interior. When Hondas new Accord was released I read many magazines giving top marks for the quality of the interior but I don't rate it against its competition.
I suppose you can't have everything unless you spend £50,000 plus, even then you might not.
If reliability and performance isn't enough, get a games console/DVD plumbed in to keep you entertained, I'm sure Wodjno can supply you with a hard drive stacked full of games!

[Kieran]

I don't think the Japs can make a quality interior. When Hondas new Accord was released I read many magazines giving top marks for the quality of the interior but I don't rate it against its competition...

I think I'm in the minority here - I think the Japanese interpretation of what classes as a 'Luxury' interior can be absolutey right (as per my reference to the Toyota Celsior, and the Soarer to some degree).

Interesting about the new Accord - We got invited to the preview about 2 years ago (we still had the Accord Coupe at the time) and I thought it was very plush indeed (especially the 2.4 Exec).

This subject is starting to bite my @ss - not that I'm fed up of it, just that I need to start making changes pretty soon I think!! /yes

[enigma]

How does the intrior of the Woodhouse-Nottingham train compare?

[pagan]

japs can do a really quality interior, you are just looking at the wrong cars.

for me european cars interior is way cheaper, less sofisticated and thought after then the japanese put in their cars! however, you dont see the cars or particular configurations i'm talking about because they dont get imported from japan. and forget those japanese cars made in europe, they lack half of the stuff japs put for themself.

i always felt sorry for those driving non JDM japanese cars :)

[KiwiTT]

What I may like to improve on is

1) A top quality ICE system.
2) Relevant gauges for key components
(Temperature, Battery, Boost)
3) Semi-Sports seats, i.e. a little more supportive when driving harder than normal.

[Kieran]

Yes, yes.... This is all good.

I will be raiding my (quickly getting out of hand! :embarasse ) collection of car brochures and picking the ideas I like the most - then it will be a case of seeing how easily they can be Legnumified!

I do agree with all of those points Richard - Especially the gauges and the Sports seats - the side bolsters don't help much do they!! /help

[WildCards]

japs can do a really quality interior, you are just looking at the wrong cars.

for me european cars interior is way cheaper, less sofisticated and thought after then the japanese put in their cars! however, you dont see the cars or particular configurations i'm talking about because they dont get imported from japan. and forget those japanese cars made in europe, they lack half of the stuff japs put for themself.

i always felt sorry for those driving non JDM japanese cars :)

Indeed I have no experience whatsoever of JDM vehicles, only the UK ones, in retrospect, my comments were a little blinkered, with reference to not driving a JDM car, that is something i'm trying to sort out. Don't rush me!

Kieran, plush yes, but a quality interior is more than luxury itself. I'm sorry to say it but the high end BMW's have a far greater 'feel' to them than any other car i've been in recently (I know I need to get out more), in terms of luxury, well fitted panels, buttons/knobs, ergonomics and the like.


Steve

[ariddell]

So what's the conscensus on this then for example?

Classy or tacky?

To me it just looks like a dogs dinner, too much shiny wood and plasticy looking leather... I'd be expecting it to come with optional leopard skin furry dice and tisue boxes on the back shelf.

[I-S]

I always thought the LS400 (yes, I know it's a celsior in the pic, but same diffs...) was a little overdone on the wood. However, a Mk 4 4.0 (like that in the pic) is still the car I want.

If you want a classy, quality interior....

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/roadtests/firstdrive/2005/aston.martin.db9/aston.martin.db9.int.500.jpg

None better.

[I-S]

Now, I accept that the above isn't exactly mass market, and barely mass production...

So, imo this is the classiest interior that the Celsior is up against:

http://www.parkers.co.uk/imagecache/file/590/archive/Jaguar/XJ%20(03-)/XJ_45_01.jpg

[KiwiTT]

Hmmm ... I do like the look of that interior Isaac.

[Kieran]

Hmmm - I must have odd taste!!! :inquisiti

The picture that Arridel posted - Far too black and the wood is way overdone - a lighter interior and less wood please!

As for Issac's....... I know I will get shot for such blasphemy, but here goes... /help

The Aston - Yuck! Looks like something an Ikea designer would come up with! All 'designer' and 'trendy'.

The Jaguar - Ummm..... Looks cramped and fussy - and to my eye there's no real cohesion to the design. Looks like an upmarket Rover 75.

[WildCards]

Pictures don't do either car justice, as the AM looks rather plasticy, and while the materials and fitment look good quality in the Jag, it looks very old fashioned. But i guess that is the market they are aiming at isn't it.

Both cars would cost in excess of £40/£50k when new though.

[Pete M]

Just for comparison, this is the interior of a Jag the same as mine (1984 V12 Vanden Plas). I've had mine since 1993, it's like an old friend.

[AllBeItMine]

http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2005/2005-Pagani-Zonda-F-n-Interior-1920x1440.jpg

[WildCards]

The seats in that Zonda look awesome.

[I-S]

It's schizophrenic though... the quilted red leather and wood are completely incongrous with the carbon fibre and aluminum.

I don't like that, nor the SLR which similarly has a huge logo across the centre console.... If a car has made that big a dent in my wallet I think I would have some idea as to what I'm driving, and don't need reminding. It's indicative of the modern "designer" culture where you take a normal piece of clothing, write "Gucci" across it and sell it for three times as much money, rather than the clothes themselves being special in design. Not that the SLR and Zonda aren't special in design... but I think the designers need to recognise that and be discreet about branding.

The jag design is clearly evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The point about it is that while on the Lexus you have over-bright fake wood sprayed at every possible surface as something of an afterthought, the jaguar uses it in a "structural" way that is reminiscent of the jags of old.

[ariddell]

The Aston would be great were it not for all the Volvo switchgear....

The Jag i think is spot on but then i'm biased and thankfully only being 5ft8 i've always been a perfect fit in them...

Never really had a strong opinion on the Zonda as a whole but the interior def looks overdone.

Oh, and good to see i'm not the only one with an S3 Jag, same interior on my 86 XJ6 except mine has black leather... When i took the dash out a while back it is actually a full length solid lump of walnut polished and thinly laminated, none of this plastic reproduction rubbish! Those were the days.. :)

[I-S]

"All the volvo switchgear" totalling the door mirror direction controller.... In that respect it's far better than the Continental GT which has lifted the Phaeton/Touareg interior almost wholesale.

[ariddell]

Plus the headlight switch, satnav system, airvents, the 4 buttons on the centre console and probably a couple of other bits too...

But then there's a fair bit of Ford parts bin stuff in the Jag too, the Mondeo window switches in my XJ8 really used to annoy me.

[Nick Mann]

What are the bollock-warmer things in the Zonda's seats? :rolleyes4 /pan

[ariddell]

What are the bollock-warmer things in the Zonda's seats? :rolleyes4 /pan

Inbuilt sprinklers to clean off any brown stripes caused by overentusiastic cornering...
/yes

[Brunty]

What are the bollock-warmer things in the Zonda's seats? :rolleyes4 /pan

I don't know , but when I'm rich and famous my passengers can adjust their own! /pan

[The Vee]

What are the bollock-warmer things in the Zonda's seats? :rolleyes4 /pan

Well if that's where yours rest then I take my hat off to you sir!!!

But back to thread, for me, think the Jags have always crafted an interior to be admired :thumbsup:

[psbarham]

its funny me and the soon to be ex boss were talking about exactly the same thing yesterday he has a 5 series beemmer (same shape as Ian's ) which doesn't have to bad an interior , but he went for a test drive in a new shape 5 the other day and hated the interior , he is a committed (or should be ) German car fan but even he agreed with me when i said that the best interior of any car was a jag XJ , its like a gentleman's club all leather and wood :happy:

[WildCards]

Well if that's where yours rest then I take my hat off to you sir!!!

Priceless /haz the other half is wondering why i'm pi$$ing myself at the computer. She wouldn't get it.