History is full of cars that have so much going for them. These cars might look great, be reliable, or even be properly fast, but for some reason, the automaker just whiffed it when it came to the interior. What great car is let down by its interior?
The impetus for this Autopian Asks is a battle I’ve had within myself for years now. I consider myself to be a pretty big fan of the Chevrolet Corvette. To me, a Corvette is an ‘I made it’ car right alongside an early Audi R8 V10. One of my favorite Corvettes is perhaps everyone else’s least favorite, the C4.
Many years ago, when I was a kid, I found myself in a U-Haul ‘Neighborhood Dealer.’ While my parents were busy signing a rental agreement on a truck, I was drawn to the Corvette in the middle of the small building. It was a red C4 convertible with a tan top and a matching tan interior. This one was early enough to have the C4’s trick digital dash. It was love at first sight.
As an adult, my feelings have changed. I keep seeing cheap early Corvette C4s for sale, and I always end up stopping just short of pulling the trigger. As much as I dig the digital dash, the rest of the dashboard of the early C4 just turns me off. I think it’s the square-ness of it all.
Take a look:
So, my Corvette ambitions have changed since I was a kid. I know I cannot afford a C6 right now, so I’m now finding myself looking at later C4s with the refreshed dashboard, as well as C5s.
For a more modern car, my pick would be the Chevrolet HHR. I stand firm on my belief that the HHR was one of GM’s greatest, most underrated regular cars. I also think it’s better than most versions of the Chrysler PT Cruiser. I had an HHR in my fleet once, and it regularly got better than 30 mpg, and it was as trustworthy as an old family dog. Something I adored about the HHR was its flat roof. Combined with its fold-flat seats that were level with the load floor, the HHR made for a brilliant budget camper.
So, I say what I’m about to say with a bunch of love. The HHR’s interior was a huge demerit to how awesome it was. The A-pillars were large enough to obscure multiple pedestrians in them, and nearly every touchpoint was rough, pebbled plastic.
This was something that the PT Cruiser managed to do better. Its interior was also miles of plastic, but Chrysler’s plastic felt a bit more pleasing to touch and look at. Still, the HHR was a great car, and if money were no object, I’d take an HHR SS and have someone cover the plastic in vinyl or suede or something.
Now, I must choose a different brand here because I don’t mean to be picking on General Motors here. Look, I love GM enough to have bought one of its buses! The other vehicle that I keep stopping myself from buying because of its interior is the early second-generation Dodge Ram. I love the music of a Cummins 5.9, and I adore the mini big rig looks. But it all falls apart the moment I get in the cab of an early one.
I suppose there’s nothing specifically wrong with the interior; it just doesn’t make my heart flip like the exterior does. I don’t know, maybe I’m expecting such a bold truck to have a bit more spice inside. I dislike the Ram’s interior so much that, when a friend offered to sell me a rust-free Ram Cummins for $5,000, I passed. The guy who bought that truck experienced a transmission failure almost immediately after buying it, so I guess I dodged a bullet. But I wasn’t even concerned about the transmission. If someone made an old Cummins with a newer interior, I’d probably be all over it!
What about you? What really great vehicle was let down by its interior?
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