Quote:
Originally Posted by WJGreer
People all think that since the Mustang is a new model, Ford will deliver it with a different level of fit and finish than anything they've done before. It is nice that they are moving to a modern rear axle arrangement - but I do expect the interior and the overall level of refinement to still be of a Ford. There's nothing wrong with that - I own and love an Explorer myself.
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The problem with this theory is that the prices of Mustangs have stayed pretty consistent in relationship to other cars in the same market. Without pricing themselves upmarket, the interior in the Mustang has improved quite a bit since 2010.
This isn't just a Ford thing, look at how the interiors of Hyundais and some GM cars have improved in comparison to their market competitors. I also find myself in rental cars ALL THE TIME and there are some rental cars with surprisingly nice (Kia) and not-so-surprisingly garbage (basically anything Chrysler except Jeep) interiors. Car interiors aren't necessarily improving because automakers are sinking more money into interiors, they're improving because technology is improving and it's a lot easier to make a good-looking interior with synthetic materials than it was 20 years ago.
I was in a rental Fusion (w/ leather, sunroof) a month or so ago and I can say for 100% certain that the interior of that car was more modern, more comfortable, and had just as many expensive soft-touch surfaces than the F30 328 service loaner I'd driven recently.
Bottom line: BMW (and Audi) are getting lazy. Their A4/S4 and 3-series/M3 interiors have taken a significant turn for the worse since the B6 and E46 days. As unimpressive as the F30 interior is, the new S4 interior is even worse. The styling and design is well done but the car is full of hard, cheap, shiny plastic. Completely unacceptable from Audi.