When Interiors Raise The Bar Or Fall Through It
Automakers love to impress, but not every cabin hits the mark. We'll start with the 13 interiors that stood out for their innovation and design, before moving on to those that left much to be desired.
Lucid Air
The Lucid Air's 34-inch curved Glass Cockpit blends driver and center displays into one 5K screen. A secondary screen, the retractable Pilot Panel, controls climate and seating. Materials include alpaca wool and eucalyptus wood. The interior was shaped with input from former aerospace designers.
Alexander-93, Wikimedia Commons
Mercedes-Benz EQS
Mercedes offers the MBUX Hyperscreen in the EQS, a 56-inch curved glass panel uniting three OLED displays. It utilizes an AI interface that adapts to the user's behavior. Optional fragrance diffusion and 64-color ambient lighting pair with a Burmester 3D audio system calibrated to driving conditions.
Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, Wikimedia Commons
BMW iX
Inside the iX, BMW combines open-pore FSC-certified wood with wool-blend fabric upholstery. A floating center console and a curved 14.9-inch display dominate the layout. Crystal toggles control core functions, and the hexagonal steering wheel enhances the visibility of the digital driver display.
Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, Wikimedia Commons
Tesla Model S Plaid
A 17-inch central touchscreen and a secondary rear display control everything from cabin temperature to streaming apps. Visibility improves with a panoramic windshield that spans deep into the roofline. The absence of physical buttons is reinforced by a steering yoke, which replaces the standard wheel.
2023 Tesla Model S Plaid Test Drive POV | Ambience Binaural Sound by SDA Dan Cars
Hyundai Ioniq 6
Drawing on 1930s streamliner design, the Ioniq 6 features a cab-forward layout and twin 12.3-inch displays. A flat bridge-style center console provides open legroom. LED ambient lighting adjusts across 64 tones, and the use of recycled PET fabric reinforces the car's commitment to sustainability.
Damian B Oh, Wikimedia Commons
Porsche Taycan
The Taycan's 16.8-inch curved display sits in a wraparound cockpit with minimal physical controls. Four digital screens replace most switches. The classic Porsche proportions remain intact, while aluminum accents add warmth and texture to a cabin driven entirely by a clean, interface design.
L.C. Nøttaasen from Sandnes, Norway, Wikimedia Commons
Kia EV6
Recycled PET upholstery and bio-based plastics reduce the EV6's environmental footprint. Lighting zones adjust their tone based on the drive mode by creating a changing ambiance. A floating center console divides the front row beneath dual 12.3-inch curved displays merged beneath one continuous glass panel.
Damian B Oh, Wikimedia Commons
Rivian R1T
Designed for rugged travel, the R1T interior features vegan leather and an edge-to-edge 15.6-inch touchscreen. Beneath the seats sits the Gear Tunnel—an enclosed pass-through for extra storage. Frequent over-the-air updates refine the software and interface usability over time.
Peugeot 3008 (Second Gen)
Ambient lighting and layered textures bring upscale character to the compact 3008. Physical toggle switches are situated within a curved, driver-centric dashboard that wraps inward. Peugeot's i-Cockpit lowers the steering wheel to improve display visibility, which places the 12.3-inch cluster high in the driver's sightline.
M 93, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Volvo EX90
A 14.5-inch vertical screen anchors the EX90's minimalist layout, natively running Google's built-in services. The interior uses Nordico, a leather-free textile made from recycled materials. Lidar sensors and radar tech are invisibly housed to monitor occupants and surroundings without cluttering the space.
Alexander-93, Wikimedia Commons
Cadillac Lyriq
Backlit laser-etched wood panels pair with AKG Studio audio to enhance the Lyriq's sensory feel. The floating console design opens space below for front-row storage flexibility. At its core is a 33-inch curved LED display that stretches seamlessly from the driver's cluster to the infotainment system.
Dinkun Chen, Wikimedia Commons
Genesis GV60
Powering on the GV60 activates the center console. A clear orb rotates to reveal the shift selector. The cabin features recycled fishing nets in the seats and bright color accents on the doors and dash. Dual screens connect to a bridge-style console for easy access to control.
Damian B Oh, Wikimedia Commons
Fisker Ocean
Fisker lines the Ocean's cabin with recycled materials, including rubber and T-shirts. "California Mode" opens all windows, including the rear ones, to simulate top-down airiness. The 17.1-inch touchscreen rotates between portrait and landscape formats based on the selected driving or display mode.
Alexander-93, Wikimedia Commons
Mitsubishi Mirage
Now, shifting to the less impressive half of this list, we begin with the Mitsubishi Mirage. Although production continues, design innovation stalled years ago, and the dashboard still features hard plastics. Combined with poor seat padding and minimal insulation, the cabin lacks modern comfort and convenience.
Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, Wikimedia Commons
Chevrolet Spark
Though discontinued after 2022, the Chevrolet Spark’s cabin felt dated from the outset. The 7-inch screen omitted native navigation, and brittle plastics dominated key surfaces. Despite mid-cycle updates, the overall interior execution failed to deliver the comfort and design expected in today's subcompact vehicles.
Nissan Versa
Despite a redesign in 2020, the Versa's cabin remains spartan. Flat seats provide minimal support for extended drives. The hard dashboard plastics and basic analog gauges feel a step behind those of rivals. Fortunately, safety technology like automatic emergency braking comes standard.
2020 Nissan Versa Exterior and Interior by Auto Gate
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport struggles to shake its aging cabin design. Hard plastics dominate the dashboard, while the infotainment screen remains smaller than those offered by many rivals. Despite updates, its interior often feels dated compared to newer subcompact crossovers.
2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 GT AWD - POV Driving Impressions by TheTopher
Toyota C-HR
Style dominated function inside the first-generation C-HR (2016–2023). Its coupe-like roofline narrowed rear visibility, while rear passengers faced tight headroom. The 8-inch screen responded slowly, and hard touchpoints along the dash and doors left the cabin feeling less refined than Toyota's newer designs.
Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, Wikimedia Commons
Fiat 500L
Oversized buttons and a vertically stacked display made the 500L's dashboard feel chaotic. The seat padding was thin, and the large pillars reduced outward visibility during city driving. Although styled for flair, the overall finish lacked cohesion, leaving the interior feeling more gimmicky than functional.
Petar Milosevic, Wikimedia Commons
Dodge Journey
Launched in 2009 and barely updated, the Journey's interior never kept pace. A dated dashboard and hollow-sounding plastic controls defined the cockpit. Even in later models, the integration of smartphone tech and driver aids remained several steps behind the market.
deathpallie325, Wikimedia Commons
Chrysler 200
Many trims of the Chrysler 200 used coarse cabin materials, and the center tunnel encroached on the front passenger space. Rear headroom was limited and seats were narrow across the board. Despite its sleek exterior, the interior never lived up to expectations in the midsize segment.
Scion TC
Targeted at younger drivers, the Scion tC came with a basic stereo and rubber-textured plastics. Its interior failed to evolve across production years. Even the 2014 refresh, which included a touchscreen, didn't address the cluttered feel or the lack of premium detail expected in the segment.
Michael Sheehan, Wikimedia Commons
Hyundai Veloster (Base Trim)
The asymmetrical design gave the Veloster its identity, but the base trim felt bare. It came with grainy displays and only a few soft surfaces. Compared to its turbocharged variants, the lower trims stripped away the flair by leaving an oddly empty-feeling cockpit.
Suzuki Kizashi
Suzuki's Kizashi delivered on handling, but its cabin disappointed. The dashboard featured matte plastic, and the touchscreen interface lacked polish. The rear seat space was tight, and the design cohesion suffered from outdated styling that didn't match the car's dynamic driving reputation.
#Handcrafted Interior #suzuki #kizashi | #vinaykapoor by Vinay Kapoor
Mazda CX-3
Though its handling was impressive, the CX-3's cabin was tight for adults in both rows. The infotainment screen was positioned far from the driver, and the rotary controls proved unintuitive. Cabin materials varied sharply by trim, with lower models feeling more economical than premium.
Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, Wikimedia Commons
