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My past three rental cars were 2012 Subarus - 2 were Outbacks, one a Premium, one a Limited and I just returned a Forester Premium (with 777 miles when I returned it). I find the interiors bland for my taste, with alot of hard plastic, but they seem to be well assembled despite that and the controls/switches felt solid. No engine temperature gauge that I recall, which was a disappointment. Also on the Forester I just returned, the headliner looked and felt like re-cycled fiber board. Strange.
The car did average nearly 30 mpg though and felt solid.
My past three rental cars were 2012 Subarus - 2 were Outbacks, one a Premium, one a Limited and I just returned a Forester Premium (with 777 miles when I returned it). I find the interiors bland for my taste, with alot of hard plastic, but they seem to be well assembled despite that and the controls/switches felt solid. No engine temperature gauge that I recall, which was a disappointment. Also on the Forester I just returned, the headliner looked and felt like re-cycled fiber board. Strange.
The car did average nearly 30 mpg though and felt solid.
You've hit on the issue. Really, the look of an interior is completely subjective. It's about personal taste.
The problem is, many people don't have a good concept about what quality is. Push button start, bluetooth, touchscreen interface, these things are not quality. They are features. Quality is the asessment of how well things are done. Cheap plastics vs. more expensive softer materials? A feature, not a measurement of quality. And a matter of personal taste as well. To say it's good quality would involve some other evaluation such as how durable the finish is, or how well the material holds up to wear and tear.
You've hit on the issue. Really, the look of an interior is completely subjective. It's about personal taste.
The problem is, many people don't have a good concept about what quality is. Push button start, bluetooth, touchscreen interface, these things are not quality. They are features. Quality is the asessment of how well things are done. Cheap plastics vs. more expensive softer materials? A feature, not a measurement of quality. And a matter of personal taste as well. To say it's good quality would involve some other evaluation such as how durable the finish is, or how well the material holds up to wear and tear.
I agree and if you find one that is good/high quality materials, good build quality, WITH the cool and nice styling, then you really have something. Its not as easy to find these days though, but I think the American cars have improved in this area, while the Japanese models have suffered (with the exception of Lexus/Acura/Infiniti, though even those arent as grand as they once were), but the new Altima and new Camry are steps in the right direction and I think Hyundai is on the right track with the Elantra and especially the Sonata and higher end models. I hope the new '13 Nissan Sentra, '13 Honda Accord and others like the next Corolla take the next step up as well.
Unfortunately the new Subaru was BLAND, boring and had alot of hard plastics on the dash panel, however, it was well assembled. I guess 1 out of 2 is OK. lol.
Here's a good visual example of how Hyundai alone kicks Subaru's butt in the interior design department for the same class of vehicle for the most mart
2013 Crosstrek XV Limited *may or may not have digital center gauge for USA, bastards*
2013 Elantra GT SE
2013 Veloster Turbo
I think I like the Subaru interior more than the other two.
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