Recently back from a last minute holiday with a friend, we went to the airport in his 09 Tiguan. It was 90 minutes each way, but felt longer! Black seats, black dash, black door panels, shiny black carpet. No glass sunroof to lighten the ambience. Just awful. The Tiguan itself was inoffensive. Ideal for his requirements. Towing stuff, carrying bikes, lots of sailing kit etc. but it was like being in a coal mine.
Not even shades of Black or grey.
|
|
That's the last time I'll be giving you a lift, Mate. You can make it to the airport and back under your own steam next time...
|
Black interiors - along with I'm-a-nonconformist-too black exteriors - are the curse of modern motoring, especially for those of us who choose not to (or simply can't) order new from the factory. They've become a reason in themselves for avoiding the likes of Peugeot, Ford and Skoda, who offer little or nothing else in their punishment models except a bit of cheesy silver-painted plastic to lift the monotony by reflecting the sun into the driver's eyes; it's a reminder that you were too mean or poor to but the top model with the choice of interior colour.
It can be worse, though: BMW offers a black roof lining as an option. Even coffins are usually more cheerful inside than that. I wonder how many of the people who choose these coal cellars have all-black carpets and furniture at home.
I should note that the LEC's seats and carpets are black. Wouldn't be my first choice but there were no beige interiors where I looked and pale grey leather looks too mid-1980s for me. It's not as gloomy as I was afraid it would be, partly because the headlining is pale - and huge - but I'm still hoping to find something cheerier in the S60's replacement.
|
>> Black interiors - along with I'm-a-nonconformist-too black exteriors - are the curse of modern motoring,
>> especially for those of us who choose not to (or simply can't) order new from
>> the factory.
It's just as bad with the "premium" brands as the ones you mnetioned - try finding a used Merc or BMW that doesn't have black seats.
I also hate the cars where everything is black except light coloured seats - it looks like they couldn't be bothered to change the other stuff.
My Merc is completely light grey inside. I thoink it really lifts the interior but the salesman apologised that it wasn't black - I'm sure that helped the deal a bit!
|
Agreed - too much black can be depressing and I'd never have a black car by choice (it shows the dirt badly too).
I'm not usually one for cosmetic extras but I did specify the red inserts and piping on the otherwise black seats of my Octavia, to cheer it up a bi and match the red external paintwork. Skodas are normally not too bad for excessive black interiors, but for some reason the vRS has a black headlining - presumably because someone in a suit thought it would make it go faster.
|
>> Agreed - too much black can be depressing and I'd never have a black car by choice
>>
If I had a choice ( S/H cars) I have always bought white cars.
Exceptions have been
Triumph 2000 from a friend. Dark Green. Short lived, written off in a low speed crash. An omen?
Mondeo II - Silver. Nearest option to white but I have never seen a top spec version in white.
It has a black/wood interior. Pleased it has a sun roof that lightens the interior.It has only been opened when carrying long lengths of timber ( or to see if it still works ) .
X Type Silver/blue. Only ever seen one white X type in the UK.
Mine has a beige interior that I need to keep clean.
No sun roof so an excuse for no DIY?
When I was looking for an X Type the vast majority were black, diesel, manuals.
I assume black to be trendy and BIK had a big effect on the fuel/ manual choice.
There were very few light coloured petrol autos. The options of Xenon lights and/or sun roof
were and still are like hens teeth.
The black trend continues. X type owners changing the wood interior to piano black plus black wheels. UGH!!
|
I remember reading ages ago an article that describes BMW's near despair at the descent of its older models into what were known as 'rude BMWs', with black glass, silly wheels and overdone sound systems. I think they even tried to buy them up to take them out of circulation, till they realized it was just encouraging them.
X-types must now be old enough to sink into similar territory. I expect there are now owners who put ghetto-style covers on their golf clubs.
};---)
|
|
My A3 has the go faster black headlining (more dark grey than black) because it's an S-Line. It prefer if it didn't but no option when you opt for the S-Line trip on Audis.
|
I've just had to go out and look at the headlining in my Merc. Couldn't have told you what colour it was despite 3.5 years and 120,000 miles of sitting under it. It's black BTW.
I never look at it, preferring instead to look out of the windows.
;-)
|
|
I like dark seats. Dirt does not show...
|
>> I like dark seats. Dirt does not show...
>>
Black shows too many marks. Dingy coffee and chocolate colour with a water-stain ripple pattern is best although a little tomato ketchup fleck is acceptable.
|
|
Darkish blue is best for seats,
|
|
I don't suppose any cars have ever had denim seats? Might be an opening n the market, but I still like BMWs Coral Red leather chairs.
|
>> I don't suppose any cars have ever had denim seats?
Aye, the 205 junior had them
|
|
I remember seeing a VW Beetle with denim seats
|
|
My beige leather seats just wipe clean. Very easily in fact even if they're covered in the sort of dirt one collects about one's person when falling down mountains on bicycles. Not sure if it's some kind of "old peoples home" leather or special treatment applied to them but it's no trouble.
|
|
Maybe it's the Mercedes MB-Tex as they call it in the US. We'd call it Artico in the UK. But it's vinyl to most ;-)
|
|
It isn't, and nor is mine. Just good ol' MB rhino hide, and mine has the ruched (yeah, baby) door trims to prove it. Volvo and - I now know - BMW do leather so much more nicely than MB.
|
|
I think if it was vinyl and with the miles I do I'd have a permanently sweaty posterior. But I don't, so I suspect it isnt.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Mon 23 Mar 15 at 21:46
|
Just trying to wind him up. But MB-Tex or whatever it's called isn't that plasticky.
My brother has just ordered a fully spec'd C-Class in the US. Almost all the options but no leather. So MB-Tex. The struggle was to get a faux leather (MB-Tex) steering wheel as well. He's vegan. He looked at Audi's but no non-leather options on the cars he might have wanted.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Mon 23 Mar 15 at 22:20
|
I may have to go and sniff them now just to be sure. Under cover of darkness of course. Neighbours and so on. It's a small town.
;-)
|
Volkswagen Tiguan SUV - Dull interiors - Clk Sec
