Why only high end cars offer non-black interior?
Don't think anyone would paint their living room walls as black - then why cars are mostly black interiors?
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Cost?
Cars used to be available in a wide range of paint and interior colours. It's one of the problems of restoring old cars - finding bits of the right colour, or alternatively changing the whole lot - seats, carpet, door cards, dashboard, misc trim, door handles, etc.
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>>Cost
Definitely. Also black hides a lot of grime.
I like the ambient light features in some cars (LED lights hidden in the dash and door fittings) but even these are being removed from some models to save costs.
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>> I like the ambient light features in some cars (LED lights hidden in the dash and door fittings) b
So do I - which is why the optional interior LED lightning was selected on my current car.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Sat 19 Nov 16 at 15:36
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Well black descriptions are deceptive. I have read brochures for some makes where black is really coal black but all my three Golfs including my new MK7 have had upholstery described as Titan Black but it's not black at all but a nice Charcoal grey colour or some colour between that and black.
Certainly couldn't abide a true black in its funereal dreariness and showing every bit of lint and muck.
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My choice would be red leather. I had a Jaaag many moons ago, olde Engerlish white with red leather int.
It certainly looked the part, 'specially as I lived on the 11th floor of a sowf lunden council estate at the time.
I like red, my present car is metallic garnet. I've just bought a red (burgundy) rain coat to stand a chance of being seen by sexting motorists as I walk my two dogs along the pavement-less lanes of Cornwool.
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When they launched the Rover 75 in the late 90's it could be had with the standard black or cream piped leather but a few top spec cars also came with a sort of maroon, dark blue or dark green leather which looked fantastic, especially the green as you just don't see that much, outside of top end stuff like Bentleys/Rolls.
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A lot of top-of-the-range and "premium" cars seem to be available with light colour seats dropped into an otherwise black interior. I think it looks really odd - like the couldn't be bothered to do a proper job.
My older (2005 model) C Class has a light grey interior. Pretty well everything, even down to the seat belts and steering wheel, is light grey. I think it really lifts the interior and people often comment positively about it - it looks particularly good when remote opening the car at night and all the interior lights come on.
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Standardisation of production and the associated costs savings. The more variations of a build are desirable for customers but not attractive to the accountant.
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>> A lot of top-of-the-range and "premium" cars seem to be available with light colour seats
>> dropped into an otherwise black interior. I think it looks really odd - like the
>> couldn't be bothered to do a proper job.
>>
I like a car with lighter seats, but I think that colour matching everything is going too far. The had around 10 years ago had a beige interior, and it was just too much. Seats, headlining, belts, door cards, the lot. Only the dashboard was black; it was like sitting in a bowl of custard! Though over the years we've had a variety of interiors my favourite is BMWs oyster leather (ivory-ish) with black dash/carpets/door cards etc). It was a tough call choosing it over coral red in my current car, and I still really like the idea of red! In fact, our MINI had red seats!
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>>it was like sitting in a bowl of custard!
What, like this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDh-52yv2mE
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>>
>> I like red, my present car is metallic garnet. I've just bought a red (burgundy)
>> rain coat to stand a chance of being seen by sexting motorists
Crikey Dog, you're not that desperate are you?
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>>Crikey Dog, you're not that desperate are you?
<LOL!>
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1. Black goes with most external colours, so less production variation?
2. Dirty marks from production or service don't show?
3. Dark interiors sell?
4. Less cleaning required?
I nearly bought a volvo earlier in the year, but the cream leather and light coloured carpets were marked and horrible despite the car having only done 11,000 miles. Given that it had come straight from their valeter, I decided it would be too much effort to keep it looking nice.
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As a valeter who cleans mostly high end stuff, I can tell you many of the interiors are now ivory/cream leather but with dark carpets, occasionally some of the dash is the lighter leather too.
Carpets are vastly harder to keep looking clean than leather, eventually they discolour in the areas that get the most dirt, although if you install a decent set of mats this can protect them to a great extent.
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Within recent living memory I was on the point of buying a 3 Touring in Melbourne Red with cream leather, and very pale carpet interior. I rang my ex BMW mechanic and he said nooooooo.
I keep my cars about 6+ years now, and trying to keep such an interior pristine would have been a nightmare.
My previous BMW had a mid grey leather interior, and after 6 years looked better than when I bought it ( Autoglym stuff, regular use of).
My next car will be a darkish fabric, or Coral Red leather with metallic grey paint if I get rich.
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Some years back I had an immaculate Rover Sterling 2.7 V6 (827) in a rich metallic red with a cream leather interior. It looked beautiful but was a real dog to drive. Used it as a wedding car twice, not for hire or reward, just for friends.
Very like this one www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201608126731579
Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 20 Nov 16 at 04:39
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Both the MINI and the BMW have all black interiors. That's one thing that immediately attracted me to the Beemer. when I first drove it.
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>> Both the MINI and the BMW have all black interiors. That's one thing that immediately
>> attracted me to the Beemer. when I first drove it.
>>
When I got my Mercedes the dealer apologised that the interior wasn't black!
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The recent purchase has battleship grey leather seats and a paler grey for the rest. Within reason, it doesn't really bother me what the in or out colour is.
The Jowett has brown leather/rexine. It was dark red but I picked up some better door cards and other trim in brown and re-did the lot with a leather dye/rexine paint kit from Woolies of Market Deeping.
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Occasionally there are some bargains to be had with some cars.
About 10 years ago a son was buying a 330i coupe, it was black with black interior.
Beside the car he bought in the showroom was a 5 Series - maroon with a mustard leather interior & what looked light plastic burr walnut inserts. It was some £8K off list & 100 miles on clock
Garage had bought a "job lot" of some 20 cars from BMW from "stock in a compound" - they got big discounts on normal price but had no say in what arrived.
All sold off apart from the 5 series that was rooted to the showroom floor - they said they were "open to offers"!!!
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As mentioned earlier we've had quite a few non-black interiors over the years; indeed of the three cars on the drive on the moment the A3 has a black leather/alcantara interior, the Audi 80 based cabriolet a blue cloth interior and the BMW an oyster leather one. So I thought I'd post a few pictures of my favourites from the cars we've owned, as well as some I'd have liked and some I didn't...
Oyster BMW interior - like this a lot
i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag18/C4P_PeterS/BMW%20M235i/image_zpsepjqcjsi.jpeg
Black leather/alcantara in an A3 - very comfortable, and the panoramic roof lightens the interior as well
i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag18/C4P_PeterS/Audi%20A3%20e-tron/image_zpsywclhyld.jpeg
Red / black mini interior - loved this one
ssli.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/z/8DoAAOSwoudW66dc/$_86.JPG
Beige 5 series interior - thought I'd like it, but it was too yellow and I went off it!
5series.net/info/options/interior/beige_dakota/dark_poplar/3.jpg
Blue / ivory A4 interior - really like this. We had an A4 this shape with a blue cloth interior (can't find any pictures on line, so presumably rare) which included the seats, dashboard, steering wheel, seatbelts, carpet the lot, which was actually pretty nice as well.
images.gtcarlot.com/customgallery/interior/39053196.jpg
Coral red BMW interior - was very tempted, but the car came with blue brake callipers and I couldn't reconcile the mismatch :p But I like it a lot
farm6.staticflickr.com/5594/15038049837_63efd6f653_c.jpg
Beige leather in a Renault Megane - thought it would compliment the metallic red pain that ours came in, but it always looked slightly too grey to me
preview.netcarshow.com/Renault-Megane_II_CoupeCabriolet_1.6_Privilege_Version-2003-1600-1b.jpg
Grey interior in an E46 3 series touring. Didn't think I'd like it, but it was available quickly (company car). It grew on me, but I could never get rid of the nagging feeling it was a bit like grey slip on loafers...no practical reason not to like it, but, well, you know...you just wouldn't... ;)
thumbs1.picclick.com/d/l400/pict/162196725648_/M-Sport-Grey-Leather-Interior-Seats-Complete.jpg
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My Volvo T5 had the Lux interior - it looked like a blomin' Fresian inside. Nice though.
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I'm not against green, though not sure *that* green works with *that* exterior colour!
This on the other hand... images.gtcarlot.com/customgallery/interior/47738539.jpg
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My current CRV EX is in 'Urban Titanium 'colour (think pale bronze) and has an ivory leather interior and this was a major selling point for me.
I much prefer it to the standard black leather which made the interior of the others I tried look gloomy.
Granted it may be more difficult to keep clean but it just looks so much more like a luxury upmarket finish.
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>>My current CRV EX is in 'Urban Titanium 'colour
S'funny ... I almost bought an 'urban tit~anium' CRV from over the Tamar (England) last week. 2010 model but done too many miles for my liking (83k) fool pain-dealer history though. S'gorn now I noticed. Oh well.
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I think if too much is light-coloured inside a car, it would reflect horribly on the windows and be a safety issue.
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I ordered my CRV & it came in with the light interior -mustard leaning - refused it & they
ordered the Urban Titanium again & it is blue/black leather - much calmer on the eyes.
But everyone to their own taste.
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My RAV came with a very fool main dealer history going back to new, Dogsly. Browsing through it all last night, I came across a main dealer receipt for a full exhaust...nearly 500 notes...only 8 months ago........jackpot ! Just taxed it...thank gawd for free tax....295 squids otherwise !
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Yoos had a result there Tedward, it looked like a nice one in my perspicacious judgment.
I laid out 500 notes on a Vee Dub Transporter exhaust once, and that was way back in the naughty nineties.
I was looking at 1-1.2 litre petrol engine cars yesterday and was surprised to see some are road-tax free.
Still wouldn't want one though.
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>>I was looking at 1-1.2 litre petrol engine cars yesterday and was surprised to see some are >>road-tax free.
Only fr the next few months - then £141 or more!
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Tcha! .. I thought it was toooooo good to be true.
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Why car interiors are mostly black? - Cliff Pope
