Croc

My bad, I mentally inserted an "and" in there where there clearly wasn't one.

And I've also maintained that it is adequate and will be for a model year or two...but then the competition will surely leapfrog it. I think we're approaching this from two different angles here: you're looking at the car, and I'm looking at the car within the context of the new Jetta and am predicting the future company direction. New Jetta, new Passat, I'm seeing a pattern here and it isn't good. Honestly this is comparable to Cadillac of the late 70s and early 80s--premium brand, goes for sales numbers, cuts costs and "premiumness" to broaden appeal/attainability, it works for a few years with great sales growth numbers, but long-term erodes strong brand equity. I could be wrong, but that's my intuition here. As you said, this doesn't appeal to you...hopefully VW will continue to produce cars that WILL appeal to you.

Happy birthday NOS!! It's hard to believe only a few short years ago you were frosting your tips and trying to get into some scammy Live Like a Model camp. Hope you're having a great birthday!!

You can get bluetooth on the Eco model.

No disrespect, but that sounds like the biggest load of fanboy rationalization I've heard in a long time. At least we now agree the interior is a downgrade. At least we agree that VW is doing this to increase sales by lowering the base price. This is exactly what I have a problem with: VW has enjoyed being a mainstream brand that commands a premium reputation and transaction price despite having notoriously poor build quality/reliability. How many brands can get away with making lineups that fall apart after 3-4 years and yet still be regarded as premium and desirable?? That's quite a feat, and it's only because the interior materials are beyond top-notch and the driving dynamics are great. Now VW is messing with the interior equation in order to increase short-term sales numbers. Well guess what?? The new interiors aren't bad by any means, but they fall short of what VW is known for, and they offer much less of a competitive advantage vs. the competition. So now you have VW, with non-premium interiors, non-premium prices, and (until proven otherwise) bottom-of-class reliability/build quality. My prediction: sales will go up in the short term, but after a generation or two the public will catch onto the cost-cutting and no longer be willing to put up with build quality issues, leading to long-term erosion of the brand. Why? Because this has happened sooooooo many times when an automaker gets cocky and wants to boost sales numbers and/or market share. Now, if VW can somehow radically improve their build quality/reliability, then I don't think the brand will erode, per se, but the lineup won't command the same premium market position as it did before.

The objective truth is that the new VW interior is neither revolutionary nor evolutionary...it's pretty much a draw. Not a good way to start off a 5 year design cycle.

Yeah, Ford interiors look decent, but I find materials quality generally lacking.

In these forms, no. But the Malibu and Accord--with wood--are better. Yes, the Malibu has too many cutlines, but it's in its last year. Given the Cruze interior, I can't wait to see what the new Malibu interior looks like, especially versus the Passat. The LaCrosse, however, certainly has a better interior.

Malibu is new this fall, though I find the current interior adequate. Honestly, when I look at the outgoing/incoming interiors for the Passat, I can't tell which one is newer. I think the new radio/climate unit is nicer with the metallic accents, and I think the shift knob is very slightly improved. The old dash, however, has far more personality, and the old instrument cluster looks more premium to me. The old interior also has some nice metallic accents on the door panels that are no longer there.

That was clearly in response to reg, and obviously glib. Chill out.

Or, more simply, younger generations can be given a new gas can design and figure out how to use it without drama.

No, I understand that the VW fanboys will defend it to its death. To a certain demographic, the VW badge is a status symbol no matter what the objective truth is. That's fine, Mercedes-Benz was that way until people started getting tired of their crap falling apart starting in the late 90s through the mid 00s. VW will sell a lot more of these, same with the Jetta, because the price points are lower and there is a reputation they are coasting on. VW has always sold/leased because of the fantastic interiors. This interior just isn't fantastic enough to last a whole generation, and in the case of the Jetta, its is a step backward in many ways. It's the same thing as the Apple fanboys who will argue with you endlessly that the iPhone 4 is the greatest phone ever...because it's an Apple...even though it does a terrible job of, you know, dialing and maintaining calls, is outclassed by the Droid phones, and lacks the business-friendly features of th Blackberries. BUT IT'S AN APPLE SO IT MUST BE AMAZING. Trust me, I get it. But honestly we can just agree to disagree instead of trying to discredit my contrary opinion as being the result of "just not getting it." If this interior is deemed "fresh" and "now" two, three years from now, then get back to me and I will eat crow. But this interior IMO is barely adequate now, and will be thoroughly outclassed in a MY or two.

No really, let's review: 1) You start your daily whine thread 2) You argue ardently with anyone who disagrees with you or tries to offer a workable solution to your plight 3) I respond to Satty's mocking of you with a "Really? Is this anything new?"-type answer 4) Now you're arguing with me over my perception of this thread's ridiculousness. Seriously?

It's a dated, cheap design, and looks even cheaper without the wood.

This is a luxury car. Practicality and pragmatism aren't relevant. If Cadillac did not want to put in a proper back seat, they could have made it a 2-seater with extended trunk storage and interior rear storage space. But you can't put a half-assed rear seat that has a 20k difference in perception from front to rear and expect no one to notice or care.

I didn't complain; I simply stated an observation. I actually find the ridiculous threads (like this one) quite entertaining, in an Archie Bunker-sort of way.

It wouldn't be a day on C&G without Camino starting a thread to complain about something.

Actually, the CTS coupe interior uses cheaper, Rubbermaid plastics in places the sedan and wagon do not. And while I personally think a full console should be a given in any 2-seat rear, a fold-down armrest is expected and mandatory for this class. YOU may not use it, but the vast majority of people like something to rest their arms on. This omission is especially egregious since it is the only Cadillac without one, the other two CTS variants have one, and even the Chevrolet Cruze has one. But a $50,000 halo Cadillac doesn't have one?

What is the base price for this, as pictured? I wouldn't pay more than 19k for this interior. If this is the base interior, it'll be sufficient for a couple years, but it won't age well relative to the competition, that's for sure.

Exterior's great, but the interior needs help. Lack of a rear center console/armrest in a bucket rear seat configuration is unacceptable in this class.

WELCOME BACK BOB!!

Yea I've been coming around here since...late 2001? early 2002?

Yeah GM really needs to improve their websites. The flash intros take soooooo long to load even on my broadband, and they serve no real purpose. Then the actual information about the cars is super-lacking. Since GM doesn't really print brochures anymore, you'd think that they'd spend more time on their websites since that assumedly is the intended primary source of information.

Honestly, California City is more of a car guy's paradise, between the street names, wide open boulevards, and...well pretty much nobody around.