Ward's selects the 10 best interiors of 2012

Jeff Sabatini — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Crossover, Hatchback, Audi, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Hyundai, Infiniti, Land Rover, Mazda, Design/Style

Ward's AutoWorld is well known for its annual "10 Best Engines" list, but the trade publication has been compiling a second list for interiors for a few years now. Formerly known as the "Interior of the Year" competition, Ward's rebranded the list last year, naming the coolest cockpits under the "10 Best Interiors" moniker.

This year's winners are a relatively diverse lot, with hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers all making the list. While Ward's lists them in alphabetical order rather than crowning a single winner, we're choosing to present them with the lowest as-tested MSRP first:

Hyundai Accent ($15,925)
Chevrolet Sonic ($18,745)
Dodge Dart ($21,485)
Volkswagen Beetle ($25,195)
Mazda CX-5 ($30,415)
Hyundai Azera ($36,875)
Chrysler 300 Luxury ($44,855)
Range Rover Evoque ($49,745)
Infiniti JX35 ($54,800)
Audi A7 ($67,430)

The first thing we noticed then is that while fully half the models carrying base sticker prices under $25,000, Ward's was clearly not testing the base models of any of these vehicles. The Chevy Sonic, for instance, starts nearly $5,000 below the price of the car Ward's drove. Even so, that half of the cars on the list could be legitimately called "affordable" is impressive.

Ward's says 40 vehicles qualified for the competition by having "new or significantly improved interiors," and while 13 of those were luxury vehicles, they only made up half of the winners. Ward's says it judged the interiors based on design, fit-and-finish, comfort, ergonomics, safety, material selection, overall value, aesthetics, and human-machine interface.

Check out all the award winners in our high-res image gallery above.

Ward's selects the 10 best interiors of 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ward's releases 2010 Auto Interior Award winners

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: Acura, BMW, Chevrolet, GM, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda, Subaru, Volvo, Design/Style

2010 Chevrolet Camaro interior - Click above for high-res image gallery of interior award winners from Ward's Auto

Do you own a Lamborghini Miura? If not, we're going to presume that you spend way more time looking at the interior of your car than the exterior. If you do happen to have a Miura parked in your garage, we suggest you stop reading immediately and go gaze upon its sensuous exterior lines for a few hours.

Still here? Great, that means you don't own a Miura and the interior of your car is an extremely important consideration. Which begs the question: What car has the best interior in any given class? Attempting to answer that query is none other than Wards Auto, which has just released its annual Auto Interior of the Year Awards for 2010 after analyzing the innards of 40 vehicles that are either brand new for 2010 or at least significantly updated.

Somewhat surprisingly, the only automaker to take home more than one trophy was Chevrolet. The new Equinox won for popular-priced truck under $39,999 and the Camaro took top honors in the sportscar category. Other winners include the Subaru Outback in the popular-priced car under $29,999 category and the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo for "Design Versatility."

Want to see the rest? Check out our high-res image gallery below for a visual listing of all the winners and click past the break for the official press release.

Gallery: 2010 Ward's Interior of the Year Winners

[Source: Wards Auto]

Continue reading Ward's releases 2010 Auto Interior Award winners

Ward's releases 2010 Auto Interior Award winners originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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