Where do you spend most of your time

Here at LotPro.com, we’re, we’re as much of a sucker as the next person when it comes to beautiful automobile designs. But while a vehicle’s exterior usually generates the most excitement, it’s actually the interior of those same cars where most of us spend our time – which is precisely why Wards AutoWorld created these awards.

“There are certain aspects we look at closely in the Interior of the Year competition, and value is just as important to us as fit-and-finish, styling, comfort and safety,” says Drew Winter, editor-in-chief of Ward’s AutoWorld magazine.

“An interior doesn’t have to be expensive to be good,” Winter says. “But it does have to convey a sense of high-quality craftsmanship and have pleasing textures and low-gloss surfaces. Electronic systems have to be intuitive and easy to use and not just focus on offering a high number of features and functions. Consumers are becoming a lot savvier about what they want inside their vehicles.”

Eleven categories

This year, 35 vehicles were nominated for the four car categories (economy-priced, popular-priced, premium-priced and sports car) and two truck categories (popular-priced and premium-priced) as well as special-achievement awards in five other areas (grooviest interior, best redesign, best graphic display, design harmony and best brand expression).

And the winners are…

Honda Fit Sport (Economy-priced car)

According to the judges, “With its ingenious second-row flexibility, ample headroom and premium materials, Honda proves an inexpensive car need not feel cheap.”

Volkswagen CC (Popular-priced car)

The judges had this to say about the CC, “In the popular-priced car category, the Volkswagen CC springs from the well-regarded Passat architecture and adds a beautifully executed interior that puts this $28,225 4-door coupe in serious competition with more expensive luxury cars.”

Acura TL (Premium-priced car)

“The all-new Acura TL, at $42, 995,” according to Wards, “delivers creamy caramel-tone leather and sporty luxury in a breathtaking combination that instantly raises Acura’s stature among upscale buyers.

Nissan 370Z Touring (Sports car)

Nissan received kudos for designing an interior that is both modern and retro: “If price is an object, the 2-seat Nissan 370Z Touring pairs a potent 332 hp with a purposeful passenger compartment that manages to be both spacious and sporty, while paying homage to famous Z cars of the past, all for $36,865.“

Dodge Ram (Popular-priced truck)

Wards felt that the new Dodge Ram was a great value for the money and that it “trumps its rival, the new Ford F-150, with a spacious, well-conceived interior that fits as well on the job site as at the soccer field.”

Ford Flex (Premium-priced truck)

“The Flex demonstrates marvelous flexibility (their pun, not ours) in a 6-passenger seating configuration that employs high-quality materials and a supremely nifty power folding function for second-row seats, allowing easy access to the third row.”

Kia Soul (Grooviest Interior)

The judges really liked the Soul’s red interior. “Priced at $18,345, the 5-passenger Soul Sport reaches out to youthful buyers with an ideal mix of comfort, quality and funkiness, with lighted door speakers that flash to the beat of the music.”

Audi A4 (Best Redesign)

Reflecting on the A4’s relationship with the rest of the Audi lineup, the panel of experts had this to say, “The all-new Audi A4 secures the German auto maker’s sterling reputation for benchmark interiors. Priced at $40,825, the new A4 exudes understated but unmistakable elegance.”

Ford Fusion Hybrid (Best Graphic Display)

The editors of the magazine “marveled at the amount of information Ford engineers managed to fit into the Fusion Hybrid’s relatively small instrument cluster above the steering wheel, all the while encouraging fuel-efficient driving with a digitally projected vine that sprouts leaves as mileage grows.”

Lexus RX 450h (Design Harmony)

According to Wards, “The RX, with its riveting asymmetrical center stack, tasteful wood steering wheel and luscious color palette, is recognized with a special-achievement award for Design Harmony.”

Cadillac CTS-V (Best Brand Expression)

Finally, the Cadillac CTS-V, “with its intoxicating styling and angular instrument panel, wins a special-achievement award for Brand Expression. Priced at $68,135 with a dizzying array of electronic gadgets, the 556-hp CTS-V is for the serious driver who craves equal amounts of performance and style.”

The shape of things to come?

I am, once again, reminded of the similarities in the current U.S. auto market to the market as it has existed in Europe for the better part of two decades. Prices of fuel are high – both for gas and diesel. With the greater efficiencies of diesel – especially for midsize and larger cars as well as for trucks, SUVs and vans, these vehicles, in some shape or form, could find their way to the American market in the next few years.

Two things that differentiate the Ulysse from current mini-vans in the United States (such as the Chrysler Town and Country) are the engine and transmission. The engine is a 4-cylinder diesel, and it’s mated to a 5-speed manual transaxle.

Inside, Fiat has managed to accommodate a total of 7 passengers. Aside from the front two buckets with a small aisle in between, there are 3 center seats (in a 2 plus 1 configuration), that fold and then flip forward, allowing the 2 rear seat passengers easier ingress and egress.

The ride is decent enough for a small van and the manual transmission is absolutely necessary – especially with a full compliment of passengers and attendant gear – to propel the Ulysse up and down the hills of Tuscany.

The Bottom Line

While not the most exciting vehicle to drive, the Ulysse serves its purpose and, like most current Fiats, the overall styling is much sportier than most small vans for sale in the U.S. market.

Where will it take us?

With the things going on in the oil market and the automobile business, I’m reminded of the60’s song by the Buffalo Springfield. We can see the changes happening all around us, but we’re not quite sure where we’ll be in ten years, let alone five.

Two things were on the BBC news this morning (in Tuscany, it’s one of the few stations broadcast in English). The price of oil crossed the $140 per barrel threshold, and Volkswagen introduced its first gas-electric hybrid. These are, perhaps, small footnotes in a larger story, but it’s clear that they are closely related and everyone – Americans, Italians and Germans – as well as anyone who drives an automobile, will experience changes in what they drive and the way they drive, not seen since the oil embargo of the 70’s.

What I’m driving today

Since I’ve been in Italy, I have been driving a Volkswagen Passat Wagon. Although the Passat is sold in the U.S., the version that I have is a 1.9 liter TDI equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission and a black cloth interior. U.S. Passats are available with manual transmissions, but the turbo diesel is sold only in Europe. Ditto the cloth interior.

U.S. customers, it is presumed, would much prefer either vinyl (V-Tex) or leather to cloth. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because European drivers would not use the air conditioner as much in hot weather, certainly making the vinyl unbearable. In any case, I find the cloth much more comfortable than either one.

Once you leave the Autostrade, the 5-speed manual is much more entertaining on the local roads as you twist and turn up and down the Tuscan Hills. Although the 1.9 TDI has plenty of low-end torque, it tends to run out of gas (no pun intended) just above 4,500 rpm, and an automatic would not do well around here.

Even Europe is adjusting

VW’s announcement this morning of the “Twin Power” Golf (gas-electric hybrid) underscores the fact that even over here, where gasoline and diesel fuel have been expensive for more than two decades, carmakers continue to grapple with high fuel costs and lower government-mandated CO2 emissions. It is a new world.