These are the best car interiors you can buy today

Which cars have the choicest cabins? We delve deep inside
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Graham Scott|Whatcar11 July 2017

Over 4000 people were questioned over their motivation when buying a new car. What was it they were looking for, what really mattered? Was it price, badge, emissions?

Over half – 56% - said that a relaxed and peaceful driving environment was a key element, with 55% saying the quality of that interior finish was important too. These two drivers were ahead of even price, styling or fuel consumption.

So with the cabin being so important, and of course the place the occupants spend their time, what cars best measure up? We look at the top cars in each class for where you’d enjoy spending the most time.

City car: Volkswagen Up

From entry-level up, the Up feels smart and classy, as befits a larger car. If you go High Up then you get more gloss, more chrome and even more of a premium feel.

Small car: Audi A1

It may be the cheapest car Audi makes, and the smallest as well, but there’s no scrimping in the cabin. Switchgear feels well damped and precise, while the materials everywhere are as good as the fit. Audi really has got the lead in cabin design, materials and fit.

Family car: Audi A3

The second Audi, and will it be the last on this list? If you want a premium family hatchback interior, then go no further. Along with the luxury comes a hushed ambience like that of an executive saloon.

Small SUV: BMW X1

BMW made huge strides from the first to the most recent model, and nowhere more than in the cabin. The premium build quality is very much in evidence, and you can specify leather throughout – although it’s standard on xLine trim.

Large SUV: Audi Q5

Yup, Audi again, making its third entry. This time Audi shows the large SUV market how to do it, with a cabin where everything that should move does so deftly, and anything that isn’t meant to move stays rigidly still. Acoustic glazing helps keep the interior hushed as well.

Luxury SUV: Bentley Bentayga

This is real luxury. If you want a British cabin of unparalleled class then the Bentayga is the place to park one’s regal posterior. The quality of leather, wood, aluminium and everything else is beyond compare.

Estate car: BMW 5 Series Touring

The 5 Series estate car is adept at keeping noise away, whether from road or wind. The build quality is very high and the design should keep even senior executives content.

Executive car: Audi A4

It’s them again, for the fourth time now. Could there be a fifth entry? Read on, but for now marvel at the use of real metal and top-quality veneers in the cabin of this executive saloon. Panel gaps are miniscule, and fit and finish wouldn’t shame a car several stations above.

Luxury car: Rolls-Royce Ghost

If you don’t want the outside world to intrude into your own little world, there are no better places to retreat to than the cabin of the Ghost. While other parts of the car are notably 7 Series, the cabin is pure British class. Naturally, all metal, wood and leather is exemplary, and we really rather like the little art deco cabin lights.

Electric car: BMW i3

The electric car’s cabin is quieter and better made than many other more mainstream BMWs. We’re rather taken with the use of real carbonfibre around the cabin, as well as interesting veneers, like Eucalyptus. That’s the koala market cornered then.

MPV: BMW 2 Series Active Tourer

One of the more mainstream BMW cabins, and none the worse for it. The refinement of the whole package adds to the classy ambience in the cabin, which benefits from robust switches, soft squidgy plastics and solid construction.

Hot hatch: Audi RS3

Okay, promise we’ll stop giving awards to Audi. But it’s hard because they are so often the best, as here. The RS3 cabin is classy, sporty and technically brilliant if you add the Audi Virtual Cockpit.

Sports car: Audi R8

Yeah, our promises aren’t worth anything are they? The awesome R8 has a cabin to match, with everything from beautifully tactile Nappa leather seats to the trick 12.3in Virtual Cockpit. It’s got it all, and a soundtrack to match.

Coupé: Rolls-Royce Wraith

But Rolls-Royce is having a few entries too, you notice? The Germans make some amazing interiors but for the finest leather and wood you need English. You won’t find better materials, more perfectly designed and fitted, than in the Wraith. Thick chrome on the handles and knobs just adds to the tactile joy.

Convertible: Rolls-Royce Dawn

This is a drop-top Wraith and so all the accolades and praise apply. With the top down you’ll experience it all with sunshine and fresh winds, and with the roof up you’ll be in a cabin so silent you’ll whisper to each other.

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