What happened to GM interiors in 2005?

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/28/2018 at 17:00 • Filed to: None

So my coworker just got a new car, to him. A MY2006 Buick LaCrosse in fairly good condition. After riding around in it a bit... what the hell? For a newer/more expensive car than a 2000 LeSabre the interior just seems *really* shit. Look at the LeSabre and LaCrosse interiors above. The LaCrosse is Dashboard: The Movie while the LeSabre looks like it at least had a bit of effort put into it (it did, though, being that the LeSabre 2000 was the last thing designed by legendary GM designer Bill Porter). And it’s not just the appearance, that LaCrosse is hard plastic EVERYWHERE where the LeSabre would have vinyl with a bit of padding behind it. It just seems... nicer. More expensive. I mean, what’s got more effort into it? Some leather-grain injection molded plastic or a chunk of plastic with a swath of padded backing and vinyl leather imitation spread over it? Neither is “luxury” but one of them is at least an attempt at it.

And it’s not just these two cherry-picked models, these are just what reminded me of this.

Here’s a cadillac STS. Uh, yeah. “luxury” as epitomized by a sea of hard plastic.

Here’s the previous generation Seville STS. The button shapes haven’t aged the best in the world but damn look at that gauge cluster and totally real wood. Again, same as the LeSabre, lots of soft-touch materials here which universally disappeared from GM interiors around 2005 and was replaced with... whatever. The only interior that remained approachable was the DTS which kept much of the design DNA from the Deville, though I still think the older Deville was a comfier design.

End rant.

DISCUSSION (13)

HammerheadFistpunch > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
02/28/2018 at 17:20

mid 2000 GM - Peak Lazy

Chariotoflove > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
02/28/2018 at 17:23

Another thing that really ruins a car’s interior for me is silver paint to simulate aluminum trim. It makes plastic next to it look just that much cheaper.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
02/28/2018 at 17:24

The mid-2000s is where GM decided to cut corners on quality to increase quantity to please the growing market. We all remember what that brought to them, and it’s what gave us the amazing cars they make today.

My dad in a span of ten years bought two nearly identical Silverados, one a 2003 and the other a 2007, both with the same features. Everything from the quality of the leather to the types of plastics used was far better in the 2003, while the 2007 had seats like a rock (no pun intended) and little tykes plastic. My mom’s Colorado had better fit and finish than the 2007.

I like a lot of what GM was trying to do in the mid-00s but they had their priorities mixed up.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
02/28/2018 at 17:25

Also I should say that base model STS interior does not do a very good job representing itself. The dashboard isn’t entirely a hunk of plastic, though the grey does make it appear that way.

Party-vi > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
02/28/2018 at 17:29

Again, the auto bailouts turned around American car makers and gave us good stuff. I can’t wait until I read about the pre-bailout malaise era on Jalopnik in a decade.

Ash78, voting early and often > Party-vi
02/28/2018 at 17:32

Somewhat disagree, just a bit — the bailouts allowed them to continue making the corrections they were already making, but started too late. Namely, the cherry picking of worldwide platforms.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
02/28/2018 at 17:36

My grandma had a ‘06 LaCrosse. Can confirm interior was utter shit. The car, despite being meticulously cared for, fell apart with less than 40,000 miles over 10 years. It was a replacement for a ‘99 300M that also fell apart but that only took 6 years.

What did she replace the LaCrosse with? An Equinox, with an utter shit interior.

Urambo Tauro > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
02/28/2018 at 17:45

Why is it that these interiors don’t bother me? I mean yeah, there are some interiors out there that are indeed super-nice, and these pale in comparison. But I guess I don’t have very high standards when it comes to interiors.

I appreciate broad, smooth, easy-to-clean surfaces. And even though I’ve spent a lot of time behind the wheel, somehow the interior just isn’t all that important to me. Maybe I’m just ultra-focused on what’s happening outside the car when I’m driving...

I do notice bad ergonomics, though. Like a poorly-placed cupholder, or my handbrake lever. I HATE how it’s on the R side of the console. I wish it was on the left, closer to my thigh. As it is, it’s got a bad angle and I find myself pulling it towards my shoulder instead of straight up.

Textured Soy Protein > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
02/28/2018 at 18:16

The old models you’re using as examples were hard plastic as all hell and the STS was a Playskool copy of a mid-90s Lexus LS.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Textured Soy Protein
02/28/2018 at 18:33

They weren’t the greatest, but they’re a hell of a lot better than what came after them, which is the point I’m making.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > cmill189 - sans Volvo
02/28/2018 at 18:36

oh god an Equinox. RIP.

wafflesnfalafel > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
02/28/2018 at 19:17

I believe many manufacturers were pulling quality out of their interiors in the mid/late 2000's as compared to late 90's/early 2000 models - Nissan in particular as well.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
02/28/2018 at 19:21

I don’t like any of those interiors.

/Mildly warm take