[calm_cruiser]

Hello All,

The last couple of weeks (Weekends actually) have been spent TD'ing a bunch of hatchbacks and the one thing that sprang to my mind is the choice of colors that car designers seem to be dabbling in when it comes to the biggest piece of plastic that one actually sees in a car for most of the car's life i.e the Dashboard itself !. The choice of colors seems to range from a typically German beige+black in the Polo to the "Mehendi" colored dash in the Figo. Per the latest even the Germans have had a re-think; The Vento has another shade of brown+gray in it !.

Hyundai seem to have come up with a color of their own in the i20 - not sure if its chocolate brown or just chocolate that's lost some of its darkish tinge

Well - I decided to do some investigation into why cars now-a-days are breaking from the tradition of using a sea of gray and got a range of responses from the car dealers themselves - Some as usual had no clue and said that the color (as in the Figo) makes it more appealing to younger buyers - Ahem..This response was met with raised eyebrows from me !.

The other response, which seemed to make more sense was that - some colors like the ones in the i20 absorb less heat when parked outside (Since the dash isn't black) and that there is less reflection on the windscreen while driving.

Bhpians let your opinions flow in on the myriad of colors that car designers are using for the dashboards & other interior trim and possible reasons for the same. Please post in your opinion as to which car has the best appointed interiors in India in their respective categories (Wouldn't be fair to compare a Beemer to a hatch) !.

Cheers !.

[acidkill]

Several reasons why varied colors are being chosen

1. Lighter and whiter colors give an illusion of more space
2. Grey is considered basic and downmarket by several customers - so that explains beige and coffee brown in many cars
3. Some manufacturers want to experiment with "bold" accents so you have blue in the ritz and pink in the figo
4. All black is making a comeback for its "contemporary" and "sporty" image and is now offered as a top end variant in several models like the scorpio and fiesta

[sandygordon]

People have started realising the difficulty in maintaining the beige dashboards and interiors. I hope that the Indian customers will soon realise it and will go back to the black/grey scheme. I personaly prefer black/grey.

[vivekgk]

I think it's mainly because people associate grey and black with drabness and cheapness. Even now, the lower end models of various hatches come with black bumpers. Coloured plastics are perceived as more expensive. 5 years ago, only high-end models came with beige interiors. It took a while for beige to permeate down to the economy segment. Many people still associate lighter colors with luxury. And it's economical for the manufacturers to change the color rather than the actual quality of the plastics. And the layman won't appreciate the difference.

Besides, lighter colors make the interiors appear a lot airier than it is. My Indigo has beige interiors and it feels a lot more spacious than the earlier model which had all black interiors. But I have to say that black looks more sporty and cozy.

The heat factor is also very important. Lighter colored plastics absorb less heat and thus fade less, if at all. But they do reflect badly on the glass and make it harder and even dangerous.

[calm_cruiser]

Originally Posted by acidkill

1. Lighter and whiter colors give an illusion of more space

That's an important factor as well - considering space is a premium in many a hatchbacks these days, read : Beat or even the Swift's back seat !.

Originally Posted by vivekgk

But I have to say that black looks more sporty and cozy.

Totally agree with you. Black still looks more sporty and cooler than beige. But that's just my opinion . Am pretty sure that by the time I hit the midlife crisis, my opinion about beige may change !.

I think colors do have something to do with the age of a prospective buyer. Younger people seem to prefer black / gray with a silver trim while the wiser (older) folk prefer the lighter colors.

[swiftnfurious]

Couple of reasons why they have multiple colors for dash.

Beige: makes the cabin look rich and airy ! You feel more space and add a classy touch to it [I am big fan of it].
Cons: Gets dirty really fast and hence very difficult to maintain.
Too much of reflection on to the windshield while driving under the sun and makes it very difficult to see anything on the road.

Black/Grey: Sporty and easy to maintain. All time classic sort of feel.
Cons: Been there for quite some time and doesnt offer anything special.

New coral from Figo: New and fresh looks - deviation from old and boring black/grey tones. Heard there is almost no reflection onto the windshield even during peak noon time and makes easier driving.
Cons: Not to everybody's taste.

[designersf]

Your interiors look different and turn heads. Certainly, swiftnfurious has given a clear explanation as have others. I personally prefer the interior style based on the car. Not all cars look good in grey/black interiors and its the same case for beige interiors. Vento looks classy in beige+black but fiesta rocks in black+aluminium. So its a choice of personal preference as well.

[raj_5004]

i still like the traditional beige-wood combo in cars unless its a premium vehicle with that expensive looking black-wood combo.

[hiren.mistry]

I personally feel that Civic has very neat grey/beige combination. Also the VW cars names Jetta and Passat are very, very neat.

Just when I though Hyundai had gone overboard with its chocolate colored dash, Ford went bonkers with Coral.

[cityvic]

In Luxury cars I would prefer a beige+wood finish combo

whereas in Sport cars I would prefer a black+metal combo.

[calm_cruiser]

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

Just when I though Hyundai had gone overboard with its chocolate colored dash, Ford went bonkers with Coral.

I hear you Sir ! - the only small grouse that I had while booking the i20 CRDi was the brown Dash. I mean practically everything inside is brown, even the seats are dark brown. Guess the Koreans love their chocolates !.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Couple of reasons why they have multiple colors for dash.

Beige: makes the cabin look rich and airy ! You feel more space and add a classy touch to it [I am big fan of it].
Cons: Gets dirty really fast and hence very difficult to maintain.
Too much of reflection on to the windshield while driving under the sun and makes it very difficult to see anything on the road.

Quite true there @swiftnfurious, I've been living beige interiors for the last 3+ years and its a pain to keep the dash squeaky clean. I hate to send the car for service since the mechanics invariably soil the interiors

IMHO car manufacturers should offer a choice to would-be buyers. That should help !

[AbhiJ]

p.s. The i20s dash is of a weird color but its very intelligently designed.

Most of the portions that you might end up touching/dirtying - The door grab handles, the lower B Pillar etc are made in Dark Brown. Rest of the area is beige. Very low maintainence.

The upper dash is dark brown, so there is no reflection on the windscreen.

[calm_cruiser]

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[kadanaJ]

I feel that dashboards with myriads of colours such as corral/red (figo) or blue (ritz) actually look more cheap and down-market. They make me feel like I'm sitting in a toy, not a car. (just my personal opinion, figo and ritz owners please dont be offended )
Beige is an okay colour, and so is the i20 chocolate, but neither are my favourites.
Given a choice, I would always pick Jet Black as my interior colour. Looks sporty, easy to maintain, wont reflect on the windscreen (points finger at i10), and matches quite well with any modifications.
eg. I want to put sporty red/black leather seats in my Civic, but that would completely clash with the copious amounts of beige (including the roof). However if the interiors were all black/grey there wouldnt be a problem.

[calm_cruiser]

How about this - is there a way to change the color of the dash / other plastic using like a liquid solution ?. Would be so cool to change the color once in a while :-).

Here's a stretch - how about interiors that can change color (some electronic wizardry !).