I hope the "extra" features work, because seeing the interior materials...well...I'll just quote rrocket by saying they're "craptastic". The quality of the plastic seems to have taken a step backwards...Mazda seems to have mimicked Honda's Civic plastic quality and awful layout...save the two-tiers.
You cannot be serious with your comment! Can you point out one interior trim piece that it's "craptastic", at least by non-luxury standards?
I'll point out two of them in the photo below. I don't typically go around tapping plastic...so a "soft touch", while nice, isn't a prerequisite of mine. I would like some grain on it however...so it doesn't look like a hunk of cheap plastic.
The photo points to the plastic surrounding the big honkin' silver knob...and the plastic that is on top of the Alfa-esque (and nicely styled) gauges.
Have you taken a look at one? If anyone thinks this stuff is OK by them...I don't want to hear a complaint about the Cobalt SS interior.
Yes I have, before anyone else here. I posted here few weeks ago that I spent some time looking at a pre-production model, in the service bay area at my Mazda dealership.
Personally I didn't see any problem in the spots you have indicated and I looked at them. Could you indicate a mainstream car, regardless of the class, that uses better materials in that area so I can understand your point? I'll take the time to check them out tomorrow at the Auto Show.
The only materials that I wish were different are the ones used on the top part of the door panels, although they are still soft touch. The texture is not as nice as the one they used on the top of the dash (the common leather grain imitation that many other manufacturer use), which is the same they use on the CX-7 and the CX-9 door panels.
Other than that, from my observation, I couldn't fault any interior trim.
As Wing stated in his blog, beyond the polarizing front end design, Mazda raised the C-segment bar once again.
