Is Cheap Chrome The New Fake Wood?

Steven Lang
by Steven Lang

I was in a $50,000 luxury car the other day. Don’t worry about the manufacturer because it seems to be all the same these days. There was cheap plastic chrome that surrounded the air vents, the buttons on the dashboard, the cupholders. Even a smattering on the door panels and steering wheel.

Was it always this way? Of course not! Back in the good old days of the Clinton Era we had plenty of fake wood to choose from as well. Diamantes, Roadmasters, Town & Countrys… even Camrys were sometimes given the drop dead phony wood treatment throughout the interior if the dealer wanted it so.

Some looked nice. Others were cheap enough to flake into a near confetti state as time wore on. Either way, wood was the thing to have back in the day.

But then the world of near-luxury changed. Euros and Yens became more expensive, and the domestics had been given carte blanche to cheap out even their flagships models. This was due in part to the strong profits of SUV’s and pickup’s that had always lagged behind in luxury with their non-truck conuterparts. But also the popularity of decontented models of the time, such as the Toyota Camry and the redesigned Mercedes models of the late 90’s, played an equal if not greater role when it came to the declining quality of interior adornments.

Hard plastic which had started underneath the glovebox and driver’s footwell, soon made it’s way to the top of the dashboard and the door panels. Not even armrests, the last refuge of relaxation on long drives, were fully immune from the onslaught of penurious plentitude. Those were given hard plastics as well with only a slither full of padding for the elbow.

Leather and high quality vinyl treatments disappeared from the door panels. This cost containment was followed by eliminating polished wood on the steering wheel and plush fabrics on the floor.

Wooden accents were replaced with cheap chrome like plastics in the small storage compartments that were between the front seats. The type you can scratch with your fingernail and leave an enduring mark for all future owners and passengers to see.

Luxury was going downscale in a way that reflected a McMansion mentality. As long as you had bigness on the inside and power under the hood, the materials were secondary.

Like a virus with Midas like properties, the cheap chrome plating, along with it’s nickel and dime cronies, soon covered nearly everything that was touched by the driver. Steering wheel controls? Check! Transmission handle? Check! Doors? Multiple checks on both sides.

Then one day I noticed something strange. Luxury no longer exists. At least not in the visual sense of it until you get past the $50k mark. Sure the Genesis sedan has more power than a Viper did a generation ago and grandma’s Avalon can spit out horsepower like an old Acura NSX. But the interiors have become knock on plastic cheap.

Which brings me to today’s question: Is cheap chrome the new fake wood? You already know my bent on this question. What do you think?

Steven Lang
Steven Lang

More by Steven Lang

Comments
Join the conversation
6 of 113 comments
  • LouisvilleBiodiesel LouisvilleBiodiesel on Apr 25, 2012

    My 1979 Mercedes 300SD, aka the Teutonic Tank and the Silver Bullet has just 2 negatives: the world's worst AC system ... which luckily can be replaced for ~$600 ... and get this, chrome filmed plastic accents just on the doors. These are the only things that are bad on the vehicle. On the plus side (and there are too many to list, so I will just list the top 3): German leather & mb-tex seats that look & feel amazing + zebrano wood that looks & feels like upscale furniture and legendary diesel engine life. Comparo: there's a 1990 Honda Accord in the same picture as my Benz (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76267949@N08/6897647936/in/photostream/lightbox/) on a beautiful spring day. While the Accord gets 23 mpg and my Benz gets only 22, you be the judge ... which would you rather drive?

    • See 3 previous
    • Maxseven Maxseven on Apr 26, 2012

      All excellent reasons, however, they are still black :)

  • LouisvilleBiodiesel LouisvilleBiodiesel on Apr 26, 2012

    just as the only good looking Rolex is the black faced Deep Sea ... i'm yet-to-be-convinced that anything but black wheels look best. Silver wheels? Bling Bling Teutonia. ... not to mention, brake dust after a few minutes makes silver+ wheels look like dirty panda bears ... while black wheels continue to look fantastic after many miles of driving.

  • Dartdude The bottom line is that in the new America coming the elites don't want you and me to own cars. They are going to make building cars so expensive that the will only be for the very rich and connected. You will eat bugs and ride the bus and live in a 500sq-ft. apartment and like it. HUD wants to quit giving federal for any development for single family homes and don't be surprised that FHA aren't going to give loans for single family homes in the very near future.
  • Ravenuer The rear view of the Eldo coupe makes it look fat!
  • FreedMike This is before Cadillac styling went full scale nutty...and not particularly attractive, in my opinion.
  • JTiberius1701 Middle of April here in NE Ohio. And that can still be shaky. Also on my Fiesta ST, I use Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires for the winter and Bridgestone Potenza for my summer tires. No issues at all.
  • TCowner We've had a 64.5 Mustang in the family for the past 40 years. It is all original, Rangoon Red coupe with 289 (one of the first instead of the 260), Rally Pac, 4-speed, factory air, every option. Always gets smiles and thumbs ups.
Next