Wards 10 Best Interiors winners for 2021 showcase artistry and innovation

From a modest Honda Civic to an opulent Bentley Bentayga, Wards Auto is this year rewarding a diverse range of vehicles with its Top 10 Interiors honours for 2021. Judges from the industry publication selected the best interiors from a list of 33 nominated vehicles with all-new or significantly redesigned cabins.

Bentley Bentayga Speed

When it comes to car interiors, “built by hand” adds a ton of cache. The Bentley Bentayga Speed bowled over judges for the Wards 10 Best Interiors with extensive bespoke assembly and hand-stitching in the cabin. In placing it in the top ten, judges called the passenger compartment “dramatic, sporty, and captivating.”

The US$303,910 Bentley SUV features a river of luxe textiles and metals, like Alcantara microsuede; premium leather drapes the seating, and chrome trims everything in its path, from switches, knobs, and gearshifts to the pedals. Judges found it grand and never gaudy. Much of the colour scheme is classic black and white. Wards Judge Dave Zoia called the interior “visually stunning.”

The Bentayga is Bentley’s most popular vehicle. Now the Speed, with its 626 horsepower and bombshell interior, is set up to snag more customers with a hankering for handmade luxury.

Ford F-150

Ford Mustang Mach-E

With a stylish ivory and black cabin including cool black-and-white-check fabric and minimal switch gear, the Mustang Mach-E executes a contemporary design with luxury appointments. Plastic is used, but the matte finish and technical grain disguises its DNA. Shiny bits are restrained.

While the centre touchscreen is huge at 39 cm, the large app icons make it easier and safer to use. Pairing a phone is lightning quick, voice assist is smarter than most, and the judges found the front and rear seats comfortable. “One of the most surprising things about the Mach-E is that it has usable rear seats,” said judge Bob Gritzinger.

While not technically a luxury CUV, judges were impressed with the quality and style of the Mustang Mach-E, with one judge calling the cabin “the sharpest BEV interior yet.”

GMC Yukon Denali XL

First-rate electronics and driver aids are plentiful, but judges liked the sensible approach of including simple knobs for control of cabin temperature and speaker volume. Wards editor Tom Murphy summed up the Denali XL: “From steering wheel to lift gate, this is a beautifully executed interior.”

Honda Civic

By shaking up the sensible, the Honda Civic jumps on the Wards 10 Best Interiors, offering flashes of brilliance in an affordable compact car. While the interior is understated overall, the judges zoomed into the bold bits they loved. Take the trim spanning the instrument panel: the judges found the honeycomb “interesting, beautiful, and airy.”

Trim pieces used on doors and the centre console stand out for their gray colour and pattern that looks like “the teeth of a zipper locked together.” With quality fit and finish; seats fully covered with faux leather; and large and easy-to-use HVAC knobs, the Civic interior wins not for one single “wow” factor but the thoughtful and bold pieces that elevate an economy car interior.

Hyundai Tucson

The little touches add up. A waterfall multi-layered instrument panel is clever and tasteful, white leather seat trim adds a flourish, and geometric shapes and lines sprinkled through the cabin introduce motion and a pleasing flow. Bits of glossy black plastic and nickel trim plays off the abundance of soft colours and finishes. Judges also noted the precise fit of interior trim pieces.

It goes without saying that the working parts, dials, buttons, touchscreen, and voice activation function with the usual Hyundai intuitiveness. This is the third year a Hyundai vehicle has made the Wards 10 Best Interiors list.

Jeep Grand Cherokee L

Matched to the lush interior are practical features that improve everyday functions. The middle-row seats, for instance, easily slide to permit easy access to third-row seats. No matter where occupants sit, they can enjoy the McIntosh audio system, with sound delivered to 19 speakers in the cabin.

10 Best judge Tom Murphy summed up his feelings about the Jeep interior: “Warm and alluring inside, with a strong sense of handcraftsmanship.”

Land Rover Defender

Picture a modern condo where no lamps, cords, books, or magazines are visible. The Defender interior is also free of fanciful embellishments. The small but airy cabin has comfortable seats, and a big grab bar running across the instrument panel for jaunty drives.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Scrumptious from stem to stern, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class lands yet again on the Wards Best 10 Interiors list. Packaged with alluring features such as an Air Balance cabin fragrance spritzer; and customized massage functions, the S-Class cabin is a resort on wheels.

Wards judges loved the rainbow of ambient lighting colours; the augmented reality heads-up display; and for the first time in an S-Class, a hot red leather option.

The pinstriped instrument panel came in for extra awe. High-gloss walnut veneer is machined to reveal precise metal striping. Mercedes calls it Piano Lacquer Flowing Lines: it stretches from the instrument panel, down the door panel to the armrests, a remarkable demonstration of skilled artistry that mesmerized judges.

It’s the sixth time since 2014 that a Mercedes has made the Wards Top Ten Interiors list. The S-Class judges wrote, is another example of Mercedes setting the benchmark for “seamlessly blending luxury with the latest technologies.”

Mitsubishi Outlander

An all-new design lifts the 2022 Outlander into a rare place where luxury trappings are delivered at an economy price. Wards cited the black-and-tan interior on the SEL Touring package as a model for sophisticated style. The diamond-patterned quilted seats, orange stitching accents, and leather inserts deliver a premium punch, and are a welcome change from grey-and-black interiors. “The rich colors and textures look like they belong in a much more expensive vehicle,” said judges.

Loaded with easy-to-use technology, optional goodies like a panoramic sunroof, heated steering wheel, and Bose audio, Ward’s says the stand=out interior “helps sell the car,” a criterion for 10 Best Interior honours.