I’ve noticed that many car reviewers spend a good amount of time pointing out whether or not they like the texture/feel of materials on the interior of the car. Does the average person actually care about this aspect of their car, or is it just a point of interest for some niche group of car enthusiasts? I’ve driven shitboxes and I’ve driven luxury cars, and I have never cared about or even noticed the feel or quality of the material on the dash and the steering wheel. I guess maybe the steering wheel material could make some people uncomfortable depending on what it’s made of, but come on, the dashboard? Who ever strokes their hand against their dashboard just to feel what the texture is like?
Because higher quality materials look better, feel better, have (oftentimes) higher durability. Of course you could argue that it’s not relevant. Then I ask you, is it relevant that a car can go around the Nürburgring in under 8 minutes? Why should it matter, you can get from A to B in any car (…because that’s the core utility).
To some people interior materials matter because they like it nice, to some it matters because they don’t want to overpay, to some it doesn’t matter at all.
I am not a big nerd for interiors, but I would have to puke if I’d daily a ford.