Wood / Walnut trim

Author
Discussion

ging84

Original Poster:

8,832 posts

145 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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why do people do it on a modern cars, especially sporty ones?

I'm not suggesting it could never look good on anything made after 1974
I'm sure it looks perfect in a Rolls Royce and the Queen's range rover
but when i look for v8 coupés, roadster etc, every other car seems to have it, as you might have guess i've not a fan of it, but i honestly think in a lot of these modern car's it's not just not to my taste, it genuinely looks out of place and st.


i sum it up with this example of a 6 series full of black buttons and a dvd drive slots floating horribly in a light wooden dash


Mastodon2

13,818 posts

164 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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Looks amazing, I wish more cars had it. Much nicer to look at than the dull interiors of bland black and grey plastic, coupled with dreadful "aluminium highlights" (silver plastic) that are trendy these days.

Codswallop

5,250 posts

193 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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I like having wood smile

I even don't mind plasti-wood in certain cases. Not enough cars fitted with wood trim these days imo.

ChickenvanGuy

322 posts

170 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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Mastodon2 said:
Looks amazing, I wish more cars had it. Much nicer to look at than the dull interiors of bland black and grey plastic, coupled with dreadful "aluminium highlights" (silver plastic) that are trendy these days.
Each to their own, I say, but i can't stand it. Once walked from a Golf 4Motion with wood trim. Does nothing for me unless it's very dark and in a Jag...

ging84

Original Poster:

8,832 posts

145 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
quotequote all
what i really don't understand about it is, why big v8s etc in particular, you don't see it in many honda jazzes or ford focuses, used to see it in a lot of rovers, but those days are thankfully over.

miniman

24,827 posts

261 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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ging84 said:
What that is, is gopping.

gtidreamer

176 posts

114 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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Our family car is a Honda FRV and the 'sport' models have wooden trim! In a mid noughties Japanese MPV? Ours is an SE model with glossy black trim as I couldn't take wood trim in an FRV.

J18NHS

1,064 posts

152 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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ging84 said:
what i really don't understand about it is, why big v8s etc in particular, you don't see it in many honda jazzes or ford focuses, used to see it in a lot of rovers, but those days are thankfully over.
There aimed at men of a certain age, not mums who do the school run.

lbc

3,212 posts

216 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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ging84 said:
That is horrific.

May as well just drive with a plank of wood from B&Q on the dashboard

McSam

6,753 posts

174 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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The photo you posted is very badly done, trying to hew a whole dashboard out of wood and then throwing buttons at it is a crap idea in almost all cases. That doesn't look like walnut to me, much too light and IMO lighter than any wood in a car should be.

I quite like the (actual) walnut in my E46.


Matt UK

17,649 posts

199 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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It can look great. I had a Jag XJ with wood and I loved it - gave the interior a very warm and inviting persona.

But there is some properly rubbish wood about ready to ruin many a bargain barge - especially that horrible 'orange' stuff.

shout Yes Mercedes and Lexus, I am looking at you!



GeordieInExile

683 posts

119 months

Wednesday 10th September 2014
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Oh yes.

feef

5,206 posts

182 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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Citroen did it rather nicely in the C6 I think:


dbdb

4,311 posts

172 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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I really like walnut trim; it really lifts the interior of most cars. That E46 is a good example of wood trim done well: it looks miles better than a spray painted plastic strip. The plastic strip most BMWs have looks so cheap and nasty. The E90 series of BMW is particularly lifted by a walnut dash. It fits so well, yet is such a rare option. I guess the E90 was sold in a very conservative market segment, where all the customers want the same things.

It does need to be done sympathetically though. The light coloured wood on the Six series and the orange wood on the Mercedes and Lexus look a little grim. Well, actually a lot grim. The Rover 75 on the other hand, looks rather nice.

I have an old Jag which is unusual in that the wood is actually wood, rather than a veneered metal substrate. I think it is this which gives it such visual depth and character. That and being hand made, rather than glued by a robot.


dbdb

4,311 posts

172 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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feef said:
Citroen did it rather nicely in the C6 I think:

Yes, that's nicely done in my view.

Baryonyx

17,990 posts

158 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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Mastodon2 said:
Looks amazing, I wish more cars had it. Much nicer to look at than the dull interiors of bland black and grey plastic, coupled with dreadful "aluminium highlights" (silver plastic) that are trendy these days.
Quite. Grey and black plastics are fking dreadfully boring when the entire interior is carved out of them. Cars were much better for wood trim. At least, in the right sort of car. A Golf will always be a boring shopper, so no, it shouldn't have wooden trim. But in a classy barge or an upmarket sports saloon or coupe, fk yes, there should be wood trim! It's just one of those nice details that lends an air of opulence and class, and is so much more appealing than gauche carbon fibre effect plastic or 'metal effect' plastic.

Jaguar:






Audi:



Mercedes:




morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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Scandinavian light birch trim - I love this for some reason


shake n bake

2,221 posts

206 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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I agree with the o.p, it looks terrible on nearly every car, only on premium
Stuff and even then it has to be in the right colours.
The first job I did when I picked up my chimaera was to change the dash to an aluminium panel as it was a terrible walnut veneer.

Dannbodge

2,160 posts

120 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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I changed the fake black leather trim in my E36 for the walnut variety.
Makes the interior much nicer and imo fits better with the age of the car

Monty Python

4,812 posts

196 months

Thursday 11th September 2014
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Is it me or are car manufacturers the best at making wood look like plastic? I detest the shiny stuff they nail to car dashboards - if you want to fit wood, leave it looking like wood and use a colour that dosen't stick out like a sore thumb.