2023 CarBuzz Awards Finalists: Best Interior (2024)

Nov. 06, 2023 12:45 PM ET by Gerhard Horn 2023 CarBuzz Awards / 16 Comments

The award for the car with the best interior usually goes to the vehicle with the highest MSRP, right? Well, last year, the award went to the 2022 Land Rover Range Rover because it simply oozes class and sophistication, but the year before that, it went to the Genesis G80 for proving that you can have a classy interior at a reasonable price.

This year, we drove several expensive cars with high-end interiors and some more budget-friendly cars with equally striking cabins. The Mercedes-Maybach GLS was a technological marvel, and Lucid's Air GT and the Range Rover Sport make a good argument for minimalism being the future of interiors. Yet, these didn't even make the final three.

Our finalists this year impressed as they well should. The cheapest car on the list starts at $89,200, proving you don't need a six-figure ride to have a lavish cabin. In no particular order, they are:

The Spectre is here not because it's a Rolls-Royce but because the famous ultra-luxury automaker still understands luxury. Luxury does not equal technology. The latter plays a small role in crafting a genuinely luxurious interior.

There is still some technology in the Spectre. It's the first Rolls-Royce to be equipped with the updated infotainment underpinned by the "Spirit" electronic architecture. And there's a digital instrument cluster, which customers can customize when building their car. It's this personalization that sets Rolls-Royce apart from the pack. Not having every surface covered in a screen means you can have all sorts of fun with the interior. In addition to the Starlight Headliner, you can now put 4,796 illuminated stars in each door. The nearly endless array of options means no two Spectres will ever be the same.

And even though it's thoroughly modern, it still has umbrellas in the door and leather made from real cows.

The Genesis G90 is another fine example of using interior space to dazzle with quality fit and finish. You get the sense that Genesis only has an infotainment screen because it needs one for the rearview camera and to control the vast array of features. And the digital instrument cluster is there because suppliers no longer want to make analog dials. It's the same thing that caught Porsche off guard.

Most of the interior is dedicated to old-school luxury. There's a clear horizontal pattern that runs from the one side, straight through the two-spoke steering wheel, to the other side of the car. Standard cladding includes Nappa leather from a real cow, metal taken from the ground, and wood from a tree.

We also love the subtle touches, like the speakers mounted within the headrests. All these things add up to a quality interior. And because luxury means never lifting a finger, everything is power operated, including the soft-close doors, reclining rear seats, and shades to stop all the paparazzi from looking at you as you relax.

We've been largely critical of the BMW XM, from its Angry Birds face to the heresy of the twin BMW roundels emulating the logos on an M1. But most of our gripes are because the XM tries to pretend it's an M car when, really, it's a luxury car (and should've been badged as an Alpina). Nowhere is that more apparent than inside its cabin.

The XM is lovely in the front, with a curved display housing the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system. BMW also left enough room to fit high-end trim materials like carbon fiber and satin-aluminum. But it's the rear-seat experience that is most unlike any other Bimmer.

These are some of the plushest back seats we've sat in, with soft, quilted leather, XM-emblazoned pillows, and a 3D geometric patterned roof with RGB lighting.

BMW admitted the XM is made for appearances, and if you forget that M is supposed to mean motorsport, the rear seats of the XM are some of the best in the automotive world. All it needs is the drop-down screen from the i7 to complete the look.