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?
Cheap cars have huge continuous pieces of plastic for their interior surfaces. The more expensive ones will add in other textures like leather, suede, wood, other plastics, metal, etc. In my experience the more soft padded surfaces in the car the worse the car will wear over time. There are some plastics being used that will scratch really easily with your fingernails, so this is all good stuff to know if you want to keep a car long term.
Harder materials creak, squeak and crack more with age though
And that generally bothers me a lote more than droopy or scratched surfaces