Alright, I'll start this off by admitting that I've been a Honda Accord owner for over 10 years. I've owned 3 Honda Accords, and recommended their purchase over American cars because of their interiors and vehicle quality.
Right now I want to focus on their interiors:
The interior controls of every Honda I've ever driving feels the same, from ergonomics, to the quality of the buttons and/or dials, it just feels solid. So it's not just the icing on the cake, it's the eggs inside it.
By contrast my wife has owned a Pontiac Aztek (which was actually pretty good), GMC Sonoma, and now (sadly) a Chrysler Pacifica. All of the above have suffered from plasticy feeling consoles, stickers that peeled off after a year or so of use, and placement of controls that can only be described as poorly thought out (I once considered purchasing a Ford Fusion, but decided against it solely because the temperature controls were down by my right ankle)
So with that I'd like to offer the following:
Group the similar controls together in one area that's within range of an arm swing
Use high quality stickers or labeling that don't degrade in a 5 yr period
Recess the hood release, I've seen people's pants catch on the exposed ones
Keep the steering controls simple. I really don't need to control the A/C from the steering wheel, but the radio yes and of course cruise control
Well that's my rant, I just hope that GM can really put out a quality product at a price that won't alienate their consumer base. Good luck.
