Finally, a decent car interior...

Over the years I’ve moaned countless times about the state of car interior design. Even with some of the premium brands, there’s precious little effort put into giving the cabin a cohesive look. All the design budget goes on the exterior – which you as the owner who has forked out thousands get to see infrequently – and what’s left gets spent on parts-bin bits and random cost-effective components. There’s no thought given to what they might look like when they’re put together, and mostly it’s a mess. So praise be for the Volvo V40, a car with an interior I think is excellent (pictured). It’s smart, contemporary, not too fussy with plenty of attention to detail. It’s also comfortable. Matched with the exterior lifestyle add-ons of the Cross Country model I’m driving at the moment, which I also really like, it’s got more appeal for me than many of its rivals.