2009 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring: Interior Graphics

They need to change that ASAP. It doesnt look upscale at all.

The way the pattern doesn't line up from the cup holder door to the console is pretty bad too. The misalignment is pretty jarring.

I think I might take this over fake wood though.

It would look better if the pattern on the door lined up with the rest of the trim. I don't hate it, but I like quirky things. It actually kinda reminds me of this nice wooden chess set I own.

It reminds me of the Formica dining table my parents had when I was growing up.

Ugly.

Why not simple "piano black"?

The problem with patterns is that they are too determined by what's "trendy". Think of all those patterns that GM put into their cloth seats in all their vehicles and how dated they look a couple of years later...

This does look dated already I think, plus the fact that the pattern on the lid isn't even matched to the surrounding one.

THANK YOU! I thought it was just me. There are not a lot of publications that have called this out. I own a CX-9 and wanted to buy a 6 to replace our camry. This trim detail was a total deal breaker. Even my wife who doesn't care about cars hated it. Oh well, at least I was able to convince her that we should just to upgrade to a G37 (sweet! Thanks Mazda!)

santiagofdz: The "piano black" on the dashboard of my Miata is a very delicate thing. Rub it the wrong way (no pun intended) and it scratches right up.

OK, how many of you actually have cars or even furniture or cabinetry in your house that has perfectly book-matched wood veneers on the drawers, doors, and other openings? Making the pattern match on the cover makes it look more artificial. I prefer the matte black finish on the later model year 1st-gen cars, but I would take this over the stuff that tries, and fails, to look like real wood (Hyundai Genesis, I'm looking at you). In no way does it look "dated" or out of place to me. There are plenty of reasons to hate this car, but this isn't one of them.

It looks like the plastic cover of a cheap, flashy laptop.

i wonder if it would look better as woodgrain.

probably not.

"It looks like the plastic cover of a cheap, flashy laptop."

[looks at the outside of own cheap, flashy laptop]

Confirmed.

I agree with those that say at least it's not plastic wood. I like that Mazda stuck a pattern on the trim there, and that it's not trying to look like something it's not. Maybe people don't like the pattern, but at least Mazda is trying something. I think they have the right idea.

I agree, Mazda dropped the ball on this one. The Chevy Aveo's interior trim is more pleasing to look at than this!

+1 for not being fake plastic wood, smudgetastic piano black, or craptastic silver painted plastic

+1 for being original. You know what? Who cares if it's quirky... you want unquirky, go buy a friggin Accord and give up on life like everyone else.

-500, however, for not getting it to line up correctly.

^ This.

It's lame, and yet I like it. "Shamboo", however, is all win.

That stuff is bloody awful. I have a hard time seeing the virtue in originality when the product of same has such a high fromage factor.

Thankfully, the rest of the interior is really quite nice. And hopefully the aftermarket will provide a solution to the plastic zebra problem.

The base model replaces this with simple plastic.

@ stovt001

HAHA, that was funny. I have to admite, i just bought an Asus g50vt-a2. Its flashy alright, but it has the goods to back up the bling. (unlike the Mazda6)

I'd rather have this, though, than the sea of ugly plastics in the Camcord. The rest of the interior makes up for it, although the way it doesn't line up does indeed look jarring.

i thought this pattern was too cheesy for my dell laptop so bad idea for a center console. the bottom line is that this pattern makes the interior look weak and flimsy, the oppisite of what aluminum or wood is supposed to impart

The interior of my sSport trim Mazda 6 doesn't have that. Mine has tasteful black plastic, with good texture to it.

My lower-trim-level 6 looks a lot better than what's in the Grand Touring model.