Wood interior on a prius...it's just not right!!!

LESS IS MORE!!!

I've seen some beautiful wood accent touches in cars, including Prii. But *that* one is way overdone.

Same goes for chrome. Less is definitely more.

Chuck

 

I've been customizing cars and truck since the early 1990s and I've seen a lot of vehicles that I consider butt ugly but their owners really enjoy them so in my mind that is all that really matters. Not sure why this thread struck a cord but I just don't see the sense in going all out to make fun of some stranger and their taste in modifications.

 

Check out USBseawolf2000's use: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-modifications/20827-woodtrim-17-rims.html

(sorry, I don't know how to post pics from someone else's post)
I really dig the way he did it - very tasteful and I think looks "factory". As chucknight said, less is more.

Besides, it's subjective. Some people think the interior looks good as is...I tend to think it looks a bit cheap and plastic-y.

Some people also think the Prius looks like we're driving a toaster...I tend to think it looks cool.

 

Um...I don't follow...

The "wood" panels are indeed plastic, right? So...some plastic is better than others?

 

Wouldn't it be more Priuslike if the wood trim was bamboo or some other eco-friendly material?

 

It would be more sustainable to have not used any additional materials regardless of their source.

 

Good point!

 

What about using Walmart plastic shopping bags glued to the dash? That would keep them out of the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Garbage_Heap"]Pacific Garbage Patch.[/ame]

 

How Automakers create a 'Real Wood' dash . . .

I asked a senior scientist at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory (www.FPL.FS.FED.US) why the 'Redwood' dashboard tyrim on my OEM Factory Jeep Overland looked Nothing Like Real Redwood. He said that many decades ago, Mrs. Jones began to complain that her new cars dash wasn't exactly the same as the one she test drove. This is of course why a Real Wood dashboard from an actual tree/log would never produce two that are identical, only plastic and metal can do that. The auto manufacturers then began to bleach white all wood for the cars trim, then artificially stain it a color they conjured up so every car had the same phony looking Real Wood dash. Don'tyaluvit ? This is why most wood trim looks just as hideous as plastic.

 

+1 very well put!!! Less is more!! That is what I consider a tasteful use of a little bit O trim!!!!

 

Well I think USBseawolf200's looks great. I think the photo referenced by the OP is overkill. When adding a wood trim, I think it's like Indiana Jones when he tries removing the idol and replacing with a bag of sand. You've got to get the balance just right or all hells going to break loose.

Also I really support people doing whatever they wish. I'm not wishing to hurt anyones feelings. Somehow, with the original photo? I'm guessing the owner of that dash has heard it all before. You don't do that to your dash unless you feel pretty strongly about it.

 

:eyebrows:ound::thumb:

 

To put it all in one post ...

1. Here's an example of how WRONG it can be (I think they missed a spot lol ... the space between the upper and lower glove boxes):

[IMGLINK]http://www.alkaplus.com/mebay/prius_ob1.jpg[/IMGLINK]

2. Here's an example of how RIGHT it can be (usbseawolf2000's):

[IMGLINK]http://priuschat.com/forums/attachments/gen-ii-prius-modifications/14086d1239764744-woodtrim-17-rims-woodtrim.jpg[/IMGLINK]

 

As memory serves, USBSeaWolf2000 said that he studied how they did the wood accents on the higher end Toyotas like the Avalon and Lexus, and then duplicated *that* look. And, I think he did a beautiful job. It's in good taste, AND it looks OEM. It actually looks like he didn't do anything to it.

The first one, however, reminds me of the cheap and overdone finishes in the Lincoln owned by the little old lady down the street. Or maybe a pimpmobile.

​

Chuck

 

The "magic" that completed was the color theme of the Lexus grade MFD.

This high resolution UI screen is available only in 2006-2009 Prius models.

 

There are better ways of getting wood in a Prius, but I can't say what they involve.

Thank goodness my reputation button is no longer available.

 

That was a ZZ Top song right????

 

Ok, I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would add anything to a Prius dash. It's probably tiny weight, but it's added weight, none the less.

The only use for this wood in a Prius? Perhaps in a bind, like stuck on a mountain pass in a blizzard, you might be able to pull it off and burn it for warmth. But then again, it's fake wood, so you would only get fake heat out of it.

Really, it's your Prius, so you can do whatever you want to it. Tasteful or not. Anyone done a woody sided Prius yet? :wacko:

 

Its just fo decoration.

 

I have a newbie type question. I do not want to go off opic, but in the OP's first picture, the one with A LOT of wood trim, there are two small rectangle buttons or something just under the dash, in the center post between the two areas between the driver's feet and the passenger's feet.

What are they?

I do not have them on my 2007 pkg #3 Prius....

BTW, I think seawolf's pics are very nice.

Frank