Originally Posted by GonneVille

The problem isn't the fact that GM uses plastic, it'* that they use plastics that feels stiff and untextured, and many of their cars have clearly visible mold-lines. It'* more about the design and manufacture processes than the material itself.
The Park Ave, LSS, and Aurora use exactly the same kind of plastic as the Bonneville and even the Sunfire, but because they put more thought into the design and manufacture of the individual pieces, the interior feels like it is better assembled, makes less noise, and holds up to wear better.
The other reason that Pontiac interiors feel cheap compared to Bucik or Olds is that Pontiac interiors are, for the most part, one color inside(usually black). If you look at Buick or Olds interiors, they use several different shades of whatever color the interior is based in. My PA has a light tan on the seats, the face of the dash, and the all but the top of the door panels. It has a darker tan on top of the dash and door panels, and fake wood to set off the two different colors, and the instrument and radio faces are black.
A Bonneville, on the other hand, uses the exact same type of plastic, but the interior is only two colors at the most, whatever the main interior color is, and black. If the entire interior happens to be black, there'* no contrast. It makes the interior feel small, claustrophobic, even though the physical dimensions might be a bit bigger than other cars in it'* class.
The Buick and Olds, on the other hand, feel bigger than they actually are, and more open, which leads ot a feeling of higher quality.

Originally Posted by BonneMeMN

My moms 20k Camry has a nice softer dash, probably vinyl.

To me the dash of the aurora isn't bad, but it'* still a 90'* GM interior, albeit different then most. But to me it'* not "luxury". Caddies until recently weren't really much better either. Sure it'* a step up from a bonnie, but for the money...