Earlier this week I was in Northern California to drive the 2025 Aston Martin DBX707, which was updated for this model year with a totally redesigned interior and infotainment system, along with some other minor updates. To show off the DBX’s new cabin Aston’s press department chose some really wild specs to have at the event, including a few with interiors that were color-matched to the exterior paint, something I think more cars should have.
I’m not talking about a red-painted car that has red seats but the rest of the interior is black. No, I want interiors where every single surface is colored. I don’t care about reflections on the windshield from a brightly colored dash, I don’t care about the potential to stain lighter colors, I don’t care about dirty carpets. I especially don’t care if other people are put off by an out-there interior, or about “resale value,” whatever the hell that is. I’m all about the aesthetic, baby.
Out of the DBX707s at the launch, the most striking were the ones with Synapse Orange paint and Californian Poppy leather. Bright orange as an interior color has seen a burst in popularity in the past few years — you can thank Hermès for that — and in this application, I think it looks phenomenal. But the Supernova Red DBX with the Spicy Red leather was even better to my eyes, as it had maroon carpets that tie the look together even further. Everything is red, from the headliner to the steering wheel hub to the lower seat bases and all the little trim bits in between. It rules.
The colors don’t need to be bright for color-matching to look good, either. Aston brought a DB12 Volante as a support vehicle that was in a slightly muddy shade of green called Titanium Grey, and most of the interior was finished in Arden Green Metallic leather. Topped off by matte wood trim and bronze wheels, it was a super classy spec that was eye-catching without being eye-searing. While this one had a two-tone setup with Phantom Grey leather on the upper surfaces, you could spec your DB12 with a single-tone scheme instead to ensure that everything is green.
From the 1950s through the 1990s, color-matched interiors were pretty commonplace, especially in American cars. I have fond memories of riding around in my friend’s mom’s blue Ford Taurus wagon that had a full blue cloth interior, and my dad had a gold Volvo 850 with a gold interior, which probably explains why I’m obsessed with my own newly purchased gold-on-gold car so much. I love going to a car show and seeing old American land barges painted bright teal with matching teal vinyl covering the entire cabin, or a dark green vintage European sports car with a dark green interior. Sadly, most customers these days are just too boring for it to be commonplace anymore.
We’ve seen a resurgence of full-color interiors in recent years though, and not just from premium brands. Sure, high-end companies like Porsche, Bentley and Rolls-Royce will happily cover every inch of your interior in monotone leather, but even the Hyundai Venue is available with a completely blue interior, for instance. Other Hyundai, Kia and Genesis products offer wonderful saturated cabins where even small plastic bits are color-matched; Lincoln does too, as does Chevy with the Corvette. Some companies get close to a full-color interior, but chicken out with black dashboards, door cards and carpets.
I’m fine with contrasting color schemes, too, just as long as the majority of the interior is colored. The DBX I drove at the event was painted Photon Lime with a deep navy blue interior called Dark Knight, which I think worked very well, especially with lime green stitching and brighter blue accents. Now imagine that lime paint with that full orange interior…
