What’s the Best Smell in a Car?
The internet is littered with content that suggests that what smells good to some people evokes the exact opposite reaction in others. The latest According to You question will likely add to that, but first, I owe you an explanation: This question’s origin wafted up from a very non-automotive source.
It stems from my personal wake-up call that osmophobia is real. Smells can trigger headaches in some folks, and I’ve discovered that one spice (cumin, probably) is the trigger for painful sinus headaches for yours truly. As a South Asian American, it’s unfortunate that such a delicious part of my culinary heritage does this to me, but I’m thankful it only happens when the smell is very strong.
Be it spices, freshly cut grass, a light rain, or chemicals in vehicles, we all have different reactions to smells. It’s been suggested that not everyone smells things the same to everyone for valid physical reasons. And for this very, very personal reason, I began to think about the positive angle of this topic—what’s my favorite smell in cars?
Allow me to pick the lowest-hanging fruit. Leather seats smell absolutely wonderful to my olfactory nerves. (Thank goodness they don’t trigger my headaches!) And, for me anyway, leather paired with new car smell is downright addictive.
There are other smells I enjoy, like the contrast of old engine oil versus fresh synthetic oil after performing an oil change in my own driveway. That’s the smell of satisfaction for a job well done. But it can’t touch the smell of leather in my book. So I kick the question back to you, dear members of the Hagerty Community:
What’s the best smell in a car?
High octane racing gas exhaust fumes.
Of course leather but, nothing beats the Connoly Leather in an older Rolls Royce. Also, the strong ammonia scent when spraying windshield washer fluid on a brand new BMW. That fluid is very effective and the smell is powerful and strangely addictive.
Chanel No.5 on a Saturday night
Any night
Conventional 90wt gear oil, of course! That or Ford limited slip additive………..
Not sure what so different about it but the smell of the leather in the SAAB Viggen was the best.
Something I find interesting is that the smell of gas, grease, oil, or even brake cleaner don’t bother me but those air fresheners my wife insists on all over the house? Disgusting.
Exhaust from a 50 – 60s gross polluter, I’m following out through the country roads to get to the weekend car show !
I own a car wash. We have a regular customer who comes through in an early 60s Dodge Dart. Holy Hydrocarbons, Batman! The smell lingers for hours. There’s something to be said for modern emission controls.
VW “horsehair” seats
Sure, leather seats are the best. But as a kid, was always aware of the stench/perfume of the aftermarket clear plastic seat covers. A company named Fingerhut would send the new owner of a car a little catalogue claiming their covers would protect one’s auto seats forever. My dad always fell for that scam. But, thankfully, not for the matching man/woman “genuine matching leatherette jackets.”
When I was growing up we always had used cars. Dad was so pleased when he pulled off those plastic covers so we had ‘brand-new’ seats for ourselves
Leather in an old car on a warm day. I mean real leather, not the fake plastic junk they put in cars nowadays. Reminds me of the 72 Cougar XR7 I owned in high school. The tin worm ate it up big time. Such is life of a daily driver in Chicago.
I love the smell Nitro Methane Fumes in the morning. It smells like Victory!
To me it’s just “old German car smell” in general. In my case that means ‘80s era. Each manufacturer seemed to have their own particular aroma. Eau de VW/Audi takes me right back to high school. BMW and Porsche, my early 20s as a budding mechanic.
I did own a Euro market ‘86 BMW 745i which bucked the trend. That car had a buffalo hide interior which gloriously smelled like a closet full of leather jackets for the entire eleven years that I owned it. I guess that would be my second favorite.
the smell of a cigarette being lit with the cigarette lighter from the car. Both of my parents smoked when I was a kid. I don’t and never did but I love the smell.
A coworker had an 90s Volvo 240, I loved the leather smell in that car. It reminded me of the tack room in my uncle’s barn.
I’m partial to high octane fuel on a cold start or the smell of burnt rubber as the smoke wafts in the window.
old Mercedes leather