Spied: BMW 2009 F01 7 series interior

Is that a driver tilted center stack I spy? :) Rejoice! Now they just need to jettison the much diminished iDrive.

back to their roots

I dont know why but that idrive knob is it an awkward place. It just doesnt seem right, you have to wrap your hand around the gear shift and twist and shift up down n side to side risking coming in contat with the lever.

is at an awkward* contact*... long day at the office :)

kthor - you can clearly see that the controller is right next to the gearlever, and that it will be difficult to get your hand round it.

With your elbow on the center armrest, you move your hand to the right and there is the iDrive. It's not that complicated or difficult. Keep in mind that the gear shift lever returns to the current upright position when in gear, it does not stay back.

The design looks 10x more user friendly then the current 7.

Nice. I like iDrive.

Must be a BMW fan, but not owner...

me too. won't buy another car with out it or sth similar...

I am an owner and I think IDrive is GREAT!!!

its a good thing youve never stepped outside of a lexus dealership before, or you might have noticed that even the 2005.5-2008 model Audi A4 has a better interior then the LS :) so before we say the LS is a few steps ahead of the competition i think we first need to outclass the bread and butter sedans of Audi Benz and BMW ;)

and yes, this is biased

lexus' interior is full of technology but very badly designed. almost every design treatment is to make it looks luxury and high class. but based on some simple design principle's, lexus' interior is far worse than mercedes, audi and bmw's design language. their layout of the dashboard is full of complex with not much constraint,and it is very 90's. and the front, side, back design don't match each other so well. the detail is very refined, but not designed well.

bmw's interior is trying to look like its exterior with cutting edges and shape forms. materiality is pretty good, but the form make them look a bit cheap. thats why most of the reviews are saying that bmw's interior is bad. but as you all can see, this new 7 series is seriously getting there.

Seriously guys, anyone that says the LS interior quality is of cheap material, or other competing cars have better quality than it knows absolutely NOTHING about cars. This is not something a Lexus fan would say, but its a fact and anyone changes facts is a liar. So don't be offended when the facts work against you, the car industry is a beautiful field and we should admire and praise any good work, and when it comes to quality no competing LS cars can match its craftsmanship.

Designer-

You seem mighty confident that 'facts' somehow prove that the LS has a superior interior to all other cars. Where did you find these elusive 'facts?' Are you confusing them with 'opinions?'

Design is always subjective; an interior is only better than another after analyzing its use of materials, its functionality and overall appearance. Please don't waste our time with your useless assertions:

"when it comes to quality no competing LS cars can match its craftsmanship."

The S-Class matches and surpasses the LS' craftsmanship handily.

Please show proof of the S class besting the LS's interior craftsmanship please.

You complain about other's confusing opinions with fact, yet you do the same?

Would be funny if it weren't so sad.

Answer-

You apparently missed the point of my post; quite amazing when I made it so simple. The S-class has been described as having one of the best interiors in segment by various automotive review websites and periodicals. My statement is merely interpreting their own assertions and it just so happens I agree with them.

Before you respond with another offensively ignorant post, please go sit in both cars. The LS is damn close - its a great looking interior but it is still quite clear which car remains on top.

OMG!!! The upper half around the nav screen looks just like the accord

heres a pic..

http://www.thetorquereport.com/08_accord_interior.jpg

you should say honda looks like bmw... since this design language came from bmw.
peace.

I really wish Honda would quit it when they copy the German cars :-|

Looks like the accord....its not just me. Looks nicer and more upscale. I'm also glad to see that the gear lever is back where it belongs in the center console.
T

This design layout did NOT come from BMW first, Honda produced it first in its concepts and production cars, AFTER Honda released its production Accord BMW released its seen in the X6. So please stop whining Germem fan boys, the industry is universal and thoughts are the same its just who thinks and makes it before the other.

Such a bunch of whiners!!

He means the design of the current BMW line-up. This looks like an evolution of the current designs.

Oh crap!

I'm guessing the new 7 series will have 4 wheels too!

That's a blantant copy of a covered wagon!!!!!!!!

Bastards.

Overall shape copied straight from infiniti/accord.. but that looks hideous.

Front switch cluster looks like a the front of a $30 boombox from Walmart.

looks like current 7 series's. Centre console looks bland with too many buttons and steering wheel looks bad too. For an all new big luxury car, not impressive atall.

JUGNU

omg!!!
this is a nice looking luxury interior!! even in this kind of spy shots!!!
the material even looks really good in this photo!
cant wait to see the real one!

All switchgear is current BMW, so I'm a little disappointed that nothing looks radically different. I was really hoping iDrive would be upgraded in terms of graphics, and it looks the same on the main menu, which is disappointing. Also, there's a whole lot more wood than before....dont know if thats good or bad.

I am happy that the center stack has returned to being driver orientated and Im excited to see more photos of the real car and it's interior.

Anyone notice the actual instrument binnacle? Those are very bright tacho/speedo rings: either it's fully LCD or an electroluminescent display.

I was just gonna say that. :)

it has the interior to match its exterior, go figure.

same layout as the S-Class.

ahem, the new 2006+ S-class got its interior layout from the 2002+ 7-Series. When MB redid the S-class, here's a small sampling of what they did to the interior:

Move the console shifter to a push-pull stalk on the steering column. Add drawers in the center console. Go to the "twin binnacle" dash design. Add computer screens to the gauges (MB actually went a step further and made the entire gauge cluster a computer screen). Add a "one knob for all things" system. Add a double opening center armrest.

The list goes on. Those were all design themes in the 2002 7-Series that the S-class borrowed. From the look of things BMW is actually reversing the trend this time, making them dissimilar again.

Well, I would hope that the level of attention to detail is non-indicative of the finished product, as the wood grain matching from the center console to the the passenger side appears to be very poor.

I will grant that sometimes cameras capture odd angles with furniture wood, but usually automotive wood veneers lack the depth to create such an effect.

I think this is a handbuilt prototype where any CNC type machines have not been used or are still beign calibrated, so little issues like sloppy interior panel gaps are to be expected: I hope it will be no reflction on the attention to detail which the end product will receive. But BMW better try harder to get it right first when it did wiht the current 7 series: the first few years of production saw it being a quality nightmare.

I like how they got the shifter to be in the center dash because i never liked the truck like old shifter doesnt fit with bmw.

I agree. I've never liked column mounted shifters. I'm glad they moved it back to where it should be.

OMG,,,this looks like crap and I never liked the BMW interior anyway, it already looks outdated....

what a SH^%$$#T interior...

I hate that wood - it looks like something you'd find in a sauna...

The grain doesnt even line up going from the center to the area above the glove compartment! WHY!?

ZzzzzZzzzzzz

Funny thing is when they introduced iDrive they said it was to reduce the amount of buttons on the dash (something that never really bothered me) but now they have idrive and just as many, if not more, buttons. I like the center console. It looks pretty good better than the accord.
T

I concur. I almost wrecked a new RL on a weekend long test drive trying to figure out the buttons. The entire console was made up of buttons, and they were seemingly arranged at random. For example, not only is there an iDrive-like knob, but there's HVAC controls at the top of the console, stereo controls in the middle, and more HVAC controls BELOW the stereo controls. Why not put them all together? I don't know, and it took almost slamming into the back of a car in front of me to realize how much I missed the lack of dash clutter in my BMW. Decided to get a 535xi instead.

Fitz I am going to need you to re-read what you wrote..."If they didn't have buttons, could you imagine how many buttons this car would have to control all the functions of this car." I don't think it looks bad I just think its funny that they are headed right back where they started. iDrive has been such a marketing and PR nightmare that to appease the journalists and the people who actually buy the cars they are bringing the buttons back. I personally like the fact that Lexus never went the route of iDrive, COMMMAND & MMi. I have a command system in my Mercedes and its not a problem to me that I have buttons. I know what everything does and how they work. Just like you know how to navigate iDrive. So yes the dash is cleaned up a little bit but at the cost of some funcionality.
T

As odd as it looks in this picture above, I think the interior will end up looking quite luxurious with exotic wood.

A very nice evolution of the current model. I think it looks very luxurious.. I like what they are doing. I just hope the exterior will be just as nice.

can they use Touch Screen instead of i-drive ?

germen's don't have that much technology yet
lol

tell you what, they'll figure out the technology behind touchscreens when Lexus figures out how to make touchscreens that don't get washed out by glare in sunlight

The downfall to the touchscreen is not being able to use it while the car is in motion. At least with the iDrive, MMi, Command systems you can use it whenever.

ive never had that problem with my lexus touchscreens (i live in miami) ..and id also like to add :

no matter what, that interior is ugly..bmws may have great handling but they need someone to handle their interior design dept..

I like the fact that BMW have done away with the cheap looking black plastic that typically surrounds the gearbox and iDrive console.

Fifth Place: BMW 745i

First Place: Audi A8L

"Very quickly, our thesaurus ran out of synonyms for "splendiferous!" From exterior styling to handling, fit and finish, comfort, and technology, the A8 L earned top marks in our voting. In the overall scoring, it wasn't even close: The big Audi was way ahead of an otherwise tightly packed field."

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/luxury/112_0409_luxury_sedan_comparison/2004_audi_a8l.html

Third Place: 2006 BMW 750Li

Second Place: 2006 Audi A8L

"Of all the cars here, Audi's aluminum A8L is palpably the most sporting interpretation. From its flat ride to its meaty steering feel to its blipped-throttle downshifts in manumatic mode, the Audi is infused with a boldness that belies its stretched-limo appearance. Yet if you were picked up by your driver one evening, from the moment you ducked inside the leather-lined, wood-trimmed compartment and settled into one of the supportive seats, the experience would feel first-class."

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison_test/sedans/chauffeur_showdown_comparison_test+type-reviews_by_make+page-5+mode-collection+id-257.html

First Place: Audi A8L

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/sedans/0309_luxury_sedans_compared/index.html

***amazinBimmer***

C'mon man. Fact check before you post. The Phaeton and the A8 A8L came to the States only in 4motion and quattro respectively.

AHA, finally the Germen understood that changing the gear not into a gear handle into the steering wheel is an UGLY thing to do. I'm glad to see FINALLY the 7 series coming back to life again, even though the wood trim looks cheezy.

For those complaining about the cheesey wood, you should probably have clicked on the link and bothered to actually read the article...

"This has been verified by several sources that this is indeed the interior in design. The choice of materials and quality of them are not the finished product. This is a pre-production prototype or supplier mock-up. The production car will be made of higher quality items, and there will be an option for a leather dash. The layout is correct and so is the overall execution. The materials are just not at the final production quality."

Just my opinion but How come all the other cars S 550 have the drive system in the steering colum and they own version of I Drive. when BMW came out w/ it everybody critisize them. I love BMW for being so advance in technology and taking a chance. now everybody wants to follow.

"BMW probably just figures their customers can't do two things at once, so this won't be a problem."

You post things like that and think of yourself as being intelligent?

Touchscreens have many other drawbacks which make them inferior in my opinion. They are hard to see in direct sunlight, they get smudged with fingerprints, and they are usually mounted low meaning that you have to shift your eyes downward where the road will not be in your peripheral vision to use them.

COMMAND, MMI and IDrive are all mounted high on the dash where the road is still in your peripheral vision and they are also shrouded to shield them from sunlight.

The interior is a class above the competition! ;-)