BMW interiors continue to disappoint.

What an opinionated article. Styling is subjective. There are many BMW owners (myself included) that find the interiors quite enjoyable, more so than other manufactures. For instance ( IMO ) Audi interiors that are claimed to be industry leaders on this website look very bland and boring. My colleague owns an A6 and I look forward to getting into my car after every ride with him.

I never understood why Audi is the "king" of interiors. They look much like any other car manufacturer's interior. Making it with better materials doesn't do it in my mind. Make it sleek, ergonomic, and pleasing to the eye, and you've got my vote.

My humble 2 cents.

The A4 interior from Audi's website...
http://www.audiusa.com/common/images/2005_int_gallery5_a4sedan_lg.jpg

Looks like any other interior (sans LCD screen) from a $15k+ car.

Finally. BMW makes awesome exteriors better than any automaker, however, there interiors continue to disappoint.

BMW's interior will always be dissppointing for some people, including me, if they don't get away from the black interior. Is it because black goes with everything? I never understood why some people praise the interior of a BMW...no offense, but it looks cheap and plasticky.

and the 335i interior from BMW's website for comparisons...
http://www.bmwusa.com/NR/rdonlyres/8CEF1585-373F-4E3E-A6FA-C61700B204CD/0/0733_02_sm.jpg

actually i like BMW interiors. They look sporty + luxurious.

To have a spot where switches are absent because they've plucked this part from the sedan is weird on a car of this prestige :)

Design aside, which is purely subjective, the materials, fit, and finish in even the lowest of Audi's, the A3, is leagues ahead of anything you'll find in a BMW product.

Go sit in a A8 and then in a 7-series, and the differences immediately become apparent. The cheap, hard plastics, panel gaps, and leather in BMW is an automotive embarrassment.

Design is subjective, but BMW's interiors do need some improving. Crap is crap, any way you look at it.

Yes, design is subjective but as man of you have mentioned here, it is clearly apparent that BMW's materials quality is not as high as Audis.

BMW interiors are the sportiest ones in the world!!!
I love them-no stupid buttons, just iDrive (READ THE NAME) a color screen high up so u dont have to bend, and the essentials

AND I dont know why you people judge the interiors by what other people say!!!

I think BMW interiors are "OK" - but the competition simply outclasses them. In other words, BMW interiors are of good quality, but the competition is a notch or two better.

I think that the new 3-series interior is decent, but it doesn't come close to some cars in its class, including the facelifted C-Class. Bah! :(

The new X5 interior however looks promising. The 7-series has a good interior material wise.

I can completely understand where they are coming from saying the window switches are placed too far up. It's almost awkward how far up they are. Other than that I like the interiors. I think other manufucturers have more "plush" interiors, but BMW is more focused toward sport luxury than MB or Lexus, or even Audi for that matter.

AUDIMAN4, "The A3's interior is leagues ahead of anything you'll find in a BMW product."

Buddy please, the planels inside the A3 and A4 aren't even molded together, there clipped together...the whole interior can be taken apart and put back together like a jigsaw puzzle.

BMW's leather feels way more expensive than the leather VW & Audi are using, not to mention longer lasting from what i've seen.

Also the new 3er coupe doesn't have any fill in buttons, go to a dealership and look for yourself. Even easier, you can just look through the hundred of detailed interior photo's of the new coupe if you dont believe me.

Interior door designs on Audi's are plain & boring, definitly an aspect of the interior BMW does b

AUDIMAN4, "The A3's interior is leagues ahead of anything you'll find in a BMW product."

Buddy please, the planels inside the A3 and A4 aren't even molded together, there clipped together...the whole interior can be taken apart and put back together like a jigsaw puzzle.

BMW's leather feels way more expensive than the leather VW & Audi are using (only the A8 is fitted with Audi's highest grade leather), not to mention longer lasting from what i've seen.

Also the new 3er coupe doesn't have any fill in buttons, go to a dealership and look for yourself. Even easier, you can just look through the hundred of detailed interior photo's of the new coupe if you dont believe me.

One more thing, door designs on Audi's are plain & boring, definitly an aspect of the interior BMW designs better. In fact the 3er's biggest interior flaw is the plastic pop-out dash cupholders which Audi has, & BMW seems to have copied.

Whattya know.....

Really?
I think BMW's interiors are THE best in the auto industry. (With Audi at a close second)

mstangpny-

That's because you have an X5, which is basically the ONLY BMW that has a truly luxurious interior (7 Series not included) these days.

The 3 Series and 5 Series, however, are below average in their respective classes. The 6 is nice, but it trades off: you get a Lexus-like interior, but you also get a Leuxs-like driving experience, and that was a comparison involving the new 650ci.

The A6 and A8 are treats to the eye; the A4 may look bland to some but it's five years old. When it's redesigned next year, it will lead the way for all entry-luxury sedans, interior-wise, and will create a new Audi benchmark in terms of handling (for A models, S and RS not included).

mromar- I too think Lexus doesn't have a handle on good interior design. They have the execution, but the inspirational design isn't there. If you don't like Audi interiors, I can't stop you. But the truth is, like every single writer has said, they're the best in the industry.

i like the (old) x5 interior, but it's a bit plain. sporty, driver focussed, its good. 7 series wasn't too great, the "emtal" looked like plastic too much.
the old old 3er doesn't have a great interior, and the old 7 is good looking, but hard plastic and brittle wood let it down.
the a6 and a8 interiors though....wow.
had a 99 a8 and a 99 7, the audi wins by miles. very high quality, even the buttons. didn't really believe the audi interior thing before then.
a6 interior, logical, functional, good looking, good feeling. pretty perfect. and i like the driver focussed thing, where recent bimmers have gone the other way.
5 series interior, again plain. too plain. maybe i just like buttons?
lexus interiors?
don't like them. two tone dashboards, red wood, fussy design. good materials, no doubt. i like less fussiness. but i like buttons. god i'm hard to please.
audi have struck the best for me. enough little details with enough overall good design.
like the a8 has buttons and details, but is also a clean design.

MunichRob, if you think BMW leather is more expensive feeling or more plush than Audi leather, that is strictly your opinion.

Unfortunately, every single automotive writer believes that Audi interiors feature the best materials quality and ergonomics not to mention "plushness" that one can find this side of a $150K Bentley.

You can have your opinion MunichRob, but unfortunately every single auto writer has a different one than you do.

Audi interiors are king.

MunichRob please find me Edmunds' universal praise for BMW interiors. Here it is for Audi interiors:

Anyody want to challenge Audi interiors?????

Fight this:

Audi A3: True to its Audi lineage, the A3 features a cabin that boasts excellent materials and build quality.

A4: Artfully designed and furnished with high-quality materials, the A4's cabin impresses immediately and continues to do so even after one has had the car for awhile. The seats may seem too firm for some folks, but they prove supportive and comfortable on long trips.

A6: The 2006 Audi A6 offers one of the best interiors of any midsize luxury sedan. Besides offering standard leather and wood inlays, each cabin is filled with supple, high-quality materials. If you bought an A6 for the sake of luxury alone, you wouldn't be disappointed.

In practice, it's much easier to use than BMW's iDrive or Mercedes' COMAND and helps minimize cabin clutter.

A8: Whether you're driving or riding in the back, there's not a bad seat in the Audi A8 house, especially if you're in the L version, with its 42 inches of rear legroom. Everything you see and touch in the A8 bespeaks the highest quality.

Q7: The Audi Q7's interior is notable for its high-quality construction and materials. Much of the dash layout is similar to that of the A6 sedan, and Audi's Multi-Media Interface (MMI) is standard.

Somebody try to say that Audi doesn't make the best interiors...PLEASE, so I can grill you to your grave on your crazy claims.

every Audi has "high" (A4, A6, A8, Q7) or "excellent" (A3) materials quality

Will, I can find examples from motortrend, road and track, car & driver, various online reviews and Ward's Auto awards that only help substantiate the claim that Audi does indeed make the best interiors and materials quality is not something subjective. Audi does indeed have better materials quality than BMW.

i sure as hell can't argue about the dang window controls. i've rolled down the back windows instead of the front windows on my 330i about a billion friggin times b/c the damn controls are too far foward. stupid bangle......HA!

BMW uses cheap hard plastics. The X3 interior has plastic that comes straight out of the Chevy Cobalt.

The E46 had a great interior, as did the E39. But you can really tell they cost cut on the current generations.

GermanNUTz youre outta your mind with tha bias remarks. I like BMW interiors and thats my opinion because BMW interiors fit me tha best. Sorry, but Im not gonna listen to what some car magazune says bout interiors. I buy what I like, period. I do valet for living, so Ive been in all tha cars you can think of, and by far BMW interiors are just perfect for me. FOR ME THAT IS, so stop this bias nonsense. To me A8L interior is just childish, even tho you might think it isn't.


G

One thing that I just love about BMW interiors is how tha seat can extend forward to comfort your knees. Especially for tall ppl like myself.


G

Like I told MunichRob, I'm going to tell you RefuG. I could care less about what you personally prefer as the better interior. Just like the rest of the world, I could give two shits if you personally thought the Mercedes C-class was a more dynamic car than the BMW 3-series.

The fact is: the Mercedes C-class is not as dynamic as the BMW 3-series. This is not something you can have an opinion on. Results such as these are done through conclusive testing which clearly places the BMW ahead of the Mercedes C-class in driving dynamics.

The same thing goes for interiors. I'm happy for you if you think BMWs have the best interiors. The rest of the automotive editors and the general public thinks otherwise. Don't blame me for my biases......blame the hundreds of automotive editors for agreeing with my claim and disagreeing with yours.

Of course automotive critics for magazines such as Road & Track, Car & Driver and Motortrend don't know anythign right RefuG?

Oh yeah I can use conclusive, hard evidence such as the number of Automotive Interior Awards that Audi won this year when compared to BMW.

Audi won 3 and BMW won I think maybe 1 at maximum and quite possibly zero.

Again what do I know? The results from the most widely accepted company that rates interiors (Wards) and every single review from Edmunds and every single other review by a major car magazine or online journal praises Audi for their impeccable interiors.

Of course they all don't have a clue as to what they are actually talking about right RefuG?

RefuG-

A8L interior? CHILDISH? I have no idea where or why you thought of that. It's the nicest interior this side of a Bentley, by quite a margin.

My seat can extend, too. It's not a BMW trademark or anything.

yeah but BMW has sacrificed interior quality for their driver orientation which is not a good thing.

RefuG obviously hasn't been in the most universall praised interior in class, of course belonging to the Audi A8.

hahaha thats why i never buy a bimmer 3 series i always liked the 7 series

GermanNut,

I wasn't arguing that BMW makes a higher quality interior than Audi, we all know Audi does that a step better than BMW. I was merely making my point that the 3-series interior has no fill-in buttons, and that it houses plastic cupholders in the dash just like the A4 & A3.

My other point was the fact that the audi A4 & A3 interior surfaces aren't molded together, there clipped together. Being the owner of my own performance audio car shop, I've worked on installing various audio components on a number of A4's. Granted it's harder to take apart than a GM automobile or even a C-class Benz, but that's not to say much considering the amount of effort it takes to strip a 3er interior.

I'll agree the A6 & A8 dominate for interior design over the Bimmer competition in that class, but as far as the new X5 and 3-series interiors go...There the best stylistically built cabins in their class.

I test drove a 330i a few weeks ago and the interior is cheap looking for a $40,000 car. The plastics are cheap and poor quality. Its obvious...especially when you step out of the current 5 series (I'm also no fan) or even better a last gen 3 series. The last gen car had the perfect interior.
T

Germannut, quit the bias will you?

Audi makes nice interiors, better than BMW for sure (I hate to admit), but interiors aren't everything. Plus, you reek of bias. Stop it. Seriously, stop it.

One thing is for certain - there is no such thing as a perfect car. But Audi does make the best auto interiors, far and away (the A8 in particular). Acura is probably next for interiors. Everything else seems to be varrying degrees of wonky/crazy/crappy.

Sure people say that auto aesthetics are subjective but lets be fair, comparing an Audi interior to BMW is kind of like comparing a supermodel to a plain Jane.

Loki you said it best. Reek of bias???

BMW530i you just admitted what I've been preaching on this forum for a LONG time.

Audi makes the best interiors. Thank you, you just gave Audi credit where it deserves (credit) on the interior and so I'm ready to move on from the interiors.

MunichRob, the E46 had a better interior in terms of ergonomics than the E90.

I guess those "high quality" BMW interior includes those well placed (cheap a%#) cup holders up on the dash area. We can add this to the bean counter savings for the fools that decided to go with Run Flat Tires. These tires have had some many complaints (RFT) that when I visited the dealer to inquire about the new 2007 3 series (and any tire issues), the sales person immedaitely started telling me about BMW looking into the numerous problems with these loud, harsh riding tires. YOu can check out edmunds.com website to see plenty of people not happy with those RFT. I may not buy their product because of those. Six months later I don't want to need to buy another set of tires after I spend $40K plus. I also wish they would have stuck close to their interior design from the 2002-2005 model year. That had a nice curvy dash and driving pod area. So they remove the small spare, give a few cup holders on the dash area all because some bean counter told them they'd save a few bucks....interesting.

Germannut,

BMW530i you just admitted what I've been preaching on this forum for a LONG time.

Audi makes the best interiors. Thank you, you just gave Audi credit where it deserves (credit) on the interior and so I'm ready to move on from the interiors.
=============================================

Grow up.

Audi makes good interiors, but claiming that they make the "best"? The competition isn't letting Audi win all the awards. The Lexus GS has a pretty good interior, so does the CLS, E-Class and S-Class. Last time I sat in an Acura RL, I was pretty impressed with the interior as well. The only nice BMW interior in terms of materials is the 7-series and by the looks of it, the new X5.

BMW530i thank you once again for your continous support of Audi. It is greatly appreciated when BMW owners acknowledge Audi's superiority to the rest of the mainstream luxury auto world when it comes to interiors.

Why shouldn't I claim they are the best. They have won the most awards regarding interiors. There interiors have received universal praise. They in fact are the best due to the fact that no other car company has received such universal praise of their interiors.

The new X5 may look nice, it could very easily be a different story aout the way it feels.

BMW530i thank you once again for your continous support of Audi. It is greatly appreciated when BMW owners acknowledge Audi's superiority to the rest of the mainstream luxury auto world when it comes to interiors.

Why shouldn't I claim they are the best. They have won the most awards regarding interiors. There interiors have received universal praise. They in fact are the best due to the fact that no other car company has received such universal praise of their interiors.

The new X5 may look nice, it could very easily be a different story aout the way it feels.

BMW530i thank you once again for your continous support of Audi. It is greatly appreciated when BMW owners acknowledge Audi's superiority to the rest of the mainstream luxury auto world when it comes to interiors.

Why shouldn't I claim they are the best. They have won the most awards regarding interiors. There interiors have received universal praise. They in fact are the best due to the fact that no other car company has received such universal praise of their interiors.

The new X5 may look nice, it could very easily be a different story aout the way it feels.

I apologize for the triple post.

Do you really feel that BMW has got their exterior styling "right" with the current 3 series? It is easily mistaken for a generic Asian car. Mind you, if one LIKES the look of the Asian marques, then BMW's 3-series will make you feel right at home.

I much prefer the traditional German styling, seen in the previous generation of BMWs, in most Mercedes, and in virtually all Porsches.

Remember not too long ago, when the worst thing being written about BMW was that their exterior styling was perhaps a tad too conservative?

I was very disappointed when I first sat in my father's 2005 530. The interior is so stark and plain. No way should an interior like that be in a $50k car.

My 2002 S4's interior is in a different league. It's not perfect (the location of the front cupholder is laughable), but it is what a luxury interior is supposed to be. GM even publicly admits that Audi is their model for interiors.

yes, bmw interior is nothign special.
i own a 2001 c320. the car itself is nothing special. however its interior is very sphisticated and polished with wood grain, etc. i recently got into a 2004 bmw 3 series and although its 3 years newer, interior is legues behind teh older mercedes.
bMw needs to step their interior game uP!!!