Click on the image to enlargeAfter seeing numerous exterior
spy shots and
renderings of BMW's upcoming 2009 7 Series and hearing details about the
drivetrain, we finally have what appears to be a spy shot of the new 7's interior. Like the exterior, it appears to be rather subdued for a modern BMW. As we had previously heard, the
joystick gear lever has moved back to its rightful position in the center console between the seats. Although the woodgrain and some of the panels don't line up all that well, we're not concerned about it considering that this is obviously not a production model yet. We're also happy to see that the iDrive screen is better integrated into the dash. While we generally favor a clean, uncluttered look, we wonder how this new and more simple design ethos will resonate with the luxury car buyers that are BMW's target audience.
Thanks for the tip, Luke![Source:
E90Post.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
AMcA 1:41PM (4/20/2008)
Bless 'em - they got rid of that hideous, improvised looking double hump instrument binnacle. HUGE improvement.
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IK47 9:25PM (4/20/2008)
I liked the "double-hump"...
I hate it when companies throw out their good ideas just because the market doesn't 'get it' yet.
like when BMW changed the location of the window controls from the center to the doors
Cross 1:46PM (4/20/2008)
Man, with this pic, the radio console, with the woodgrain look, it looks like a design out of the mid to late 90's. I feel old just looking at it.
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That One Person 2:49PM (4/20/2008)
Funny you mention that. I was staring at it and it looks like the dash and the wood has the same texture and look as my buddy's 96 Chrysler LHS.
Ford Wannup 11:24PM (4/20/2008)
Actually, look closely and there are a few, very promising things:
- driver oriented mid-dash, exactly what BMWs are supposed to have
- shifter where shifter should be
- quad gauges, instead of teeny gauges
In all, this is a tacit acknowledgment that they need to draw on genuine BMW's design DNA rather than the modernistic crap that they tried to shove down our throats during the past decade. For those who complained about retro-ugliness or how the wood grain is all wrong, dude...it's a work-in-progress concept prototype.
Matt Keller 1:51PM (4/20/2008)
It's a problem when you like the interior of the Buick more than the interior of the BMW.
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Torrent 1:52PM (4/20/2008)
What's wrong with Buick's?
Aprime 2:17PM (4/20/2008)
Buick is entry-level Luxury/American Lexus.
That's what's wrong.
Thedevil 2:01PM (4/20/2008)
What's not wrong with Buick's?
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Blake 3:02PM (4/20/2008)
No candy for you!
HotRodzNKustoms 2:04PM (4/20/2008)
That doesn't look like the interior out of a flagship sedan to me.
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mike 2:21PM (4/20/2008)
Man that's fugly! Kind'a like a mid-80's Buick.
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JapanCarBlog.com 2:24PM (4/20/2008)
Gotta love the Honda steering wheel and meter wide panel gaps.
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gmcbob 2:33PM (4/20/2008)
BWM's are cool, but the name is why people pay $10,000 more than their competition in pretty much every segment. In other words, the cars aren't worth the premium.
Has BMW significantly changed the way their interiors look in the past 20 years or so (other than adding navigation screens)?
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Yar 2:38PM (4/20/2008)
Reminds me of my old Wagoneer for some reason...
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Stuka 2:44PM (4/20/2008)
Woodgrain FTW!
Stuka 2:45PM (4/20/2008)
Gah, it looks so early to mid 90's. Maybe its just the poor quality image that is giving it that feel. But even then, the 50 button layout for the stereo is not my cup of tea.
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k.w.a 3:03PM (4/20/2008)
what are you guys talking about? if anything, the interior looks like that of the new X5. Whether or not you like the X5's interior, well, that is the question.
Im excited for the new 7 series, although i hope they don't water it down completely. I think Bangle was on to something. Say what you want about the current 7 series, but you can't deny it sent all its other competitors back to the drawing board. Remember how Vanilla the S-Class and Lexus LS used to be? Look at them now. I applaud BMW for at least having the balls to take the initiative
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pscs 3:09PM (4/20/2008)
it looks bland. that dash looks out of position to the right of the screen where there's this huge blank slab of plastic.
basically this pre-production model's righter side of the dash does not align properly :P
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swe 3:11PM (4/20/2008)
i bet it would look a lot better without the wood.
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