[joz]

Took a stroll through the auto show yesterday and by the end of it couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed with the F30 interior. The quality of the finishes leaves you wanting more.

It's something I've noticed being mentioned more frequently on the forum. For the most part I brushed it off as BMW owners being stereotypically anal. But as I walked the show floor it was one of the major aesthetic things that stood out for me. A lot of the competitors (Jag, Audi, and Merc) have simply done a better job of having that luxury feel. Maybe it's the fact that most of the competitors have recently released new generations or BMW has put their value into other aspects (driving dynamics ). Hopefully BMW will step up their game on the next gen. After today I feel you almost have to go with extended leather to get close to the competition, not even on par...and that costs a lot. The LCI would have been a great time to bridge that gap to the competition but that never happened. The LCI is almost identical to MY14 335.

Now I know the interior is only one aspect of a car. As I got into my f30 to drive home I felt some solace in the design/arrangement of the interior. I think BMW has it right and it's better than the competition. But with my lease up soon I can't help but wonder if I've just grown accustomed to the design and maybe the others have more to offer than a nice interior. Maybe their engines are comparable or even better. After all this is the LUXURY sedan market. Maybe the grass is greener on the other side.

Interested to see what the rest of the community thinks...

[Michael Schott]

If a luxury feel is what you want I think you are right. But even though BMW has softened the driving dynamics it's still has the sportiest design of the group. I find the Mercedes interior to be beautifully designed but it's obviously a luxury car, there isn't even a shifter on the console and you can't get a MT in the US. I haven't seen the Jaguar or the new A4 so can't comment. Last, Jaguar has not yet introduced the new gasoline I4 turbo and Mercedes and Audi don't offer MT's at this time which disqualifies them for me. The Jag and the new Alfa are very interesting but are half baked right now.

[zamboni]

I didn't like the Msport package came with the car and ending up with this upgrade.

[Billfitz]

BMW is primarily a performance oriented car, so the somewhat Spartan interior is intentional, especially below the 6 series. If BMW did make the interiors more luxurious there would be far more howls of disapproval than approval.

[Aatish]

My only real complain in the interior is the "wood" trim pieces.

[tturedraider]

What do I think? I think there are an enormous number of "nouveau BMW" people today who have no idea about what BMW actually is. BMW's interior design language is functional, business oriented, Teutonic design. That is unlikely to change dramatically. There is no shortage of buyers today who have consistently demonstrated they are willing to pay a premium over BMW's competitors for what BMW offers.

I looked at the Jag XE at the Chicago auto show on Friday. Its interior materials quality is on par with BMW. It's busier than BMW's interior, but its quality is not substantially different.

It does have a HUGE infotainment display; mounted low, where you have to look down to see it. And apparently it is solely touch controlled, because I couldn't find any other way to control it. You could easily have a wreck trying to use all of the tiny buttons on the steering wheel. Each upper spoke has at least eight tiny buttons on it. I didn't hate the ergonomics of the weirdly placed window controls as I had expected to. Interior space is noticeably tight. The rear seat is smaller than the 3er and 4er Gran Coupe. The narrow windows and high belt line make it feel dark and claustrophobic. The rear design of the car actually puts it in competition with the 4GC rather than the 3er. The aperture at the bottom of the rear door is very narrow and hinders entrance and exit. It comes with a temporary spare tire. This reduces the depth of the trunk floor by at least three inches compared to the F3x.

[tturedraider]

The new, B9 A4. I was impressed. I didn't particularly expect to be.

I didn't think the dash looked very good in photos. In person it looks really good. Its infotainment screen doesn't look at good as BMW's, but it is miles better than the stuck on C Class. And it is canted toward the driver. From the photos I thought the placement of the MMI controller and the gear selector was really screwed up. In reality it works just fine. The way the shifter is designed it creates a hand rest for the controller. However, the positioning would not work with a manual transmission. Unless they're going to stop selling manuals in Europe, they're going to have to change something. The seating leather has small perforations that I like. In fact, I can't see any reason BMW couldn't do the same with the Dakota leather it now uses and I think they should, asap, without waiting for the G20.

I checked the hard plastic in particular. The lower half of the dash is hard plastic. On the F3x the only part of the dash that is hard plastic is that small panel just under the climate controls. Even the glove box door is padded on the F3x. The lower part of the door on the A4 is covered in a really thin vinyl. It's so thin it took me a long time to be sure it wasn't just hard plastic. The lower part of the door on the F3x is lightly padded, but it is not difficult to tell when touched. The lower half of the console is all hard plastic. This is the only part of the F3x that is hard plastic. The visors are clad in vinyl, just like in the F3x. The trim design on the top of the console is almost straight out of the F3x.

It has a temporary spare, but it is in a very deep well, so it doesn't reduce trunk space.

There is a very sharp crease/character line right at the belt line that runs the length of the car. It looks really good. It creates an interesting visual effect.

Overall I like the B9 A4 a lot. I think it's a stronger competitor to the F3x than the B8 model.


Edit - looks like they do switch the positioning around.

[tturedraider]

The W205 C Class clearly moves the C into the pure luxury class and out of the sport sedan class. Even so, the most noticeable feature, all of the "aluminum" trim turns out is mostly aluminum colored plastic. Virtually all, if not all, of those aluminum looking buttons are actually plastic. The gear selector is on the steering column. Enough said.

It's just short of 100% impossible to get a C Class with leather rather than MB Tex (aka really nice vinyl) without custom ordering the car.

The rear seat is tight and the sloping roof line makes head room tight, and I'm only 5'8".

As is typical, the C Class is much more show than go.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by Aatish

My only real complain in the interior is the "wood" trim pieces.

The wood trim pieces. They're real wood.

[Aatish]

Originally Posted by __

The wood trim pieces. They're real wood.

Correction, "piano black" trim piece

[cryptocar]

Originally Posted by zamboni

I didn't like the Msport package came with the car and ending up with this upgrade.

Same I love the Alcantera and open pore CF interior. Wasn't a fan of the aluminum hex trim I had factory.

[cryptocar]

Originally Posted by zamboni

I didn't like the Msport package came with the car and ending up with this upgrade.

My favorite part of my interior trim was retrofitting the sliding Alcantera center console armrest, looks awesome, feels so good and soft and the sliding function is so nice for long drives. Sorry these are the only pics I had on my phone.
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[x986]

I may be a party of one, but I think the 3 Series interior is superior to the competition. I've sold a '14 CLA45 after a year and a half to buy a 340. I didn't do that because of the quality of the interior, although it was inferior, but because the whole car was inferior. (Except for the 355 hp. rocket ship engine.) I cross shopped the S4 Audi, and looked carefully at the as yet unreleased Jag. IMO, neither measured up to the 340 interior.

Another BMW feature that doesn't get enough attention is the interface with electronics. I don't think there is another car out there that is as user friendly. Another car I cross shopped was the Caddy ATS-V. "CUE" is horrible, and a deal breaker, although the rest of the car may be superior.

[simongym]

Originally Posted by Aatish

Correction, "piano black" trim piece

I think you are confusing "Piano Finish Black Trim" which is only available on most 5/6/7 Series models, as opposed to the "Black High-Gloss Trim" available on most 1/2/3/4 Series models.

The actual Piano Finish is beautiful, whereas I would agree completely with you the high-gloss trim is a bit disappointing. Too bad they don't offer brushed aluminum trim in black, that would be much better.

My real wish though is they would offer more of the extended and full leather options on the lower Series models. I'll probably always be more interested in the 1 and 3 Series cars than any others, but I would love to get full leather.

[Emilim]

Honestly I think it's been beaten to death about how the F3x interiors do not measure up to the current C class and upcoming A4 interiors.

It shouldn't. The F3x came out in 2011, the W205 C-class came out in 2014, and B9 A4 in 2015. Consider what the F3x was up against back in 2011:

W204


B8


F30:


Personally, I think the F30 interior has aged fairly well (enough that I chose it over the competition because like some have said already, I actually prefer the functional get elegant design here over the overly fancy interior in the W205), and in those first few years before the W205 came out I don't think anybody was complaining about the F30's interior, just like nobody is complaining about the new Merc and Audi's designs right now. In a few years when the G20 comes out it'll be the same thing all over again. Take your pick and just be happy with it.

[Aatish]

Originally Posted by simongym

I think you are confusing "Piano Finish Black Trim" which is only available on most 5/6/7 Series models, as opposed to the "Black High-Gloss Trim" available on most 1/2/3/4 Series models.

The actual Piano Finish is beautiful, whereas I would agree completely with you the high-gloss trim is a bit disappointing. Too bad they don't offer brushed aluminum trim in black, that would be much better.

My real wish though is they would offer more of the extended and full leather options on the lower Series models. I'll probably always be more interested in the 1 and 3 Series cars than any others, but I would love to get full leather.

Yes, that's what it's called in the 3er.

I also long for extended leather, as well as ceramic controls.

I think I might just get the m performance trim kit.

[chiefneil]

We'll probably see nicer interiors in the 3-series with it moving up-market. Previously it's had an austere interior to suit the entry-level positioning. With the 1- and 2-series taking that spot, I think we'll see the 3-series continue to get softer and more luxurious, gradually morphing into a 5-series. It's a case of be careful what you wish for....

[spuntyb]

Originally Posted by zamboni

I didn't like the Msport package came with the car and ending up with this upgrade.

I wish I could like acantara, otherwise I would do the same. I got the CF shifter trim and I love it. Would love to replace the rest of the trim with it, but I have to get that alcantara that it comes with. Bummer.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by chiefneil

We'll probably see nicer interiors in the 3-series with it moving up-market. Previously it's had an austere interior to suit the entry-level positioning. With the 1- and 2-series taking that spot, I think we'll see the 3-series continue to get softer and more luxurious, gradually morphing into a 5-series. It's a case of be careful what you wish for....

I agree, but I think they'll stay in the realm of the A4. As I mentioned the new A4 has perforated leather that would work well in the 3er/4er, but it is still basically a Dakota grade leather. I think I'd say it seems the new, B9 A4 is a little more understated and Teutonic than the previous car.


BMW took the new 7er up more than a couple of notches, but it still feels like a BMW and not a living room sofa like the S Class.

[CHCCubs]

I was at the Toronto Autoshow yesterday and looked at a number of cars. While I agree the F30's interior styling may not look as good or fresh (subjective) as some of its competitors, I would say the quality of the materials and build quality are still on par with it's competitors (Audi A4/A5, Merc C Class, Jag XE, etc).

[RPM1123]

Originally Posted by __

The new, B9 A4. I was impressed. I didn't particularly expect to be.

I didn't think the dash looked very good in photos. In person it looks really good. Its infotainment screen doesn't look at good as BMW's, but it is miles better than the stuck on C Class. And it is canted toward the driver. From the photos I thought the placement of the MMI controller and the gear selector was really screwed up. In reality it works just fine. The way the shifter is designed it creates a hand rest for the controller. However, the positioning would not work with a manual transmission. Unless they're going to stop selling manuals in Europe, they're going to have to change something. The seating leather has small perforations that I like. In fact, I can't see any reason BMW couldn't do the same with the Dakota leather it now uses and I think they should, asap, without waiting for the G20.

I checked the hard plastic in particular. The lower half of the dash is hard plastic. On the F3x the only part of the dash that is hard plastic is that small panel just under the climate controls. Even the glove box door is padded on the F3x. The lower part of the door on the A4 is covered in a really thin vinyl. It's so thin it took me a long time to be sure it wasn't just hard plastic. The lower part of the door on the F3x is lightly padded, but it is not difficult to tell when touched. The lower half of the console is all hard plastic. This is the only part of the F3x that is hard plastic. The visors are clad in vinyl, just like in the F3x. The trim design on the top of the console is almost straight out of the F3x.

It has a temporary spare, but it is in a very deep well, so it doesn't reduce trunk space.

There is a very sharp crease/character line right at the belt line that runs the length of the car. It looks really good. It creates an interesting visual effect.

Overall I like the B9 A4 a lot. I think it's a stronger competitor to the F3x than the B8 model.


Edit - looks like they do switch the positioning around.

Why was it ever even decided that the shifter will go between the driver and the infotainment knob? That seems like miserable positioning. I like the look of the bottom photo though, pretty clean looking.

I think BMW's current interior strength is how well organized it is. There are distinct areas for driving controls, infotainment and heating and they're spaced out pretty well which makes it look uncluttered.

[AhsanU]

I personally enjoy the interior of the F30 and specifically picked it over its competition. I enjoy simplicity and function. I strongly dislike most of the competition's busy center console, and just overall look.

This is just IMO of course, and everyone's entitled to their opinion.