BMW dashboard/cockpit direction - will they stand up to competitors?

[DreaminBMW]

Do you believe that the new G generation of BMW models will match or surpass Audi's new digital dashboards and flashy flight cockpits à la Porsche?

Any speculation on this? (Maybe I missed a thread somewhere).

[AIRPOWER]

meh, looks like a Volvo

[Wills2]

Porsche are moving away from that button feast and digital dash boards are already available in non M cars.

If you want a BMW with a digital dash then you can have one.....

[DreaminBMW]

Originally Posted by Wills2

Porsche are moving away from that button feast and digital dash boards are already available in non M cars.

If you want a BMW with a digital dash then you can have one.....

Again, my question: where do you think the interior is going?

[jpics80]

I am not a fan of victual cockpit

[Warranty P]

Originally Posted by DreaminBMW

Again, my question: where do you think the interior is going?

Inside the car.

[RACEM4TE]

Virtual cockpit is something to drool over. I love tech and audi provides that, loved my RS7 Before my S63 but the dealer was crap.

[///M-er-gized]

What you see in the new 5 is probably very similar to what you'll see in the new 3, and I was sort of disappointed by it. However, not to the point where I would dismiss getting a new 5 or 3 because of it. Also, now that it's software driven, it's definitely much easier for them to make major upgrades and improve the aesthetics and feature set on a regular basis.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by Warranty P

Inside the car.

[Brasko]

Personally not a fan of digital/virtual cockpits. I think it's ridiculous that there is all this talk about "hands-free" and the distractions of using a cell phone when automobiles cockpits are the most distracting they've ever been.

I'd prefer they produce a more driver-centric cockpit and stop stuffing the cockpit digital/virtual technology that will soon be obsolete.

[brad850csi]

F06/12/13 still has the best interior design I feel out of any car. If they did a subtle refresh with the current features from a g30 that would be great, but I don't think it will happen and I'm not sure if it will even get white climate control text like everything else has now.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Brasko

Personally not a fan of digital/virtual cockpits. I think it's ridiculous that there is all this talk about "hands-free" and the distractions of using a cell phone when automobiles cockpits are the most distracting they've ever been.

I'd prefer they produce a more driver-centric cockpit and stop stuffing the cockpit digital/virtual technology that will soon be obsolete.

Totally agree, the motor industry is feeding a problem, which already exists with mobile devices in cars.

I believe we are entering a dangerous era (safety implications) with too much eye distracting information.

I sense BMW are trying to play the middle ground, but touch screens and replacing simple intuitive buttons and knobs, not necessarily the way forward when folks are so easily distracted.

[bailyhill]

To my eye, the BMW is clean and elegant. Audi is cluttered--TMI. Mazda not so much, but I don't like the addition of the silver color backgrounds. White on black is so much easier to read.

Bailyhill

[Fundguy1]

100% prefer what we have. Last thing i want is a giant touchscreen or virtual gauge that will look dated in 5 yrs. I like the timeless classic look of a real tach and real speedo. Those in the pics look cheap to me honestly. I do like the shape and materials of the new e class. Much nicer than the two you cited.

[Fundguy1]

Originally Posted by Railgun

While pretty good...



I still think this wins...



Unfortunately, Audi's new interiors are a far cry from the above and IMHO, a step in the wrong direction.

While OT, still one of the best, only because I'm biased...



I'm not a fan of the add-a-display theme they're going with now. PLEASE bring back the integrated central display.

In those 3 for me the bmw crushes the other two. The audi has the cheap looking metalic surrounds and the center if the dash doesn't flow into the center console. Looks like a late 80s dash to me. The mazda has a bunch of amorphous blobs with switches and vents stuck into it instead or neat and orderly. Reminds me of the failed taurus interior where they switched to an organic look and it flopped horribly.

[Fundguy1]

Aston Martin DB interiors for example are epic. Center console swoops into center dash area.

[Germanauto]

Aside from the 6-series, most BMW interiors lack the more flashy/eye catching interior designs of their competitors from the like of Mercs and Porsches. Audi's newest interiors are even more spartan in my opinion.

I think BMW really dropped the ball on the dash design of the newest 7-series. It is incredibly boring and forgettable.

[brad850csi]

That Audi pic is the last gen A4 or A5 interior isn't it? I can see RS and something that doesn't look like a 4so I assume it is an RS5.

I haven't been around an RS5 much but I'm very familiar with the S5 interior of the same generation. Audi put the temp controls too far down and out of the way and the screen was quite surrounded by the plastic all around it, making it look like it was about 10 inches into the dash compared to the rest. The funny not quite circle silver traces around the speedo and fuel look horrible in real life and the plastic all over the top of the dash and door cards make it look really cheap compared to the M6. The volume knob placement is just stupid too, why have it close to the driver when you have it on the wheel (and their wheel controls are rubbish too) I think BMW is far ahead when it comes to interior usage and looks.

[MalibuBimmer]

What car manufacturers now offer HUD? And are any of them more detailed than BMW's?

If we're going to talk about interiors ease of use should also be considered, not just looks. (And those Audi flat screens seem too low into the dashboard to allow for a quick look just dropping the eyes from the road.)

[Yeineken]

I believe BMW is in the right direction as is. They still have my vote for best interior. That Porsche looks very tacky and dated. Overkill on the leather.

I like where the BMW tech is going. Love it in the X5. But I also enjoy the lack of tech in the 1er.

[DreaminBMW]

Originally Posted by Yeineken

I believe BMW is in the right direction as is. They still have my vote for best interior. That Porsche looks very tacky and dated. Overkill on the leather.

I like where the BMW tech is going. Love it in the X5. But I also enjoy the lack of tech in the 1er.

Although I agree that more flatscreens and digital buttons may render some aspects "tachy", it is undeniable that cars are going towards this hyper digitized world as everything else. Like it or not, the new Porsche Panamera is a prime example of this. People want stats and digitized precision perhaps to the disdain of purists. I've always wanted to feel like a pilot in the cockpit of a jet fighter plane. I'm wondering if the appeal of digitization will enhance the experience or diminish the raw soul of motoring as we've known it....

[Germanauto]

^New Panamera interior is just stunning in my opinion.