Car and Driver: Audi A5 2.0T Quattro vs BMW 328i vs Infiniti G37 vs Lexus IC350C
03-12-10, 10:17 AM
#46
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03-12-10, 04:10 PM
#49
You're getting a bit defensive here, nobody is saying that the BMW 3 is pathetic all around, we all agree that the driving experience is great, dramatic driver response but the fact of the matter is, interior quality is horrible, driver comfort is pretty much non-existent.
And to Och, I know exactly what you mean by the horrible surfaces...and that cup holder? it is a nightmare waiting to happen, almost everything I've put in that cupholder falls right out, I didn't even bother opening it.
As a new BMW driver (my first), I have to say that I find the interior of my 1 series well-made and definitely of a high standard. I suppose one can call them a bit bland and unspectacular, but in a way it goes hand-in-hand with the character of most of their cars. BMW sells their cars as "driving machines" where the focus is not the interior, but the way the car drives and the way you feel when you're driving it.
The interior is good - but the driving experience is better (more important). I guess that is a way of looking at it.
The interior is good - but the driving experience is better (more important). I guess that is a way of looking at it.
03-12-10, 04:36 PM
#50
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As a new BMW driver (my first), I have to say that I find the interior of my 1 series well-made and definitely of a high standard. I suppose one can call them a bit bland and unspectacular, but in a way it goes hand-in-hand with the character of most of their cars. BMW sells their cars as "driving machines" where the focus is not the interior, but the way the car drives and the way you feel when you're driving it.
The interior is good - but the driving experience is better (more important). I guess that is a way of looking at it.
The interior is good - but the driving experience is better (more important). I guess that is a way of looking at it.
.Fit and finish on BMW models is good, however the actual quality of the interior is NOT.
Look at the shots Och posted, those are just some examples.
The leather on BMWs also really is quite poor.
The design of the interior itself also has problems, like the poorly designed cupholders in several BMW interiors.
It's no surprise that BMW is losing marketshare to Audi worldwide, and to a smaller extent Benz.
03-13-10, 06:40 AM
#51
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Those are also terrible shots, too. Poor lighting, blurriness - any interior can extremely bad in such situations.
I'm not making excuses here by the way. I find BMW interiors to be well-made, but simply unspectacular and perhaps a bit too conservative in terms of design. However, the new 5er, 7er and X5/X6 have nicely designed interiors in my opinion. The 1 series, 3 series, X1 and X3 have bland interiors from a design point of view.
I wouldn't know. Mine has cloth seats.
Perhaps customers of BMW products care less about the interior quality than say Lexus customers. Companies react to their consumers. If BMW were flooded with complaints about their interiors, then they would react to keep their customers and potential customers happy. Apparently, most owners find there to be nothing wrong with their BMW cabins.
03-13-10, 07:08 AM
#52
Those are also terrible shots, too. Poor lighting, blurriness - any interior can extremely bad in such situations.
I'm not making excuses here by the way. I find BMW interiors to be well-made, but simply unspectacular and perhaps a bit too conservative in terms of design. However, the new 5er, 7er and X5/X6 have nicely designed interiors in my opinion. The 1 series, 3 series, X1 and X3 have bland interiors from a design point of view.
I'm not making excuses here by the way. I find BMW interiors to be well-made, but simply unspectacular and perhaps a bit too conservative in terms of design. However, the new 5er, 7er and X5/X6 have nicely designed interiors in my opinion. The 1 series, 3 series, X1 and X3 have bland interiors from a design point of view.
It is clear that this car was conceived as an Euro econobox, and sugarcoated with some features for American market. The leather quality and upholstery quality is crap because it was meant to be cloth upholstered in Europe, seat rails and switches are junk because it was meant to have manual seats, and so on. And when you start with an econobox, no matter how much you sugarcoat it, it will still show its roots. The Lexus IS on the other hand was designed as a premium car, and you will never find such sloppy workmanship and details in it. Although you will find sloppiness in the rear of the IS convertible, - the convertible version was obviously an afterthought modification to the four door, and some of the plastic panels in the rear and exterior metal gaps are ungodly.
03-13-10, 07:10 AM
#53
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People dont care b/c it's never been a top selling/strong point (their interiors) especially the 3/x3/1.
Dustin please don't try to minimize or make a fuss over the pics Och posted. He's a trusted member and own both brands. He took the time to explain how he felt and then posted pics. No one else has posted pics so it just builds his credibility compared to those that don't.
No interior is perfect and we can see the clear difference in Japanese design an German design. Some like both some prefer one over the other.
Still not sure how the drab no nav BMW interior was chosen over the IS though it was only by a point.
Dustin please don't try to minimize or make a fuss over the pics Och posted. He's a trusted member and own both brands. He took the time to explain how he felt and then posted pics. No one else has posted pics so it just builds his credibility compared to those that don't.
No interior is perfect and we can see the clear difference in Japanese design an German design. Some like both some prefer one over the other.
Still not sure how the drab no nav BMW interior was chosen over the IS though it was only by a point.
03-13-10, 08:27 AM
#54
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Here's more. This is where the leather on the headrests is cut out around the headrest supports. Note that the cutout isn't even folded and stitched around, its just a hole cut through the leather. That's just pathetic.
How about some 90ies fugly orange gauges? This shot doesn't give them justice, I'll take a night shot later.
How about some exposed seat rails. This is what you get greeted by when you open the door. All the bolts and mechanism and even grease in the door rails is exposed, and they stick out front way beyond the seat exposing all that beauty. What great attention to detail!
And these are just some of the things. There are several other things - for instance the audio system is the worst out of any modern car, even the cheapest of the econocrapboxes. T.
03-13-10, 08:44 AM
#56
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I am 6'. I kinda like to sit far back. The exposed rail is the 1st thing I always notice when I open the door.
03-13-10, 08:48 AM
#57
I'm 6'4 so my seat is all the way back. But in any Lexus, even the first gen LS400, the seat rail is not protruding forward beyond the seat, even if the seat is all the way back, and furthermore, the rail is capped off with plastic cap. I wish someone with IS could take a pic.
03-13-10, 09:24 AM
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03-13-10, 09:48 AM
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one thing i know for sure is that some hyundai is put together better than BMW. you will not see many faults on 40k genesis v8. BMW 3 series is my top 3 favorite car right now, but BMW was never known for interior perfection. Lexus used to have perfect fit/finish but i think Lexus lately isn't all that impressive either.
but as far as fit and finish goes, nothing tops Audi IMO.
and seriously G37 interior already looks outdated. maybe there is just too much silver going on. it definitely doesn't below with other 3.
but as far as fit and finish goes, nothing tops Audi IMO.
and seriously G37 interior already looks outdated. maybe there is just too much silver going on. it definitely doesn't below with other 3.
Last edited by joe80; 03-13-10 at 09:52 AM.