This interior has been verified to be the new F01 7-series interior. It's a preproduction / mock-up using temporary materials, but the design is final. The gear shift lever has moved back to the center console and there are more buttons on the steering wheel, as initial spypics indicated.

My take:
the current one has aged very poorly and this looks old already. Now we are back to buttons and now ***** too. I do like the fact it seems they are going back to "Drivers oriented", looking at how the console is.

BMW knows people will buy it no matter what so that will continue.

 

All things considered, I think that looks like crap compared to the LS and S. That said, I really don't think the 7 has ever been as good of a car as either overall.

 

i just can't get over the 7 interior (not like exterior helps much)

by comparison i think the s class looks much better

 

I think the current 7 Series looks good, only thing I don't like about them is the awkward steering column shift lever... IMO this interior looks far better than the current one.

 

this doesnt seem like a very big change. if anything its more like a refreshed interior and a newly designed one.

 

Why can't BMW make nice interiors? They lack so much class and sophistication compared to Lexus, MB, Audi, and even Infiniti. Interior styling is one of the most important aspects to many potential luxury car owners (myself included). You want a nice comfortable pleasant space, since that is where you are spending your time in while driving. Weren't they supposed to be improving on their interiors? Looking at these pics, it sure doesn't look like it.

 

Why am i not suprised to see how ordinary the interior is (even for 7 series)?

Cos BMW just love all things square and have hired a caveman to design their cars.

2009 is not far from 2010, FFS buttons should not even be used no more let alone seen.

 

Good Post

 

+1. Despite being a huge name plate, BMW has some of the worse designed interior. theres like no spice to make it feel comfy while sporty. it just looks dead, and already outdated even before production and sales. poor bmw, if other makers can copy you, why cant you copy them lol.

 

I think the BMW has a better layout than the Mercedes S.
The word 'sophisticated' comes to mind....
LS>BMW>Mercedes

 

No thanks, I'll take an A8. Or Quattroporte if I want something driver oriented. I saw a E38 today with the OEM split spoke wheels...I loved that era of BMW.

 

the 7 series isnt bad at all.

 

I will just never be a fan of the upright, SUV-esque, non-cockpit feel of BMW dashboards. There is nothing intimate, coddling, or beautiful about them. I really feel the same way about the S class to be honest, although a bit less so. I sat in the S and CL today and both have such tall, upright dashes and narrow windshields...I don't like it at all.

I like how when sitting in an a G35 or M45 or LS or GS, the dash and console wrap around you, everything is pleasing to the eye and within reach, and it all flows. Not so with BMWs. Just a matter of taste I guess.

 

What a disappointment. I read an interview with Bangle and Hoodyonk a few years ago about their vision concerning BMW interiors for their next generation vehicles. The ideas they had sounded pretty amazing; better materials, cleaner design, integrated buttons that were touch sensitive and opaque/glassy like that of an Apple product. It sounded like future. This looks like a refreshed or even older version of the current 7er interior. Between this and the boxy, 80's style interiors Mercedes has been putting in their new cars (see new GLK, next gen E-class), Lexus, Infiniti, Audi and even Jaguar with their ABSOLUTELY stunning XF interior are clearly keeping on their toes and putting out attractive, luxurious designs, whereas BMW and Mercedes seem to be resting on their laurels, knowing people will still buy their cars even with lazy half-redesigns like this.

 

very very evolutionary... Did the screen get smaller or is it just the angle of the picture?