Quick Look: BMW 435i Interior

"Mosqvich" (mosqvich) 10/24/2013 at 10:28 • Filed to: BMW, 435i, Interior

0

10

While shopping for an X1 the other day, I had a chance to sit in a brand new 435i coupe. It was truly wonderful. BMW does for car interiors what Apple does for computers - takes something that is a commodity and makes it something special.

The seats were comfortable, but it's the feeling of understated opulence coddling the coupe's occupants which grabbed my attention and desire. The 435i is not cheap, but its interior feels like it stole from the Rolls-Royce parts bin or at least its designers brain matter.

Grindintosecond > Mosqvich 10/24/2013 at 10:34

0

Dad drove one a bit ago. He liked it. It had the 4 cylinder. He is going back soon to try the 6 cyl. going from a G35 to a 4-series so i'm sure that 6 is what he will like more. Personally i'd be fine with a 4 and some minor i&e parts. Interior is fiiine. I wonder what he will order up for a somewhat of a budget. I already told him when he is done with the car in 15 years i'd buy it from him.

highmodulus > Mosqvich 10/24/2013 at 10:41

1

In M4 trim this is going to be fantastic. Alas, it will also be over $75k.

#sad trombone for me

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Mosqvich 10/24/2013 at 10:46

0

I do like the look of the new steering wheel, but the nav screen looks like an afterthought.

pauljones > Mosqvich 10/24/2013 at 10:47

0

I've never really liked BMW's interiors, particularly in the past decade or so. Notwithstanding material quality, there's simply nothing there that ever made me feel like I was sitting in anything special.

With Apple, Steve Jobs had a affinity for absolute functional minimalism. Figure out whatever it is that you want this thing to do, and understand exactly what those things are. Streamline the controls/interface to do exactly that, and nothing more. It's a philosophy that could be seen on everything from the original iPod all the up to his megayacht, Venus , which was completed right when he died.

BMW, on the other hand, never seems to get to that point. In fact, they tend to remind of Saab in a lot of ways. With the notable exception of iDrive, all the controls are simple and straight-forward in function. So far, so much like Apple. But that's where things get different - BMW's interior controls never seemed to have been as well thought out and as well laid out. They controls are cluttered and oddly placed, and the general design, while not odd, just isn't particularly aesthetically pleasing.

I remember sitting in an E46 and a contemporary GTO back-to-back, and finding the GTO to have the better-designed and better-executed interior. Granted, the BMW had the edge in material quality, but when GM product fairly consistently betters you in terms of design and layout... that's a little embarrasing.

Sparf > Mosqvich 10/24/2013 at 10:48

1

Kudos for keeping the handbrake.

philistinefred > Mosqvich 10/24/2013 at 11:00

1

X1 is a great car, looks devillishy good in Msport. I know I may get flack for this, its small, expensive, yada yada, but I have an x1 and a x3, the x1 is a lot more enjoyable, but its architecture is older too, it is basically a taller e91....but that aint no bad thing doe

Jagvar > pauljones 10/24/2013 at 11:05

0

While the exterior of the E65 was something of a travesty, its interior always impressed me.

Mosqvich > pauljones 10/24/2013 at 12:35

1

I disagree. The iDrive was a travesty at first, but seems to work better now. The interior is actually pretty clean and simple, not festooned with buttonolgy like other car makers are want to do. I have an E46 and it's downright simplistic and I like it that way. The new 435i is actually not too far off. The only odd thing is how the transmission controls work, but once you learn (in literally a few seconds), it makes sense. The buttons are laid out simply and it's easy to use.

pauljones > Mosqvich 10/24/2013 at 14:01

0

By comparison, here's the interior out of an A5:

It's far cleaner in terms of appearance, and the necessary controls are much easier to access for both driver and passenger. Additionally, unlike BMW, Audi work a lot harder at making the driver the center of attention in the A5; note that the center console is not only easier to see, but also easier to reach in that it's angled towards the driver. Other buttons that the passenger might want access to are placed within easy reach on the right side of the shifter. It's just simpler and more intuitive.

Also, to be fair, here's the interior of the GTO.

Keep in mind that it's two generations behind the new 4-series, and does not have a nav system. But even so, there is far more clean space and the controls are spread out more notably, all while still being in easy reach of the driver. It's not as fancy as the 4-series, and the material quality probably isn't up to par with the 4-series, but it's just much cleaner, simpler, and more friendly layout.

Mosqvich > pauljones 10/24/2013 at 17:49

0

Probably the only thing I think is clearly better in the Audi is the screen being built into the dash vs sticking out of it. The buttons along the gear selector are busy. Overall the gear selected area isn't as nice. The BMW's is mostly fixed, in that the operator just flicks it into gear. Putting it into Park requires only pushing a button.

I like the Audi. It's nice too. The Pontiac is so-so. The handbrake is on the wrong side of the tunnel. The radio has too many buttons. The quality appears pretty nice though.