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BMW 7-series interior scooped (2008)
By
Ben Pulman
Spy shots
03 April 2008 13:03
BMW’s big 7-series has been scooped by CAR Online, and we’ve got the first pictures of the interior. Our photographer has also taken the best shots yet of the exterior as the 7-series’ disguise is stripped away ahead of the car’s debut at this autumn’s 2008 Paris Motor Show. Visible in our pictures are production-spec rear lights, bonnet and front spoiler, and an interior that has gone conservative.
BMW 7-series: the interior
After the current generation 7-series shocked traditional buyers with its looks, iDrive and a column-mounted gearstick, BMW has had a change of heart with the next-gen limo.
Rather than adopting a Mercedes S-class style digital screen the 7-series keeps analogue dials. And the gearstick returns to the transmission tunnel. It’s the same joystick design used in the 5, 6, X5 and X6.
Sitting next to the gearstick will be the iDrive controller: ignore the fake disguise on our spy shots. The rotary dial controls the majority of the Seven’s functions, which are displayed on the large screen integrated into the dashboard. The iDrive system will be simplified to keep big bankers happy, though the multi-functional steering wheel looks like it will make up for that. Note the multitude of stickers telling the engineers what each button does.
And while BMW is making sure that the 7-series’ exterior isn’t merely an enlarged version of the Five, the interior appears to be just that. Air vents sit below the LCD screen, and below them will be air-con controls and programmable shortcut buttons for the infamous iDrive.
Come back to CAR Online on Sunday 6 April 2008 for the first drive of the BMW X6
Click 'Next' to read the rest of our story on the new BMW 7-series
