Comments on: America vs BMW

By: Lance

Lance — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:24:47 +0000

I think the CAT interior looks good with some modern touches. BMW’s 3 interior is one of the bests one out there, certainly the best in its class, especially in beigh and wood. The new 7′s interior is just our of this world.

By: Marc

Marc — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:21:03 +0000

@RawAutos: No prob. Out of pretty much ALL of the American manufacturers I think GM is the one that is making the MOST effort to update and finally bring their autos into the 21st Century. The Malibu, G8, and even the little Cobalt speak volumes to their efforts at raising the bar within America. So maybe, just maybe the future is not TOO bleak.

By: RawAutos

RawAutos — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:45:20 +0000

@Marc: thanks for the comment, Marc. It's so funny that you say that about the Chevy Cruze. I was just looking at it yesterday and couldn't help but notice how awesome the interior looked. If that's how GM is going to do their interiors for now on, I may have to change my interior stance, haha.

By: Marc

Marc — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:15:59 +0000

Josh,

My knee-jerk reaction is to agree with you based upon the interior designs over the last 20 odd years. BMW does one thing well with their interiors; they make them functional and driver centric. There is not a lot of flash, bling, or unnecessary do-dads(outside of the much hated IDrive). The quality of materials is also an area that BMW (and to a large extent the rest of Deutsche Auto AG’s) absolutely obliterates American manufacturers at. All of this being said, it IS getting better for our American cars (take a look at the newly released Chevy Cruze interior photos….looks really good IMHO…material quality cannot be commented on right now, but the design IS there).

By: RawAutos

RawAutos — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 01:00:55 +0000

@Jonathan Spira: Jonathan, BMW has a very familiar style charm and class to their interiors. That’s why I used quaint. You won’t find many interiors that you can sit in blind folded and know exactly what you’re in like a BMW…

Have you ever gone for a long distance drive in an Old Caddy? I have… They are great for a good drive. The seats may not provide something as form fitting as a BMW of that era. But they were incredibly comfortable and easily recognizable in difference from a Chevy to a Cadillac.

By: Jonathan Spira

Jonathan Spira — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:56:23 +0000

I have a lot of problems with this piece.

Quaint means ,,having an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm“ or ,,strange or peculiar“. I´ve never seen anyone describe a BMW´s interior as quaint before.

In addition, I question the following statement:
,,Back in the good ole’ days of the 50’s and 60’s, and even into the 70’s with some of the big cruisers, the interiors were comfortable, big and well suited for a good drive.“

If anything, American-made car seats are vastly improved in terms of providing support and comfort. Full-sized sedans in the timeframes you mention basically had couches up front. At the same time, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo were providing seats that, while not as advanced as today´s, provided far firmer and better support for long trips.