pharding

According to my dealer if you want to experience the F10 interior the best way to do it right now is to sit in the new 550 GT. I did that yesterday with a 550 GT on the showroom floor. The interior design, fit and finish is spectacular. However I have one major concern. The center stack is substantially wider than my e60 and is pulled closer to the center of the cabin. It is very imposing. The net result is that for the driver there is less room laterally for the driver's knee and I felt somewhat cramped because the center stack is huge. I definitely felt shoe horned in there compared to my 2008 550. I definitely prefer to have driver space over a larger, imposing center stack. At the same time the I-Drive next to the shifter is a great location and is quite comfortable to use. Basically what you have is a compromise for the real estate in the cabin with the center stack getting lager at the expense of your lateral knee space.

Other impressions is that the exterior front of the 550 GT, which I understand to be the same size as the F10, is absolutely noticeably larger than the e60. The car feels more like a mini 7 series rather than an e60 from the front and in the cabin.

I like the new F10 a lot. The are just my initial impressions of what we will likely see in the new F10 interior with the larger stack. Hopefully I am wrong.

pennetta

I like everything (even though haven't seen it yet in person) except the added weight, and due to MB pressure it should have more power, and the styling should be more in line with "the ultimate driving machine" and less "the ultimate joy machine."

AP Sales

After I sat in the GT, I noticed the nav screen is almost flush with the rest of the dash, so we lose that little ledge.

Rich535d

You are correct; there is a much cosier feeling in the F10 - but I prefer it. And yes, you do lose the sat nav ledge, but gain other storage areas. None of the interior pics that I have seen do justice to the flush sat nav on the F10 - it's the bit I am most looking forward to!

SpokenHands

Having taken an extended test drive in the 5-GT, and recently compared it to the F10 saloon/sedan; I can say that the 5-GT in general is wider on the interior similar to the 7-series or X6 in proportion.
The 5-GT interior center console is much wider and somewhat plusher than the F10. Your dealer was not entirely correct in recommending them alike, the GT is closer to the X6 in layout proportion.

Your F10 is fairly similar in proportion to the current E60 up front and I didn't notice anything wrong with the seating position (knee space).
However the dash is more driver orientated as you noted (which i thought was great btw).
And with the electronic parking brake freeing up room (and more so if you delete the smoker's package), you have plenty more cubby holes for safe storage.

The sat nav is flush (with an aluminum trim in the 5-GT not offered in the F10 sedan) but an anti-reflective coating makes its very readable even in bright sunlight.
In accidents, keeping loose items on the sat nav binnacle means serious injuries to passengers as they fly around so it is good you now have several usable cubby holes IMHO.

I was surprised that the rear kneespace was not any larger than my current E60, and the boot space though a few litres larger is less usable as the wheels intrude and the floor is not single level.
There is a shoe-box storage space underfloor.

idgam

I would have to agree with SpokenHands. I managed to drive both cars last week and I did not notice any major difference in leg space between my E60 and the F10. In fact I actually felt more comfortable driving the F10. The seats felt better and offered more support. Also the pedals seem more central in the new car, where as mine seem offset to the right slightly. Rear space seems to be a little tighter in the F10 in my opinion.

The centre console in the GT does seem wider, but the car generally feels bigger anyway.

pinguhk

the interior is much better than out E60 but the 3D looks makes the front seats look small.
Looking at the finishing it is still a long way to go to catch up with Audi interior which I think is the best so far out of the 3 makes
BMW, MB and Audi.

hafnia

The interior is actually the only thing I like about the F10..........

higher

I also sat in the GT. I am 6ft 5" and to me it was very poor, unfinished and a mix of surfaces and textures that was not easy on the eye in form or in function.

I think the interior is more like Honda / Toyota than the minimalist, funcational, conservative, classic German design.

My major concerns with it are:

-Still not enough cubby / storage
-Centre bi-fold armrest, what a stupid idea, why would you want to open half-an-armrest ?
-No place for mobile phone
-Passenger side dashboard is cut-away giving impression of sitting right up against winshield
-Steering wheel controls (to many) would confuse even a space shuttle pilot
-That whole centre console / gear lever / idrive / cubby / parking brake, looks a mess with buttons switches, leves just dropped in there with not synergy.
-Central locking, window switches in driver door, nicely positioned for for snow, water ingretion and replacement

Still, they are not worried what I think as I am in Europe, only US, China, India tastes represented.