I agree... After being driven in and driving recent cars, I have begun to realize how well made E9x cars are. Actually, I think this applies to cars designed in the last decade. Interior parts and materials seem much better screwed together. No squeaks or creaks. No shaky parts. I also was surprised by some cheap parts in upper end cars like G30 and W213. And the new XF just feels cheap top to bottom in terms of material quality and fit/finish.

It is unfortunate about doors these days. Even S Class doors sound and feel cheap.

 

I agree... After being driven in and driving recent cars, I have begun to realize how well made E9x cars are. Actually, I think this applies to cars designed in the last decade. Interior parts and materials seem much better screwed together. No squeaks or creaks. No shaky parts. I also was surprised by some cheap parts in upper end cars like G30 and W213. And the new XF just feels cheap top to bottom in terms of material quality and fit/finish.

It is unfortunate about doors these days. Even S Class doors sound and feel cheap.

I was honestly shocked. The G30 530d with M-sport package that I sat in, its driveway sticker price was $135,000 (Welcome to Australia). I pulled the door handle and I was surprised the door opened. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I guess some sort of mechanical feedback I was expecting just didn't happen.

Honestly with the new crop of cars there is zero need to get anything more than a F30 with M-Sport pack. This felt as nice as anything in their range and had about the same interior room (length wise anyway) and quality as everything else. The 1 series is an absolute joke, I would literally buy a Mazda 3 over it any day regardless of what it drives like.

I will say though that a couple of months ago I sat in an Audi A4 at a shopping center and was genuinely impressed with the interior dimensions and quality feel of the car. But if this is where all euro cars are heading, I will be saving my money and getting a Japanese car in the future.

 

I had a lot of trouble with interior parts on my 2002 (E46) M3. The only trouble I've had with my 2014 (F10) 535i at 51k miles has been corroded exhaust tips, which have been replaced twice under warranty.

 

I mentioned that the F10 I sat in seemed to have higher quality materials then the F30, G30 etc. It will be interesting to see how the interior holds up of the f30.

It's not even that much of an issue of whether it will last, more that it feels cheap. It's like a toyota camry interior it feels cheap(ish) but will last forever. There was just nothing in the the dealer inventory that I sat in that I went "oh Wow this is nice". Maybe I'm just spoiled who knows

 

Agreed - had a similar experience a few months ago. Lots of creaky plastic across the line. Then again, I’m even less impressed with current Mercedes interior quality. Yes it looks impressive at first but overall feels cheap. Same thing goes for doors/door handles. My old e92 was built like a tank in comparison and had nice touches like fully felt lined door pockets.

 

"Bmw Quality is down the toilet" is your opinion, sure. I don't personally disagree that some of the newer generation models have much different (perhaps personally less desirable) interior components.

That being said, there's a ton of factors at play here.

Environmental regulations - Parts can't be made of the same materials / same process as they used to be. Emissions limitations at the factory, the use of recycled plastics, VOC regulations, etc.
Cost - As economies and currencies inflate, so does cost. So manufacturers try and reduce costs everywhere they can. That includes manufacturing cheaper interiors.
Weight - In order to meet fuel economy requirements, weight is a consideration. Lighter doors = less weight = better fuel mileage.
Customer perception - Honestly, lots of customers don't know the difference in materials and most don't care. I'd bet real money that 95% of "luxury car" drivers don't know how to properly take care of their leather seats, and, more importantly, don't care. Therefore, why would they care about a cheaper plastic used for the dash (as an example).

To be clear - I'm not arguing that these reasons are all legitimate excuses for a "cheapened interior", nor that it is acceptable. I'm just stating, there are various factors at play. I've found VW to be in this boat as well in their most recent generation vehicles. Horrible, horrible plastics used. Mazda has gone that way with their interior carpeting, has to be the worst out of any major manufacturer out there.

Certainly agree though - the E90 has a very nice interior. Personally, I'm very happy with mine. Same with my E84.

 

It is 100% just my opinion and nothing more

I agree with everything you said as well and as I mentioned I didn't compare it to other manufacturer's. It just "feels" a step down in quality from the E90. Everything looks great but the more you look at it and touch the more you realise how cheap it is. This may be an industry wide trend I can't comment but it looks like I will have a hard time replacing the E90.

 

Hey Aleks...how did the recall go? Did they replace the blower motor or just inspect. Also with the drivers airbag, what about the passenger airbag? Mines going in next week and just hoping they screw everything back together okay.

 

They just inspected they said there are no parts in Australia and that they shouldn't have booked me in (Idiots). It's also just wiring they won't be replacing the blower motor just some wiring to it. They also messed messed up some interior plastic (didn't put it back properly, left it completely missaligned) not a big deal but this is the second time I've been to motorline BMW at daisy hill and the Second time they have stuffed something up. Last time they forgot to secure a bunch of under car plastic bolts and one of the plastic pieces was scraping on the Highway.

The E90's are not due for airbags yet I think after July some time they will issue a re-call for them. Next time I'm taking the car in the Brisbane BMW, I just don't trust these monkey's anymore.