Wood Options

I'm kicking around the idea of a new 550i, but haven't been able to see anything but the "dark wood" yet. Can anyone point me in the direction of good "real world" pictures of the light wood and the anthracite wood options? I'd definitely get black leather, so I'm curious about how each would look. Thanks in advance.

Most of the pictures I have seen show anthracite wood trim which looks also dark (with beige/oyster&black leather). Did not see many pictures with dark wood trim and black leather.

Originally Posted by Nh32010

Most of the pictures I have seen show anthracite wood trim which looks also dark (with beige/oyster&black leather). Did not see many pictures with dark wood trim and black leather.

I think that's some of my confusion, because I was told that the "anthracite" is a gray colored wood like in the previous generation 5, but the pictures don't support that. From the pictures, it looks to have grain similar to the "Fineline" in my 7, which is clearly different from the "dark wood" in the 535s that I've seen.

Anthracite is gray wood with black lines "highlights".
Dark Wood is pretty dark. I had to look closely for any subtle patterns, but they were there. I would not call it Piano black.

-Magic

Thanks, Mr. Magic.

Has anyone seen the "light wood trim"?

I had the same questions and spent an hour or two at the dealer today trying to decide on which wood would go with the beige interior. They had most of the woods in stock for viewing and I would agree pretty much with Mr.Magic.

I finally order my BMW today with the Dark Wood. The samples I saw both with the doors closed and opened. With the door open and bright sunlight I saw that the Dark Wood has swirls in it that remind me of burl. Also with the sun on it there are strong tones of brown but in the shade and with the doors closed the wood does indeed become quite dark and I think helps with the transition from the black upper door trim to the beige leather. I also thought the Dark Wood look more classical and elegant while the Anthracite with it horizontal high light lines looked more modern.

It is so subjective it would be great if you could get a look at them personally.

Originally Posted by jwrtiger

I had the same questions and spent an hour or two at the dealer today trying to decide on which wood would go with the beige interior. They had most of the woods in stock for viewing and I would agree pretty much with Mr.Magic.

I finally order my BMW today with the Dark Wood. The samples I saw both with the doors closed and opened. With the door open and bright sunlight I saw that the Dark Wood has swirls in it that remind me of burl. Also with the sun on it there are strong tones of brown but in the shade and with the doors closed the wood does indeed become quite dark and I think helps with the transition from the black upper door trim to the beige leather. I also thought the Dark Wood look more classical and elegant while the Anthracite with it horizontal high light lines looked more modern.

It is so subjective it would be great if you could get a look at them personally.

I really appreciate your input.

I'm curious about the anthracite. Would you say it was predominately gray in color or did it have a lot of brown tones in it?

Interesting that nobody has mentioned seeing the light wood.

The sample I looked at did have both brown and gray highlights and the fine lines (grain) on the dash and center console ran horizontal. I have seen some pictures where it was strongly brown but that is not the sample I saw today. This picture was pretty much what I saw at the dealers.

Originally Posted by jwrtiger

The sample I looked at did have both brown and gray highlights and the fine lines (grain) on the dash and center console ran horizontal. I have seen some pictures where it was strongly brown but that is not the sample I saw today. This picture was pretty much what I saw at the dealers.

Yes I test drove an F10 with cream leather and Anthracite. Looks just like this photo. It's the nicest and most premium looking finish in my opinion.

Ah, very nice. Thank you for posting that. I like it a lot. It reminds me somewhat of the "dark bamboo" wood trim in my X6.

Originally Posted by XZLR8

Ah, very nice. Thank you for posting that. I like it a lot. It reminds me somewhat of the "dark bamboo" wood trim in my X6.

Yeah it's very similar to the dark bamboo. In fact when I first saw it that's what I thought it was.

Originally Posted by XZLR8

I think that's some of my confusion, because I was told that the "anthracite" is a gray colored wood like in the previous generation 5, but the pictures don't support that. From the pictures, it looks to have grain similar to the "Fineline" in my 7, which is clearly different from the "dark wood" in the 535s that I've seen.

I've seen both. Dark wood is dark brown and has a swirl grain. Anthracite is black and is the same fineline as in the 7.

Originally Posted by rudegar

I've seen both. Dark wood is dark brown and has a swirl grain. Anthracite is black and is the same fineline as in the 7.

Yeah, I've seen the "dark wood" and thought it was pretty plain (the swirling is very subtle). I'm glad to hear the descriptions of the anthracite, which will almost certainly be my pick if I order a new 5.

Thanks, everyone.

Originally Posted by XZLR8

Thanks, Mr. Magic.

Has anyone seen the "light wood trim"?

My 550, which I have been not so patiently waiting for has the Light. My X5 has the same interior. See if this helps

Originally Posted by E60 550i

My 550, which I have been not so patiently waiting for has the Light. My X5 has the same interior. See if this helps

Try again.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/100_1672.jpg

Originally Posted by E60 550i

My 550, which I have been not so patiently waiting for has the Light. My X5 has the same interior. See if this helps

I didn't realize it was the same wood as the X5. Thanks!

Is aluminium trim once again not available in the US? Geez. The anthracite wood looks best of the three in my opinion.

Anthracite looks spectacular with Oyster Black.

It is available for North American consumption this time. Saw it on a 535i on Friday. All a matter of taste I guess, but I won't be ordering it. Very strange that the wood is simply replaced with "aluminum" (don't know if it is real or plastic), but still retains that additional aluminum edge trim at the bottom. IMHO, the F10 interior is much better than the E class Mercedes in both quality and design, but still lags Audi just a bit on quality. Regardless, I still will take the BMW!

Yeah, the aluminum trim was an option, but I agree it looks odd with the existing aluminum edge trim that is already there. If it didn't have that trim then it might be a different story.

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

Is aluminium trim once again not available in the US? Geez. The anthracite wood looks best of the three in my opinion.

I saw a F10 550 sport at South Motors BMW Miami with aluminum trim. It was sold however. Its was also a 6speed black dakota with anthracite headliner.