Materials and colors: enhancing the elegance.

The choices of colors and materials further enhance the impression of personal luxury and the interior's interplay of lines and surfaces. For the dash's finely grained upper section, there are two colors depending upon the chosen interior color. Dakota leather is standard on the 550i, and available in six color schemes of which three are new; BMW's luxurious Nappa leather is optional, and available in three color schemes.

Dark Burl Ash wood trim interior trim is standard, appearing in sweeping expanses on the dash, doors and front center console; Ash Anthracite (gray tone) and another distinctive wood called Fineline Matte are optional.

The center console comes in two variants: On cars with a manual gearbox the console is split into two sections, the black surface surrounding the gearshift lever and the buttons on the optional Driving Dynamics Control oriented towards the driver. A key holder has been placed between the gearshift lever and the climate controls.

On models with automatic transmission, the space between the electronic gear selector lever and the climate control unit offers enough room for two cupholders and a key holder. A further storage compartment is located behind the iDrive Controller (where there is another cupholder on models with a manual gearbox).

    See also:

    Storage compartments in the cargo area
    Left storage compartment A storage compartment is located on the left side. Net Small objects can be stowed in the net on the left side. Right storage compartment Located on the right side is ...

    Storage compartments in the cargo area
    Depending on the vehicle's equipment, the following storage compartments can be found in the cargo area: ▷ Storage compartments behind the removable side panels on the right and left in t ...

    Hot exhaust system
    Hot exhaust system High temperatures are generated in the exhaust system. Do not remove the heat shields installed and never apply undercoating to them. Make sure that flammable materials, e ...