Pure luxury would be no exaggeration for this spacious interior, generously equipped and trimmed with the finest materials. The driver and three passengers, in their four wide individual seats, are surrounded by every conceivable luxury. The seats, incidentally, recall the classics of modern interior design: the seat backs are gently curving wooden shells in a colour that contrasts most effectively with the leather upholstery. These seats combine perfect lateral support with the highest standard of journey comfort. They are adjustable electrically in various directions to suit the occupant's preferences, and even the upper front seat belt anchorages are electrically adjustable.
Like the seats found in the first class section of a modern airliner, the rear seats can be moved to a specially relaxed position. The complete seat cushion can be slid forward by up to 110 millimetres, whereupon the seat back is inclined by a further 19 degrees compared with the normal upright position.
The armrests - both on the centre console and on the doors - can be varied in height as the seat occupant prefers.
Integral lumbar support and massage devices in the backs of all the seats keep the occupants' back muscles pleasantly relaxed during long journeys.
The very finest interior decor materials are used to create a luxurious setting - deep-pile carpet, light-coloured, naturally tanned leather and, as a colour contrast, darker shades of wood. The colours are warm, in order to create a special atmosphere and a true feeling of total well-being.
This ambience, incidentally, extends beyond the passenger compartment into the load area. The Avantissimo, conceived as a large, long-distance touring vehicle, naturally provides ample space at the rear for luggage and leisure or hobby gear. It is no accident that the load-area decor with its leather-trimmed aluminium rails recalls the luxurious visual impression made by high-quality seagoing luggage, which was always noted for top-grade materials, perfect workmanship and ample load-carrying capacity.
For maximum convenience when loading, the Avantissimo has a slide-out load-area floor. This can be extended rearwards electrically by up to 460 millimetres. If the entire load area is needed, the rear seats fold forwards fully automatically, after which the load-area floor panel slides forward by up to 750 millimetres to extend the floor surface.
A particularly ingenious feature is that all these functions and also opening and closing the tailgate and the underfloor storage drawer can be performed most conveniently from the car's remote control. Those who arrive at the car carrying various bulky or heavy items of luggage will appreciate this ability to open various doors and re-arrange the load area appropriately simply by pressing the remote control buttons.
The sheer width of the Avantissimo's interior is emphasised by the generously glazed areas of the roof, which extend right back to the tailgate. The light which enters through these panels gives the interior of this concept car a very special quality: light has here been used intentionally as an active design element.
In bright sunlight, however, there is no risk of this feature outstaying its welcome: the glass dims continuously as the incident light intensity rises - an innovation that adds a new dimension to the heat insulation concept. Each occupant of the car can dim the glass manually in his or her individual seating area.
This "Varilite" technology is used on the Avantissimo not only for the glazed roof panels and the tailgate window, but also for the upper part of the windscreen, so that the driver too is protected against unnecessary glare from the sun. It achieves ideal results in all light conditions and is therefore a high-tech alternative to the conventional hinged sun vizor.
After dark, indirect lighting in the roof illuminates the interior of the Avantissimo uniformly and without glare.
From the low-mounted dash panel, gently curved horizontal lines extend back around the passenger area, communicating a perfect blend of spaciousness and protection from the outside world.
The generous use of high-quality ash has a function above and beyond its visual effect as wood trim. Larger areas act as backing panels for the principal displays and controls. These consist of a combination of circular dials and digital displays that supply the driver with all the required information.
To select a different gear manually in the automatic transmission, the driver can operate the two paddle controls behind the steering wheel. They move with the wheel, so that gear selection remains reliable when the car is not moving in a straight line.
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