the reason they look so different is because they have tinted windows.
No, the textures don't have the same resolution either and here and there are definitely less details.
I think the only reason the standard models don't look as good is because the only video we've seen of them hasn't been as good quality as the premium videos. I have no doubt they will look nearly as good if not the same as the premium cars.
As far as the cockpit discussion goes, I still have hope. The japanese GT website said "Standard Car does not correspond to the interior view." I first understood this as the standard models having a generic cockpit, it just
won't correspond to the real life one. And if not, I'm not worried. I never regularly used more than 200 cars in GT4, and most of the ones I did use a lot are set to be premium this time around.
Lastly, we have a ton of new features to be happy about, and I'm gonna focus on those. The interiors we do have will be stellar, roll over, damage, I suspect a livery editor, and so much more. 👍
Oh, and one more thing. The english versions of the GT website didn't say anything about cockpits on standard cars, and I think that means good news.