Uhh... the UI is almost an exact copy from Vista. The OS itself is for that matter (minus some core parts).

In cp change the view to small icons to get a more classic feel.

The start menu (links and pins [pop outs/non pop outs]) and "taskbar" are customizable and skinable as with the entire UI.

The memory utilization is ramped up, apps start and stop faster than Vista ever made them, and the software sound overlay (which I hate) is actually improved a good deal. I have found that 7 is a vast improvement over Vista and its menu layout. I honestly remember going through even more menus in Vista when testing it.