Options
Good, Bad or Ugly - Current and Future styling trends of BMW
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
2. Perhaps it will grow on you. Did the Z4 grow on you at all?
M
I liked the looks of the old 5-series -- and the one before it. I wouldn't even be willing to test drive the new one. I would consider some peculiar-looking cars in other segments. For example, I'd consider a Subaru WRX wagon, certainly an odd duck, but that's a $24K turbo car with a hooligan streak, not a $45K premium sedan.
It's called globalization. When the head of BMW design is American, the head of GM design is French (I think), every company has a design office in California or London. There won't be a national design style anymore, just like other auto technologies like ABS have no national boundaries.
I wouldn't call the new look American, until I see them looking more like CTS and Lincoln! Then they all need help...
I admit the new 5 front end looks contrived, but still think it's the best looking 5 in many generations. In the past, was there ever a 5 that was a visual stunner? This one comes closest, I think!
Cherry is still the head of design. He will retire and be succeeded by one of the Daimler/Chrysler merger cast-offs. Certainly a lot of international intrigue going on.
And look at the Japanese as well. Many of their more famous designs actually hail from their facilities in Southern California in conjnction with some of the famous private groups out there.
If I needed space and luxury, a V-6 Passat seems like a much better value. If I wanted sportiness, a 3-series BMW is more appealing. If I wanted security and badge snobbery, I'd rather have a Benz C320. And if I wanted dependability, space, and value for the money (at the cost of some blandness), an Acura TL Type-S is the best deal.
Previously, the only one of the mid-level luxury cars that made any sense to me was the BMW 530i. Now none of them do.
1. I'd say give the new E a chance or perhaps a CLK (can you go coupe?). Both are beautifully styled
2. You could be the proud owner of a Passat W8.
3. Am skeptical you'd be happy with M45 or GS430.
4. As a single, non-tall guy, I could never see the purpose for the 5-series in as much as it seemed identical to the 3, but longer, so I am sympathetic.
5. Buy a used M5. You get the old styling and a fast car at a lower price.
I think the Lexus GS is vulgar. It's classic noveau riche -- it has an abundance of everything except taste, and the toothy 'dollar grin' grille is more Buick than Buick.
I liked the 5-series BMW because it wasn't too far removed from the 3-series in character and feel, but had more room for those who need a back seat and a bit more trunk room. But the new one is so hideous that it makes me recoil. (I'd be VERY, VERY hesitant to buy a used M5, or M3, because of the possibility that the previous owner may have abused it or not maintained it properly, unfortunately.)
I hate the Passat W8. It's a poor value -- a massive amount of extra money over the V6 that is not compensated by performance or luxury. The W8 engine is one of those engineering feats that's clever rather smart; in that, it reminds me of some of GM's early-60s efforts (e.g., rope-drive Pontiac Tempest or Oldsmobile Jetfire turbo). Its sole virtue is compact size. It's heavier, less powerful, and not as smooth as the BMW or Benz V-8s in that size range. It worsens the weight distribution of the already nose-heavy Passat . It's also frighteningly complex, and can't possibly be cheap to produce -- probably a big part of the reason the W8 Passat costs so much more than the V-6.
M
The car was black. Moreover the sun was low in the sky. Well, wow, now *that* was a looker. I just love it. It looks wayyy better in person than on photos. Now I tell you all, just wait till you SEE the 5, I think you'll be in for a similar surprise!
I am looking to seeing the new 5 and the 6 Series as well.
I read an article in Auto. News that said, "If the new GTO is a hit, Wangers says, it could help Pontiac morph into a true U.S. competitor to BMW and other brands of high-performance cars." Wangers is the mktg exec of the original GTO. The GTO doesn't need to be a hit to morph into a BMW competitor, Bungle is already doing a great job at that.
More generally, I thought the BMW look worked best on 3 and got a bit weaker as the car grew longer. The old 7 was still a bit too bland for the luxery driver's market. I still wish the trunk could be avoided.
I would also like to go on the record as saying that the Z4 is an improvement in every possible way over the Z3. Not only is it bigger, nicer and should have much nicer handling, but the Z3 was a giant phallic monstrosity.
I see now the "changes" Bangle is moving the new lines to and thought it was just isolated in the z4. The "retro" interior look is great inside the z4 but for a 5 series sedan, it doesnt look as well.
Why is the new front end not including the grill as part of the hoood? I noticed this on the z4 but did not think it would carry over to the 5 series. Ive always loved opening the hood and having the entire front end with grill come up too to get a better view under the hood.
I agree with everyone else on here that the front end is looking a lot like a grand am and the back end kinda like a Accord. ughh to both.
Im sure it will grow on my like the z4 did but it sure is.... "different".
I suspect they would have tried the styling both ways and so there must be some reason not to freeze the grill - perhaps to keep the lines on either side that run the length of the hood nice and clean. But personally, I agree that keeping the hood as a nice clean flowing piece of aluminum or whatnot right into the grill is nicer....
BTW I borrowed a 330 Cd for this weekend. The styling is absolutely great. I prefer it over the "old" design, by and large. In particular the headlight redesign is spot on. And oh man, what an engine! Now I just wish it were easier to grab the front seatbelts!
Oh wait, I know the answer already...
Heck, next thing you know, they will be getting rid of the kidney grill altogether!
Anyway, I was recently at a Pontiac/GMC dealership sizing up the new Grand Prix's and the sales rep made the comment that Pontiac's styling is so aggressive and sought after that even German cars, i.e. BMW's, are beginning to follow their leads!!!!!
No, I'm really kidding but I'm sure that will happen somewhere to some unsuspecting customer in the future. It is a real travesty about removing the grill from the hood - guess just a change of the times. I remember when the Bimmers had their hoods open backwards and was disappointed when they made that change. What's next, removing the sky & propeller emblem in exchange for a knockoff Pontiac sign...lol.
Take care
fo
How sad all that is. And probably not too far off.
So, forget about the exterior, its already a Pontiac. How about the interior? Can I get my BMW with big, plastic, ugly, GM buttons and knobs on my bmw dash please? :P
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
lol...I thought to myself what the hell they are thinking.
actually, since you opened with the title heading, "Give credit where credit is due", (a statement), you were in fact STATING that it was the cars who originally did the song, which they didn't, and that i wasn't giving them due credit. check your facts before suggesting that someone else doesn't know what they're talking about.
The front end loses its attached grill-to-hood unique identity.... and Bang! one down!
You take the back end partially from the 7 series complete with a Catalina Island landing strip for a trunk lid.....and Bang! two down!
You add lights to the back of the vehicle.
No attempt is made to properly blend the rear lights into the natural body lines of the car. It seems that the test mule rear lighting setup was most unfortunately what stuck!...and Bang! three down!
Just for fun we'll add the iDrive controller !
Hey there's an idea!!...and Bang! four down!
And Out.
I guess we showed them...yeah we really showed them!
Now if ever BMW needed an Italian designer it is really NOW!!!
funkcity............out
http://germancarfans.com/photos.cfm?PhotoID=3030331.001
Is it just me or do I feel that people make an analogy to existing cars just because they want to?
Isn't a more accurate statement rather "it doesn't look like anything else"?
Once again, nothing replaces seeing the car in real life. Just look at the Z4, on photos and then in real life. Not the same at all.
*I created this forum. I wanted a thoughtful discussion of a divisive issue. Not endless debates about Pontiac Grand-am front designs.
*I like the idea of a new look from BMW and see it as necessary to get away from the one sausage, different size problem they had. I am not sure if I like the execution they have done.
*I love the z4 look even if I am very iffy on the 7 series trunk.
*I'd buy the new 5 series, but not on styling. This says a lot because I am deeply impressed with the new E-class.
*Chris Bangle, BMWs lead designer, is very controversial but also influential. He was named designer of the year.
*He and the new designs get mixed reviews. Mixed reviews, contrary to the incorrect modern moving going usage, means some love and some hate.
Mixed reviews means it divisive even among those with great experience or mature styling tastes. This does not mean bad. It means it divides and provokes people. I have no axe to grind either way. I hate Lexus styling (except SC), but generally like the work of Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti (lately), Jaguar and even new Volvos.
*Mercedes is pursuing the opposite style - making its car look more alike. The C and S are very similar looking, even if innards are different. Is this good or bad? Dunno. They have switched positions - Mercedes looking at continuity, BMW looking for sharp model differences. Who is right? Who knows....
I guess the market has spoken.
I have similar concerns about trunk on Chrysler 300M.
Again, the point is a discussion of the future trends and people's responses at a level deeper than "good" and "sucks".
I certainly appreciate the onl 7 much more now! Movies like "The Transporter" don't help, either!
Looks like the 2006 3-Series will be Bangle's Final Frontier.
If BMW wanted an aggressive new direction from Bangle, they got it, for better or worse.
I wonder if BMW will have to prop up the "big butt" 7-series resale value in order to help those customers stay with the brand.
Conversely, the new 5 looks ok, and I LOVE the Z-4!
You don't think the new Nissan Maxima isn't radical styling? Or the Mazda RX8? Or that the New Beetle wasn't a radical departure from where VW had been in the early 1990s? Or that the new Infiniti G35 hardly looks like its sister I35 or G20? Or that the G35 coupe breaks new ground for Infiniti styling? Or just compare the Cadillac CTS to the Catera.
Is BMW merely playing catch up?
BMW was the styling leader in the late 90's/early 00's. They are going in a totally different direction now so its basically a new era styling wise at BMW.
The 7 Series is not a high volume selling car which the 3 and 5 Series are.
I'll give BMW credit they make some of the best automobiles in the business without question but their new styling direction is very debateable.