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Good, Bad or Ugly - Current and Future styling trends of BMW
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I mean BMW did these design changes to attact more women buyers? I see alot of women driving BMW's so they don't need a buyer they already have. The young people like the 3 Series too.
My conclusion on the 7 Series and 5 Series is they are way overstyled. As a buyer in my early 20's I would not buy something so out there in the styling department such as the 04 5 Series, Honda Element, or a Scion. I have seen auto magazines where younger people say they don't like the Scion's or newer BMW's.
People whined in the early to mid 90's cars were to conservative looking and all look the same now its hit or miss with styling with cars nowadays. Mazda and VW are hitting what the young people right on the head with their exterior styling. Honda, Mitsubishi, and BMW have lost their touch with this generation of young people in my opinion.
I sold one of the last M5's(black/black loaded) in the country this weekend to a guy from Virginia and WOW was it fun! What a car!!!!! Thanks, JD. I also sold another new 2004 5 series (black/black 530i)to a young guy (thanks WW) who had a Diamante and has always wanted a 'bimmer. All and all a great weekend, sold an "old" five and a "new" five.
But, on the lot were a brown and an olive(?) pair that looked awful, with the aluminum interior trim; like something from the late 70's. Do you guys pick these colors for your lot inventory or do the boys in germany throw them at you (serious question --)? Oh, well, let's hope they get better for the '05 year.
Cheers--
So, early indication is that the car is selling.
Another trend I'm not thrilled with is the increase in gratuitous electronics, a lot of which I am simply not interested in. Features like touch-screens, XM radio, built-in cell phones, Bluetooth, etc. With the E46 I can freeze things at about the level I'm used to with my Audi and not have to deal with this new stuff for a few more years :-).
I might also add, as a BMW motorcyclist, that their motorcycle line has also stirred up a lot of styling controversy in the last few years. They've done a few things that are downright weird to their traditional customers. Coincidentally, their chief m/c designer is also an American, David Robb. Can't they put the Germans back in control :-)?
Right now, I'm thinking i'll buy the 2004 now drive it for about 4 years and then buy the redesigned 3 (once the bugs and the design issues may be worked out).
By the way, I just saw a '04 5 series (black) on the highway this weekend. It actually looked pretty nice from the rear 3/4 view (I'd never thought I'd say that considering how I dislike the rear lights).
Also, look for the new 760i V12 this spring.
Bush/Powell in 2004
Powell/Rice in 2008
Remember when the Honda Accord was a tiny little crackerbox, and now I think it's about the size of a Taurus? Same for the German cars, but not quite as extreme (yet).
Making the 3 larger will make it worse in some aspects.
I bet you wish they were .. they sure missed it on the new 7, plus they now have the re-sale value of an asparagus .. I have always liked the "5's", let's hope they don't miss the mark on the new one ...
Terry.
I'm going to be ordering an '04 3-series partly to have a classic-design car that I can drive and enjoy for the next 5-7 years. I also have not been wild about some recent styling directions. I even like my current '98 A4 better than what Audi did in 2002 (one reason why I'm looking at BMW and not another A4). Of course, to get an E90 I'd be waiting a year or more, and then there's the issue of getting a first-year model, etc.
Another trend I'm not thrilled with is the increase in gratuitous electronics, a lot of which I am simply not interested in. Features like touch-screens, XM radio, built-in cell phones, Bluetooth, etc. With the E46 I can freeze things at about the level I'm used to with my Audi and not have to deal with this new stuff for a few more years :-).
I liked
I might also add, as a BMW motorcyclist, that their motorcycle line has also stirred up a lot of styling controversy in the last few years. They've done a few things that are downright weird to their traditional customers. Coincidentally, their chief m/c designer is also an American, David Robb. Can't they put the Germans back in control :-)?
Went to the dealer today for the third time in an effort to understand the new 5. I can't. I'll take the '04 3, keep it for many years, and hope that by the time I get back into the game again, BMW is again making cars that speak to me. In the meantime? Yeesh.
I've wanted a BMW since the mid eighties, my best friend in high school had a 325e. I always thought the cars were a great blend of exceptional driving characteristics and understated style. Now that I can afford one, they're becoming ugly clones of other lessor cars. The new five looks alot like the Infinity I30 IMO. I'm ordering a 2004 three series. This may be the "last of the good ones".
I guess BMW is saving me money, I would have bought the five if it weren't so hideous!
Yes, there have been exceptions, and the 1995-2001 years featured decent looks pretty much across the board, but even then BMW saw fit to grace us with the M Coupe (ughhh).
My point is that BMW differentiates itself from the pack based on engineering, not great looks. The problem with recent bimmers is not so much styling as it is engineering for engineering's sake: technological gee-wiz devices of questionable utility but undoubted cost and complexity.
Great post!
but the new 5 series?--ugh. double ugh! the front end is alright, even the rear end is strangely acceptable, but the side profile is... hideous! the waist line (the main line that runs along the side length of the vehicle, aesthetically dividing the upper section from the lower section) is much too high, making the car look fat and ponderous. the outgoing 5 series, the automotive paragon of a taut athlete with its clean, graceful, balanced lines, has been tragically transformed into a couch potato who wears his pants up high over his beer belly by fastening his belt over the hump. dbs8 is right to have snatched up a current 3 series. who knows what it'll look like the next time we see it. maybe like the droopy new solara? shiver.
I guess the school of thought here is: "If it isn't broken, break it". Ask Coka-Cola how well this works! Risky business for such a successful car maker.
I think that many people do buy BMWs for their looks and image. They have always been distinctive and tasteful. IMO, the best way to describe the new direction is "Overstyled".
I haven't been happy with alot of cars styling wise lately from the Germans or Japanese it seems like the Germans and Japanese have switched their styling to get the Domestic Big 3 buyer off his or her "too bland for me" bandwagon. I have two words for the Germans and Japanese: Core Buyer.
The BMWs are not meant to be sporty? HUH? Are they not the bench mark of Sports sedans?
"Yet the latest luxo crop has become screen dependent, to the point of ruination in the 7-series BMW.
"It wouldn't be that bad if they changed a few things." That's from the staff's most ardent 745i defender. The majority of us think iDrive, as BMW calls its computer interface, needs a clean-sheet redesign.
BMW tried to take over control of HVAC, audio, chassis settings, trip info, navigation, etc., with a screen. You make your choices with a single knob that turns, toggles, and clicks; it's a mouse substitute. Worse yet, the company forced ordinary controls into some contortion of the knob thing; for example, you must select the part of the seat you want to adjust by pressing a button, then twist or toggle a knob to make it move. Okay, but what was wrong with the old way?
In fact, the 745i has buttons and rockers scattered about the dash that let you adjust HVAC and do very basic radio/CD changes without using iDrive. But they're so haphazard in their logic that they only add to the annoyance.
We've given iDrive 18 months to persuade us. It failed. Now the F is in ink. Fearless prediction: The 745i will take a beating on resale."
Ouch!!
I mean the 5 Series(pre-04) has always been understated and classic looking but has never been an eyecatcher.
As for getting chicks the Trans AM sticks out like a sore thumb on the road as does the Miata and pre-00 Eclipse. Thats what chick's like: sports car's. I don't drive a sports car because I drive what I want and what is comfortable for me. Sports cars are nice looking but they're cramped in terms of interior room.
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There is an interview with the BMW CEO in today's wall street journal. Though I personally like the styling of the new cars, despite the fact that they seem to be geared for the metrosexuals rather than the masochists in us... anyway, the point is, most of the die hard fans here dont like the new styling and in this article the CEO talks about brand projection and protection... somehow the two dont fit with each other...
anyway, happy reading and driving
ksso #0
Does anyone know when they will be introducing this to the U.S.? Will it be all 3 Series models or just the 4-Door?
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M
I have been trying to take into account Bangle's intention behind his design concept (as I couldn't completely understand the actual execution of it). I appreciate Bangle's goal of taking BMW into a new design era. The motive is good. BMW has carved a significant niche into the sport luxury market. Even those who don't particularly like BMWs will say that they are remarkable works of automotive machinery, especially in the performance department. Mercedes is BMWs primary competition overall (as opposed to the 3 series vs. Infiniti G35, Lexus IS300). No doubt BMW observed the future of Mercedes design and found it evolutionary. Bangle wanted BMW to take some design risks in order to establish a greater presence in the luxury car market and to set the tone for the future of BMW designs--edgy, set apart, even controversial. Some will love it, some will hate it, but no one will be indifferent. This was probably his mindset pre-market.
Outcome? Different, I believe. I have never seen BMW drivers up in arms like this. It's a mixed bag, though. Just about everyone I talk to says that when the new 7 first arrived, it was just plain nasty but after a time they were convinced it had a strong and handsome presence. It would never be confused for a Merc. In a market niche standpoint, that's positive. But S classes are undeniably good designs, albeit conservative. Ultimately, take a look at who buys them (50+) and you can see that conservative is the better bet. And with the purported 2004 headlight and rear decklid change, you can see who was right. I still think the 7 looks great as a whole concept, despite some design fubards.
The Z4. I had seen some conservative pre-market sketches. I was hoping to see something along the lines of a modern 507. Oooh, that would've been something. New chassis? Great, I thought. The Z3 needed it badly. Then I saw spyshots of the flame surfaced version. "Ugh, WTF is that???" I said to myself. Many of my BMW friends agreed. This was one bizarre looking automobile. The front was acceptable, the profile with the bisecting line was just plain strange and the rear looked like a pregnant S2000. But I told my friends that it would look better in real life than in the photos, just like the 7. I believe I was correct. The Z4 is a definite head turner. There is nothing in the market today that looks like it. It makes the Boxster look boring (not ugly). It's much more masculine than the Z3. BUT, it's still strange to me. Bangle went for presence, for certain--with less concern over individual styling aspects (the Roundel turn signal is tacky, in my opinion, like a BMW hocky puck glued to the car). But Bangle achieved his goal with this car. You may see some small changes over the next few years to smooth out some edges, but the car is a success.
The 5. The biggest risk yet, I believe. Everyone agreed that the Z3 needed some real change. The 7, probably less so, but still needed a slightly more aggressive stance. The 5 was the sport sedan benchmark. How do you replace an automobile that was considered nearly flawless by everyone in the industry? The perfect blend of practicality, sportiness, masculinity, elegance, power and stealth. This is where a car should be ideally muscular and refined. Like a lean bodybuilder in a notch-lapel, black tuxedo. He steps into the room, looking superbly crisp and sophisticated but something underneath says, "I could snap you like a twig." This is where BMW went grossly wrong, I believe. They needed to be evolutionary here. Give it a wider stance and accentuate the fender lines a bit. Give it a more pronounced grille without making the front look like a Pontiac. Now the car has too many divergent lines, too many angles that take away from the muscularity and just make it look busy. I look at cars like the Merc E-class. Gorgeous and elegant but not muscular enough. BMW has always been about performance, and their cars have communicated that, with a healthy dose of elegance. The 5, apart from the handling, has departed from that mindset and design execution, in my opinion.
The 6 is probably the best out of all the new designs. Since it has yet to be released, I can't make any comments on its presence. It is not as muscular as I'd hoped but the lines flow much better than the other designs.
I fear for the 3. The current E46 design is perhaps one of the best in the automotive industry. I can't see it improving under Bangle.
I saw a 6 series at my local dealership about 2 weeks ago. It was black and stunning, I was just smitten by the front and side views. It has a mean, hunkered down look that isn't apparent in photos. Then I looked inside - 5 series and iDrive (aarrggg!). I went around the back and there was this nasty trunk lid that looked even more prominent and misplaced than in the the photos I've seen. I walked away thinking that BMWs current styling theme is just plain weird.
The 7 and 5 series borrow the orginal Lexus GS arching roofline and short trunk but totally butcher the look with hideous rear end treatment, overstyled again. The new 5 front grill is all Pontiac Grand Am. The absence of any body side door moldings is real dumb again. Door ding city. Again, form overlooking function. The interior is another weakness, the dash doesn't flow as before and the look doesn't convey sport and that I-drive is total garbage. The materials are not up to the previous models. Chalk it up as 3 new ugly releases.
The current 3 series is aging, the G35 coupe is a much more dynamic design and performance to back it up. BMW's gonna have more trouble than it's styling as the all new peformance M35/45 models are coming straight for the 5 series. Lexus's all new 05'GS looks stunning and will clean up in this segment I predict. This is where Lexus will take it next, new dynamic, bold design to match it's outstanding quality.
The new E doesn't have design presence, it's not bold enough another good car like the Accord but just blends in with the herd. Mercedes interiors all look cheap anyways. Audis new A6 looks it could swallow a person with that huge grill. My fav. designs would be the 91-95 Acura Legend coupes, the 92-00 Lexus SC coupes, the last gen. RX7 clean, and the new 350Z looks mighty fine in silver sporting off those sexy curves.
"The new 5-series is very possibly the most talked about new car of the year. Chiefly this is because the old one was just so utterly fabulous, easily the best car in its class when it came along seven years ago and, astonishingly, still the leader when they pulled the plug seven years later.
You didn’t have to think when you were looking for a £30,000 four-door saloon. You bought the Beemer and you loved it. But you do have to think with the new one, because the styling is, how can I put this, a bit challenging.
I’m told that as time passes we will become accustomed to the looks, which manage to be sharp and bulbous at the same time. But that’s like asking a seven-year-old to live on olives because he’ll like them when he’s an adult. In the here and now the 5 is truly gargollic, a symphony of discords and stylistic infighting. And it’s no better on the inside, with acres of extraordinarily cheap-looking plastic moulded into a series of shapes that jar."
Seems to encapsulate the situation nicely. Buyers used to almost automatically think Sports Sedan = BMW. Now it's no longer automatic because buyers have to overcome the styling hurdle, which is pretty high for some. Time will tell whether or not this will have a major impact on sales. My guess is that it will once the initial new model rush is over.
While certainly controversial (especially the 7-series), I believe that Bangle has succeeded in making his cars look like nothing else on the road while making them still easily identified as BMW's. Look at the current C-Class, for example. It's smoothed over, morphed, evolutionary Mercedes design makes it no more exciting to look at than any other compact car lozenge on the road. I'll often pass a new E or S Class and not even look up. The new BMW designs, while maybe not "beautiful" in the classic sense, are always interesting to look at and have a dynamic aspect to them that makes them look like they are running even when standing still. And again, from 10 or 100 feet away, they are still clearly BMW's. I find the new 5 series especially to be much more arresting in person than in photographs. Like with Cadillac's new designs, it might take a generation or two of models to work some of the detailing out.
Interestingly, I have more problems with the interior design direction than the exterior (lets forget I-Drive for a sec). I love my 330i's enveloping, driver oriented cockpit. I'm not as fond of the current 5 and 7's open air, dramatic sweep away from the driver. I think the color and pattern issues still need some work as well. However, in the 5, 7, and Z4, the material quality and solidity of feel are beyond reproach, especially in the 7. Regarding I-drive for a sec, let's just say I think it should be an option and be integrated like Audi's popup-screen unit.
That's about all. Any opinions?
Bret