POSTED BY Sebastien Bell on
Despite the fact that it was unveiled in November, it took former BMW designer Frank Stephenson till the start of the new year to gather his composure enough to offer his assessment of the BMW XM concept. He’s still not acting very composed.
He is so enraged and frustrated by the enormous SUV’s design that sometimes his critique is little more than a puzzled sigh. He has complaints for the XM from every viewpoint, and they are not positive ones. However, the side view is where he has the most issues.
“The side view is, in my opinion, the silliest side view of a car I’ve ever seen, at least up to this point. Additionally, it covers more than a century of vehicle design “Stephenson explains.
Only two areas of the design, in Stephenson’s opinion, merit praise when looking at the positives. The first is the hood, which is a “mini-clamshell,” or one continuous piece from wheel arch to wheel arch with no evident seams. The black appliqué line is the second, in the meantime.
I don’t like it, he says, but it’s a method to control the door handle design and get rid of the excess clutter on the side of the car. “It’s a good technique to declutter, or desensitize, the side of the car.”
He puts up a few hypotheses as to why the business is putting out such polarizing designs. His first argument is known as the “New Coke Theory,” which essentially contends that BMW deliberately builds unattractive automobiles in order to later switch to more conventionally attractive models that will garner greater acclaim and admiration, much like how Coca-Cola did when it returned to its original formula to appease its enraged customers.
The “contemporary martyr of design” theory is his second argument. In essence, he contends that BMW is betraying the automobile industry by emphasizing what Stephenson considers to be negative design trends and slapping them all on a single vehicle to make a greater argument. He further speculates that perhaps “BMW have really lost their f#&%!$ mind.”
The heads of BMW’s M division and design, Frank van Meel and Demagoj Dukec, are content with the XM’s look and don’t seem to be working toward anything specific.
According to their descriptions, the automobile has a “raw, enormous, monolithic aspect” that draws inspiration from the original M1 in numerous ways.
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Making Bad Designs Electric
In 2021, BMW took their poor design language a step further. On his YouTube channel, The Late Brake Show, automotive journalist Jonny Smith has emphasized this. He most recently examined the iX electric SUV from 2022. Of course, one of the main talking points about the car is its appearance. Smith claims that the side profile of the car is “the second worst” and that “the front is the worst.” It’s fairly simple to understand why since he describes the front of the car without needing to pay attention to what he says.
Smith refers to it as the horrifying front-end of the beaver teeth, and it is indeed awful. Additionally, since it is electric, a grille is not even necessary. It is ignored since it serves no purpose. It is impenetrable to air. Smith advises “if you buy one of these cars, buy it in a dark color” because the grille is so repulsive. Why? Smith claims that if we purchase one in white, we will be permanently drawn to the fact that its front end is revolting. Before we even talk about how big this automobile is overall, that is. It’s an SUV that weighs two tons or more and resembles little more than a massive blob of composite materials.
While editor-in-chief Steve Fowler dislikes the exterior of the new BMW 7 Series, he believes that the interior is much different.
I’ll be completely honest with you: the new BMW 7 Series may be one of the most hideous vehicles I’ve seen in a very long time. I’ve said it; there. I’m sure there will be many who disagree, so please share your thoughts. However, I just don’t see this one ever winning me over.
With the overheated 4 Series and iX, BMW has been teasing it, but I’ll admit that I’m coming to grips with the former’s spectacular proportions, if not its face, and the iX’s innovative electronics covers its aesthetic transgressions. Yes, the all-electric i7 is also available in the 7 Series above, but in my opinion, the front, side, and back just don’t gel together.
However, once inside, the 7 Series is stunning—beautifully crafted and equipped with thoughtfully placed electronics. There are screens in the back doors in addition to the driver display and infotainment screens, as well as a massive 31.3-inch “BMW Theatre Screen” that descends from the ceiling. A 36-speaker system from British audio expert Bowers & Wilkins provides support for the entire setup.
I already know I’d be content to spend a lot of time in the 7 Series’ back seat, and I’ll probably really like the drive too because BMW has never let me down in that regard.
The new Seven is similar to the Ford Scorpio from the 1990s in that it has a tough outside but a pretty beautiful inside. Of course, BMW has produced numerous ‘strange’ cars in the past. For instance, do you recall the E60 BMW 5 Series, which was designed by the unconventional Chris Bangle? Its “Flame Surfacing” bodywork slashes and acute angles raised a lot of eyebrows. However, Bangle was amazing since the vehicle has aged beautifully and continues to look modern almost two decades later.
You must get beyond the new 7 Series. You examine Ferrari’s 296 GTS, a drop-top that is simply breathtakingly beautiful. These days, Ferraris just seem to get more and more beautiful, and even the F1 team is back to winning. The Prancing Horse is in a really excellent spot right now.
BMW designed the 4 Series to be ugly, but it’s fine if you want to make it seem better.
It has been a while since the 4 Series was introduced, so it seems sense that some people still find the bucktooth grille to be a turnoff. BMW, on the other hand, appears to have come to terms with the 4er’s divisive nature and has absolutely no issues with consumers changing the coupe’s front end.
In a recent interview with BMW’s head of exterior design Christopher Weil, Australia’s Cars Guide learned that the Bavarians couldn’t give a damn if buyers want to make the front grille of the 4 Series look less ugly by using aftermarket accessories.
However, Mr. Weil advises clients to see the car in person before making a choice because he thinks that photos don’t often convey the full design story. In light of that, he and the business he works for won’t have anything against those who still choose to modify their car:
“We have some really pricey products at BMW, or you can even add aftermarket, and amazing wheels and everything like this, but even if people go somewhere else and customize the car, I don’t mind; I think it’s cool.”
However, why should they bother? In other words, if you purchased the vehicle, it is yours to modify and alter as you see fit. While there may be repercussions, such as in some cases voiding the warranty, we doubt that installing a more attractive grille will cause such a disruption in the matrix.
Just in case you’re wondering how this topic is important, a brief refresher: Prior Design revealed a new aftermarket grille for the BMW M4 a few months ago that is more aesthetically pleasing.
It’ll be fascinating to see how many new M4 owners will purchase the tuner’s grille if it gets it into the market, but we haven’t heard anything about it being sold yet.
The BMW i8 had issues from the start. A
Nobody could have predicted in 2015 that the inflated i8 would be a complete flop. The vehicle was a complete wreck!
The second i8 to ever leave a manufacturing site was released in a calm gray finish. But after a few weeks of back-and-forth disputes between the business and the owner of the vehicle, Liberty Walk, i8’s painter, reportedly repainted the vehicle twilight purple, according to Autoevolution. A
Many people think purple cars are terrible, and since the general public is never wrong, automakers have learnt to respect public opinion. In fact, purple cars are so despised that less than 1% of the more than 9.4 million used cars sold in 2019 were purple. A
BMW added gold accents all over the vehicle, and while this was an open-minded design choice, the clashing of the hues made the vehicle look worse.
A
While automobile owners could easily remove the purple paint and paint the car in the colors of their choice, the i8’s performance could not be altered. 369 horsepower was the combined output of the car’s engine and e-drive, which is underwhelming for a six-figure vehicle. A
During test drives, the car’s acceleration from 0 to 60 mph took a little bit longer than 4.2 seconds. Despite the slow acceleration, the peak speed of 155 mph was another setback for the car’s performance. A
Which BMW model is the most attractive?
The 1940 edition of the Mille Miglia road race was permitted to take place despite Europe being thrown into war in the autumn of 1939, barely months before Italy itself entered the war.
The race was far less international than normal, with Italian entries that were familiar with the terrain dominating because the majority of the continent was busy with Hitler’s rampaging invaders.
However, a German-driven BMW 328 with a stunning, aerodynamic coachbuilt body by Carrozeria Touring won the 1940 MM. The shorter 558-mile circuit was completed by the 80bhp straight-six-powered Coupe at an average speed of 103.6mph.
The 328 Touring was the first vehicle to win the Mille in both the classic and contemporary tribute categories in 2004. Not bad for a veteran.
Is a BMW a refined vehicle?
When you think about BMW, a few things probably come to mind, including the fact that they are a prominent brand that, like other German automakers (Audi, Mercedes), is regarded as luxury and thus pricey. BMW is one of the most coveted premium brands in the world; the cars combine performance and power with a sporty look. Additionally, they are elegant, sophisticated, and all you could ask for in an automobile while trying to create a good first impression.
Of course, owning a BMW isn’t always a bed of roses. You’ve probably heard of the company’s unfavorable reputation for having drivers who don’t pay attention to traffic laws. The Institute of Personality and Social Research at Berkeley conducted a relatively small study that served as the basis for this reputation. Although this research was widely reported in the media and on social media for a period, just 500 drivers took part in it, making it a very tiny test population.
This reputation was reinforced despite the modest size of the data sample by a survey conducted by the website Car Throttle, which found that 41% of 7,500 respondents thought BMW drivers were the least loved.
BMW is regarded as a prestigious manufacturer once you get past the unjust reputation that was probably based on a false impression from a study that has since been refuted. Unfortunately, reliability is one area where the manufacturer stumbles.
For a while now, BMW and other German brands have struggled with reliability. It’s also one of the inquiries that consumers wanting to purchase a new vehicle ask us the most frequently.
If you have to rely on something other than your car to transport you from point A to point every day, it may be very frustrating and expensive.