Thread is on the verge of being shutdown. Back on the i5

 

I think the bottom line is, this 5 Series is going to do fine. There are people who like these designs, even if the chatter from those who don't like them is really loud. I see refresh X7s all over the place, I am seeing lots of refresh X5s, and I see more 7 Series' than I thought I would...

I think the i5 is a lot better looking than an EQE...

 

^
Majority don’t like the new designs but are forced to live with it to an extent. For example, i know some folks that had to replace their M3/4 for various reasons (lease, totaled) etc - there is really nothing you can buy new that does what M3 provides. The love the car but not the grill.

Any way this is where BMW design is headed based on their design head, Adrian van Hooydonk

 

In hindsight, Bangle butt doesn't seem so bad anymore

 

Totally agree with this post. I've now seen it in person and still think the car is too tall with fussy detailing, but it's not nearly as divisive as the 7-series. You will be seeing plenty of them around and it's a better choice than the EQE if max range isn't a concern. Not my pic:

 

Every generation of new BMWs brings the "sky is falling" panic, which never materializes. There's room for legit debate as to whether BMWs are "The Ultimate Driving Machine" anymore, but I think that BMW has shown that they can properly identify designs and enhancements that appeal to a wider variety of buyers, even if loyalists are offended. For better or worse....

 

One thing I will give Bangle was that 7series was revolutionary design that brought in Idrive and design surfacing which was really modern but still clean design. The Bangle butt was then copied by Sclass and other cars.

The new one is just plain and boring with ugly grill and thin tailights. Interior and idrive 8 are not providing anything new that is not already available in the marketplace.

These are some cool Bangle era cars:

 

Besides the Bangle era and current generation of pig nose grills - I don’t recall many other times when BMW has had designs that caused panic - going back to the days of the E30.

 

bmw, mercedes, audi, will all do fine no matter what they do... they have ENORMOUS brand loyalty and reputation (way more than lexus).
the eq and i lineups of mb and bmw respectively may have big aspects many people don't like but i've no doubt they will sell, and also evolve to appeal to more people over time.
and many times 'ridiculous' styling sells to those who've 'got to have' the latest, and even better if it's very different and says 'look at me'.

 

You have no basis from which to make that statement. You don't like the design and other loud people don't like the design. Nobody is spending $120,000 on a car they hate the looks of....or $100,000....or $70,000...

Exactly, happens all the time. People were RIOTING about the X7's front end, now we hear "I really much prefer the look of the pre refresh X7, its so classy".

You describe the last 25 years of BMW design. Bangle era through now. BMW always had some quirky cars, they tend to go back and forth.

In any event, back to the i5, this is tame by comparison...

 

Sadly time has a way of softening people's viewpoint of a particular situation. BMW's styling points come to mind as does the dreaded spindle grille. It seems that everybody on the planet loves it where a decade ago everyone was the complete opposite.

The giant nasty grille BMW uses now may be to the point of no return..

 

I'm in the camp of the X7's pre-refresh grille looking better, but the X5's smaller grille and overall front end treatment is better yet. It's all relative.

 

Peoples opinions on things change over time.

I agree, but at the time people hated the X7's grille. Now its small if anything...I think the front of the pre-refresh X7 looks great. People complained about the big grille on the LCI G12 7 Series, now people talk about how great looking that car is.

 

I’m on the BMW forums regularly and nobody Rioted over X7 lol
The blowback on the M3/4 and XM was much worse. I personally don’t mind X7 front, as it works on a large SUV.

Bangle era was not 25years but 1 generation cycle which was 7 years. Also his influence was from early to late 2000s. The F series cars that began in 2010 were back to the old traditional BMW design language going back to 80s and 90s. (F10 5series, F30 3series were more in line with E39 and E46 rather than E60 and E90 which were Bangle designs, same for 6 and 7 series) I still remember they had to rush a refresh for E90 as it was so hideous.

The basis for my post are 2 of my friends that had to get a new M3 as their F80 lease was up and they leased new G80. There are also a number of forum members in F8x forums that upgraded to G8x even though they hated styling. Some actually went back to used F8x as they couldn’t look at pig nose any longer. I can link you to the thread…..

 

Same, people hated the big grille on the original X7. It was the same way here.

I mean the Bangle era was 25 years ago, we have had on and off shock and whining over BMW designs over the past 25 years. F Series cars were boring, IMO. Thats BMW's challenge to me, their cars are either over the top, or boring. This new 5 Series may be polarizing, but at least I remember it. Thats what they are going for. Next generation their look will get boring, again...they'll rein them in on LCIs...again...this is not an unusual back and forth with BMWs in the modern era.