You guys are getting to be pretty critical of the new 7 series design but you have to remember what it came from. The 00 and older body styles looked like bmw hadnt moved an inch since the late 80's. It was big, square, and very boring. I think Bangle had a very large task at hand redisigning it because that was one car that needed to be updated BADLY.

I feel that in order to appreciate the lines of those cars you have to see one in person. I for one did not like the six, but once I saw a silver one in a parking lot I fell in love. The 5 series is almost equally as stunning and I give a thumbs up to what they did because its only going to get better from here.

Oh and I know that there are many of you out there who have some huge hatred for these new body styles but the appearance of a car is completely subjective. Each and every person may feel differently about the looks so try to atleast be a little bit open mined to new things because things never stay the same over time....except **** Clark.

 

The biggest problems with the new 5 and 7-series (besides the I-drive and controls, of course) IMO are not so much the way look....it is the materials used and the way they are BUILT. They are simply shoddy compared to their predecessors. Trust me on this.........look at an old one and a new one of each model side-by-side, examine the sheet metal and trim, feel the doors and shut them on both the old ones and new ones....and you will see EXACTLY what I am talking about. The old ones feel like tanks. The new ones, by comparison, feel like tin cans.

 

I like everything you said but want to add something. Not only should we be understanding of other peoples tastes, we should also not lead others into negative viewpoints by constantly bringing up this subject. One thing that sets CL apart is the positivity I feel. Except when Bangle comes up. WHat's more, I don't understand it at all because it is so anti-enthusuast.

 

I am beginning to like the new 5 series. A friend of mine has one in blue and I am starting to like it........... I never thought I would say that. At least the exterior look. But that is about as far as I would venture.

I sat in an M5 at the Detriot auto show last month and without any question the interior of this car felt and looked cheap compared to my 6 year old GS400. No, I am not biased towards Lexus. I honestly felt that the M5 was not worth the $100K or so it costs. Perhaps the engine's performance is worth that money, but the interior certainly isn't.

 

While basically you are correct, Hameed, it's not so much how the new 5's and 7's stack up against Lexus products that they look and feel so cheap...........it is against their OWN predecessors.

 

Wait wait wait for me I need to jump on the ban wagon too

No really I'm not much for the new BMW's either but I have to say that 745 with 22's lowered is mean baby. For me though its the interior more so than the exterior seriously when I look at how the dash flows across to the passanger side of the car it makes me feel nauseous and I don't mean that as a figure of speech.

Anywho if anything I have to give it to Bangle and the other decision makers behind the designs of their cars, they stepped out of the box, anyone can look at a BMW and know percisely what it is with out getting it confused with another make or model from another nameplate . I for one get tire of seeing the same ol styles, the mass following of trends, its one reason I respect Infiniti and yes the reason I have to give BMW a level of respect but only a level due to their quality issues. I have to say I'm really really curious as to what they have to present next whether I'll like it or not, more so than any other make, yes even Lexus.

 

I do see the resemblance to the CLS!!

 

It just means that a lot of designers are caught up in the trend of doing this swoopping roof line thing.

 

I agree, Bangle should run for president, the guy just gets people talking. And I am with the half that hates the designs.Honestly, if BMW didn't know it was BMW they would have stayed straight laced. They know now, people will buy ANYTHING with the propeller badge so they can take a chance.

I will say, yes, you can tell a BMW right away, but they always were distinctive to me. If the 7 was such a success, they would not have totally made the restyled front end look like the E39 M5 front end.

I do give them kudos for taking such a chance with their premium sedan, the 7. That took some ***** to bring out. And they slapped I-cannot drive in it. Incredible.

There is a thread in MB World where some are stating the CLS looks just like a ES 330.

 

most cars got 4 wheels.

 

redkingjoe, are you by any chance related to Cotton Eye Joe?

I just want everyone to know that if it hadn't been for Cotton Eye Joe, I'd been married long time ago.

 

hohoho,
that's a good one...hehehe

 

AP News, Germany
HANG ON, I'M LEFT HANDED EXCLAIMS CONFUSED CHRIS BANGLE
BMW's styling department has been plunged into turmoil this week after boss Chris Bangle realised that he has spent the last ten years designing cars with the wrong hand. 'This is quite a surprise,' said one insider (in German). 'Ever since he started working here Chris used his right hand to sketch design themes, operate CAD/CAM units and so forth. It was only during a game of rounders with some of the large car exterior design team from Audi that Chris went to catch the ball and suddenly realised the strange truth; he's actually left handed.'
Bangle's sudden discovery explains much of the wonky lines and unusual angles seen on recent BMWs, but in a modern car company no one man styles every car. So how does the bespectacled designer's dexterity error explain the look of, say, the new 6-series? 'It's quite simple,' explained our Munich mole (in German, still). 'Young designers began to copy Chris's inadvertently wonky style and, with the incomprehensible writing that resulted from his wrong-hand usage, his disapproving notes about their work were misunderstood. So, in the case of the 6-series, Chris scribbled "This is a Pontiac coupe!" on the concept sketches but the designer mis-read it as "This is a perfect coupe!" and carried on until it was too late.'
Bangle's sudden realisation isn't the first thing that has only been discovered after years of error in a car industry design department. Last year staff at Subaru were shocked to discover that the computer they used to design the wheels for high performance models could do other colours apart from gold. 'That was a relief,' said one insider at the time (not in German).






I got this from the VW forum and was lmao....

 

Lol, that's awesome!

 

haha that's so funny man, i love that part about the pontiac