BMW Design - What happened?

[r11co]

stuart-b said:

r11co said:

That is just a 3-D render.

Use your eyes. That isn't even remotely the 'real' version of this...

[LuS1fer]

stuart-b said:

I think people are seriously spoilt for choice these days.

In reality, none of these cars are bad looking - and no one here can design most of these any better, given the constraints on copying others, safety, having to reinvent hot water, re-using components between models etc.

It's like comparing FHM models and saying "that one is a munter". Really?

I look at most modern cars now and see good elements in nearly all of them. Lets face it, a boggo 116d can't look like a frigging Lambo can it?

Lets remind ourselves where we came from in a short space of time just a few years ago.







There are many more.

1 series doesn't look so bad now does it?

Yes, still does.
You have chosen wilfully bad designs but cars like the Austin A40, 1300GT and Montego Turbo were all good looking cars.
Though Alfa had stunners like the GTV, Alfasud Ti and Sprint, even Fiat had little stunners like the 850 Coupe, 124 Sport Coupe, 128 Sport and 3P and 130 Coupe.
Chrysler had iconic designs like Chargers, Cudas and their ilk but lost their way in the 80s trying to compete with bland Japanese imports.
Mazda had the RX3, RX4 and RX7 and of course the 323Fs.
Toyota had Celicas and cars that maybe looked chintzy and ornate at the time but are now considered classics.
I'll grant you Hyundai had an ugly start but the current range, such as the Santa Fe and i30, look better than most BMWs.

[GroundEffect]

r11co said:

stuart-b said:

r11co said:

That is just a 3-D render.

Use your eyes. That isn't even remotely the 'real' version of this...

Because the photo is a Z3 GT3 and the render is an M6 GT3. Both of you call yourselves petrolheads....

Here is the real M6 GT3:



No images of it uncovered yet.

[Mr Tidy]

yonex said:

As stock they are a bit harsh but the chassis is good. Whatever he drives now, it must be quite exotic?

Well it surely is!

Profile says one of those demon machine Toyobarus (so in PH speak skin & rice pudding events spring to mind....)

[Artey]

GroundEffect said:

r11co said:

stuart-b said:

r11co said:

That is just a 3-D render.

Use your eyes. That isn't even remotely the 'real' version of this...

Because the photo is a Z3 GT3 and the render is an M6 GT3. Both of you call yourselves petrolheads....

Here is the real M6 GT3:



No images of it uncovered yet.

Really?

http://www.bmwblog.com/2015/09/15/bmw-m6-gt3-photo...

[Mr Tidy]

kambites said:

Were BMW? Sure they've had a few good looking cars (like the 508), but in the main they've produced inoffensive saloons and estates which don't look very different from everyone else's inoffensive saloons and estate of the same era. For me, BMW's USP has always been how they drive, they've never really looked any better than contemporary Fords or Vauxhalls.

May be true of mainstream models, but which Ford/Vauxhall would you recommend as a potential replacement for this:-


Ooh, so neither has ever made a straight-6 petrol 2 seater coupe with RWD!!

Might be why the Ford/Vauxhalls have never looked better than BMWs FFS !?!?!?!?!

[MarshPhantom]

PHlL said:

Maybe it's me as reading through the thread, I seem like the odd one out, but I really like the styling.

Apart from the 1950's BMW 507 which is even better looking than an E-Type in my opinion, the F Series range are great looking cars.

Everyone pulls out the Active Tourer, that is one car in a huge range, which people also seem to have a problem with? Firstly, the Gran Tourer more so than the active Tourer is a better looking MPV than what is on the market. There is demand for it, so why not cater for it?

It's the same with having a 3 Series Saloon, Touring, Gran Turismo, 4 Series Coupe, and Gran Coupe. In essence, 5 versions of the same car, but you see all of them on the road. People want them and it's great a consumer to have the option to choose exactly what appeals to you.

To try and do a fair comparison rather than extreme's from a Active Tourer to an M6, here's a BMW E21 3 Series Saloon vs BMW F22 2 Series Coupe and BMW E34 5 Series vs an F10 5 Series. I genuinely find it hard to believe you think the formers are better looking vehicles. Don't get me wrong, everyone each to their own, but it's a no brainer to me.



Vs.







Vs.

The newer designs are bland in comparison and the pics don't give you an idea of just how lardy they have become.

[LuS1fer]

Mr Tidy said:

Ooh, so neither has ever made a straight-6 petrol 2 seater coupe with RWD!!

Might be why the Ford/Vauxhalls have never looked better than BMWs FFS !?!?!?!?!

Yeah,gonna have to settle for some damn puny V8 instead

Vauxhall have had their moments (HP Firenza for example) but largely leave RWD to their American branch

Edited by LuS1fer on Saturday 17th October 20:04

[kambites]

Mr Tidy said:

kambites said:

Were BMW? Sure they've had a few good looking cars (like the 508), but in the main they've produced inoffensive saloons and estates which don't look very different from everyone else's inoffensive saloons and estate of the same era. For me, BMW's USP has always been how they drive, they've never really looked any better than contemporary Fords or Vauxhalls.

May be true of mainstream models,

Yeah, I meant the saloons and estates.

But purely going on looks of the more obscure models, I'd say the VX220 and Ford GT are easily a match for the Z4.

Edited by kambites on Saturday 17th October 14:44

[TheAngryDog]

I prefer older BMW's, but some of the more recent ones aren't that bad to look at.

I love the shark nose era cars, just classic. Then there is the E39 which I currently own so a little biased. I hated the E6x at first, but now I think it has aged well. The E9x range isn't too bad, and nor is the E46 M3. I prefer the F80 M3 over the M4, it looks well proportioned in saloon guise, and the only F10 I would have is an M5. Which does cause me a dilemma as I am faced with a decision to supercharge my E39 M5 or save up for an F10 M5...

[e21Mark]

Mark-C said:

PHlL said:

Maybe it's me as reading through the thread, I seem like the odd one out, but I really like the styling.

Apart from the 1950's BMW 507 which is even better looking than an E-Type in my opinion, the F Series range are great looking cars.

Everyone pulls out the Active Tourer, that is one car in a huge range, which people also seem to have a problem with? Firstly, the Gran Tourer more so than the active Tourer is a better looking MPV than what is on the market. There is demand for it, so why not cater for it?

It's the same with having a 3 Series Saloon, Touring, Gran Turismo, 4 Series Coupe, and Gran Coupe. In essence, 5 versions of the same car, but you see all of them on the road. People want them and it's great a consumer to have the option to choose exactly what appeals to you.

To try and do a fair comparison rather than extreme's from a Active Tourer to an M6, here's a BMW E21 3 Series Saloon vs BMW F22 2 Series Coupe and BMW E34 5 Series vs an F10 5 Series. I genuinely find it hard to believe you think the formers are better looking vehicles. Don't get me wrong, everyone each to their own, but it's a no brainer to me.



Vs.







Vs.

In both of those cases, to me, the older car is a much better design ... and better looking as well.

But that’s not BMW’s fault - you couldn’t make cars like that these days. They wouldn’t pass any safety tests and the modern public wants bigger and flasher.

It doesn’t bother me though - there is still enough of the interesting old stuff out there. Enjoy the new if that is what floats your boat. We’re both happy so who needs to argue?

Personally, I think BMW aesthetics peaked in the 70's & 80's and have been in a gradual decline ever since. The simplicity of the designs, the size of the car and purity of purpose have all been lost in recent years. They even made a conscious decision to move away from the shark styling which was iconic. Mind you, it appears they have drifted back to that look using the headlight design.

I'm probably biased but I think the simplicity of the original 3 series still looks great today.

[gizlaroc]

e21Mark said:

Personally, I think BMW aesthetics peaked in the 70's & 80's and have been in a gradual decline ever since. The simplicity of the designs, the size of the car and purity of purpose have all been lost in recent years. They even made a conscious decision to move away from the shark styling which was iconic. Mind you, it appears they have drifted back to that look using the headlight design.

I'm probably biased but I think the simplicity of the original 3 series still looks great today.

You chose that picture to back up your argument??


That looks like a Vauxhall from the 70s.

Edited by gizlaroc on Sunday 18th October 20:06

[Jarcy]

The coolest car ever:

[Mr Tidy]

LuS1fer said:

Mr Tidy said:

Ooh, so neither has ever made a straight-6 petrol 2 seater coupe with RWD!!

Might be why the Ford/Vauxhalls have never looked better than BMWs FFS !?!?!?!?!

Yeah,gonna have to settle for some damn puny V8 instead

Edited by LuS1fer on Saturday 17th October 20:04

Yes, but I was thinking of RHD cars in the UK market - but to be fair I forgot the Monaro! Lovely looking car with a big engine up front, manual box and RWD - credit where it is due!

And eventually we will see RHD V8 Mustangs - brilliant! Probably the only new car I would actually want to buy. Will have to keep saving!

[e21Mark]

gizlaroc said:

e21Mark said:

Personally, I think BMW aesthetics peaked in the 70's & 80's and have been in a gradual decline ever since. The simplicity of the designs, the size of the car and purity of purpose have all been lost in recent years. They even made a conscious decision to move away from the shark styling which was iconic. Mind you, it appears they have drifted back to that look using the headlight design.

I'm probably biased but I think the simplicity of the original 3 series still looks great today.

You chose that picture to back up your argument??


That looks like a Vauxhall from the 70s.

Edited by gizlaroc on Sunday 18th October 20:06

A car from the 70's looking like a car from the 70's? Go figure.

The fact remains that BMW carried across styling cues from the E10 yet the design looked sharp and modern by comparison. In 8 years they didn't have to make any changes and you could still see the DNA when they brought out the E30. The shark front and hofmeister kink were iconic and the latter was copied on some Opel / Vauxhall.

[kikihun]

I think the E21 is one the best-looking BMW. In fact I prefer it's styling over that of the E30, despite its poor engines.

[Nors]

AlasdairMc said:

I think the 3GT has its place, and it's a lot nicer than the A5 Sportback.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the Audi could be described as boring by some.....but seriously???

[irfan1712]

HTP99 said:

Yep, there must be so much overlap too.

I was shocked to come across a 4dr 4series a few months ago; thinking that the 4 series was the Coupe' and Cabriolet, basically a 4dr 4 series is a 4dr version of the 3dr Coupe' which is Coupe' of the 4dr 3 series.

Guilty.




Why is there need for a 4GC when you can go 'up' to a 5 or 'down' to a 3? Because for whatever reason, there is a demand for them ( to an extent ) and because of this they sell. Think of it from a business point of view and not 'whats the point of a ? series' . The need is for a Corporation to make money and get as many of their cars as they can on the road, and to keep up with competitors such as Audi and Mercedes who have also diluted their mainstream models into something that was never needed, but never the less, they sell. These types of cars (yes, including mine) are the answer to a problem that never existed, but I for one am not bothered and i'm quite greatful I can own a 4 series with two extra doors. For example, if I had the choice of an M5 or an M6GC, id have the 6GC anyday. Both 5 doors, identical drivetrains, one has less room, less practicality and will probably depreciate more. But hey maybe im weird like that.

On a personal note, im extremely pleased I went for a 4GC and not a 3 series. yes, theres no proper middle seat, but it looks a lot better imo, there's less of them on the road, and the hatchback boot is a marvel. I quite like the current BMW styling..Dare I say more so than Mercedes, maybe not Audi's. Nothing will beat the era of an E24 / E28, but cars just cant be built like that anymore. No BMW will ever be as cool as an E24 635. ever. ever ever.

Edited by irfan1712 on Monday 19th October 13:59

[e21Mark]

E26 is the M1, so guessing you mean E24 635? M1 is a gorgeous car As mid engine exotica go though, I guess it's pretty restrained style wise. The Grp 5 cars are just phenomenal.

[irfan1712]

e21Mark said:

E26 is the M1, so guessing you mean E24 635? M1 is a gorgeous car As mid engine exotica go though, I guess it's pretty restrained style wise. The Grp 5 cars are just phenomenal.

I did mean the E24, my bad there. But talking of which the M1 Is fantastic, and so are the old 8 series.. Love them. Just haven't got the balls to run an old Beemer as a weekend/when I feel like car. Id love an E24 sooooo bad.