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Good, Bad or Ugly - Current and Future styling trends of BMW

729 messages,  Last post on May 30, 2007 at 10:05 PM

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What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, BMW 5 Series, BMW 7 Series

Messages Page 12 of 73

#110 of 729 Styling thoughts on major luxury brands: by carguy58

May 24, 2003 (10:02 am)

First off lets startoff with Acura, their styling doesn't scream sporty but the designs have always aged beautifully.
 
Infinti-definately great designs but the M45 is not my cup of tea.
 
Volvo: Still too boxy. The C70 was their best styled model until they put it on the shelf.
 
Audi-definately the styling leader.
 
Chrysler-I wasn't too thrilled with the latest refreshening of the Sebring Coupe and Convertible. The Stratus Coupe looks exactly like the Sebring Coupe with the latest refreshening. Pacifica is a definite winner-nice elegant style to it with Audi like interior materials. Chrysler uses Audi like interior materials? yeah thats what I just said. Crossfire will create a buzz: I say Crosssfire to rip off a line in a car mag is AMC meets Mercedes CLK.
 
Lexus: The RX has always been beautiful. The IS 300 looks good but the interior is too cheap. Still getting younger buyers with the IS300 so kind of a morale victory for Lexus getting younger buyers but not selling enough IS 300's as they want to. The ES has seen better days in styling. 1997-1999 ES 300 styling was nailed perfectly.
 
Saab-The back of the 9-3 looks BMw-ish all of a sudden. Not a bad thing but you want to seperate yourself from the crowd a little bit. Saab is not my cup of tea but you either love or hate Saab styling.
 
Cadillac-Moving out of the old man stuff of the late 90's. The new convertible they will come out with will create a buzz. CTS has been a good seller and they are getting the younger buyers they want now. I can't believe Cadillac is making a comeback as it is. Who would have thought it? Interior sill too cheap in CTs though. Thats something Bob Lutz needs to work on ASAP.

#111 of 729 by merc1

May 27, 2003 (1:29 am)

Acura - Dull, but safe designs. Nothing ugly or wierd, just boring. Their CL coupe fell victim to this. Coupes are supposed to be stylish. The TL-S sedan looks better. Time and time again I've hoped for a good looking Acura, and have always been disappointed. The TSX looks ok I guess, but nothing to lust over. I hope yet again, the 2004 TL is coming.
 
BMW - Definitely going "down-hill". The 7-Series is ugly, the 5 is weird and the next 3 promises to be more of the same. Funny thing is, their new styling theme works on the Z4. It looks appropiately mean and stubby. Not sure about the 6-Series yet.
 
Audi - Not a ugly or bland car in the bunch. Definitely a style leader. The A6 is timeless, the A4 looks like it will eat the road with sport package wheels/tires. A style leader if not THE style leader. The A8, timeless. A4 Cabrio.....wow....now lets get a better engine underhood!!
Can't wait to see the A4 Coupe this fall.
 
Mercedes - The new CLK has been a rare styling misstep for Mercedes. The SL is a little overdone in some of it's details. That said, the CL is simply my favorite car of any type. Have you ever seen a large coupe with better proportions or a more seductive roofline? Absolutely the most gorgeous car of it's type on the road today. Nothing in the luxury class looks better, imo. The S, E and C (especially in new for 2003 "Sport" trim) are all lookers, with the S (Sport trim) being tops.
 
Lexus - Ranges from the dull to wierd if not ugly. I stil find the SC430 to be "interesting" however.
 
Volvo - Look ok, I guess. Still kinda on the conservative side. When Volvo realizes that luxury cars aren't supposed to be trimmed in black moldings they'll start to look better. I guess the S60 will get that correction later on in life as the S40 and S80 did. I agree with the above poster, the C70 was the best looking Volvo in the time I've been paying attention to cars.
 
Cadillac - Their new styling direction is a mixed bag. I thought the CTS was the ugliest thing on the road a while back, now I guess it's just "different". The XLR I'll have to see on the road as it didn't impress at the autoshow. The SRX is ugly.
 
Infiniti - They may be onto something. The FX45 looks like a car a gangster in a cartoon would drive, and it's unlike anything else on the road. I love it. The G35 Coupe let me down somewhat in that its wheelbase looks too long. Kinda like the old 300ZX 2+2 looked. It's still attractive though. The M45 and Q45 are pretty much lost causes, especially the M45.
 
Overall I look for the Japanese to get better at this styling thing. I look for BMW to get worse, Mercedes to continue with evolutionary styling, and Audi to pull a few stunners in the next couple of years.
 
M

#112 of 729 Good, Bad or Ugly - BMW by mtbiker1

May 29, 2003 (10:01 pm)

Ugly. If I win the lotto and decide I gotta have a BMW, it won't be one of the new crop. Ugh-Ell-Why!

#113 of 729 Car Interiors taking on greater prominance by randomguy11111

May 30, 2003 (1:52 pm)

Here is a link to story on growing importance of interiors...
 
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-05-29-interiors_x.htm
 
What's in:
 
 Office-style mesh seats without foam or coils.
 Unusual cabin materials like Corian, bamboo, copper, ostrich leather-Lycra, tortoise shell.
 Patterned carpets.
 Two-tone cockpits.
 Lots of color.
 Electro-luminescent ceiling panels.
 Ceiling rail systems with snap-on modules.
 Fancy floor mats with logos and embroidery that double as "welcome mats."
 
What's out:
 
 Overstuffed bucket seats.
 Gray or beige cabins.
 Grainy plastic, wood trim.
 Solid-color carpeting.
 Traditional sunroofs.
 Small overhead bins.
 Plain floor mats.
 
Scary fact:
 
An online poll of 3,000 suppliers and manufacturers recently picked the Cadillac CTS, with its high-tech look, edgy shapes and American-European styling, as the 2003 Car Interior of the Year, beating out competitors like the BMW Z4, Saab 9-3, Infiniti G35 coupe and Honda Accord.

#114 of 729 New 3-series by broiler1

Jun 03, 2003 (5:34 am)

I was thinking of leasing a new 330ci in the near future but was somewhat concerned that the styling will be changed in the near future considering this current design has been around since 1999, of course notwithstanding the usual minor enhancements made on an annual basis.
 
Do any of you know when the new design is supposed to be released? If so, do you have a link to the photos of the new model?
 
Thanks

#115 of 729 Implications of 7 Series "Face Lift" on new 5? by msgreen

Jun 03, 2003 (3:57 pm)

Several articles and press pieces are out now - including Edmunds - suggesting that BMW is going to give the 7 Series a significant face lift for next year which will aim to "improve" the styling of the highly controversial rear end. If BMW is alarmed enough to perform such a change only two years into the model run, and given the similarity of the new 5 series rear end to the 7, it would suggest that we might see some early changes in that car too? Anyone hearing this? I know that I have an E39 that I was considering trading on an E60; however, will definitely hold off further plans until I see one in person. Frankly, just from the pictures, if BMW changes the 7, I hope they do the 5 as well....

#116 of 729 3 Series Redesign by mjc440

Jun 03, 2003 (5:04 pm)

The current issue of MotorTrend (the one with the new Caddy roadster on the cover) has a small picture of a slightly disguised new 3-Series. MT claims that the 3-Series redesign will be less radical than the 5's & 7's. From the little I can see from the picture, it doesn't look too bad. I hope they punch out a little more power from the 2.5L - 200HP would be nice.

#117 of 729 msgreen & broiler1 by goose1207

Jun 04, 2003 (10:16 am)

The 3 will be redesigned as an '05 model. Since you're interested in the coupe, that probably won't debut until '06 since BMW always introduces the sedans first.
 
I doubt that the new design of the 5 will be tweaked. According to BMW and the media, the E60s styling is already a toned down version of the E65 7.

#118 of 729 .. Implications .. ? by rroyce10

Jun 05, 2003 (3:48 am)

...... Whether there is "implications" or not, the reality is .. the New "7" isn't selling and bunches of the ones that have sold, are being traded and their re-sale is in the dumpster and thats scary.
 
          Lot's of dealers are screaming to BMW for a little help .. incentives, rebates, dealer cash, "whatever" it takes to move these Dead Dudes ... BMW is kinda going blind to this, too much ego and not enough "oop's" -- with the new "5" coming out, this might change their view from their "tall status" ~ to looking UP all over again and thats a shame ...
 
                         Terry.

#119 of 729 3 redesign by indiana97

Jun 07, 2003 (1:10 pm)

I have read that the new 3 series (sedan) will be out in 2005 but will be sold as a 2006. Given the 3 series cycle of 7 year redesign, this has been true back to the origional 320i series (sedan): 1978-1984, 1985-1991, 1992-1998, 1999-2005, 2006---. I would think the 2 door would be out as a 2007.

Messages Page 12 of 73

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