BMWs new design direction, good or bad?

[Kossy]

I personally think it is great not only because it is shaking off BMW's stereotype for conservative design, but his designs really appeal to me. I never liked the new 7 series, 5 series and Z4 at first but after a while they grew on me and I really like them now.

[wanam3]

I would expect that any design would have mixed reviews. The problem with the BMW Bangle Designs is the rear of the car. They all appear to be an after thought and do not have any flow in lines from the front of the vehicle. They give a tacked on appearance as if one person were responsible for the front of the car and another for the rear. The only problem was the they were not in communication with each other. This is true with all of the designs starting with the E65 and continuing on the the latest E60.

[Kossy]

Bangle at his best, the Z9:

[motorhead]

depends which way you look at it. if you are a long time bimmer fan the design they are having now may hurt your eyes but for the young modern cultured people they look great but for we car freaks....................it really depends what you like

[Othix]

the Z9 looks like a V12 Vanquish.

[GONZILLA78]

Bangle the best?

I prefer the old designs by far.

They should have follow that style, making newer models, with nowadays looks, but not something so radical

[Kossy]

Originally posted by motorhead
depends which way you look at it. if you are a long time bimmer fan the design they are having now may hurt your eyes but for the young modern cultured people they look great but for we car freaks....................it really depends what you like Are you insinuating that only n00bs can like BMWs new design direction?

[IBrake4Rainbows]

to be qutie honest i've always hated thre Taxi-Butt rear end of the Bangle-Big-Cars (7/5/6/9 series) and i hope he has some form of amputation done to his drawing hand to make sure such disgusting pieces of crud are no longer rolling out the door at Munich. i do appreciate he did design every BMW from 1992 onwards or whenever, but really, he was being told what to design for those certain models, maybe the Z3/Z8 showed sign of creative life at BMW at those times, but now all elegance and simplicity is lost. It's trying too hard to be something it ain't. Desirable.

[Kossy]

Originally posted by IBrake4Rainbows
to be qutie honest i've always hated thre Taxi-Butt rear end of the Bangle-Big-Cars (7/5/6/9 series) and i hope he has some form of amputation done to his drawing hand to make sure such disgusting pieces of crud are no longer rolling out the door at Munich. i do appreciate he did design every BMW from 1992 onwards or whenever, but really, he was being told what to design for those certain models, maybe the Z3/Z8 showed sign of creative life at BMW at those times, but now all elegance and simplicity is lost. It's trying too hard to be something it ain't. Desirable. There have been no pictures of the 9 or 6 series that are real or without camoflauge.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

So the Picture of the 9 series posted in this thread is just a photoshop then.........

[motorhead]

could be the real design or could be photoshopped but i doubt the second on because it came out in the front cover of a german mag - CONFUSION

[wdb]

There are a lot of car companies that simply cannot afford sophisticated design. Whether it is because they only sell small numbers of cars (and have smaller budgets), or they sell very large numbers that must be acceptable to the masses, or they sell cheap cars, etc etc. there are many companies that have little opportunity to really do something a bit different.

BMW can. People pay a lot of money for their cars, they may as well get sophisticated technology and design. BMW can afford expensive metals, alloys etc and expensive machinery to create sophisticated shapes (look at the curves on the Z4 - no one is doing that!). If they can they should. Admittedly Bangle's designs seem difficult to interpret. But at least BMW is trying new things.

Bangle has maintained the brand's DNA through the stance of the vehicles and the kidney grille of course. He's also introduced some new DNA while providing greater differentiation. In any case, the job's not over. I'm looking forward to seeing what else comes out.

[Kossy]

Originally posted by IBrake4Rainbows
So the Picture of the 9 series posted in this thread is just a photoshop then......... In this thread? Who posted a picture of a 9 series in this thread? If you mean the one that a mag had on its cover, thats fake as hell.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Kossy, i believe the one you posted is the one i was referring to, nice to see you remember what posts you stick up....

[jiggersaurus]

I had the (dis)pleasure of driving the new 7 series about 7 months ago, and not only found it A little bit of an ugly duckling, but also an absolut pain in the @rse to drive having a crazy gear selection system on a steering Stalk made the drive confusing, irritating and untrustworthy.

The interior was also quite disappointing (although the seats were Lush). Many of the buttons in the car were big black(ish) plastic buttons for doing meanial things. Several times I had to check the Steering wheel logo to make sure I was in a beemer and not a Nissan!

Also for a 4.0 litre the performance was a little lack luster. When over taking a truck, with more than enough space (I thought) the beemer didn't quite make it and a road cone in the middle of the road met it's demise!

Any way. go for the New Jag XJR brilliant car. But don't get me started on that!

[GeaKana]

Uuuurgh...the pic in this thread is of a Z9 NOT of 9-series!
& btw haven't u guys heard the news?At the end of this year Bangle is out!Yaaaaaay!(if u trust AutoExpress of course)

[white devil]

There have been no pictures of the 9 or 6 series that are real or without camoflauge.
ohh and what is this :p

[GeaKana]

ohh and what is this :p

Yeah but there isn't/won't b any 9-series.

[SL500]

04-26-2003

this topic is really old

[white devil]

Uuuurgh...the pic in this thread is of a Z9 NOT of 9-series!
& btw haven't u guys heard the news?At the end of this year Bangle is out!Yaaaaaay!(if u trust AutoExpress of course)
at the end of 2004 so the beginning of 2005 :eek: that might be a litle late for people that dont like his design....

i think he has ****ing design and gr8 design


the F*** design are the 4,5,9{i saw a pic but not sure if it is a photoshoped
the gr8 ones are 1,6,7,Z4......

i feel bad for the guy but i have to say it.. i am looking forward to see him out of BMW ..i think he will be a gr8 designer for asian cars

[BMW Lover]

I really prefer the new style of BM
the cars seem more agressive
personnally, i think it wasnt so hard to do better than be4 and they did a really nice job :p

[crisis]

I really prefer the new style of BM
the cars seem more agressive
personnally, i think it wasnt so hard to do better than be4 and they did a really nice job :p
That comes as a surprise considering your user name!

[BMW Lover]

That comes as a surprise considering your user name!

he's a smart guy :p
don't u agree ?

[Jonny Flash]

Bangle at his best, the Z9:

The Z9 is just a concept of the 6 Series.

[Falcon500]

Whilei am no BMW fan i personally think that bangals desings were abreath of fresh air into the BMW brand he cars before hand looked very bland and while the current ones still do they look at least some what less bland.
As for the 7 series i think thats just a bloated whale of a car that holds no appeal to me.
The M3 isa top bit of gear i personallylike that car. The Z4 absolutly love that car through and through and had the pleasure of driving one for a very short time :D
As i have said most of their cars to me look bland especially the 3 series.

[lfb666]

Bangle destroy the style of BMW.
I do think that Bangle has talet but he used it on the wrong car company. The 6 series is OK, but I think that the 5 and 7 series is just ugly. The old 5 was beautiful, the new one is a Pontiac or Subaru. The old 7 was GORGEOUS, the new 7 is UGLY. Bangle has talent but not taste.

[Scientist]

Bangle destroy the style of BMW.
I do think that Bangle has talet but he used it on the wrong car company. The 6 series is OK, but I think that the 5 and 7 series is just ugly. The old 5 was beautiful, the new one is a Pontiac or Subaru. The old 7 was GORGEOUS, the new 7 is UGLY. Bangle has talent but not taste.

I'm with you (and most people) in saying that the 5 and 7 series aren't very nice.
But what do you think about the 6series and the Z4? Those are pretty nice I think.

[Egg Nog]

ohh and what is this :p

Maybe if you realised that he posted last april, then you wouldn't end up burning yourself like that.

[jones.dk]

I love BMWs new design!! especially the 5-series mix of agressive and elegant design

[crisis]

Its easy to dump on Bangle but you have to know more about the design breif he was given before you can really lay blame. Management can make dumb decisions based on a range of issues. The decision makers at BMW would have had to sign off on these new designs so it stands to reason they had asked for something a bit more radical. BMW have not had a car that could be called beautiful for the last 40 or so years that I can remember. Their cars have been conservatively designed and even "handsome" but always within the realms of a "corporate" style that everyone could tell was BMW. It would appear that the current management have asked for something a little more eye catching. One mans eye catching is anothers eye gouge however. Given that BMW effectively makes passenger sedans, the design requires a three box layout with comfortable accomodation for four to five people. Therefore the design creativity has to be centred around the front and rear. To design these areas radically will inevitably put them at odds with the traditional styled cabin area and effectively I believe this is what has happened. I also believe that most detractors will become accustomed to the design eventually and given that BMW does not change its designs every year it will become "normal". Thats of course if management havent changed that philososphy as well.

[Falcon500]

Well that is sop true the man had to be given a design breif to follow and BMW wouldent of accepted the design if it didnt suit what THEY wanted.

[Matra et Alpine]

Its easy to dump on Bangle but you have to know more about the design breif ....... I also believe that most detractors will become accustomed to the design .
I disagree Crisi.
Despite his 'brief' the car is full of angles and curves that don't match.
2nd year design students are taught the importance of 'connecting' shapes to be pleasing.
Bangle is the equivalent of Stockhausen in music.
Some will say how wonderful it is, but it sounds horrible and is only appreciated from an academic viewpoint.
Look at the lines coming off the roof on the rear pillar, the waist line and the lights. It's a jumble of curves and straigtlines at different angles.

[crisis]

I disagree Crisi.
Despite his 'brief' the car is full of angles and curves that don't match.
2nd year design students are taught the importance of 'connecting' shapes to be pleasing.
Bangle is the equivalent of Stockhausen in music.
Some will say how wonderful it is, but it sounds horrible and is only appreciated from an academic viewpoint.
Look at the lines coming off the roof on the rear pillar, the waist line and the lights. It's a jumble of curves and straigtlines at different angles.
I agree it looks like shit. But I cant believe he had the only say in the final product unless he had candid photos of other BMW board memebers in compromising positions.

[Batmobile_Turbo]

the only good part of Bangle Beemers are the interiors, which are extremely superb, but as wonderfulas they are, they can't make up for the uglyness of the car. the new BMWs are great cars in terms of performance and engineering are still good too.

[Spastik_Roach]

I like the Z4 once I saw it in the flesh I found it to be a very attractive car. I also like the new 5 series. 7 Series.........well.. for me it dpeends what colour the car is it I don't think it looks that good in silver but it looks very nice in black. I've included a picture that shows that the new 7 series can look totally awesome.

AC Schnitzer 7 Series (http://www.highresautoimages.com/acschnitzer/acs71.html)

AC Schnitzer 7 Series Rear (http://www.highresautoimages.com/acschnitzer/acs74.html)

[crisis]

I like the Z4 once I saw it in the flesh I found it to be a very attractive car. I also like the new 5 series. 7 Series.........well.. for me it dpeends what colour the car is it I don't think it looks that good in silver but it looks very nice in black. I've included a picture that shows that the new 7 series can look totally awesome.

AC Schnitzer 7 Series (http://www.highresautoimages.com/acschnitzer/acs71.html)

AC Schnitzer 7 Series Rear (http://www.highresautoimages.com/acschnitzer/acs74.html)
The rear spoiler helps alleviate the taxi look of the boot but it doesnt help the bits and peices look of the lights.
The back of the 7 series in standard form has to be the worst manifestation of the Bangle design philosophy of any BMW. It takes what was once a highly desirable car and makes it something I personally would never want to own.

[Dino Scuderia]

Bangle has been hired or rehired to head up BMW's design office, sounds like a company that doesn't have a sound direction.

Personally I don't like most of what he has done. I like the Z4 except for the interior, it looks like a Buick compared to the MZ3.

I think the design theme comes close to working on the 7

The 5 is horrible and a disgrace to BMW's history of the 5, it looks like Kia. The head light and tail light treatment is cheesy at best.

The 6 is horrible too, it's bland and the trunk looks like something was stuck to the body that wasn't made for it. The front end is alright, it is a close resemblance to the Z4.

So I suppose we can look forward to more Mangled designs.

[CarlM]

The 5 series looks Japanese, and the 6 series's bootlid isn't very attractive either.

[Dubiousmeans]

Bangle has been hired or rehired to head up BMW's design office, sounds like a company that doesn't have a sound direction.

Personally I don't like most of what he has done. I like the Z4 except for the interior, it looks like a Buick compared to the MZ3.

I think the design theme comes close to working on the 7

The 5 is horrible and a disgrace to BMW's history of the 5, it looks like Kia. The head light and tail light treatment is cheesy at best.

The 6 is horrible too, it's bland and the trunk looks like something was stuck to the body that wasn't made for it. The front end is alright, it is a close resemblance to the Z4.

So I suppose we can look forward to more Mangled designs.

I basically agree with these statements. I currently own a white 2004 325ci. This is my 4th BMW. I have been impressed with the design trends up to my current car in the 3 series. I severely dislike the new 7 exterior in general and to a lesser degree, the new 5. In fact I was hoping to buy the 5 this year but couldn't get over the distasteful headlights and rear trunk design. Having researched the current and known future model designs, I cannot see myself in any future model at this time. I am truly distressed that my longstanding favorite brand is going too far outside the box like Ford did with the Taurus in the 1990's. Look what happened to them! Please BMW stop these design mistakes and restore your current customers confidence!

[VtecMini]

Latest BMW cars...

7 series... yuck yuck. Didn't like it on paper. Don't like it in the flesh. One came by me the other day as I was walking to a friend's house. I didn't like it at all, but there was something about the way this huge aircraft-carrier-on-wheels-type-thing just kinda wafted by that sort of impressed me. Can't really put my finger on it though.

5 series... Looks better in the flesh than it does on paper, I saw one parked up the other day in black. Didn't look half as bad as I'd imagined, though the black probably hides some of the nasty lines.

6 series... yuck yuck yuck yuck. I don't get it at all. In my humble opinion it's probably the worst looking BMW to date, though maybe it looks better in real life, I've yet to find out.

Z4... Didn't like it one iota at first. Then I saw a few on the roads and they've kinda grown on me. I think what they were trying to achieve with the car was something that got as far away from the Z3's nasty hairdresser car image as possible. (I could be wrong, it might not be the case outside GB, but over here they have a reputation as a hairdressers transport). With it's muscular and highly aggressive look, I think it's mission accomplished.

1 Series... Still can't decide on this one. I can't help but think that it actually looks really generic hatchback. Which isn't really what we've come to expect of the new models!

2 Series... Haven't seen that many pictures, but the ones that I have seen, I think I like.

3 Series... There was a pic of the new M3 Concept in AutoExpress a week or so ago. Although it's not really much to go on, I thought it looked absolutely ace. Aggressive and muscular as hell. Can't wait to see more. If anyone knows where there's pics of it on the net or someone with a scanner and the aforementioned issue of autoexpress who wants to scan it, that'd be good. Obviously im assuming theres no threads about this already. If there is I apologise)

X3... *yawn* small X5. Don't think it really falls into the new design direction anyway.

(Just found this. Not sure if it's a proper pic, the site it's on is in russian :( )
http://www.autoreview.ru/new_site/year2003/n08/news/800/BMW-3-series-illustration.jpg

[straight six]

i have something to tell , that all of these new designs by mr Bangle has nothing related to a BMW , may some people like it but it is not a BMW anymore,it can be a nice Nissan or Toyota,me my self im an owner of bmws since 1986 e30 ,then e36 and finally e46 328i,and im really can't imagine my self owning any other car , but i really hate all of da new designs,i have something to tell mr Bangle which is changing the way of cars doesn't mean to change da idea of bmw it self , look to da benz they did a whole new designs for thier cars but with da same philosophy and simplicity,so well done.

sice long time ago and a BMW means brings me women,now im afraid it 'll be a big money waste .

And i really wish that da coming 3 series 'll be not as ugly as the current family,and stop destroying BMW.... :mad:

[junaman]

The old design was a solid design of perfect luxury car.
Now BMW have gone and turned it into retro style.
What for?????

[Coventrysucks]

How can any of BMW's current designs be described as retro?
They are totally unique, and share little with anything that has gone before.



Bangle has been hired or rehired to head up BMW's design office, sounds like a company that doesn't have a sound direction.

Bangle was hired just the once by BMW, two years after they started looking for Claus Luthe's replacement.

That is quite some time to find the right person for the job, it's not like there aren't enough designers.

BMW's 'pre Bangle' cars were nice looking, but were evolutions of existing designs, and had got to a stage where they could not evolve any further, and still be contemperary enough to compete with Mercedes, Audi etc.

So BMW decided to change their image.
People wanted them to have new designs, and when they got new designs, people suddenly wanted the old designs back. :rolleyes: