What is BMW doing?

Hmmm, definitely not intended for me. I loved the quirky uniqueness and proportions of the first z4. I thought the second was very sleek and well executed but it lost a lot of the personality of the first. This one is like an all caps email. Every little bit is just shouting for my attention. BMW used to have some of the shortest overhangs, especially the front overhang (just look at the z3!). This one seems puffy in pictures. I’ll have to check it out in person.

100% yes! So weird, but so cool.

EDIT- also, I think most ragtops look terrible, and this fixes the problem nicely :wink:

R

Also, just because this might be nicest car BMW has made in the last 40 years.

R

Always nice looking at that Z8. Nice history to that shape too. Rarely seen in the wilds.

The quirkiness of that hardtop Z3 reminds me a little of what the Harold did to his Jaguar XK-E. If I ever get one of those Z3 Coupes (which is not completely far-fetched as its one of the car-things that my wife and I agree on) I’m getting vanity plates HRLDMDE

Like button on that one! :slight_smile:

Also, side note, when I first saw Harold and Maude when I was younger I thought how depressing it was to schedule and end date to your life… now that I’m older I kind of get it… depressing thought, but happy Friday!

This and that early 200’s Aston Vantage have got to be Henrik Fisker’s best work. The z8 is a thing of beauty to me. The interior got a bit too retro, but it is still fantastic… also z3 coupe has aged so well. Are we getting old (as in stuff was better in my day!) or did we live through the second golden age of car design?

Are we getting old (as in stuff was better in my day!) or did we live through the second golden age of car design?
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Yes and yes.

R

The Z8 is one of my all-time favorites from BMW. That and the E46 M3 in Laguna Seca Blue with the cinnamon interior.

While I can always wax nostalgic about old BMW’s I’m not put off by their current designs. The M2 is great looking (although I don’t love their new theme of connecting the kidney grilles, but realize that all of the sensing hardware they are putting in eventually needs to go somewhere), the new M5 looks perfect to me with the exception of the soft bottom edge of the tail light and the shift knob, and I think the Z4 looks solid in a day and age when there are very few competitors in the hairdresser car space.

I almost convinced my wife that I should get an E46 M3 recently since they are appreciating in value these days, but clearly she was not sold.

That Z4 is a hot mess. I thought the last one was boring, but in person was a beautiful car. Hopefully, the photos don’t do this justice either.

I do think that 1997 (Mk IV Golf)-2014 (when many automakers went off the rails, ie Lexus, Acura, Nissan) was a golden age. Today, so many cars either don’t try at all or try way too much.

I’ve never been a BMW guys (though there are certain models that I would consider going to the dark side for if the right one came across my path!)… but many of you know I’ve been an Audi guy for a long time… yet there isn’t a car in the current Audi line up I would buy. A friend of mine told me he was considering an A5 Sportback and I felt obligated to put the together for him :slight_smile:

We can consider the first Z series works of art. A friend of mine drives the first Z3, it is still a nice car. The Z8 reminds me of the Miura in approach.
The second gen. Z4 definitely still captured the spirit of the original one, and the new concept was a nice spin-off but when somebody said ’ let’s adopt some features of the new MX5’ and engineering came in the whole surfacing philosophy was lost. A BMW Z series needs the long nose, short overhangs and overall upward and strong stance as well as some unique proportioning and detailing in the lighting setup.

I’m with you, Michael. I saw an A4 Allroad that turned my head, but every other Audi on the road is astonishingly boring these days. My dad picked up a new Q7 when it came out and I couldn’t believe how ordinary it looked. Like a tall minivan. After coming off a Merc GL550, it was quite a departure…

And that first Q7 was soooo good in my opinion. The new one feels like generic SUV, cu and paste Audi grille… and don’t get me started on the VW Atlas and Tiguan.

when I saw the side of this z4 this is one of the first things that came to mind :slight_smile:


Dodge_Viper_Show_00011357.jpg

I can’t really think of too many cars since 2001 I’ve liked or cases where the newer versions are better than the older ones. Really.

BMW has been going off the rails for a long time in my opinion. Mercedes has been pretty consistent, but maybe a bit lost on the way.

Audi has been pretty moderate in change (still but less so “same sausage, different length”), but I think things are going too swoopy/aggressive/Asian as of late. Only car I really dig is the A7. A5 is OK. TT is nice, but no so special any more. A5 Sportback being a baby version, I’d have to see in real life.

Side view of that Z4 above I was just about to comment how its not a bad evolution of the Mercedes SLK. Forgot it was a BMW (!)

R

Of the Germans I think Mercedes is definitely leading the way… their CDO made a comment about how creases are dead and he is pushing them to simplify. You can definetly see that in their last few concepts… the latest C class is starting to get there. the next CLA supposedly is going to embody this.



supposedly the next CLA is going to look like this…
mercedes-benz-concept-a-sedan-03-679x451.jpg

M-B has this really clean and consistent rear tail lamp and trunk or hatch signature across its new cars. Its reminiscent of the newest 911, just a slice across the back. “Hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave”. I think of the three big German luxury brands they are doing the best job in staying with their brand promises (safety, over-engineered, exclusive luxury) while moving the VBL in a positive way that hopefully gives them room to expand.

BMW seems out of ideas.

Audi, Audi, Audi. I couldn’t stand when Mark Lichte was at VW during the awful Murak Gunak years (Golf Mk V) and don’t like ANY of the current Audi models. All tech and angles, no emotion. The Q7 and Q5 are just heavy, clunky, stacks of shiny pancakes with their butts dragging. The new A5 is a significant step backwards from the da Silva masterpiece. I wouldn’t kick an All-Road out of bed but I’d rather my wife drive it (who doesn’t really care anyway).

The CLA below you posted looks OK. I have no idea what this ^^ is supposed to be. Looks like every other Art Center future jelly bean autonomous future connected transport concept… yuck.

The SLS GT is pretty simple I can see as a result of this direction and it works. But not sure it works on everything…less creases are good, but nobody needs a new Taurus.

R