Core77

[yo]

I don't agree with the more respect part, but I do think the Audi is a bland pastiche of already existing Audi and non Audi styling cliches barely reheated before being served...

[yo]

Getting back to the new z4, I'm sure many of you know it will be sharing the same platform with the new Supra. It looks like it will be the better looking of the two.
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/09/19/201 ... de-7425651

[slippyfish]

the rest of the world thinks it wants a battery powered mini crossover not quite big enough for kids or sporty enough for driving.

Sad but true isn't it. Give me a RWD wagon with a stick, no sunroof, a decent sized V8, an AUX jack, Toyota Landcruiser durability, and a big swinging door on the back like the Griswolds had in that movie. Last thing that checked most of those boxes and was relatively available was a 2005 S4 wagon. Looked properly cool for that time period too.

[Cyberdemon]

the rest of the world thinks it wants a battery powered mini crossover not quite big enough for kids or sporty enough for driving.

Sad but true isn't it. Give me a RWD wagon with a stick, no sunroof, a decent sized V8, an AUX jack, Toyota Landcruiser durability, and a big swinging door on the back like the Griswolds had in that movie. Last thing that checked most of those boxes and was relatively available was a 2005 S4 wagon. Looked properly cool for that time period too.

A number of people have started doing E90 M3 wagon conversions. Find a donor wagon, swap over all the bits from a smacked up M3, and viola, V8 heaven. I saw one for sale recently on the forums for less than what the 6MT CTS-V wagon's were fetching.

[yo]

oh, that is soooo nice!

[NURB]

Gimme that wagon! Shut up and take my money!

[yo]

Came across this

[yo]

[slippyfish]

Seriously, what the devil are they doing with the faces on these cars? This is the "down-road graphic" solution?

https://jalopnik.com/2019-bmw-3-series- ... 1829433535

[yo]

It is one thing to make terrible tasteless designs (looking at you Lexus) it is another to have one of the best back catalogs in automotive design history with a singular iconic look and feel.... And then decide to make these designs. ... and I’m not saying they won’t sell, just that they could make something tasteful, beautiful, and timeless that also sells. The feeling I get from the whole line up is that it is incredibly goache.

Look at this digital gauge cluster? Lord of The Rings reference? Why is the IR sensor not flush mounted to the display surface like everything on every smart phone?

The interior feels rather banal. It is was a Corolla I'd say great work.

qgqujxsid2oblgkqntgn.jpeg (144.45 KiB) Viewed 6164 times

The back end would be incredibly nice for a Lexus, but walks away from BMW icons.

Ugh. I empathize with how hard it is to be working with such an iconic brand. But I think designers at other brands would probably kill to have such a strong toolbox filled with DNA elements and examples of the right and wrong ways to play with them... they need one of those design language systems

[slippyfish]

The wheel looks upside down.
Designer: "here's the new 3-series base wheel"
Marketing #1: "we need to be able to promote the paddle shifters"
Marketing #2 (who's niece is a first-year design student): "if you turn the spokes upside down you can see the paddles"
Designer (jumps on the N'Ring straightaway while M-B is testing the new C-class)

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[mo-i]

G20 3series Side.jpg (56.17 KiB) Viewed 5453 times

Did BMW loose the rights to the Hofmeister kink?

The new lineup is really a mess. And not a hot one.

mo-i

[rkuchinsky]

Nope...

Makes me even more sure to keep my 1998 740iL seeing as how the brand looking like everything else will just make the classic "German" BMWs more valuable by comparison.

Seriously, are car designers all now that young that everything has to look like an aggressive robot toy of some kind?

R

[yo]

hmmm....

Lexus: "no one can out do our gaudy, over designed front fascias!"
BMW: "hold my hefeweizen"

[Cyberdemon]

The only commentary I can add is I got to see the new 8 series (coupe and pre-production convertible) + X7 yesterday. In real life the 8 series is a very nice looking thing, and the X7 isn't as bad as I expected for a huge box. The buck tooth grilles are ridiculous, but in proportions with how huge the SUV is they only feel like they could've shaved an inch off the height before they would've started to feel small. I suspect the mid-life kicker will shrink them again and it might look more resolved. Either way the so

If whatever good vibes they applied to the 8 series could trickle down that would be fantastic. But still makes you appreciate how good the current Mercedes Coupes look by comparison.