Originally Posted by Teutonic
I’m not sure how the exterior will look, but the interior is horrendous. Not only have they removed the cockpit-style, pilot-like feeling, but they’ve also compromised rapid visual control. Now, information is spread out all over the place, which seriously impairs peripheral vision. The entire idea behind placing critical data close to the driver’s sightline was to allow for fast intake without looking away from the road—so you could still glance at it from the corner of your eye while focusing ahead. Now, apparently, you can enjoy watching the trees on the side too…
That oddly shaped central screen is another idiotic decision. But the downfall began when they tossed aside iconic BMW identity elements—angel eyes, the Hofmeister kink, proportionate grilles, and so on. The butchering continued: they replaced the solid, UV- and thermally-treated sunshade on the panoramic roof with a cheap, pantyhose-style drapery; eliminated all analog buttons, even for simple functions like seat heating or cabin temperature making even a gynaecologist swearing at this never-ending tactile adventure; and replaced the classic shifter—a defining, tactile piece of the driving experience—with a strange plastic nub that looks like a wall light switch, devoid of any character or sense of engagement.
The leather is gone—replaced by so-called “vegan” materials that feel and look cheap. The pillars and headliner are now dressed in low-grade fabric. The dashboard? Just a crude, poorly mounted tablet, not even integrated—you can literally see the screws. The rear bench no longer includes leather or soft side materials along the edges, eliminating the smooth visual and tactile transition between the bench and the rear pillar area. The fog lamps are gone. The headlight washers are gone. The bumpers are now finished in some idiotic, glossy plastic that scratches if you even look at it wrong—and in my case, it began peeling off on a brand-new M model just from air-drying the car. That’s how fragile and cheap it is.
Even under the hood, and in areas like the hidden pillars, paint and protection are absent. You can tell it’s built to cost-cut, not to last. Carbon fiber is getting replaced with some biological, hay-like material—an eco-gimmick that looks like patio furniture. And let’s not forget the lie that is xDrive on lower-end models like the X1 and X2. These use Haldex systems—yet they’re still sold under the xDrive name. BMW should be held accountable for this misleading practice.
The clean, well-sculpted body lines that once defined BMW are gone too—replaced by large panel gaps and awkward hood lines. You’ll see visible scars on the hood because bumpers are now designed to carry modular parts assembled in cheaper facilities, installed faster in-factory, but with little care for fit and finish. Generic sedan doors are thrown onto M3 bodies, unable to match the wider rear hips, destroying the stance that once made the M3 instantly recognizable. The flow is broken. In cars like the M2, the hood angle doesn’t even align properly with the bumper angle. It looks careless, terrible, unfinished, amateurish. It’s shameful. Door panels in “high end” vehicles like M5 are bulged, not flowing properly, breaking the flow of the light which is absolutely shocking for a manufacturer of such caliber. And yet, we’re supposed to call it progress when the older made cars were flawless?
I genuinely feel bad for the engineers who once built great machines. Imagine seeing your well-engineered creation dressed up in Salvation Army garments.
And it doesn’t stop there…
These cars are far cheaper to build, yet the prices have skyrocketed. So you get less, for more.
After over three decades with BMW, I can say this without hesitation: my last recent models—the final ones that still carried even a trace of BMW’s DNA—will likely be my last. EVs are completely off the table for me, even the mildly electrified ones. The new design language is appalling. The interiors are nauseating.
And now we get this so-called “crystal” crap—some embarrassing Swarovski gimmick marketed as luxury, but which feels more like a joke. The Christmas-lights grille is the final straw. It entertains onlookers while delighting the kind of arrogant, shallow people who just want to show off their shiny toy around the neighborhood. In a way it makes sense: based on the headlights new design you can no longer say you have a BMW behind as the angel eyes are gone, so they lit the grills to compensate? Others embraced their double beautiful lines incorporating them within their design, while BMW decided to put two odd small boomerang like lights that look not only odd, but unrefined and lack any identity…
The once subtle, refined M badge—quietly marking a beast in a gentleman’s suit—is now just another badge slapped onto every pretender. Even mediocre, Mini engine machines are now dressed in the full blue-and-white badge treatment. BMW is no longer building drivers’ machines; it’s building vehicles for those who want to flaunt a brand, not drive a car.
But this kind of image-washing will have consequences. Sooner or later, BMW will feel it.
I no longer see myself as part of their target market. I used to enjoy a proper cockpit-style layout, a calm, focused central console, and the feeling that I was at the center of the machine. That’s been lost. This is no longer a driver’s machine. It’s a soulless, screen-filled carpooling appliance—and that’s not what I’m looking for.
I’m appalled. And I’m disgusted. The new prices cannot justify the poor materials, terrible water based paint, cheap plastics and less car for more money.
Screw you BMW…
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