[pyrat15]

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 [...]

Very well said! BMW needs to get their sh!t together ASAP. Would be interesting to hear what BMW Bosses would say to your text.

[bavarianboar]

Elon Musk and Akiyo Toyoda, said

Let’s have a Model Y and Prius conceive a child with identity crisis and force BMW to adopt it.

[Bristle Hound]

Wait till you see the price of this bus …

[simplyeric]

Everyone conplaining it’s a big car, but remember, the current X3 is pretty much the same size than the old X5.

[White340]

Originally Posted by bavarianboar

Elon Musk and Akiyo Toyoda, said

Let’s have a Model Y and Prius conceive a child with identity crisis and force BMW to adopt it.

Only if bmw kept the steering wheel from that Prius…

[White340]

People on the m5 forums already complaining about the leather on the armrest peeling. Meanwhile my 7y old m3 leather looks brand new.

I’m 100% with you. I am at the point where my next car can be 150k but bmw has nothing on the menu for me. My 2018 m3 comp is amazing but I have the itch for something new and am eying a 2025 RS 6 performance. I only have a limited time left to buy one new as inventory is short and they are stopping production but I also don’t want to get rid of my m3. What a first world dillema.

[bandersen]

Man, remember the true cockpit style layouts of the 80s? Those cockpits really were cockpits. Loved driving those cars from the 80s and 90s.

[13 NF]

I just feel there’s no evolution, idrive 7-8-9 seemed a backward step but we all got through it, I have got 8.5 in my 50e and it’s ok, but lack of physical buttons for fan or aircon just doesn’t make sense, and at this price ok isn’t good enough.
Then now a totally different look it feels like the design in our cars wasn’t right from the start.
Big grill now small grill !
Where’s the consistent design language, it seems revolution not evolution

[jphcbpa]

Originally Posted by RJC-1

Massage seats are an option in the current X7

Yes I’m talking about in the new x5

[jphcbpa]

Originally Posted by RJC-1

Assuming this means the X7 will be all new for MY27?

Yes my28 starting in august 2027.

[SoCali E36]

It’s crazy to watch the death of BMW right before our eyes. I’ve been selling these cars for 13 years and I’m afraid I maybe have to switch gears and go with another brand. I can see the writing on the wall. This is insane!

[GOLFFRR]

we will have to see how it evolves.

[thebonafortuna]

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…

This is a better review than anything I’ve read on C&D in ~ten years.

Look at your latest numbers, BMW. Your sales are dropping. You’re designing for a country - china - with horrendous tastes and *who don’t want your cars anymore*.

Get your act together, embrace a driver ethos again, and win back the enthusiasts who drove your success the past five decades. Because none of us aspire to your cars anymore.

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by Teutonic

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…

Which critical data are you referring to? From what I have seen, the panoramic view actually makes it easier, likely safer, for the driver to get the data since it is presented closer to their sightline. Obviously there is extraneous data across the windshield but that deals with infotainment items and not driving data .

[Penguino]

And this is exactly why we made the switch to Porsche. From M3s and X5s to 911s and Cayennes, always more of a natural evolution, really.

We were genuinely hoping for a proper upgrade here, but BMW seems determined to become the Hyundai of European manufacturers, where innovation is less about meaningful progress and more about being different for the sake of it regardless of how detrimental it is to user experience.

Watch hasnhappening to Mercedes with their 4-cyl C63, all the SLs and GTs sitting on the lots because they don’t listen to their customers.

People continue to think that BMW enthusiast such as those found in this site are not the true representation of BMW buyers. But nothing could be further from the truth. These enthusiasts are the marketing driving force for BMW. As BMW continues to loose them to Audi and Porsche, the more market share they’ll risk.

Soon BMW will just be another Acura and Lexus.

This is sad.

[Heimdall]

Looks very interesting!
At least it seems like they’ve finally got the headlights right.

[weingarm]

Originally Posted by RJC-1

Assuming this means the X7 will be all new for MY27?

No

G07 X7 final model year will be 2027 with end of production coming around 6/2027.

[Jason60051]

I have to withhold judgement until I see the finished product. I wasn’t a fan of the g82 LCI or the g05 LCI when they were first released and here I am owning both of them. BMW design has become very controversial lately and they tend to grow on me. When they released the refreshed X7 I thought it would flop yet they are still selling and I actually like the design now. All subjective of course.

[JK479]

Wow- the interior reminds me of Pontiac in the 90s. Not in a bad way- but I recall it had heaps of tech, indicators near the windshield. I’ll reserve judgement until we see the final result.

12oclock red stripe on the steering wheel is very dated to me now.

[AP]

BMW (and other manufacturers) need to look this up.

They seem to have lost their way with this.
A touch screen is not the right input method to enter in any information in a moving car.
FFS
just because its cheaper to make I suspect doesn't mean its right.

The panoramic display is is a gadget. the information is now spread over a wide area where you have to now look instead of being driver focused right in front of you.

personally through they got it about right with ID6/7 depending upon what you prefer there. Their HUD was really good, information focused 6 foot ahead of you on the bonnet right in your line of sight.

Well BMW lost me as a customer when they brought out idrive 8. and they are getting worse in my opinion.

Do they really think we're impressed with this?

We've certainly passed peak car for many reasons, and this is one of them.

the X5 is one of their big sellers, so be interested how this goes down.
Don't chase the chinese market, its a different taste to Europe and the US.

Its so sad.... what have you done BMW??

[JMD]

So, is the "iDrive Controller" gone too?

[anakha]

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 [...]

I share your sentiments and your frustration with much of what BMW has done/continues to do. Unfortunately though, they seem to continue getting away with it because I can’t find viable alternatives in many segments. P cars are probably the closest, but they are now so insanely overpriced I can’t justify the delta. Bought a G80 earlier this year and would prefer the ergonomics and buttons of Porsche, but to get close to the M3 in performance I would have to spend almost double with them. Audi and Mercedes don’t interest me lately either. They all seem to have lost their way.

Market forces look like they will perpetuate this crappy direction for the foreseeable future. The loss of the iDrive controller is crazy to me, but who/what will stop this nonsense??? Why is it that legitimate safety features (ergonomics) are being utterly ignored in favor of more distractions? Sad state of affairs honestly.