Re: New E70 X5 Photos Out!
martinbo said:
Sheesh dude, it's soo nice to see that you're still around and part of the ol' clan. I haven't necessarily been as active in the posting stakes but I still miss that cool, classy blend of Gene's insight into the motoring world.
So, watcha think of the new X5 eh?
Cool and classy? If only! haha. Well my 2 cents since you asked .... I must admit that there is always a sense of disappointment with its design, mainly because of the controversial/bold changes to cars like the 7er and 5er, so there'll always be a sense of what could have been. I guess the public, motoring world and myself have this sudden expectation that BMW should bring out controversial, love or hate designs - and when the don't there is an uproar. Shows that you can't please everybody.
Nonetheless I do like the design in general. As with most BMW's, the 3/4 view in pictures doesn't look very good (but probably will do in real life), I really like the side profile, and the rear has become very X3's - which isn't exactly a bad thing (particularly with the facelift model). One thing I do really like is the crease along the side. Something about the crease makes it refreshingly new, yet quite familiar with the 3er. In fact there are quite a few strong resembelences to many models in the BMW range.
In the end, I guess the reality is that there isn't much to say about the design because of its familiarity, so I suspect it won't get as much attention in the threads as, say, the 5 series or 7 series.
I do like the design more than the Q7. The Q7 is a good car (saw it about 1 week ago), but I feel the front is far too busy with fins here and lights there. Some would say there has been a role reversal between Audi and BMW with the Q7 and X5 - usually Audi is very much known for their design simplicity, and BMW for their controversial designs. But hey, I'm sure there was a reasoning behind it.
As for the rangie sport you mentioned in your previous post, I've been seeing them around Auckland alot lately! I do like the car, BUT its another car with the feeling of what could have been... if they had done a 4 door translation of the range rover stormer... now that would have been a SUV.
I retrospect: I do love those wheels, they look like the prefacelift x5, but so much bolder!