BMW X5
The current, or now old, X5 used to be the last good looking SUV in the BMW portfolio. The new, unfortunately brings this exception to an end. Unveiled today, Munich's new full-scale off-roader looks like the unhappy love child of a Mercedes GL and a X1, with a bit of Honda CR-V, and BMW X3 and 3-Series thrown in for good measure. In short, it looks heavy and awkward. And the decision to increase the width while narrowing the tracks sure doesn't help with that.And the back is shutline galore or hell. In the attempt to hide the fact that the rear window is not all that raked and probably improve aerodynamics BMW added blacked out buttresses together with a body color spoiler, neither of which lines up with the actual rear window. Add to that the shutline of the split tailgate and the cut off x1 and E34 5 series (which I love, by the way) style taillights and you really got yourself into one busy mess.
For the first time, at least, BMW provided a functional explanation for these obnoxious fender vents cropping up on their new models: supposedly they help channel air through the wheel houses for cooling purposes. If that's true, than I wished they had had found a more elegant solution.
This general tendency to imbue cars with 'athletic' design, i.e. excessive vents, flared arches and the likes, is a bit galling. But that's for another post.
posted by car design @ 12:46 AM
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