[carseatsm5]

This makes my brain hurt.

[OM3RTA]

Originally Posted by Eric500

I hope you also ask this question for the ICE non M cars too :P

M240i, M340i, M440i, M550i, M850i, X3/X4 M40i, X5/X6/X7 M60i, Z4 M40i

Jesus wept this again

[paulbazoV2]

Originally Posted by Eric500

youre exactly right, but the question was why they have M badges, there's no m-lite badge for the ICE ones and they still get the M badge. I'm just saying, don't criticize only the EVs for the m-lite versions when every single ICE has the same thing

You have M Performance and M

where is the M-Lite come from?

[CaseySJ]

Originally Posted by yousefnjr

Looks a lot better now than it did a week ago

I voted it down in a recent poll, but it's growing on me now. Let's poll again after it hits the road.

[advantage20]

Originally Posted by carseatsm5

This makes my brain hurt.

There may be worse out there

[Eric500]

Originally Posted by paulbazoV2

You have M Performance and M

where is the M-Lite come from?

Blue87 said it on 6/1, referencing M-performance, I was referring to his wording

[bavarianboar]

Originally Posted by advantage20

There may be worse out there

How is this worse?

On the E : Clean flowing lines without the overdone geometric cross-hatch angled bits on the front diffuser on the i5. Same body colored bumper bits, keeping the cleaner look to the bottom.

That second one seems like a multi color paint scheme that’s uniform across the front bumper except those bathtub drain looking intakes, horrendous.

Aren’t we all bmw fanboys here though?

[advantage20]

Originally Posted by bavarianboar

How is this worse?

On the E : Clean flowing lines without the overdone geometric cross-hatch angled bits on the front diffuser on the i5. Same body colored bumper bits, keeping the cleaner look to the bottom.

That second one seems like a multi color paint scheme that’s uniform across the front bumper except those bathtub drain looking intakes, horrendous.

Aren’t we all bmw fanboys here though?

E's grille unnecessarily surrounded with black plastic (which makes more sense on the 5er's sporty version grille and connects to the black lower trim), and horribly integrated radar on the GLS.

I don't think we are all fanboys, I actually think the new E-Class looks really sleek and elegant overall, and unlike the slightly compromised 5er has perfect RWD proportions.

[bavarianboar]

Originally Posted by advantage20

E's grille unnecessarily surrounded with black plastic (which makes more sense on the 5er's sporty version grille and connects to the black lower trim), and horribly integrated radar on the GLS.

I don't think we are all fanboys, I actually think the new E-Class looks really sleek and elegant overall, and unlike the slightly compromised 5er has perfect RWD proportions.

Placement of radar is driven by autonomy requirements, we can’t have the radar below the grilles. We will see all vehicles come up with this hard constraint that messes up the design.

I work in autonomy and can say there are field of view challenges beyond just the cruise control and emergency braking that require higher mounting for radar.

Other design choices I concur they are mostly cosmetic and questionable styling.

[cpt]

Originally Posted by bavarianboar

Placement of radar is driven by autonomy requirements, we can’t have the radar below the grilles. We will see all vehicles come up with this hard constraint that messes up the design.

I work in autonomy and can say there are field of view challenges beyond just the cruise control and emergency braking that require higher mounting for radar.

Other design choices I concur they are mostly cosmetic and questionable styling.

I understand that most automotive radars work in the mm-wave frequency, so the grille pattern in front of the sensor does matter and will interfere with the antenna if not taken into account in the design. There should be a way to calibrate the system for each grille design since the pattern is static per design. Perhaps the antenna sensitivity degradation is still too large a penalty, so they eventually decided to sacrifice aesthetics.

[BMW BRAD]

I've owned three interations of 5 series, and I'm sorry, but this is hideous. What the hell are their designers thinking? Way too many angles on the bumpers, each year the grilles get bigger and what is with the fugly tail lights? I think the need a new head of design. Just my $.02.

[AP]

It’s turning out to be a bit of a marmite car ( you either like it or you don’t)

The pill inset up suggests it’s an even split with a slight advantage to those who don’t like it

I did see a video the other day that showed around the car in more detail and the more I see it, the more I don’t like it.
Having said that I probably don’t like most BMWs now , their design language and more inportantly their interiors just don’t work for me. They to me have become too gimmicky and using inappropriate technology ( as clever as it is)
As it’s just launched and following what I’ve seen with other new 5 series is that it will take another year or before all options and transmission are available but there appear to some cost cutting going on , comfort seats come to mind.

The size is getting ridiculously large now, if you look at the current 3 that’s almost what I’d call 5 series size now

If you don’t want an ev, ice choice here in Europe looks very limited and not appealing.

It will be interesting to see how this sells

Hope to have a look at one soon though , pinning my hopes that bmw park lane in London will get one soon so I can have a look..

[ChrisM4]

They have definitely designed this car with the Asian market in mind.

I don’t mind most of it except for the headlights. (I really don’t like the new shape / DRLs.) They look so generic / non-BMW. It’s a shame.

[Blue Angel]

The taller flatter hood and higher belt line reminds me more of the 5-GT proportions, which is not a good thing…

[msej449]

The big issue for me is the EV (electric vehicle) price premium over the equivalent ICE (internal combustin engine) version: +42% using the UK configurator.

I appreciate that the options and packaging are different for 5 Series EVs vs ICEs, so that complicates any comparison. And that there may be discounts to be had for cars bought from stock or pre-registered. But that's a whopping premium to pay for what is an average battery range at this price point.

I have both a BMW ICE and a small Peugeot EV and for the latter, the EV Premium was only +4.1%, because it was ex-stock. A factory order would have been around a +24% premium on the diesel/petrol equivalent although the service package for the EV was half the price.

So for me, I just don't see what's attractive about paying that much of a premium for what is yes, a nice, but still just a mainstream 4-door saloon car.

Re. the 'M' thing - for the various EVs I was looking at, the equivalent 'GT' designation was just options and trim, not performance (other than lower-profile wheels). The GT models had most of the options included as standard. I think this is the way BMW has gone with their 'M' designation on the electric cars. I think the M on my M235i is reasonable as it has a 6-cyl engine, uprated brakes and a couple of other things that the non-M cars lack i.e. actual physical performance-related extra equipment. Whereas on my friend's new iX3 M the 'M' means just some extra optional comfort and similar equipment where I'd agree that it'd be more meaningful to call it a 'lux' or similar.

My personal criticism is that this is not a 'from-the-ground-up' EV re-design like the i3 and i8. Now, like for my Peugeot, there's a good case for making compromises on mass-produced cars in offering one body shape with a choice of petrol, diesel and electric power units. It keeps costs down, but limits the battery capcity for one thing. And you get a body shape designed to accomodate a big engine and automatic gearbox that you don't now need space for. But in the i4/i5 case it seems to be the worst of all worlds - an expensive premium to pay for electric, but with none of the advantages of an EV design, and only average (for the price segment) range.

It's easier for manufacturers to justify a single shared EV/ICE body design on smaller models because stripping-out the petrol/diesel engine and gearbox doesn't release as much space as on a larger model like the 5 Series. But when you get to the bigger cars then I just dont think it works. As evidenced by the fact that the iX models are completely fresh designs. I don't think that even the 3 Series justifies being a single shared design, let alone the 5 Series. Just my personal view, of course, and clearly from the i5 thread there are people for whom the formula works well enough for them to be ordering ex-factory.