BMW's 7-Series Facelift Hides A Blueprint For Every Older Model It Still Sells

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RyanDubbz@reddit

How did they manage to make even the steering wheel look horrid?

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So funny seeing the different comments here vs r/BMW. Folks over there are glazing this thing hard. Meanwhile all the non fanboys over here and every other rational person is rightly disgusted by this abomination.

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SweetRoll789@reddit

Front looks great, rear looks like a Mitsubishi Lancer.

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kstetter@reddit

What's wrong with the Lancer?

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GadgetChachajii@reddit

If this becomes the template, older models might get iterative updates that feel more like software generations than model generations.

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PiratedTuba@reddit

They've given it a steering square instead of a steering wheel, what idiot thought that was a good idea? I don't mind the rest of the dashboard aside from that weird two screen thing. The outside is just horrid looking with that stupidly oversized grille and MKZ-looking tail lights.

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OldDirtyGurt@reddit

That's fucking awful. Looks like a locomotive

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Ok_Zucchini7093@reddit

Doubling down on the fugly. The Ultimate Puking Machine.

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solo118@reddit

My Pre-LCI looks 10x better imho.... for some reason I am not a huge fan of 7 series LCIs especially the past couple of generations

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Fuman20000@reddit

BMW making the cars Jaguar is getting shit for.

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rugbyj@reddit

Jaguar is getting said shit for not making cars at all.

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V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit

People don’t give their ship anyway.

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strongmanass@reddit

That's maybe 5% of the reason Jaguar's getting shit. People still just can't get over the video.

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rugbyj@reddit

People still just can't get over the video

Because they’re not making cars.

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strongmanass@reddit

I don't think the comments about LGBTQ and "woke" will stop when the cars get released. I'd love to be wrong about that though.

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Real_Science_5851@reddit

The new Jag is gonna be miles cooler, they've nailed its silhouette!

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strongmanass@reddit

Most likely. The Jag and the i7 are probably top of my list for my next car, but I wouldn't take this LCI version. It would have to be a CPO pre-facelift. Jag needs to show the full interior because the last prototype drives made me think they got it wrong inside.

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CallLivesMatter@reddit

But in this case, there’s a standard 14.6-inch Passenger Screen for whoever’s riding shotgun. They get streaming, gaming, and TV, but you only get jealous: an interior camera dims it automatically if it detects driver distraction.

I get that this is a responsible safety feature to include, but it’s still at least a little dystopian.

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HeyyyyListennnnnn@reddit

If it works as well as other systems, it will dim the screen whenever the driver checks their passenger side mirror or blind spot. If they were serious about driver distraction, they would give the screen a limited view angle like people put on their phones or just omit the passenger screen entirely.

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Valerian009@reddit

I guess they want to follow in Jaguar's footsteps? This is atrocious

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Sierra-Six-Actual@reddit

Still not ideal, but this looks miles better than the current pig-nose.

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Barack_Odrama_007@reddit

Not sold on the interior but exterior looks better than before

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Car-face@reddit

Yeah, exterior looks much improved.

Both BMW and Audi are now starting to move towards Jaguar's concept, I wouldn't be surprised if they end up meeting in the middle for production. But there's certainly a specific design language of larger, bold design features for the front end rather than complex geometries and grilles that Jag has led the luxury sedan segment towards (with M-B being the outlier).

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dedboooo0@reddit

ill never be sold on the pig snout grill in my life

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Dirty_Pee_Pants@reddit

Yeah, not a fan of BMW's design choices either

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Dredgeon@reddit

I like them, people hate them cause they were a departure but to people who grew with them as current day BMWs they will be iconic.

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dedboooo0@reddit

who are you to say that on behalf of people who dont like it?

i dont hate them because they are a departure. i dislike them because to me they look like shit

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Dredgeon@reddit

And uh... Do you have any introspective thoughts to support that? The design to me looks aggressive and eye catching. As much as I like the previous style I thought the grill was a major weakpoint. The size isn't strictly justified on road going cars but I'd wager that part of the reason for it is to keep the GT specs looking similar to their homologation models. It also calls back to the brands heritage.

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Several-Eggplant4460@reddit

The pig snout looks less bad on the 7 series given its size.

The beaver teeth on the 4 series and M3... Those are really bad, still don't like em 🤮

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ThatOneBitch02@reddit

I think the 4 series / m4 looks bad from every angle and not just cause of the beaver teeth. The entire design just doesn't flow at all. It's a big fat blob broken up by random angular bits.

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Jlx_27@reddit

Having seen the 7Series many times, i can not agree on that statement. The front of this car is hideous.

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Jake0024@reddit

The size just makes the rest of it look like a pig too

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jondes99@reddit

With the front end of a truck.

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blazbluecore@reddit

I agree..because of the shape of the 7 series, it actually works.

They could make them less…pig like. lol

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Nordicpunk@reddit

The 4 series is growing on me….something about it is starting to make sense. The M3 though is a disgrace given how pretty the 340 is (was before it’d lift)

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ImNotEazy@reddit

I remember when the red snout grill came out on the SUV. This sub went crazy lol.

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trail-g62Bim@reddit

This is how I have always felt about Alfa.

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uberdosage@reddit

Shocked dorito face

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uberdosage@reddit

All I see is the pigs from angry birds. Every time.

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Bimmer_P@reddit

not too sure on that rear end though

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300mhz@reddit

It's their Neue Klasse design language

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desimaninthecut@reddit

The Germans are really destroying their rear ends lol. First Mercedes now BMW.

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MountSaintElias@reddit

It looks like the rear of a Lincoln MKT to me haha

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FMJoey325@reddit

Yes this is all I see! (Aside from the heartburn it would give me to try to keep those wheels clean)

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Alive_Internet@reddit

Who designed that steering wheel? It’s up there with the Prius/bZ steering wheel for being among the ugliest in the industry.

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Bovine_Joni_Himself@reddit

It's awful. I thought it was upside-down.

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SaintTastyTaint@reddit

It looks like a Transformer to me

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popsicle_of_meat@reddit

Not sold on the interior

Interiors seem to have no identity any more. Everyone from low-end Kia to top BMW/Mercedes all do tablets-on-blank-dashboards. You could put tape over the emblem and tell me the interior pic was from a $30k economy car, and I would believe you.

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_badwithcomputer@reddit

They're taking the Grand Wagoneer approach of just sticking a screen on every flat surface available.

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dansyngwiazd@reddit

maybe the front. But have you seen the rear!? It's much worse :(

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half_regard@reddit

exterior looks better than before

that isn't hard when it's ugly as sin

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Barack_Odrama_007@reddit

Agreed. Was NOT a fan of the exterior but the interior was fairly nicd

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ggtsu_00@reddit

Eyes too squinty, the nostrils too snozzly...

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g-4-ces@reddit

Wanted to walk down memory lane and relook at each gen…each to me gets progressively uglier.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_7_Series

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iamaslan@reddit

Eh, I think E38 was actually peak and E65 was trough (bold of me, I know).

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Skodakenner@reddit

Looked at the e38 e65 and f01. Went for the E65 because i liked the interior the most of it it looks way more special even though overall id still put the E38 over the E65 overall

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aprtur@reddit

The main downside with the E65 interior was how quickly it fell apart and the amount of creaky cheap plastic they used. It looked really modern, but I feel like the W220/221 that was out at the time felt like the more premium car.

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Personal_Song9093@reddit

Cheap plastic?? It’s 92% leather and wood And maybe 8% plastic

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aprtur@reddit

Yes, cheap plastic with soft touch coatings. It was one of the few things that really let the car down inside. Some stuff felt great, like what you said with the leather and wood, and other stuff felt parts-bin cheap, like all the plastics. Whenever I dealt with even lightly used ones, plastics were breaking, misaligned or creaking - and this was over 15 years ago. W220/221 have their own issues, to be fair, but I never recalled things that weren't leather or wood in those cars feeling as cheap as in the E65.

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Personal_Song9093@reddit

The car I posted is 20 yrs old and nothing fell off. Just zoom in on the lateraö end of the dash when the door is opened. No plastic. Wrapped in leather. I have many cars, even a new G70 M70 or a V221 S65. They all have a cheap plastic cover in this location. Only the 760Li has leather.
And even the pockets in the doors are lined with Alcantara The S65 am has some plastic in the same location.

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Personal_Song9093@reddit

Here you can see the door pocket with the yellow tissue in it. It’s not lined with leather That’s only plastic. The e66 has some velvety texture stuff ain those pockets. I hate unlined door pockets. Didn’t mention that?

https://www.reddit.com/r/AMG/s/8PKObjSFSf

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aprtur@reddit

You're going off about stuff that doesn't really correlate to the problem I'm talking about. I don't care how much of the car is leather or felt lined, I said the quality of the plastics and how they implemented them in the E65 is bad. They have always felt worse to me than even what they used in the base model E90s - and maybe that's because the majority of ones I experienced were failing and/or broken in some way, shape or form. I'm glad you like your E65, but of all 7 series I've experienced, it remains as the worst on my list.

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Personal_Song9093@reddit

I hear ya but it was not made cheaply And in case the car is fully optioned out then very few plastic parts remain.

https://ebay.us/m/1piYev

Just look at the back of the wood trim. Solid metal (the g11 has wood veneers on a plastic ABS plate and the G70even worse)

https://ebay.us/m/jvi2lW

Now look at the wood trim in the V221

I think the e65 has a much better quality with those wood trims for instance

But yeah - you’re right these silver trims are a silly choice. Unthinkable they did it because they didn’t know how to implement ambient lighting.

The E90 btw was very much upmarket in the interior for a mid size car. Almost 5er level. The F30 ha a considerably cheaper interior

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MentalMiilk@reddit

I'm not sure I'd say it's as simple as "every generation is worse than the last", but maybe that's just me. I'd rank them (aesthetically):

E38 (1994 - 2000)

2: F01 (2008 - 2014)

E23 (1977-1985)

4: E32 (1986 - 1993)

G11 (2015 - 2021)

6: E65 (2001 - 2007)

G70 (2022 - )

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iamCosmoKramerAMA@reddit

This is the objectively correct list.

The E38 is damn near as perfect as automotive design gets.

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captainnowalk@reddit

This is the objectively correct list.

List is labeled 1,2,1,4,1,6,1

Reddit formatting cracks me up lol

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ScienceMechEng_Lover@reddit

To be fair, the pre-LCI G11 was a return to form. It looked amazing and its interior was a huge upgrade from the previous generation.

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LeanGroundQueef@reddit

F01 > G11

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_BEER_@reddit

F01 is sadly the new gypsy car here in Europe, slowly replacing the E60s.

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Vanzmelo@reddit

Agreed the pre-facelift G11 and G30 5 Series were such handsome cars. Its such a shame that BMW went the direction it did with the following generation

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mintz41@reddit

Pre FL G11 is a great looking car and they've actually depreciated below the G30 now in the UK. You can get a 2017 740i for under £18k.

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DodgerBlueRobert1@reddit

Facelifted E38 is peak 7-Series. Specifically, a 2001 740i M Sport.

Exterior

Interior

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FS16@reddit

arguable, i'm not a fan of the bumper and the angel eyes (they look ... aftermarket?). pre-lci for me.

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KentuckyFriedChingon@reddit

For me - everything looks fine from 1st to 4th generation. After that, the grille began to get progressively rounder and taller, which is wholly responsible for the whole "Beaver tooth" look. Just go back to making short, thin, rectangular grilles and these cars will look beautiful.

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NCSUGrad2012@reddit

Nothing will ever be as beautiful as the E65

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Whiskey_Clear@reddit

Found Chris Bangle's burner. The 06 Z4M flair really made it obvious.

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BillyJohnsFinds@reddit

😂😂

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Bernies_Hair@reddit

Gen 1-3 was one of the greatest automotive trilogies of all time.

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GettCouped@reddit

Interior looks like one of those ridiculous TV car customization shows got to it.

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Erlend05@reddit

The front is a big improvement. The rest though....

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Master-Plankton8044@reddit

BMW exterior design feels like it peaked in 2024 with the x3 and the x5 and has steadily been growing more and more...grotesque. That fat pig snout, the desire to look like a sports car from cyberpunk, it doesn't feel premium to be just garish and heavy handed

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NothingCreative1@reddit

That steering wheel is a fucking disaster

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fuzzylogicIII@reddit

Can they hide a blue print for a better looking new model?

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GotThatDawgInMe89@reddit

Still ugly as sin

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andy4775@reddit

Looks like a pig

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LLMprophet@reddit

Ugly

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sqparadox@reddit

Is the blueprint beating it with an ugly stick? Because if so then BMW has been killing it.

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evilive27@reddit

Looks like Volvo got to them.

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_Jezza25_@reddit

Unpopular opinion but I think that pre-facelift looks better.Yes new one is more confident but personally I really prefer the pre-facelift one.

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turb0_encapsulator@reddit

it's like it's from both the 70s and the future

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ASZD_@reddit

that passenger screen "integration" is an absolute abomination

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Fatigue-Error@reddit

The steering wheel looks awful to use.

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Herbie2189@reddit

The steering wheel rocks. I played with it in the i3 and it’s great. Feels good and pretty easy to use the multifunction controls

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brownninja97@reddit

It's a bit over designed though T shapes always feel the more natural looking to me

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Bortjort@reddit

Yeah just because you dont need to see anything through the top of the wheel doesn't mean adding another beefy spoke up there is a good idea

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Antrikshy@reddit

My issue with the + shape is not being able to subconsciously orient it in my mind, like which way it's currently turned.

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Bortjort@reddit

The fact that it's exactly the same as the bottom spoke definitely adds to the weirdness that's for sure

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natek11@reddit

*The entire car

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chunkymonk3y@reddit

All passenger screens are an abomination imo. And here I was thinking Piano black trim is the dumbest design choice ever

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strongmanass@reddit

Passenger screens are fine in principle IMO. I just have yet to see one that works design-wise.

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Multifaceted-Simp@reddit

Hopefully we can option it out

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Ithrazel@reddit

Yeah you can get the sports version with no vertical spokes

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ikilledtupac@reddit

It looks thrown together

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desf15@reddit

It looks like they've decided to add after seeing 2 months ago that S class now has one as standard equipment xD

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WarCrimeGaming@reddit

I don’t like this at all but I’m sure 7 series enjoyers will still buy them so nothing will change

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costafilh0@reddit

IT'S FUGLY

surprised Pikachu face

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SnowDucks1985@reddit

Love the exterior, sorta has a Rolls Royce look in the front. Don’t like the second screen (Audi does it already and it’s still cheap looking) inside, but this is an upgrade from the last gen imo

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Skodakenner@reddit

Totally agree the new 7 series easily is the best of the luxury sedans out there currently. A bit like the E65 hated by the fans loved by the buyers

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fitnessCTanesthesia@reddit

Basically Reddit car subs, call every bmw ugly and bmw is killing it vs it’s competition.

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blazbluecore@reddit

That’s because BMW outside of enthusiast circles has a good reputation for being an expensive luxury car(partially due to its maintenance cost)

It’s a better known brand now than Mercedes or Audi.

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KyledKat@reddit

Both can be true. I do think the last 5 years of BMW design language has been some of the ugliest in its history, but I won't deny they're the best German offerings at the moment. Audi is having an identity crisis and MB has just given up. BMW is delivering best-in-class interiors and, frankly, EV powertrains.

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fitnessCTanesthesia@reddit

Yeah they definitely have a polarizing design language but when it comes to sales and driving experience they are doing something right. I have a 2026 x7 m60i and tested the competition and it was a no brainer. I think this refresh is def better than current 7 series( almost bought a used last gen 7 series) but decided to wait.

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purz@reddit

Someone needs to tell these car companies that passengers are in no way restricted from using phones and tablets.

Also why is gaming computer lighting being added to everything. I don’t need rainbow barf lights in every space I occupy jfc.

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Medical-Gate-9978@reddit

That rear end and interior are crimes against humanity. I’m genuinely shocked.

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Rektifizierer@reddit

That rear end

clenched butt cheeks

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lu5ty@reddit

Interior is a tragedy. Rear is like Chrysler building art deco and the front looks like it wants Megatron to face fuck it

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BOHIFOBRE@reddit

Fisher Price Brutalism (stolen from RCR)

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Real_Science_5851@reddit

The Royal College of Radiologists?

(first thing that came up when I searched RCR 🤣)

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BOHIFOBRE@reddit

Regular Car Reviews said that about the Cybertruck

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ZaheerAlGhul@reddit

This actually looks really nice. I thought the last front end was hideous.

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korko@reddit

That is the ugliest car I have seen in a long time.

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dadventuring@reddit

Ext getting way better! But enormous grille still not awesome .. I edited to make kidneys only have 3 bars instead of 7, but no image comments allowed :(

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TacoLalo@reddit

I know everyone hates it but I actually like it. Aside from the spoke on the steering wheel it’s a nice car.

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tsar73@reddit

Making the rear fascia look like a 2010 Lincoln MKZ is certainly a choice.

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Mytre-@reddit

So, hyundai and bmw have like the same design team? interior wise (screen distirbution ) is the same. and the hyundai PLEOS or whatever they call next gen upgrade has the similar layout as this new bmw interior layout.

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redditgolddigg3r@reddit

This is fucking sick, I love it.

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ExtruDR@reddit

There are so many good and so many bad design moves in this that I don't know where to start.

Top thoughts are how stupid and ugly the four-spoke steering wheel is. Reminds me of my grandfather's tractor wheel or a boat's wheel. These car companies are really trying to reinvent the steering wheel for no good purpose. I mean, flatten out the bottom... fine, get the controls modernized, but just find a nice, sporty shape and go with it!

The high screen under the windshield is a win, but the parallelogram screens are just weird. Why? I mean, it's a screen. Make it disappear or make it neutral. Not everything needs to be a "statement."

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bwoah_gimmethedrink@reddit

wow, now it's even uglier on the inside

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Clover-kun@reddit

I love going on the internet and complaining about cars that I'll never sit in or drive!

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walnut100@reddit

Always fun seeing people with '03 Accords in their flair freaking out about a car they could never afford.

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ExtruDR@reddit

Someone got the straight-edge out at the design studio. I don't mind. It's very masculine and "upright" which is fine.

The nice thing is that the design moves to soften and make it flow better are pretty straight-forward, so I think that this design direction in regard to what other and near-future models will look like.

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Manny_Bothans@reddit

Yeah I was gonna buy a fully loaded Silverado HD, but the 7 series just spoke to me... the grille looked somehow taller and flatter. And you know how i love tall and flat.

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nsfdrag@reddit

Don't like the exterior or front seats, but wow that looks like an amazing back seat experience, I wouldn't mind hanging around at electric charging stations if that was what I was sitting in.

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ikilledtupac@reddit

Exterior leans more into the current M Sport 7 series fascia which I like. That interior is a bit odd tho.

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sissiffis@reddit

This is an update that really improves on the exterior design of the predecessor.

A contrast with the new S Class facelift/update, which, IMO, is overwrought and ostentatious.

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DocCEN007@reddit

Not a fan of this design, and the steering wheel looks like a frosted donut on skewers.

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_word_@reddit

Anyone else hate the parallelogram screens? Looks tacky af and doesn’t add anything compared to a regular screen. Shame because BMW interiors were always well thought out and functional regardless of how ugly they made the exteriors look. Now it’s form over substance everywhere.

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ggtsu_00@reddit

Ugh... looks like too many generations of inbreeding within the BMW family produced this awful looking abomination.

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DaBanninator@reddit

Fugly 🤮

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Leek5@reddit

Don’t know about the sideways steering wheel

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poo-cum@reddit

Cars now: 😑

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Korypal@reddit

Abomination.

The 7-series used to be great, this looks like its hobbled together and trying to chase trends.

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Privateer_Lev_Arris@reddit

That looks gross

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very_high_dose@reddit

I could hang out in the back seat all day. This whip looks awesome

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argent_pixel@reddit

I'm done with BMW while they insist on that stupid parallelogram + cowl display layout.

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TreeFittyy@reddit

Why does the front end look like a racist Chinese characature?

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KrazyCroat@reddit

Can we go back to sexy and clean designed cars please?

I'm tired of looking at hideous Lexus, BMW, Mercedes (and others) products on the road every day, especially when they've all made good looking things in the past.

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Multifaceted-Simp@reddit

That's VERY nice

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UnscheduledCalendar@reddit

just bring back the buttons bro

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UnscheduledCalendar@reddit

just bring back the buttons bro

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APigInANixonMask@reddit

The front looks better, but the bar was already incredibly low. The rear is really, really bad. The interior looks terrible too, although that’s to be expected from BMW at this point. What the hell happened to this company?

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Dry-Prize-3062@reddit

Hideous. Hideous. Hideous.

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Zephyruos@reddit

Front design is a tad better,

The back seems Neue Klasse gone wrong.

The interior seatings are nice, the dashboard is meh, still better than Benz all-screen dashboard nightmare.

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belmondoX@reddit

that rear just made me barf. holy shit

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Bimmer_P@reddit

It's pretty bad. Reminds me of the Lincoln Zepher and that was ugly AF at the time

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BOHIFOBRE@reddit

Wait till you see it's face!

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TBIRallySport@reddit

The front end looks like four different designs smashed together

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AndrewCoja@reddit

Did they raid the Lincoln factory for tail lights?

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BeautifulCuriousLiar@reddit

the front reminds me of post-war brutalist architecture

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LeopardHalit@reddit

The rear looks like it was designed by a botfly but overall it’s a pretty cool looking car. Very executive looking.

I do window how it will look in a “normal” paint color though

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woodsides@reddit

The exterior's better but they fucked up the interior real bad. I'd rather have the pre-facelift.

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PetrolheadPlayer@reddit

This looks downright beautiful and elegant when put up next to the pre-facelift model. Almost like you can finally breathe when looking at it.

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Evergreen1055@reddit

It looks humongous

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oscik@reddit

It's an improvement in the front for sure. The general volume is still very cathedral and non-dynamic compared to previous generations so I guess they did their best to clean up the mess of pre-facelift model. The rear looks very tall too thanks to the thick lights, I think the pre-facelift was more interesting. Overall "couldve been worse/10".

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BOHIFOBRE@reddit

My eyes!

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HawtGarbage918@reddit

THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING

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Kobebeef9@reddit

Actually like this car because the front has been massively improved compared to its predecessor and feels more cohesive.

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DeTomato_@reddit

When I saw the leak, I had high hopes that BMW would make it look less ugly because they ditched the split headlights. But, holy fuck, they make it uglier.

And who the hell thought having two different sized screens was a good idea? That’s gotta be the worst “hyperscreen” in the industry.

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