New BMW X5 (G65) leaked

[Robin]

Does anyone else feel that that steering wheel would constantly make you think your wheels are turned?! It take some getting used to because your brain is used to the two bars being horizontal.

It's different for difference sake. BWM and Mercedes are trying to out weird each other at the moment. Most of their cars are getting more and more hideous inside and out. And what's with logo/icon headlights now? The 3 pointed star ones are dreadful as are these 'Twitter' ones.

 

[EngieDiesel]

And what's with logo/icon headlights now? The 3 pointed star ones are dreadful as are these 'Twitter' ones.

LED headlights don't need to be large, round-ish or have reflectors around them to project light efficiently, so I guess designers are seeing this non-requirement of convention as a way to shoehorn their branding into places that you can't readily ignore. You can't really de-badge a headlight, after all.

 

[05XR8]

I mean, as an X model BMW It makes sense, but to me, the symbolism doesn't work well for the "eyes" of this type of vehicle.

 

[TheCracker]

LED headlights don't need to be large, round-ish or have reflectors around them to project light efficiently, so I guess designers are seeing this non-requirement of convention as a way to shoehorn their branding into places that you can't readily ignore. You can't really de-badge a headlight, after all.

Twin circular(ish) headlights has been long-standing BMW design iconography - in the same way the kidney grills and hofmeister kink are. They could have just as easily created something more fitting than 'X's. Feels like a total dead end design-wise. Hopefully when the LCI facelift kicks in they'll get changed. Lights are usually something that gets updated at that point.

 

[Touring Mars]

Official reveal. It has the Twitter/X logo as the headlights. https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0458636EN/the-new-bmw-x5

Powertrains will include petrol, diesel, PHEV, battery electric and hydrogen.

The front end styling of the new X5 is growing on me. That said, so is cancer...

LED headlights don't need to be large, round-ish or have reflectors around them to project light efficiently, so I guess designers are seeing this non-requirement of convention as a way to shoehorn their branding into places that you can't readily ignore. You can't really de-badge a headlight, after all.

In this case, however, freeing up design space has given them enough rope to hang themselves with - I agree with @TheCracker, and see it more like a wasted chance to evolve a successful legacy design (although that appeoach has worked for the kidney grills brilliantly 😅) and although the 'X' can be turned off, it's still an odd (or should that be odious?...) design choice - what next, a DJT orange leather interior?

 

[Keef]

LED headlights don't need to be large, round-ish or have reflectors around them to project light efficiently, so I guess designers are seeing this non-requirement of convention as a way to shoehorn their branding into places that you can't readily ignore. You can't really de-badge a headlight, after all.

Good design shouldn't rely on overt badging. They're actually adding badges with these lights, Merc's tri-star light signatures being the most egregious example.

Good design stands regardless of branding, and the brand is forged through good design over time. For example, BMW has an incredible lineage of good design that is clearly recognizable as a BMW, even though it had the same legally-required headlights as every other car. Doesn't matter because certain aspects of the design were unique. Audi is the same, they have a glorious design history but unlike BMW and Merc they're actually stepping away from the brink and getting back to what will likely become another legendarily unique period of design which is in direct lineage of vintage Auto Union and Audi designs. Take the badges off and everybody knows what it is, it could only possibly be one thing.

Modern BMWs and Mercs are hot garbage design that requires them to add badging so vulgar that it literally blinds you at a stoplight because it is not recognizable on its own. It's rather pathetic.

 

[Robin]

As well as BMW's iconic 'Halo' design another example is Volvo's 'Thor's Hammer', an attractive shape and style of light synonymous with the brand without literally being the brands badge. Peugeot are also doing it with the 'Claw'. Many other examples past and present that work so much better and have meaning. I can't think of any badge headlights that work, even McLaren's entire light cluster which at one point was literally the badge didn't look right imo.

But Mercedes is absolutely the worst, putting tiny 3 pointed stars on the grille pattern, in the lights front and back etc is so unbelievably tacky. They evidently don't have confidence that the styling of the car alone can convey the branding!