Original BMW X5 Designer ROASTS The BMW XM!! 

Thanks for watching, can't wait to hear your conspiracy theories about what is happening in BMW's design studio etc ♥

The design isn't the problem for me. It's the fact that they thought the best way to celebrate 50 years of the M division would be with a goddamn SUV. Edit: Well, I sure as hell didn't expect this comment to blow up the way it did...

I'm starting to think BMW has been infiltrated by rival car companies that are sabotaging them from the inside out via their design team. There's no way you screw up this bad.

My childhood friend works in the BMW Design Department and his explanation was quite simple: The people actually making the decisions are not designers, but marketing-agency bourne storytellers with non-automotive backgrounds honestly thinking, that being different is the uttermost important thing to stand against the wave of chinese cars, that will flood the markets soon. He hates his job.

I couldn't agree more. I used to love BMW design. It spoke exactly what it needed to in a timeless fashion.

Here's my theory: With Hyundai and Kia designs being so well recieved as of late, BMW decided to kidnap their designers. Unfortunately, they kidnapped the Kia Soul designers.

The front view of this car reminds me of these huge statues on the Easter Island 🗿

Boy am I glad to see this! I'm a designer as well and I've been seeing recent model BMWs around and wondering if I'm the only one who thinks they're hideous. So I'm relieved an expert feels the same! I've got skin in that game with my 2009 328i and I'm always impressed by the looks of even older models, like the 2003 M3. Sorry to see the company fall so far so fast.

A few years back now, I leased my LAST BMW. It wasn't just the exterior design that lost me, it was the interior and the functionality of the dashboard, controls, especially the annoying climate controls. The whole thing was way over thought. I remember how great BMW was in the 2006 to 2010 era. The designs were minimal and functional. The fit and finish were clean and tight and the materials felt expensive, like a Leica camera. I wish they would make at least one model that appealed to the traditional BMW lover. I grew up with those cars. My parents drove 528s. I felt abandoned by the brand from about 2013 onwards. Then I finally left and have not looked back.

"A designer knows he has reached perfection, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away" -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Previously, owning an M used to be a special, exciting experience. Those M cars had proper screaming engines which could be thrashed on track but would have no problem around town. It was special and heart-pounding. RWD, manual and capable of the most demanding tracks and tricks. An M wasn’t just a letter that you add to a car. It reskinned and remade the entire car from what was already a fantastic car, to a impeccable car. Designs were subtle yet striking. Everything worked harmoniously together to achieve the feeling only an M car could replicate. Now M is a letter you slap onto a glorified washing machine with a pig nose and sell to a soccer mom or a quirky gen-z or a millennial and call a day. M now stands for money, not Motorsport.

Owning only bmws since 2002, these designs just let me think to stick to my 2016 f15 x5 for the next 20 years 🫤

that line “there’s a lot going on” made me LOL. That is the exact criticism i received when i shared my 1st design at BMW Designworks.

This is exactly why I always roll my eyes whenever someone says organic designs are something from the past...

Me: the rear doesn't look THAT bad Frank: the back of the car makes me physically ill Me: exactly! What were they thinking??

I need to either bleach my eyes, or look through an Alfa Romeo catalogue.

10 years ago i bought a Porsche Panamera, people then did not like the design. But with time it grew on people, and they appreciated it later on. They were not ready then because it was something new and later on it was the best selling car of Porsche. Now everybody loves the Panamera. I have the exact same feeling with the XM, i really Love the car and i think that a lot of people are not ready for this car. In time we will see!

Those wheel arches have been tried before. On the Pontiac Aztek. That monster also utilized stacked front lights and split grille. Secret theory #4: BMW is rebooting Breaking Bad.

I like to think that the current BMW "design" team previously designed _gaming hardware_ . They have the same ridiculously clownesk redundant and convoluted attributes as for example a gaming laptop from Acer in their _Predator_ lineup... I wish that this was just an anomaly in our universe but I'm afraid that this is the new reality.

I have been buying new BMW motorcycles since 1977. Bought my first BMW car 2 years ago - what a disappointment. Don't get me wrong the 2018 F31 is a nice enough car itself and great to drive. What gets me is BMWs after sales service, I get regular letters and phone messages telling me that there is an urgent recall for my car but the dealer tells me everytime that there are no parts to do the work. This has been going on for nearly 18 months now! My next car will be an Audi.

Once I asked a TV executive who brought on TV shows why he can’t bring something like MASH back, he laughed and said “No one can write like that anymore“. I think same goes with design. Korean and Japanese designers though are doing some amazing work. The reimagined RX7, Mazda SP is truly something to behold. Even the Hyundai N Vision, it has that satisfying flow in design. However I think there is finally a shift when you look at the new Accord, new Civic or even the Mustang, they are cleaner, less busy and it feels like their way could be the future of design. Less is more.

I stopped loving BMW when they started fitting oversized grills a few years back. Destroyed the looks of the cars. This looks hideous, like an apprentice graphic designer was given the job.

I have a BMW dealer near me. And every time I pass through this dealer I'm thinking: "My God, there is no new BMW car I'd like to own".

The first time I saw it on the road, I said to my wife oh my that’s grotesque but interesting enough that people will gawk at it and wonder what kind of car it is.

BTW the place where they shot that XM video is a monument in Bulgaria, called "The Creators of the Bulgarian State". It's pretty awesome, highly recommend visiting it if you're in the region.

At first glance of the side I thought they copied a highlander, then threw in the busyness of Honda, gave it a giant snout and never stopped. The current BMW design is just hideous unfortunately.

Who would like to see a redesign sketch of this thing by Frank

A couple things made me laugh: Frank's physical pain/discomfort looking at some parts of this car. And those BMW badges stuck high on the back - it really looks like an 8 yo's idea of where car badges would look good. I also think it interesting to compare this to the Cybertruck. I actually quite like the CT, though of course, it's obvious why so many think it's an eyesore. But, to me, the CT looks the way it does because Tesla have let function rule over form. BMW have no such excuse: they've just, for whatever mad reason, decided to design a car that looks this bad.

Boson Huang is credited for designing the exterior, but that hideously named "Yellow" is the icing on the BMW styled SF sidewalk cake.

I can't imagine the pain you feel when you see the direction BMW is headed, I've also grown up with the brand and I drive a bmw now as an adult and I feel extremely bad about everything they have done in the past 2-3 years.

My theory is it’s a corporate strategy that once you run out of design ideas, make a really ugly design as a kind of reset, and then every year after make it slightly less ugly to simulate design improvement

This is the kind of vehicle that a TikTok'er celebrity would buy simply because it brings attention to them regardless if it's good or bad.

I was thinking of "Nose bleeding"😂 when I first saw XM-Label Red edition.

It's just like modern art. When you can't envoque enough emotion with your talent, then you go the easy route and shock the audience. Can't make another Mona Lisa? Sign a urinal. Can't make another Alfa Romeo Tipo33 Stradale? Make the BMW XM. Can't make something pretty? Make something controversial. And in a way, it works - BMW is talked about a lot now!

BMW has gone from making some of the most timeless designs on the road to making cars that seem as though they are in competition with one another for the most laughable thing on 4 wheels award. BAD. Just plain bad.....

You know how ginger is supposed to be a palette cleanser between different sushi rolls? This is the equivalent of blending different sushi rolls together to be the palette cleanser for the ginger

Owned an F90 M5 and loved it but will never buy another M car due to reliability, build quality, and new design aesthetic issues. Too bad because the F90 was one of my favorite cars ever.

I love how just brutally honest Frank is

This was hard to watch, because I agree so much with the sentiment of utter and complete failure on all levels from BMW. There's one current car that they design that pays homage to the past, present and future. It's the current 5 series, and more accurately the M5CS which also happens to be Evo COTY. This was basically foreshadowed by the complete disregard for fanbase, history, and the absolute comical last year or so in marketing that has alienated the core group of followers of the brand. Owners and fans that have grown up on clean, pure design of BMWs past (E30/36/46), utter pinnacle of elegance in the E9 and E38. And then, we got the G series. IMO @Frank Stephenson you've gone easy on BMW in your videos past because of your history with them. My dads first car was an E21 315, 4 speed, beige. I grew up in it too, it became the catalyst for the virus that has consumed me and my adult life. I own an E46 M3 and I'm making it into my own vision of a CSL of sorts. Parking my M3 across from the new one... it's like ... I have no words. Every time, and I mean every time I get out of my car, I always double take and I cant believe the purity of that design, the cohesiveness, the purpose and how understated it is. BMW of old is gone. I pressed F to pay my respects circa 2018. The king is dead, long live the KING. Amazing video, thank you for the truth, from someone that can speak it with aplomb. PS. $#*# you BMW.

I used to be a BMW fan having owned the E34 330i and then the E70 X5, but they've completely lost their way, especially the last 10 years or so. Or at least, whatever audience they are targeting, it's not me!

what is more surprising to me is that BMW doesn't call it's ex designers and ask for an opinion...

Your original X5 design is timeless, it defines what a BMW SUV should be. Its lines are clean and cohesive, but it still tells you the machine underneath the skin is the ultimate driving machine, especially in V8 form

Thank you Frank, for saying out loud what we all have been thinking about this utterly horrific piece of car design. As far as what is happening at BMW.... who the hell knows? I honestly wonder if it literally is lots of people with totally different ideas shouting over one another, thus creating these mixed up, messy designs with absolutely zero cohesion. I realize BMW will just say they are being "challenging" but they simply aren't. Car designers should be challenging, for sure, but you still have to respect the basic principles of car design. Car companies like Kia/Hyundai, or Mazda for example, are challenging in a lot of their designs, but they are being challenging in a good way. Their designs certainly aren't orthodox, but they have good proportions and are cohesive. Although I wouldn't say I love their designs, I respect them for pushing the boundaries of design and doing something different. The thing is, they aren't just being different for the sake of it, they have a clear design language, and you can see the direction they are following. With BMW its almost like they have 30 people who all have thrown some random, often terrible feature at the car, resulting in the horrible mishmash that we have seen from them.

Since they got rid of the old designers sales have gone up like hell and we finally got something new.

When I was a teenager, I first became aware of BMW with the 2800CS (current at the time). Beautifully balanced in a way that few cars were. What happened?

It’s really grotesque. It’s actually impressive that they could make it so bad. I’d literally sell it the next day if I got it for free.

I like hearing the perspective of a car designer with stuff like this because I have a hard time comprehending how car designs can get messed up so bad

I don't understand why Frank Stephenson needs to have a video title such as this one. We all love him

That version 1 sonic is truly horrifying

Hey Frank, would love to see your take on Volvo’s design language. I think what they’ve been presenting alongside Polestar has been stellar so far. Would greatly appreciate your input.

I agree this design is awful in so many ways! One thought I had is, BMW watched Tesla announce the hideous cyber truck and how much press it got from the design. Even though Tesla's design(or lack of) was negatively received, orders for the truck flew in. Maybe BMW thought they would try their hand at being totally different from anything else even if mainstream voices hate it. As a young kid I remember playing the car game, who could spot and name the cars first. I was really good at that game back then. In today's world I suck at that game, i have a hard time telling manufactures apart from one another anymore. And its not because I dont stay on top of all the new cars that come out, its that for the most part they all share the same design language. Maybe BMW wants to be that stand out identifiable vehicle everyone points at even if they hate it. P.S. I would absolutely love if your first theory was correct!

There is something about it that puts me in mind of a 1971 Pontiac Trans Am with its "Honeycomb" cues and front grill. The worst thing about this BMW is it's almost impossible to commit its shape to memory, almost like a memory "stealth" . Maybe that's the idea, you could use it as a getaway car and no witness would be able to describe it to the police.

70s and 80s retro futuristic designs where and are still are better than most future designs nowadays, not only in automotive industry its in every industry, people nowadays simply have dull or no no spirit at all because they grew up reading books and studying things not actually doing stuff and experiencing things, looking at the deloreon, terminator 1,2, aliens, japanese anime like akira, the studd designed on such films had more futuristic spirit than almost every new design this days

We've entered an era where design is about volume - how LOUD you can make something. The more over the top you can make something, the better. It's about making the loudest statement possible. It doesn't matter if it's a beautiful statement or an ugly statement. People just want a statement. And in this regard, BMW is succeeding.

Frank please review more often. This is one of my favourite channels, and would love to see more content from you please. Cheers

I think the ugliness is to stop people making the decision about buying a car based on how good it looks but instead based on ‘cache’. So they basically don’t engage with an opinion, they can just say ‘but it’s a BMW’. Good looking cars are far more difficult to design and sell because it’s a competitive field, brand icons even if ugly sell themselves to the faithful.

I am so happy that a professional, such as yourself, is explaining what I felt. I wrote a comment about this car on a croatian dealership FB page, saying it had an unnecessary cacophony of design ideas, a plethora of redundant lines, shapes..it's a mess. I know the beauty is in the eyes of beholder, but I still believe we can explain why something looks like crap.

BMW’s designers said, “Hey, Lexus just hasn’t gone far enough with their SUV’s odd, angular designs.”

I’ve owned 6 beemers, and currently own a 2020 X5 Their new styling format is horrendous, and zero chance I’m buying another, as long as they keep the weird designs

It's the butterfly effect of Tesla cybertruck but the tail light design unique & cool!

Love this episode Frank! As usual no denying all of your comments. What hurts me the most is that someone with that much budget and resources could come up with this is quite miserable. Would really have loved if you could make your version of XM like one of your other episodes where you design the car in 3d etc. I really crave for that render where you clean all the mess the original designer made. Please make that for this car.

I would like to see a paintover or sketchover of the changes you would make to make these designs even if it was just very rough. Great content though and agree with pretty much everything you said.

Okay, I'm old... and have old-school tastes! This XM is the antithesis of the new Mazda 3 (or to be a little more apples to apples, CX30)... one is busy, frantic, and anxious... the other calm, soothing and graceful. One is trying to impress with it's outrageously looks, the other has no need to boast or attract attention! I have over a dozen BMWs in my "car barn" with over half being E30s. The latest and newest additions are E46s... that's the end of the BMW road for me. My next vehicle will likely be a Mazda, possibly a Subaru. Either way, it will definitely have three pedals!

This makes the Cybertruck look like design genius in comparison. Hurts my eyes, my brain and my heart just trying to look at it.

I never actually thought BMW might be pulling a "new coke". It would explain a lot and I hope they are because what they're doing now is baffling!

I sincerely believe that the BMW design department are seriously thinking these are great designs and that people need to get on board with these bold changes. What BMW customers should do is buy Mercedes because that would show BMW they shouldn't mess with their client base.

We may all hate the new designs, but the sales figures tell a different story. The post-Stephenson and post-Bangle Beemers are hugely popular, BMW Group sold 2,521,525 cars in 2021 to set a new sales record. I guess we all just lost any sense of taste and now we all want garish, angry vehicles. I miss the 1980s BMWs of my youth.

BMW have always been the masters of modern. Ppl seem to forget the bangle era. Look at the e60. Majority hated it. They launched the m sport version and it was stunning however some still didn't like it. Go look at a e60 msport now. It still looks a modern car

You nailed it Frank! Every comment is spot on. They have absolutely lost their mind. Its "design for controversy" versus for style, beauty, or even aggresiveness. Alas, what happened to the designers of even the most recent X7, which is much nicer.

The first x5 4.8is with 315 tires in the rear had an amazing stance that appeared both aggressive and aesthetically pleasing. When I compare the feelings it evoked to the new x5, it just doesn't invoke the same emotions.

The answer to “why?” Is quite simple: They just came to an understanding that their most profitable clients are tasteless rich dudes from Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe, who demand a way to be different at all costs. Especially the Chinese market If you’ll take a look at more reasonable price points, those BMW cars look more conventional (however some design decisions are still questionable)

I feel your heartbreak my friend. Idiotic people will design idiotic cars and idiotic consumers will purchase idiotically "designed" cars. Let's just see how many of them will actually sell.

Any startup or low esteem company making an ugly ass car: "look at those fools they don't know what they're doing" A typically reputable brand making an ugly ass car: "they probably have a long-term plan and a good reason for their decisions" I'm sorry I can't. This car is taking the piss on everything that ever granted BMW their status to begin with. They are completely lost, no sense of direction in the brand. Their lineup of new cars is 90% SUVs and crossovers. BMW has been selling their soul for the better part of the past decade, and now that everyone are going electric they have lost touch with their identity, and thus their legacy by extend. BMW no longer holds any brand value in my book.

6:25 That "broken snake" part gives me a small laugh everytime 😂

From my perspective they wanted to introduce a M1 SUV and keep that looking going.. and this was result - they may have had a urus in the studio too during the design phase is my theory

A similar criticism could be levied against the C8 Corvette. It’s what I call “Shakespearean design”…”full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”

Loved this video Frank. This car reminds me of when Clarkson reviewed the Ssanyong Rhodius. He said the car looked like it had been badly injured in a bar fight, then sewn back together by a blind man. I think it applies here too.

Excellent Thank you Frank I am glad someone of your stature has the courage to challenge the dreadful design and leadership currently at BMW. This is from a 50 year old who has the ability to buy an new BMW but chooses to own an E30 M3.

It is so horrendous that somewhere it makes sense to me that I am liking it a little bit more every time I see it. But only certain parts

Remember when they thought it was a good idea to design the 6 series without a boot and then put one on as an afterthought. Bangle I think was his name. This is another example but they’re following the Cold War of I’ve got a bigger radiator grill!

You are spot on but I believe they are targeting a new younger “new money” tech design audience. They are no longer classic car design enthusiasts who appreciate the hand sculpted ART OF DESIGN esthetic...... maybe you are correct.... SHOCK AND AWW!

I loved this review, I was laughing so hard while watching it. What in the world are BMW doing!? They have been creating a lot of controversy with their lastest models and their design language change, even their advertising is hitting the wrong areas. I fear though, that with the widespead of the internet and accessibilty to designs, I seem to see a trend of terrible or way OTT designs, in the professional and amateur sectors getting tons of love and likes, because people have not been trained in car design or maybe becuse its something crazy and OTT? Are we going to lose all elegance of design? I really hope not! Elegance does not mean boring, it just means spot on and well designed. I will definitely be doing my best to create nice pure and pleasing designs, while pushing the limits and technology, but no need to overdo it. I do see a lot of nice things from OEM companies, but even so, I hope bad design doesn't become the norm one day without people realising it.

The design of the new BMW is so bad right now. For me 2014 BMW M4 and 2017 BMW M5 was the peak of modern BMW design. That was fantastic. I cannot stop looking at those cars. Even older cars look so ahead of time like the M5 2000.

My theory is that the new line up of BMW's are made to please the Asian market. The newer designs have a lot more in common with Asian cars rather than the "stereotypic" European or even American design(s).

As a Bimmer fan and owner, I'm shocked myself by their design language. I remember Bimmer Leadership Team saying you'll see less lines with more purpose few years back. They definitely didn't follow their own vision. Car design and its language has gotten more ubiquitous. So, legacy car makers like BMW have had to reinvent their design language vs Kia and Hyundai - which have taken more share of wallet than projected. BMW is in a state of juxtapose with its own identity. Hang on to legacy design language or create a new design language? They've chose latter. However, execution has been horrendous.

Thanks again, Frank, for yet another in depth thoughtful analysis, as a previous owner and a fan, nothing hurts more than watching these designs produced by BMW, I would suggest they lost the plot ever since they introduced the infamous E65 with the so called "Bangle butt", my last BMW was the E39, arguably the last great design BMW gave us, it is sad to see how previous BMW designers were capable of giving the world icons like E24, 28, 32... in comparison to what they are currently doing, I wish they can bring back that sensibility and elegance.

Hi! we got a X5 in the family, the parkingbreak have been giving warning lights since the first month, but i have given up on recommending we tell the mechanic about it... but other than that, i really like the car! nice work! as for the XM i can kinda see the idea at the front, tiny lights due to regulations, but then have larger lights integrated with the grill, i dont think they pulled it off, but i can appreciate trying something outside of the box, the rest i think they played too much cyberpunk 2077 during the design meetings, but i can really see the resemblance to star citizen's Nox Kue speeder, who was of course inspired by BMW, so in that sense it feels like a BMW

Great analysis. I have tried the iX and liked the drive, but the outside is another story. BMW fans for over 30 years. They lost me during the Bangle years. To me the 80s and early 90s were the best.

Haha, I love how you digest what is wrong with the design very well. When you hear about line flow, that's when you know you're hearing from a true car designer. I can't express how important line flow is to creating a coherent car design. Lets hope this is a marketing ploy, but with BMW's current direction, I have my doubts. Thanks for another great video!!

Totally agree with you, i used to be sent to school in a 2012 BMW X3 Xdrive 20D. Despite it being a normal SUV, it looked really nice and its harder to make SUV's look good especially base model trims. It lasted 475'000km so it was also reliable. I really liked that thing, that car is the reason i could visit my grandmas that lived far away, be sent to my school, etc etc. At the time, other lineups of BMW also looked really nice, even the entry level cars. Now i grew up (teenager) and look at the lineup like: "Really? Alright, im switching to Audi now." *My childhood brand ruined itself...*

I just spent an hour on an interview with a member of their engineering staff. They seem shocked at the backlash to their great ideas. I am getting the sense that they are operating in a bubble.....

Mustang pulled the same thing.I could not believe it when I first saw the Mustang SUV.My first thought was WTF? What next? A minivan?

Long term BMW fan, usually change them every 2 years, but the only car I ever kept for 4 years, was a facelift E53 3.0 Exclusive. Loved that tank of a car so much! Truly amazing timeless design inside out. My feeling is that a younger Quandt is getting involved in BMW and he/she is tired of all that is sacred in BMW design, wants something new and radical. BMW decided that they want to be a Chinese EV startup instead of being a mature company with design heritage and company values. Everything is gone, including that instrument cluster design. Now we get those stupid vertical triangles on two ugly screens that are just glued to dash. terrible! I hate it so so so badly. iX is one of the ugliest cars, second ugliest in history right after this XM. Porsche shows how to respect heritage and move forward with Taycan. Mercedes successfully reinvented itself with the latest gen cars... BMW latest crop makes me physically angry when I look at them.

Are there any videos of BMW explaining or defending their design direction? I would love to hear the marketing waffle to explain this shite.

I’m curious if this is more about strategic design contrasts from the previous generations. In the 90s with the E32 and E34 7 series, we witnessed a seismic shift in design with Bangle’s E65 7, which has been the underlying theme for the subsequent generations until now, all of the 7 series dating back from 2000 to the 6th gen 7 are minor increments in design, and now with this radical design, BMW might be attempting to create a shatter in perception to break away (momentarily) so we can adjust our senses to a new design language and see a return to classical styling only to make it seem new and fresh.

This BMW makes the Aztec look like a desirable automobile. This X5 is so ridiculous, I think the BMW president called on his 10 yr old grandson to come up with it. I hope the designer is not an ACCD grad.

My theory: This being a concept car, BMW purposefully made it insane and ugly to make people talk about the car. Using internet hate to spread knowledge of the car. We already see this with the new M3/M4, instagram posts about the two always have crazy amounts of comments and engagement. I think they're using this to put the car on everyones radar, to then release a toned down production version that everyone will talk about as being a relief and comparatively beautiful. A tactic to make us appreciate another boring looking performance SUV, instead of releasing it already boring looking and no one paying attention to it for that reason... I have to believe this theory and hope it's true, because I can't fathom this becoming the new automotive design language of all brands going forward and seeing cars this ugly on the road lol

I hate it, but BMW had the thoughtfulness to price it out of my range, so I could never accidentally buy it.

My theory is that like every other company they don’t care about profits anymore, they care more about destroying souls with ugliness and madness

Now days car consumers grow up on different "transformers" so they just love this like designs. For my taste it just doesn't look serious for serious men. Serious is just the price tag.