Since the first,
and the very successful, release of the X5, the design of the vehicle
has gone no where else but downhill. One of the most appalling design
elements to have appeared on this particular vehicle since its first
incarnation would have to be the cut, or the depression, in the
middle of the front bumper, which I attribute to the gentle shoulder
massage given to Chancellor Angela Merkel by George W. Bush. I am not
aware of how political gestures are interpreted by auto
manufacturers, but in this case, it resulted in the introduction of a
design element which was already being used by Jeep on its models.
Whereas in case of Jeep's vehicles it has become ever more subtle
with time, not only are there no signs of recovering from this
particular design calamity in case of BMW, in their case, it seems
more like as if at some point during the assembly process somebody
forgot to put an essential element in place leaving a gaping hole
instead. When are people at BMW either going to come up with the
missing element or make that missing part an essential element of the
over all design is something I am waiting with eagerness.
Another design
change which I have been hoping for quite some time now from people
at BMW when it comes to their SUVs is the decision to stop putting
circular objects, which would be the wheels, in squarish coverings,
which would be the wheel arches. Have they been testing brand loyalty
over the last decade, or whether the rich person even bothers to take
a closer look at an established brand or not?
