[Bostongio]

Long-time BMW owner here, but with the release of the G60 and the future NK, I'm just NOT digging the design direction BMW is going in.

Had the chance to explore the interior/exterior of a G60 on my local dealer's lot and sorry, but it's no better looking in person. It just looks plain, boring, and like the designers were like, "How can we take away anything interesting from the rest of the car's design and just throw it all in the front fascia?" It's just not a good looking car and the rear just is too reminiscent of a Buick or Toyota.

Interior is no better. These stupid flat screens are horrible design elements, just tacked onto the dashboard with some sort of weird support on the passenger's side of things. I mean, it literally looks like they put minimal effort into this display's design and integrating it into the dash. I'm not a fan of these sorts of displays -- there's a reason why a driver's cowl was over the display in past cars. Sunlight hits displays at all sorts of weird angles when you drive, and I dunno, I've had it where even in my G30 center display it's practically unreadable in certain conditions.

The NK just takes this all one step further -- fewer design elements, fewer displays, just... boring.

Add to that the weight and increased dimensions all around, and I just think I'll be hanging on to my 540i xDrive for as long as possible now. And maybe looking more critically for its replacement in the future outside of the BMW world...

(And yes, I know, some of these elements are the way many brands are going... so maybe I'll grow used to these things. But not right now.)

[AP]

I’m of the same view. In bmw anything with idrive 8 or later I really don’t like
I also don’t like where they are going and envisage the m550 I have will probably be my last new car . That’s a really sad thought for me but I rarely like anything new out there now and I don’t want an EV for various reasons

The only cars I like which are not bmw a a bit if a step up, namely the Bentley flying spur and the Aston Martin db12
Obviously a different league. It I like the interiors where there are real buttons and none of this stupid iPad slapped on the dashboard approach

Luckily my 550 is a great car, the g30 range I think is one of their best. The new g60 doesn’t have any redeeming features for me to even consider it. It’s ride and refine may be good but styling and quality wise , it’s a huge disappointment

[adhrp]

Welcome to the club. You are in good company here on this topic. The silver lining to all of this is that many folks will hold on longer to the wonderful cars that they already own instead of offloading the within 2-3 years.

[AP]

I was in a similar position some time back
I bought a new e39 530 msport
Wonderful car and I keep it for 10 years. Only had 55000 miles on it. Didn’t like the e60 so hung on but traded it in a f10z
Unfortunately I didn’t have room for 2 cars so it had to go, one of my biggest regrets

I guess the point of this is that there nothing wrong with owning a r for more than a typical 3 year lease
If you like it, hang on to it

[LogicalApex]

Change stirs up a lot of emotion. Many weren't happy with the G30 design when it launched from what I saw on the forums and now that it has reached EOL it has had time to grow on many.

I am not knocked off my feet by the new design, but I'm willing to give it time.

That said, the look of the car is one factor in many that influences which car I decide to buy...

From what I can see right now. I may skip the G60 or get a late year LCI depending on how it shapes up, but I'm most interested in a BEV. So seeing what the "5 Series" version of the NK looks like is where my interest is right now.

[Mosaud1998]

Only new BMW I'd buy today would be a G80 M3 or an 8 Series. Unfortunately, I can't afford neither right now

[eliphil]

Thoroughly disappointing. This is why I grabbed a 23 m550 even though my 22 only has 30000 miles. I want to own the new one as long as I can. Just need to figure out what to do w the 22. I’m thinking 5 years on the new one and then see what’s around.

[Drifttime85]

I’m happy with my m550 that I purchased last year. Such a great looking car front to back along with plenty of power.

I drive by all the newer models and see one at work everyday and it’s still not grown on me. Maybe it’s because I’m biased but hopefully there’s a big shift in the next phase.

[jcal65]

I cannot disagree with everything stated here.

I am also disappointed with the direction BMW has taken. It is like they decided to replace their traditional loyal customers with new ones by offering weird designs and gimmicky tech to copy competitors, while focusing on going towards an all-EV future. I am not opposed to change for the better, but I think they moved too fast without enough thought and refinement. Just look at all the negative comments whenever a new BMW has been leaked and then introduced on this forum in recent years. This cannot be what BMW wants, can it?

I really want to like the G60, but it just falls flat for me and looks odd at certain angles. There is nothing special that makes me want one like when I ordered my G30. I have a hard time paying more money to get less luxury, performance, and sport, with a touch of quirkiness, for something that does not thrill me. It has gone from a luxury performance driver’s car to an average generic computer on wheels.

My local dealer still has G60’s on the lot they received in October 2023, and they keep piling up, most of them with high MSRP’s. The new 5 series is not selling like almost everything else.

I feel sorry for the early adopters who bought or leased a G60 when introduced at or near MSRP because they are being heavily discounted now. I looked at an i5 M60 $92k MSRP (with veganza synthetic seats not even leather) in my dealer’s showroom a few weeks ago. I sat in the car and a salesman approached me. I “point blank” asked him if this car was selling. He looked down and said no, they have quite a few of them in stock received last year and they are an acquired taste with customers. It has not been well received. I appreciated his honesty. He then said they are being heavily discounted. I asked what kind of discount. He said $14k off MSRP plus some other available incentives and this was without any negotiation. They still have this car and have received more since my visit.

I’m in the same boat as many others on this forum, nearing the end of a 3-year G30 lease with no excitement for its potential replacement, at least from BMW. I will either keep my M550, find another brand or settle and take advantage of a smoking deal when my BMW dealer begs me to get a car off their high interest floorplan.

[AP]

Agree
I sat in a i5 m60 in the showroom a while back . It must have been fully loaded as it was up for sale for £114k
I sat in it and thought no way is this worth that.
Even with the huge discounts on offer now it’s still it worth it to me

It will be interesting to see how this has sold once a year is up. I e seen a few on the roads now and it still doesn’t do anything for me
I washed and waxed my m550 last weekend and once I had finished, I looked at it and thought this really is a good looking and good performing car

It’ll be interesting to see how the new m5 is received

[Alscoob]

Originally Posted by AP

I was in a similar position some time back
I bought a new e39 530 msport
Wonderful car and I keep it for 10 years. Only had 55000 miles on it. Didn’t like the e60 so hung on but traded it in a f10z
Unfortunately I didn’t have room for 2 cars so it had to go, one of my biggest regrets

I guess the point of this is that there nothing wrong with owning a r for more than a typical 3 year lease
If you like it, hang on to it

Have to agree with you and so will the wife!

She was in the same situation a while ago. Her last car was the 2nd of her 350Z's she had and ended keping it for 7 years as she couldn't find anything else she liked at the time. Fast forward and the Z4 she currently has she bought in 2014 and still she can't find anything (within price) that she would prefer, so that's 9.5 years.

When I changed my F31 for the G31 9 months ago she wandered round the dealership looking at all the cars available including the newer Z4, I said well, what do you like, she said, I'll keep the Z4 thanks!.....

I'm starting to feel the same about the G31 given the way cars are going. Although there are some things I dislike with the tech aspect of the current car, I could live with them, as opposed to the later designs on show at the moment that I certainly could not and would not live with.

[AP]

In general, it gets worse here in the EU with the rumoured speed limiters and mandatory lane departure warning (that you can’t disable)
Whether this become law or kit is to be seen, but if it’s not 2025, I suspect it won’t be soon after

The manufacturers can’t really do much about that but it’s another negative thing about new cars

I feel the g30 has about the right amount of tech in it. You can switch it all off if you prefer , your not forced into using using it

[Joe-BMW33]

Yep, we all feel the same way. I had a G60 loaner for 3 days last week and I also perused the showroom while there. I feel the same way, this could be the end of a LONG line of BMW's for me if they don't adjust course. I am hoping sales will suck, feedback will be poor from the community and at the very least, the exterior and interior design will go back to more traditional BMW standards.

Frankly, that G60 didn't even feel like a BMW. Solid "car" and comfortable, but it had no soul.

[AP]

It weird though because most of the g60 reviews on you tube are generally positive
The ones that aren’t are from Harry metcalfe and Joe Achilles. Oth I respect, Harry because he’s been in this business a long time and Joe because he is a big bmw fan and has driven most of them now. Both will not bow to manufacturers and will state both good and bad as they see it

Sales will intimately determine their fate .


I always enjoy looking round the dealership when my car is in for a service but I now find I’ll lol at the new models and have a feeling of relief that I’m not buying one of them. The used car section now seems to be the more interesting side to look around now….

Well some therapy in a months time when I visit bmw ultimate meet at the British motor museum. Last year there were 1100 cars . Plenty of cars to see . Something for everyone .

[Johnny Grabble]

I am also in agreement with the folks here. I'll be hanging on to my G30 530d for as long as I can: to that end, I've just had a towbar fitted so I can transport by bikes around. Prior to doing that I looked at the new 5 (too big, too ugly, too heavy) and many other BMW models (most with the suicide touch screen controls for everything - I don't want to go through 7 presses in 5 sub menus on a touchscreen while doing 70mph down a motorway just to change the heated seats down a notch. And whatever replaces it won't likely be a BMW on the strength of their current designs either.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by AP

It weird though because most of the g60 reviews on you tube are generally positive
The ones that aren’t are from Harry metcalfe and Joe Achilles. Oth I respect, Harry because he’s been in this business a long time and Joe because he is a big bmw fan and has driven most of them now. Both will not bow to manufacturers and will state both good and bad as they see it

Sales will intimately determine their fate .


I always enjoy looking round the dealership when my car is in for a service but I now find I’ll lol at the new models and have a feeling of relief that I’m not buying one of them. The used car section now seems to be the more interesting side to look around now….

Well some therapy in a months time when I visit bmw ultimate meet at the British motor museum. Last year there were 1100 cars . Plenty of cars to see . Something for everyone .

There is a conflict of interest with 90% of the reviews out there. They don't get cars to test if they slam it, which means less subscribers and less revenue.

[2022M550i]

I checked out a G60 when I was getting my car serviced. The sales people were looking at the expressions on my face...they just smiled shaking their heads. They know. Their livelihoods depend on selling that cocka.

Some say we'll get used to it...it's new. Change is good. Yeah, tell that to muscle car enthusiasts as the 70's progressed. Case and point. What a difference 4 years can make.

[jcal65]

Originally Posted by 2022M550i

I checked out a G60 when I was getting my car serviced. The sales people were looking at the expressions on my face...they just smiled shaking their heads. They know. Their livelihoods depend on selling that cocka.

Some say we'll get used to it...it's new. Change is good. Yeah, tell that to muscle car enthusiasts as the 70's progressed. Case and point. What a difference 4 years can make.

Yes, they know! The salesman was excited to see me sitting in the i5 until he found out I was only there to pick up my car from its annual maintenance. I have been tracking G60 sales for a 100-mile radius in N. CA and in LA/Orange County (probably the highest BMW sales location in the world) and I can tell you these cars are not selling, 1 maybe 2 a week. They can’t give away the iX’s either.

[Warp Ten]

I certainly share many of the same sentiments voiced here. And there are many threads in this and other forums voicing similar thoughts. Since they new wide screen dashboard eliminates many buttons and switches, I am afraid we are stuck with it because it is much cheaper both to produce and to maintain parts inventory over the long term. I really dislike all the touchscreens in use today because they are so distracting to drivers. I have a friend with a new X5 and it is scary watching him driving while poking at the screen and looking at it repeatedly because he hit the wrong button several times. In front of him in the display is a single number--digital speed over in the left corner, then a map moving around every time he turns. No A/C buttons or dials, no seat heater buttons, etc. Everything done through the screen. The worst is the Tesla requiring looking away from the road at the center of the dash for everything. I like the way my 2019 540xi displays information and has a select number of buttons for things I use and I especially like the iDrive controller which allows me to do everything on the screen without touching it. I plan to keep this car a very long time if it continues to be reliable. May even be my last car. But then, I am an old guy. --Bob

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by Warp Ten

I certainly share many of the same sentiments voiced here. And there are many threads in this and other forums voicing similar thoughts. Since they new wide screen dashboard eliminates many buttons and switches, I am afraid we are stuck with it because it is much cheaper both to produce and to maintain parts inventory over the long term. I really dislike all the touchscreens in use today because they are so distracting to drivers. I have a friend with a new X5 and it is scary watching him driving while poking at the screen and looking at it repeatedly because he hit the wrong button several times. In front of him in the display is a single number--digital speed over in the left corner, then a map moving around every time he turns. No A/C buttons or dials, no seat heater buttons, etc. Everything done through the screen. The worst is the Tesla requiring looking away from the road at the center of the dash for everything. I like the way my 2019 540xi displays information and has a select number of buttons for things I use and I especially like the iDrive controller which allows me to do everything on the screen without touching it. I plan to keep this car a very long time if it continues to be reliable. May even be my last car. But then, I am an old guy. --Bob

It's funny how back in the day, texting and driving was a hazard. Now you have iPads in cars

[AP]

Was about to say the same
Ironic that touching a mobile phone is illegal here in the U.K. but touching the screen is not although I guess you could be booked for lack of due care and attention potentially but the. At makers should. Prevent this in the first place

Ergonomics have really taken a back step of late with the use of inappropriate technology

How Tesla sapproachewas approved is probably because of the lack of clarity on the rules. Ie that yoke they introduced, how the hell is supposed to be better than a wheel? I digress though

I’ve said it before but I think we have passed “peak car”

[eliphil]

Ok if anyone is interested in a 22 M550 31k miles bernina grey dynamic handling let me know…… I am in no rush to sell it I drove it all winter and babied the new one. I feel for all bmw enthusiasts that need new wheels….