I'm getting used to the big grille, at least on the iX and i4 (having seen both in the flesh).
In the context of a large vehicle like the iX, it doesn't stand out as much, given that others in that size range also have similarly large grilles, if not larger in some cases (seen the maw on the new Lexus LX?).
I can also accept it on the i4, because it's in a "different" class where the i models have been more avant garde in their styling.
That said, it's horrible on the 4/M3/M4, where it's disproportional to the rest of the design, and the existence of the regular 3 only reminds you how bad it looks in comparison.
BMW designs are all over the place, and not in a good way, with the worst aside from the grille being the ill-proportioned and blandly generic 2GC, which could be mistaken for any number of Asian econocars if it didn't have the kidneys and badges.
(The flip side to that is where every Mercedes is seemingly a scaled version of one another, and they've apprarently taken inspiration for their new EQ BEV line from even more rounder and symmetrical bars of soap than usual.)
The new 2 coupe comes closest to a traditional BMW, but the proportions of the lights fixtures are off, particularly in the rear.
And, another unfortunate, but all too common trait of recent BMWs -- they're fat -- including the i4. The new 2 could have represented salvation for its traditional customers, but there's little reason a compact 2-door should weigh 3500 lbs in 4-cyl guise. The M240 with AWD is almost 3900 lbs. The forthcoming RWD version isn't going to improve on that much. Both also lack manual transmissions.
There was a time when one didn't need to buy the M cars, or their special editions, for basic things like manual transmissions and svelte proportions. The desirable things that made them stand out were inherent, and present from the top to the bottom of the line. But those days are long gone.
In many respects, the i4 and iX are more appealing than the rest of the line. They're not perfect, but get a little slack as early attempts at new recipes. For a lot of the rest, the company has lost their old cookbook, if not the plot.
insideevs.com
