The bad reputation BMW has earned over the years can be traced back to a three-door coupe, namely the 3 Series Compact from the E36 generation. Chris Bangle also needs to be mentioned, a gentleman who singlehandedly modernized the design language with polarizing cues.
Bangle was replaced by Adrian van Hooydonk in 2009, who masterminded the humongous kidney grilles of current-generation BMWs. The G22 fiasco comes to mind, together with the iX electric utility vehicle. The M3 and M4 are worthy of mention as well, and who could forget the Concept XM?
The love-it-or-hate-it approach to exterior design is best described by the brand’s design boss Domagoj Dukec. He famously said that “it’s not our goal to please everyone. You can see that on something as polarizing like the kidneys on the 4 Series, 20% of people are liking it.” Reading between the lines, the German automaker is losing prospective customers due to the stubbornness of two high-ranking designers within the BMW Group.
All of these points are nicely touched in the following video, an honest BMW commercial edited with footage from the BeamNG.drive video game by DYTASTIC. The gentleman who edited this clip also touches on a plethora more questionable decisions that include the i8 and Supra.
DYTASTIC further touches upon BMW’s newfound love of taking stuff away from the customer. Models built since 2006 don’t have dipsticks, but electronic indicators located in the oil pan. That’s questionable indeed, more so if you remember that direct-injection engines like to burn oil.
“Every generation became bigger, better, and louder,” says the narrator, which is only two-thirds correct because twin-turbo engines aren’t as loud as free-breathing engines. Also worthy of note, noise regulations almost killed off the manual box in the Porsche 911 GT3 in California.
The honest BMW commercial also includes a tongue-in-cheek line. “We couldn’t beat Britain in WW2, but we still got their cars.” In addition to MINI and Rolls-Royce, it’s worth remembering that BMW briefly owned the Rover Group, which included the Land Rover marque. The L322-generation Range Rover, for example, was developed with BMW’s money.
The humorous ad then comes to a humorously bitter conclusion. “BMW. We too wish for a time machine. Driving gloves not included.”
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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