It's been a while since BMW introduced the iX, the brand's first bespoke all-electric SAV (BMW insists on calling its SUVs Sports Activity Vehicles, so we're complying), so why is Frank Stephenson reacting so late?
Well, as he said on previous occasions, he doesn't like to rush in. He wants to keep a cool head and deliver a well-thought-out opinion instead of a hasty reaction in the heat of the moment, and that's an attitude more of us should have. It's a sign of professionalism and respect toward his audience, and we respect that.
Take his Tesla Cybertruck video, for example. He waited for more than one year before he was sure he could put what he felt about it into words. And when he did, you just had to stand back and applaud the way he built his argument. You may not agree with him, but you could definitely understand what he was on about.
It's more or less the same with the BMW iX, though we're pretty sure even fewer people will feel differently from Frank on this occasion than they did with Tesla's electric pickup truck. Even more so than the i3 before it - at least that one was small, so you could say it was cute in a British Bulldog kind of way - most people find the iX extremely difficult to like.
Frank Stephenson is definitely one of them. He isn't at all convinced by the BEV's exterior design, both from an aesthetic point of view and for pushing the brand's identity forward. He argues that if you take away that large faux-grille and the badges, you'll struggle to tell it's a BMW, and he's not wrong.
The front, he says, is like a punch in the face. The squinted headlights appear to be looking suspiciously at you, and the surface beneath them is way too busy. By contrast, the side is almost featureless, giving the vehicle a static look. "It's almost a vehicle that's lost its soul," he says, and now the more we look at the iX, the more it starts to resemble a robot.
Moving toward the back, Frank's not exactly crazy about the interrupted C-pillar either. We're actually OK with that, for what it's worth, but even if you like it, it's still just a minor feature that gets lost in a sea of fugliness. The rear is the iX's strong point, but even there the bumper manages to ruin the party.
It's not all bad, though. Well, it is as far as the exterior is concerned, but Frank admits the interior is gorgeous. Is that enough to make him buy the car? Of course not. How could a designer buy a car whose exterior appearance he rates three out of ten?
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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