If you ask me, the Bavarian automotive ways have gone down the drain, as of late – with a few cool exceptions. And it hurts me so much that I might even choose an Audi, instead!
Interestingly, the ubiquitous German luxury triumvirate has hedged the bets quite differently in recent years, and it is almost like all three of them agreed to stop rivaling each other and instead slice up the market and equally share it.
Mercedes-Benz, the traditional classic, is – well – quite steadfast indeed and while most of its designs feel like there is not a pin to choose between them a lot of people resonate with that line of thought. Naturally, the sales have gone up and those seeking to stand out in the ritzy crowds have also decided to pay even more attention to the aftermarket realm.
BMW, meanwhile, has chosen to ‘innovate’ its styling at all costs. They do not seem to care about the fan base's opinion, about specialists, and even about unity amongst their family models. Instead, all they seek is recognition beyond the extreme, which is probably why so many of their recent designs look like aliens. Stranger things with double-coffin vertical grilles like the 4 Series, M3, and M4, oddities like the Minecraft-styled M2, or split headlight monsters such as the 7 Series, i7, and X7 LCI are just some of the recent examples.
As for Audi, it swims across the pond like a duck instead of a drake – it’s as bland as the former instead of colorful and attractive like the latter. However, there are exceptions, and just recently I could not help myself but snatch a couple of examples from across the imaginative realm of the aftermarket kingdom to present them as a study case. As such, for starters, we have the good folks over at Hollywood, California-based RDB LA, who have another YouTube vlog episode out, and we need to be quick to address the murdered-out mess of an all-black BMW 7 Series.
Naturally, the dark and menacing attire was complemented by a matching black configuration for the RDB Signature wheels, so that perhaps some of the peeps who were more permissive with the new design would be swayed towards liking the all-black treatment. Others, on the other hand, were not convinced the traditionally cool murdered-out attire can do much to fix the OEM problem…
Anyway, my pick between this BMW and an Audi would be easy: Satin Gray RS 6 Avant beats the murdered-out 7 every time – both in terms of styling and practicality. Quite expensive at $121,900, and also a rare breed in a U.S. market that stopped favoring station wagons quite a long time ago, this example became even posher when outfitted with Vista, California-based HRE Wheels’ P201 model dressed in Satin Black.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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