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      10-02-2014, 04:06 PM   #1
bimmr
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Is X1 really that ugly to majority of people?

Is X1 really that ugly to majority of people? I am in the market for a new car and x1 is top of my list. However, I came across a lot of posts / comments that X1 is ugly, and it looks like a wagon.

Then I look at the images and maybe I got influenced by it. It does sorta look like a wagon. One of those 3-series wagon/touring.

What you guys think?
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      10-02-2014, 04:27 PM   #2
themishmosh
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I don't find the looks as good as the current X3. To me, the headlights are a little large. The rear end isn't as chiseled. Otherwise, it is a good looking car. I like the hood and the sides, and how they flow. Overall shape is more like a hatchback though. If it looks like a wagon, I don't think that's a bad thing. More of a tall wagon. I very much appreciate the extra headroom!
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      10-02-2014, 05:04 PM   #3
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I like the blunt nose of the X1. I agree about the headlights. There are big and weird looking. I've added exterior tint to the top portion of the lights to slim them down, looks much, much better.

If you're liking the car, wgaf what other people think. Buy it and love it because you love it, not because other people do.
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      10-02-2014, 05:09 PM   #4
themishmosh
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Twix View Post
I've added exterior tint to the top portion of the lights to slim them down, looks much, much better.
+1. Thanks for the tip, btw. I absolutely love it. Goes well with my Mineral Grey color quite well.
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      10-02-2014, 08:13 PM   #5
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I learned a long time ago and many cars ago that the only thing that matters is your opinion about a car. If you like it than your decision is made for you, if you don't like it then that is your decision. There may be things that you would like different about the car, but it is what it is. Good luck and enjoy your decision.
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      10-02-2014, 08:31 PM   #6
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I like wagons. I actually wanted a 3 series wagon but they were not available at the time and they were too pricey. The X1 looks more like a wagon on steroids than it does a crossover SUV.
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      10-02-2014, 09:21 PM   #7
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I have a product design degree with experience in transportation design. The X1 is the most affordable BMW but it's also one of the best and most cohesive designs in their line up. Trust me when I say I'm critical of BMW designs and am not a fanboy. In fact many of their designs are too contrived and downright ugly. I was so displeased with BMW's design direction in the 2000's that my license plate said "B4 BANGLE" (as in Chris Bangle) and I eventually left the BMW flock for several years until they started making better looking products again.

Anyway, I consider the X1 to be return to form. Yes the front is a little overdone but the swept back headlights and hood surface treatments suggest speed and dynacism, and the large 7-series style kidney grills lend machismo and imposing attitude to a compact crossover whose small footprint doesn't have a very large presence on the road. Unfortunately, the overstyled front end is what will date the current X1 the most. But I do think that as a composition, it still looks better than the squinty square (cross eyed?) look of the current X3.

From the side, the longitudinal drive train and RWD layout make for a long sporty hood and set back windshield (this will be the one area the next FWD X1's appearance and proportions will suffer the most) and the tidy SAV/wagon roofline suggests a shooting brake (4 door M coupe anyone?). That cabin terminates in an aggressively sloped backlight, that combined with the swept up shoulder line and canted forward D pillar make for a side profile that has a lot of potential energy (like a crossbow that has been drawn), so the X1 looks as if ready to pounce or lunge forward even at rest.

The chiseled and scalloped sides add visual interest to what would otherwise be tall and plain doors. If you examine the tail light lenses, they have a lot of intricate details with receding layers. The X line in particular has a lot of nice contrasting materials and colors, though I personally favor the cleaner body color M sport look. The optional 19 wheels are some of the best wheels to ever grace a BMW but all of the X1 wheels are pretty decent. If I'm being picky I would love to see the wheels and tires be an inch wider all around to match the stance of the X5M/X6M.

Not everything is perfect. The rear diffusers on all the lines are kind of weak though and the exhaust pipes seem like an afterthought that could have been integrated better (maybe stylized tail pipe finishers? ). The X1 has appeal because it straddles the desirable but difficult to achieve middle ground between "cute crossover," frumpy wagon and butch jeep. Utility and style are usually mutually exclusive but the X1 strikes a nice compromise. Both men and women seem to like it. And it still looks like a real BMW. In case it's not obvious, I think it looks great!
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Last edited by BMWBig6; 10-02-2014 at 09:35 PM..
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      10-02-2014, 09:22 PM   #8
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I loved the looks of my E46 330i (2001). Working in the city of New York, I did not want a longer car when I decided to buy new. The X1 was about the same length as my 330i. The price was in the same ballpark I paid 13 years prior. The performance is equivalent. The new 330i is longer and $10grand more. On the positive side, both my wife and I like the higher seating. But quite frankly, I think the car is not the beauty that the e46 330i was. It looks rather kludgy and clumsy to me. That being said, I'm getting used to its looks, and love driving it.
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      10-03-2014, 01:38 AM   #9
jaeezzy
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To be absolutely honest, I sometimes look at my Alpine white X1 M Sport and whisper to it - oh! you sexy thing!! lol.. But having said that, I do agree that from some angles it does look weird

Last edited by jaeezzy; 10-03-2014 at 01:57 AM..
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      10-03-2014, 10:18 AM   #10
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It looks like a Converse high top sneaker, but that's not necessarily uncool.
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      10-04-2014, 09:09 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmr View Post
Is X1 really that ugly to majority of people?
What you guys think?
I'm confused...where did you read or hear this? What majority? I've never heard anything approaching this assertion and I read a lot about the X1.
And, FWIW, I like it better than my previous Q5.
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      10-04-2014, 09:15 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mscottc View Post
...not the beauty that the e46 330i was.
Couldn't agree more but the E46 was/is a rare masterpiece...as was the E9.
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      10-04-2014, 09:28 AM   #13
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Love my X1, but the front nose is kinda long....
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      10-06-2014, 07:40 AM   #14
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+1 for what BMWBig6 wrote above. Of course he and I have the same car and same taste. I own a 2015 Mineral white xDrive 28i M sport with coral red interior and 19 inch wheels.

Last edited by matjen; 10-06-2014 at 07:47 AM..
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      10-06-2014, 07:40 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevman View Post
Love my X1, but the front nose is kinda long....
Agree, I think the "longer nose" is what contributes to the perception of having a wagon-like appearance. I like the way it looks best from the side-rear.
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      10-06-2014, 09:29 AM   #16
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If we all had the same taste we all owned a VW Golf (Golf 2 wouldn't even be designed etc).
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      10-07-2014, 09:38 AM   #17
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I own a Z3 M coupe and 328iT...so I guess that's my excuse for liking the X1.
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      10-07-2014, 01:30 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmr View Post
Is X1 really that ugly to majority of people? I am in the market for a new car and x1 is top of my list. However, I came across a lot of posts / comments that X1 is ugly, and it looks like a wagon.

Then I look at the images and maybe I got influenced by it. It does sorta look like a wagon. One of those 3-series wagon/touring.

What you guys think?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think the 3 series wagon looks pretty sharp. I don't get the anti wagon sentiment in this country.

Also you are the one who has to like the looks. If you like it why care what anyone else thinks? No matter what car you get most people won't care what it looks like. The only car I have ever owned that impressed girls was a VW Cabrio. And the only vehicle that people came up to me to tell me how cool and beautiful it was a Ducati Sport Classic 1000.


If you get a vehicle everyone thinks is attractive it will be a vehicle everyone is driving or will be a 300k Italian car with reliability issues.
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      10-07-2014, 06:33 PM   #19
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I believe the X1 to be better appreciated in person.. there are some characteristics I'd change, but by no means an "ugly" car
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      10-07-2014, 07:03 PM   #20
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Agreed. X1 is far from ugly. Not every angle is the best, but I think mine is hot and I get lots of compliments and curious people wanting to know what it is. I like the stance and LED taillights. Be glad you got one, the next gen will unfortunately be based on FWD architecture. I am glad BMW decided to bring it to North America especially in 35i form.
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      10-07-2014, 07:13 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by atomic View Post
If you get a vehicle everyone thinks is attractive it will be a vehicle everyone is driving or will be a 300k Italian car with reliability issues.
Not always true. Years ago I had a Toyota MR2 Spyder. I used to get approached in parking lots all the time by people saying it was beautiful and asking what kind of car it was. Mine was debadged and instead had the Japanese version (MR-S) spyder badges, so most people thought it was some kind European exotic costing way more than it really did. It used to get complements all the time. People would most commonly ask if it was a Porsche or a Lotus.
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      10-07-2014, 07:36 PM   #22
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I like most of the styling, but to me the angle/slope of the glass in the rear hatch would look better if it were less sloped. The X3 / X5 are more to my liking.
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