You can now clearly see the design elements of the headlights - the ones that bring the aggressivenes to the front design, beside the fangs-like design of the front bumper - with all the sharp edges.
Both lines - the hood cut line & end the flank upper edge - are continuing into headlight cluster cover glass, creating prominent creases & flat area on the upper edge of the cluster cover glass (just between the both creases, still partially masked in the pic).
The recess in the cover glass is also clearly seen - just beside the grille. It's a nice design touch - creating even more aggressiveness in the E70 front. The both recesses look like small air intakes - but they are just cosmetic, not functional.
The car looks very aggressive & imposing in person.
Here are some of my earlier write-ups, posted by me or my "little helpers".
In descending chronological order:
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Those pics with black E70 with "unmasked" headlights are photoshopped.
Enlarge them and check the details:- some edges around headlights & fog lights are obviously blurred
- there is no headlight washing system seen due to fascia is rendered
- fog lights area is not the same on left & right side
But indeed the pics show headlight shape very well, yet some important details are not seen. And those details makes quite a huge difference. Have E92 3er coupe PSed spy pics in mind - they were close but they lacked the crisp & details.
But it's not hard to figure the general headlight shape from the spy pics - since they are only mildly taped and borders are clearly seen.
When the official pics of E70 or some a bit more exposed spy pics hit the media you'll clearly see the design is very fresh & modern, yet having a lot of E53 genes in it.
The overall stance is much more aggressive & sporty. And while the E53 looks bulky / bloated / chubby, the E70 looks sleeker but still very beefy. Flame surfacing is excessively used.
E70 side profile looks very much like RR Sport or Porsche Cayenne - the stance, not the design details. The profile is much more horizontal than the one of E53. Therefore E70 looks longer, sleeker & lower. All due to sharp & long & not diagonal shoulder line, lower sharp crease in the doors, narrower green house, and less sloppy nose.
The rear of E70 looks much more powerful and lower than actually is. White strip (reverse light + turn signals) in all-red rear light clusters & the CELIS LED position light strips make the rear look even wider & lower. Also the red reflectors in the lower part of the bumper enhance the powerful look - just like on the E60 rear.
Front looks very "p!ssed off" - very "move out of my way". Very sporty, very aggressive. And very crispy - a lot of sharp edges & cuts. In front bumper, hood & headlight clusters. CELIS LED rings (featuring daytime light just like E92), sharp edges, creases, cuts & brushed parts in covering cluster glass make the headlights sooooo aggressive. Due to bumper, grille & headlight design the front fascia looks lower than it really is.
All these spy pics do not show the stance & the details right. The appearance is very skewed in the spy pics, and do the E70 no justice. Just wait till the tapes fall off.
And when all the tape is removed from E70 will see another BMW that polarises: for some too evolutionary, for some too "Bangleized".
Btw, putting E70 beside E53 makes the current E53 X5 very dated & awkward, although the similarities in shape / design are obvious. But the skin restyling has made a huge impact. A very positive one, IMO.
What E70 lost with sleeker skin, it got back with bigger dimensions.
But still under some angles E53 looks a bit more "pumped-up" compared to sleeker E70 - due E53's more compact dimensions & bloated skin.
E70 is muscular in a modern way: having very edgy muscles, while E53 is muscular in a classic way: bloated & chubby.
Is it easy to mistake E70 for E53? Not really. Maybe from the back when it has the lights switched off - but only from a huge distance in a bad weather.
But the car (E70) is instantly recognizable as a BMW, and as an X5. Also: I bet some will complain over Bangle-SAV-butt - the back looks very ... how to say ... "solid" in a direct view. But still not as "solid" as Audi Q7's back - which was definitely inspired by J.Lo's behind.
Put E70 side by side to ML & Q7: ML suddenly looks like a tall box, while Q7 is so like a mini-bus.
But Q7 front fascia is still very impressive: very powerful. I like the remark my colleague gave: Q7 has a face of a tame Rottweiler, while E70's face is the one of a very angry Doberman.
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X5 will follow the E90 3-series formula: almost identical shape with a completely new skin. This is called evolutionary design.
No need for rush and total redesign, since it is only 2nd generation of X5. And the current is a winning horse, so ... Really no need for a revolution. Yet.
Yes - the shape is very familiar, since it is almost identical to the current X5. Styling is contemporary BMW: prominent flame surfacing. FS is not clearly seen on spy pics, but it is there - very prominent.
Front will be very aggressive - very BMWish: "Move out of my way, or I'll gonna eat you".
The back could appear a bit bland - especially due to almost identical shape of rear light clusters - but the graphics are more dynamic: the CELIS LED stripes make the car look lower & wider.
Interior follows the 3er / 5er theme. Materials and fit&finish are on very high level though.
The whole appearance is very fresh, modern & dynamic, with a strong touch of aggressivenss - but still evolutionary. As I said: compare E46 3er to E90 3er.
There is one perfect word describing E70 X5: beefy. Very muscular, powerfull, aggressive, sporty SAV. Narrower greenhouse contributes to even sportier look. If you think Audi Q7 is aggressive, just wait to see E70. And I'm very eager to see test comparisons of on-road performance of AWD systems: quattro vs. xDrive. There is a huge surprise coming on!
IMO E70 X5 will be really well received, and it will be an instant hit - again. Despite all the competition.
Btw, if you want a revolutionary and more exciting design you should wait for X6 Sport Activity Coupe or V5 Luxury Sports Cruiser (aka RFK).
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The X5 is now in its FEP phase so we will start to see what it looks like underneath the black plastic camouflage.
However some camouflaged X5s will remain testing on the worlds roads as underneath they will cover the mechanicals and chassis and suspension alterations for the upcoming X6 SAC.
The new X5 is known as the "deceptive" car because although the evolutionary phase the design remains a strong evolution of the current X5 with "current" BMW overtones to define the muscular look of the new X5. The new car is actually longer and wider than the current car but the evolutionary appearence makes the car look smaller - which is a neat trick to avoid it looking van-like. A 3rd row of seats are optional but be under no illusion like its rivals claim that the 3rd row of seats are intended for full grown adults when they are actually more adequate for children.
Knowing fullwell that the new X5 is coming orders and interest are starting to flow especially in Germany where customers have decided to be patient rather than defect to Audi ,VW , Porsche, Volvo or Mercedes-Benz - a similar case of history repeating itself when the first generation X5 was shown in 1999.
When introduced The X5 was the first model to expand BMW's core business. "Build the right product, advertise it well and they will sell in droves". Its popularity and the fact that it is fantastic to drive are two of the reasons on why the car has been successful for BMW. It has ruled its segment ever since introduction.
The current car still has strong waiting lists especially in countries such as the UK and Asia.
Of course when originally introduced the rivals the current X5 is facing now were not even a twinkle in an engineers' eyes. The success of the X5 and its bulldozering of the W163 M-klasse sent Mercedes-Benz back to the drawing board on the W164 - which is what the X5 is setting out to beat. Although BMW engineers examined the X5's rivals from a competitors point of view there was only one Benchmark: the E53 X5. The car the new X5 has to beat.
Expanding the appeal of this particular segment the new model is intent on keeping its core heritage. With the X5 BMW has never looked back and has no intentions to do so when the new model makes its appearence this July.
Like history repeating itself BMW are intent on showing their rivals. Born from the success of the current X5 that the new X5 will indeed again "Change the rules"
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Someone please post the AutoZeitung pictures so you can get a 98% preview of the next X5 . Although the grille is closer in size to todays X5 and not quite as large. But the AZ pictures give very good indication of the finished car. Evolutionary for the X5, revolutionary for the X6.
The X5 is another 100%er known along with 2006 releases M3 and MINI 3.
Improve on the faults, but keep the core product identity and appeal what is still amazing is that many countries still have long waiting lists for the current car.
Engines will start at the NG six cylinder, six cylinder diesel and for the first time the V8 diesel will accompany V8 petrol. The diesel has been essential in the overall development of the new X5 as the current car badly missed out. The six cylinder turbo will form a high performance X3 while a V8 Turbo will form the X5 performance model.
The BMW board have decided against an M-powered X5 as they see no particular need having two performance SAV/SAC when the X6 will be the ideal performance product to carry the M-powered identity.
When you look at when the current car was introduced the perfect example of a premium product it completely demolished the recently introduced M-klasse by all accounts - in quality, dynamics and identity.
The X5 was a great marketing success because the badge did not move the product. The response especially from the press done that the car was astonishing from the outset, BMW did not need to have a second chance like Mercedes with the new M-Klasse. BMW could not believe after they got the previous M-klasse that the quality was abysmal - the X5 had to surpass this and it did.
The X5 is core to BMW's current success with the new X5 BMW know that the competition has increased and and are out to keep their market.
The X5 was criticized for its lack of boot space and the new car has been developed to acknowledge these faults.
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Last edited by scott27; 06-15-2006 at 08:44 PM.
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