There’s no denying the controversiality of the BMW XM’s looks. Read any article, look at any forum, or any social media post and the comments sections will be filled with arguing about its design. However, it’s sort of unfair to judge it my manufacturer photos, as those aren’t always an accurate portrayal of what the car really looks like. So this new photo gallery of the XM, which features up close photos of the car in person, gives you a better idea of what it’s truly like to see in the metal.
I’ve gone on record saying I don’t like the XM’s design. I think it’s odd, misshapen, overly obnoxious, and far too extroverted. However, I understand that many customers want that sort of thing, which is why BMW made it. However, even my cynical self feels that these photos make it look better than the manufacturer photos. While I haven’t yet seen the BMW XM in person, these photos are the next best thing and they show the good qualities of the car better than the stock pictures.
In the real world, where sunlight actually reflects off the car, you can see shadows, and reflections litter the metallic bodywork, the XM is a far more handsome car. I still don’t really like it but I’m willing to admit that it’s not as bad in the real world.
There are some things I actually like about the XM which are accentuated here. The grille, for starters, isn’t bad at all. While it’s enormous, it isn’t as obnoxiously big as the M3’s and it’s more cohesively worked into the front end. The split headlights also work well on the XM, considering its massive heft. And I like the hood bulges that connect to the grilles. Though, there are also some things I don’t like. The back end is just wrong. Its taillights are too thin, which makes it look that that Futurama squint meme. There’s also just something very off about the back end’s design that I, without any sort of design background, can’t quite put my finger on.
Overall, though, it does seem to look better in person, rather than in edited manufacturer photos. Hopefully when I see it in person, and actually drive it, it grows on me more. [Photos: instagram.com/pablogrjm]
