Am I The Only One?

"wbizarre - OEM fetishist" (wbizarre) 01/17/2015 at 11:00 • Filed to: None

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A classic internet question the answer to which, by sheer statistics, is almost never "yes". Nonetheless, am I the only one who prefers the pre-facelift 1-series nose?

BMW execs certainly don't share my sentiment. It's understandable why BMW went ahead with the facelift - it brings the 1er more closely in line with the rest of the lineup. But I really liked that the junior Bimmer had some personality of its own. The shapes were simple, clear, and refreshingly un-adorned. There was that large swath of metal plastic suspended between the headlights and kidney grilles, undulating gently. It went completely against the trend of filling every inch of the fascia with creases and holes, as if Freddie Kruger and Predator were on every carmaker's mood boards. Then there were the M-sport models of course... but at lease the more base models were spared. That simplicity reminded me of the expansive bonnet/door of the Isetta, or the gentle nose-crease of the original Fiat 500.

I suppose the final "beauty" of the design is arguable. But I believe the intent was to communicate an "entry-level" aesthetic, and that's what I appreciate about the old nose. It was a 1-series - the cheapest BMW. It felt comfortable in its own skin, and its own identity, without needing to mimic its more expensive and aggressive brothers, and that was just fine. Not every manufacturer's model range needs to exist entirely via copy-paste and scale functions. Coffee-fueled rant over and out.

Tipo Stradale Fever > wbizarre - OEM fetishist 01/17/2015 at 11:00

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You are the only one....

theloudmouth > Tipo Stradale Fever 01/17/2015 at 11:02

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+1000000000

Sorry...

DrScientist > wbizarre - OEM fetishist 01/17/2015 at 11:12

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Vicente Esteve > wbizarre - OEM fetishist 01/17/2015 at 11:18

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Nope! I think the new rear is ghastly. The pre-facelift to me is much edgier somehow.

KnowsAboutCars > wbizarre - OEM fetishist 01/17/2015 at 11:21

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I prefer the new nose but I would've retained the old taillights.

BATC42 > wbizarre - OEM fetishist 01/17/2015 at 13:03

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Not the only one. Sure the front of the pre-facelift wasn't the best, but it was kinda good looking, weird at first, but it had grown on me. As for the new one, those tail lights are so weird, werider than the front used to be.