[hugo_nz]

Even in our local market the design of the iX is polarising with most of the attention being on the grille. So today I did a wee but of photoshop work taking the current x5 grille to the iX and also creating one sans any grille at all. I dislike both of those options but figured it would make for good conversation.

[AlexFL]

The one sans grille looks a bit like Kia EV6. I strongly prefer the original iX. Great job with the Photoshop though.

[SteveinArizona]

I like the one sans grille the best. I am absolutely not a fan of the new grilles but I did see a dark new IX at the autocross event and in a dark color it was not as bad because the front of the vehicle is so large and flat. I dislike the IX in white but in black, carbon black, etc. I think it is okay. But I still would prefer not to have to look at the front every time I got in the garage.

[PhilD]

I think best case scenario, if you wanted to have as much of the 'old look' as possible while also having all of the new tech would be something like this:

[Paladin1]

I actually think the original looks great and is proportional to the car. They likely could have designed it differently, but I understand why they gave themselves space behind the front for the sensors and associated hardware. It fits the forward style, and I like it - it certainly created discussion in the blogosphere, and I'd guess that's exactly what BMW wanted. And I come from a long line of dinosaur-fueled BMWs.

[PhilD]

I actually agree now. I literally laughed at the salesman and commented how hideous I thought the iX was when he suggested the car a few months ago (I was calling up to ask about the iX3). I’ve really come round to the idea now though. It’s a bold new step, in line with the car’s ethos and it fits. Since now seeing the designs of other new EV SUVs, I like it a lot more. Plus, in person, it looks a *lot* better and more normal. Hard to put into words why though.

[nosnoop]

When you see all the other alternative designs, you would realize how "wrong" they look and that the original design is the best.

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by nosnoop

When you see all the other alternative designs, you would realize how "wrong" they look and that the original design is the best.

Which also means I've achieved my objective

[stein_325i]

The X5 grill render works best on this vehicle and actually looks decent on the front. The problem with the grills for me is that they are not proportional. They are too vertical but not wide enough. The other problem is that the side profile is not my favorite either. The body-lines could be more striking compared to the current faint lines and curvature which make the iX look more like a MPV than an SUV.

[NiallG]

We have had an IX3 on loan for a couple of days (getting some stuff looked at with the iX). It has the small X5 grill (with the flat rendered iX style mesh) and simply doesn't look anywhere near as nice as the large one on the iX.
Also - don't like the look of the white bmw at all - don't think any of them look as good as the black one, larger grill doesn't help in that case.

[Seaford]

The OEM huge grill is growing on me even though I have never seen an iX on the road or in a showroom in the UK!

[spool twice]

i prefer the original, it has an ironman mask look to it and more futuristic where it wouldn't look out of place in 2050.

[PhilD]

Originally Posted by Andybird

The OEM huge grill is growing on me even though I have never seen an iX on the road or in a showroom in the UK!

Most dealerships have one now for test driving. You should go check one out! I promise you that you’ll be surprised at how ‘normal’ it looks in person.

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by spool twice

i prefer the original, it has an ironman mask look to it and more futuristic where it wouldn't look out of place in 2050.

Agree with the iron man reference, especially in the aventurine red paint with the titanium bronze exterior trim.