AutoCritical

Ever since I saw the new Ford Mondeo (no, I didn’t make a mistake here) on James Bond – Casino Royale, I couldn’t help but feel Ford had made a positive turn for this rejuvenated model. Similarly with the Taurus, a similar approach has been taken in the endeavor to bring some new life to an otherwise aging model, along with all its slightly duller connotations.

Front 3/4 view - New life like the Mondeo?

Aesthetically, compared to the past models that tried to be ground breaking, I think this 10th generation Taurus has hit closer to the mark. In the past, they took risks of being a ‘hit or miss’ but for this, they have taken the positive reaction to the Mondeo concept and tried to put that same energy into this model.

A design that emphasises the width rather than the height.

Evidence of the influence from the Mondeo can be seen from the rear of the car with the accented ‘hips’ over the tail lamps. This is not just a ‘copy’ from it but a quite different approach to a similar elemental idea. Interestingly different, the rear fascia and deck lid blend in as one and besides one horizontal crease, there seems to be no literal interpretation of a ‘standard’ bumper that usually has a more ‘flatter’ horizontal surface. Nothing comes to mind of vehicles that has approached this with a similar solution. As a result, there is a cleaner appearance of the rear and the focus is on the details of the lamp and badge. On the other hand, the lower part of the fascia/nappy has a lot going on. A mirror image of the accented hips of the deck lid show a visual connection and continuity of design, however the area for the name plate dominates and steals the attention from the upper rear, even to the point of it appearing to push the exhaust pipe to the side. In context of the whole rear, the necessary crease of the bumper, thin lines and sculpted out surface of the lower fascia and skirting minimize the potential for a heavy looking rear due to the flatter clean surfaces.

Even lines that aren't dynamic.

The following theme from the rear to the body side is the lower concave section that evenly flows. There is an issue with things that are visually even, that being a result of something that lacks emotion. This unfortunately is also reflected on the upper half of the body side that features the connection to a front fender vent. Unusually this element does not fade away into the rear fender, but continues with a similar intensity to the other side of the fender, then rudely stops. Further up to the beltline, a long spear/accented edge does a few things, one being the visual connection between the front and rear lamps, secondly creating a crisper edge on an otherwise softer surface, but most importantly, has a character that alludes to a feeling of elegance. Together, these three horizontal lines do create the appearance of length, so the reasoning to my negative opinion can still be argued that this would appeal to an audience who is not looking for something that is ‘dynamic’, but rather.length…

Perhaps a bit too aggressive for a somewhat more elegant side and rear

Unlike the boring interplay of lines on the body side, the front is slightly more exciting with spears across the lower section of the fascia and above the left and right escutcheons. There is still evidence of the emotionless efforts of styling, but what is more displeasing is the relationship of the overall design the front end has to the rest of the car. Connotations of elegance across the side, and chrome details at the rear don’t match the front that hints of aggression through the sporty bonnet bulge and barbeque front grille, both of which are suited to something that is more utilitarian.

Proportionally tough and sturdy

Proportionally, the Taurus is very balanced, with generally shorter overhanging front and rear, and a low cant rail and high belt line that creates a slim DLO – very concept car-like. The body masses are placed in the right areas, specifically the tall body sides alluding to a car that is weighted down and not appearing top-heavy. Efforts to reduce what could possibly look like and chubby car from the body side though a sculpted section is a bit obvious because of its emotionless clinical nature.

I’m not sure how I feel about a ‘utilitarian-elegance’ for this Ford. It does have place for the likes of a Subaru, but in this case, I’m left more confused. As an evolution from its predecessors, I think it’s still a positive move, but if Ford could be a bit more specific about what their aesthetic aim was for this car, and did it with a bit more passion, I would be better. Perhaps a face lift would help?

Do you find the current BMW 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series ugly?
I’ll get back to this later.

To design something innovative is what many designers strive for. Their main reason for this is to come up with an idea that no one has thought of before, or to interpret something in a way that no one has. I guess its all about innovation and being ground breaking!

Do you like it? Flat blocky front...

I have to admit, the first time I saw this car with fresh eyes, I couldn’t look past the two vertical areas of the front glass (windshield) and front fascia. It just looked blocky, and if I was asked by BMW what I honestly thought, the only polite answer I would have is ‘…it’s different’. Now, there are two ways to interpret ‘it’s different’ – one being refreshing, innovative, and ground breaking, and I like it! – or – simply not liking it.

Cohesive connection from the upper and lower half of the car lowers the visual 'height'.

Trying to interpret the designer’s intent on the BMW X1 is like uncovering a thought process though the use of their lines in the end product. In recent models I have always found the body side of BMWs to be the most interesting, most notably coming from the ‘slap in the face’ design of the Z4. Following the body side crease from the front to the rear, it shoots up above the rear fender, pointing to the crease that is coming around the DLO on the C-pillar. This creates a notion of connection between the upper and lower half of the vehicle, and it makes sense since it’s a tall car.

Comparison of concept sketch and actualized model. Note the difference amount of 'light' between the lower feature.

Overpowering that body side feature is the standard issue belt line that has been built up creating a tension and speed in this dynamic theme. However, although important to the rest of the design, I think it takes away from what I think is a far more interesting feature on the body side/DLO mentioned earlier. In turn, I believe they still could have played up this feature by increasing the visibility of the crease as much as they had in the sketch.

Complex interesction of lines result in a surface solution that is just as complex. Surprisingly the rear is clean looking and does not look heavy due to the clever use of color and black.

From the rear of the car there are many lines that are coming together to create an interesting variety of surface solutions. A subtle line from just above the side rocker flows into the rear fascia to join the story from side to back. It is complemented by a crease that defines the bumper to the body panel, which in turn is intersected by a hook line that is framed around the tail lights (Creating that complex interplay of surfaces). Across the rear the surfaces are quite simple. This makes a focus on the proportions of the dark and color areas to be seen. As to not look heavy, the bumper is mostly black and when compared with the glass it creates a wider elongated color section that reduces the visual height of the car. To reduce the visual weight of the black, a bright metallic nappy also creates an elongated black section of the bumper. This keeps a the car looking visually planted to the ground, not looking like it may topple over due to the nature of this vehicle type.

Front lamp detail and bonnet buldge details

Similarly themed around the rear lamps are the front head lamps, having an interesting treatment of line work that makes up the front fascia. As a result I have mixed feelings about how it has turned out. The crease in front of the wheel arch coming out from the lamp suggests an angled front, yet the crease on between the grille and lamp is quite vertical. So the visual comparison exaggerates the boxy appearance of the front end. The only way of saving it from looking even boxier is a similar technique as the rear of the car, having a large area of black to make appear, just like the rear, wider than it is, and in this case making the proportions of the front similar to likes of a 5 or 7 series.

Are these the original concept proposal sketches?

If the released sketches of the X1 proposal were the ones used to make the concept X1, and from that, to the production X1, this BMW designer needs to be awarded for doing something that is quite hard to do, and that is to stick to his original idea, the one that he sketched, earning him the privilege to design this car!

I think the lines and creases all over the BMW X1 are quite fresh and exciting for their design language, however when it comes to the surfaces that excitement and tension is lost by becoming softer. If I was to compare this with the new Z4, it does make sense, having all this drama of lines mixed in with more elegant surface work, and by that, I guess it is quite ‘different’, and I mean that in a way that is good, as it is something exploratory, and something I can learn to like. I do like the current 1, 3 and 5 Series, and this X1 shows BMW evolving that style.