Well here I am guys- officially blown away.
I came out of hiding after three years because I wanted to know if everyone else was feeling the same.
When I first saw the spy shots, I was disgusted and unamused. As an E92 owner I felt as if BMW was destroying the design language and falling hard.
At first glance upon reveal, I still felt the same....Until I started watching YouTube videos of it on a 75 inch 4k TV.
I'm concluding that the photos in the press kit are taken from too low of an angle, making tire gap look taller and the car high off of the ground, and the grille flatter than it actually is.
After watching it from an eye level view in almost life-size form I UNDERSTAND THE DESIGN NOW. I will be purchasing a new M3 as soon as I can
. Everyone who has seen it in person says the proportions make sense as well. This is definitely a car meant to make the C63 and the RS4/5 look soft. BMW is tapping into their sporting heritage tradition more than ever - even seeing how the side lines on the M4 are reminiscent to the can-like lines of the e30.
Anyone else in the same boat as me? Where it took a minute for the design to process and translate into what the designer intended people to see? Leave thoughts below, I am interested in hearing others +1 day impressions.