BMW unveiled the new iX3 electric crossover earlier this month, and Thomas says it looks way better as a base model. He says with the M Sport package removed, it’s less busy, more restrained, and ultimately more visually agreeable. I… kind of see what he means, but to me, the car still just looks like a slightly odd, not-quite-terrible, not-gorgeous-either blob that reads slightly more attractive than its new Mercedes rival, regardless of trim level.
In any case, his blog got me wondering. Other than the iX3, which car looks best as a base model? Which car, on sale today or otherwise, is actually visually more appealing in its most basic form rather than with all the lipstick and whistles?
A whole genre of car that arguably lends well to this question are off-roaders. On the trail, basic, destructible, scuff-ready aesthetics look and function better than big wheels and glossy trim.
The base Mercedes G-Wagen, for example, still rocks reasonable wheels, gets a factory bull bar, and for just $200 extra you can even fit these cool 19-inch monoblocks. G63? Tacky in comparison. The new Toyota Land Cruiser’s base 1958 model even comes with its own, very retro, very puppy dog-eyed front end. More expensive Cruiser trim? Still cool, but not as cool as the 1958. The base Ford Bronco, meanwhile, still comes with steelies. And you can’t beat a car on aesthetics when it’s wearing steelies.
Moving away from the off-roaders, though—and apologies for once again picking on BMW’s M-whatever designers—but purely from an aesthetic standpoint, the current-gen 3 Series looks the most tasteful in base 330i form. Nobody needs a rehash on the stylistic flaws of the M3, but even the M340i (or a 330i with the M Sport appearance package) feels awkward and overdone, especially post-facelift.
Here’s the base 330i:
Now, here’s the M340i:
That lower front grille makes it look the way my partner does when she’s taking pictures of her teeth with the Invisalign phone attachment thingy in her mouth. The shape of the glossy black part of the rear diffuser feels random and styled for style’s sake, and why are the mirror caps black? Back in my day, black mirror caps meant you couldn’t afford to have them painted, not the other way around.
But we’d like to hear from you. Which cars look better, or even best, in the bargain basement trim?
Topshot: Toyota
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