New E70 BMW X5 by HAMANN

[BG624]

Originally Posted by Cairns

Thank God I thought I was all alone out here and had somehow landed on the Escalade board!

I think BMW did a darn good job on the original- a few detail improvements would be nice (like painted bumpers or portions of thereof) but a front end subdivided into ten holes (I'm being conservative) with more slats than an early 80's Testarossa and spoilers that extend below the psuedo (for off roading of course!) pan protecter? Why no neon?

Again just my opinion but crappy overpriced aftermarket fibreglass (much less the psuedo carbon fiber that I'm sure will arrive with the Hamman super sports kit) does not a beautiful car make. And I'll bet ten bucks the car makes more- not less- drag.

But then again I never thought fender skirts, continental kits and twin raked aerials improved the '57 Chevy. Much less a BMW 507.

As the saying goes, there's no accounting for taste.

[Cairns]

I will add that I came home to one beautiful BMW- on the cover of Autoweek. The front end of that car is simple, clean, purposeful and aggressive- there are only four holes and the nicest iteration of the headlight "eyebrows" I've seen to date. I can't post the picture but it's the Concept CS and you can see it on the Autoweek site. If BMW produces that- and all indications are they will- I think they will hit a big home run.

Of course Hamman will eventually find a way to hang some fiberglass "ground effects" on it....along with the de riguer 24" wheels (21 inches is way too small!)- and rich boy racers and overpaid basketball players will lap it up.

Too bad Hamman couldn't have produced a kit that makes the X5 front end look more like that....they could become a design house and not a screw on and paint fibreglass maker.

[BG624]

Yeah they make some ugly kits for Audi's too.

[dr.jay]

I think the third pics looks awesome!! The black wheels set it off

[lamantonio]

I kinda like that double spoiler thing...is that possible on the x5, 2006 ?

[X5 Meister]

It does look like crap. 100% 80's Miami Vice style. Never liked Hamann either. Other tuners are less offensive and I think Dinan is probably the best at it since they really focus on performance.

23" wheels? Come on. Why stop there? Why not just go to the full 30" ones as I'm sure they will look great.

How this company stays in business is my guess.

Originally Posted by Cairns

No offense to anyone (esp. the poster) but I think Hamman is crap. They offer the same combination of bling for every car. Body colored bumpers, "ground effect" spoilers front and rear (on an SUV?), lower it and slap on some big wheels. I want to put my cap on backwards just looking at it.

They did forget the coffee can exhaust, "R" symbol and upside down spoiler on the roof.

To each their own I guess.

[Cairns]

Yes Dinan knows what they're doing.
I liked Alpina too, esp. the early stripes and wheels but I'm not sure what they're doing lately.

Note that Dinan is authorized by BMW and many dealers sell and install their parts directly without voiding warranty.

[X5 Meister]

Alpina's are okay. I think the go over the top a bit to sell well in the US. The stripes on the side seem so 80's BMW (think 320i) and who knows how they'll hold up with frequent washings and waxings. The wheels are nice but seem extremely dated. Haven't they offered the same ones essentially for the past 10+ years?

I'd still go with Dinan for a performance edge and you are right about the dealer support thing. I'd stay away from fiberglass add on stuff that is going to look like hell in 1-2 years anyway and will undoubtedly make the car harder to sell (not easier).

Originally Posted by Cairns

Yes Dinan knows what they're doing.
I liked Alpina too, esp. the early stripes and wheels but I'm not sure what they're doing lately.

Note that Dinan is authorized by BMW and many dealers sell and install their parts directly without voiding warranty.

[Cairns]

I agree. Their stripes wouldn't look too good on newer cars. I can't believe they're not offering something different and viable.

On a whim I looked at Hamman's website- their idea of "tuning" is a remapped chip. It's not something I'd put on my new X5. Warranty gone and any horsepower gain is nebulous at best.

[X5 Meister]

Exactly. The E70 version has what 15 more hp. Are you kidding me???! No one short of M. Schumacher would be able to tell the difference especially in the USA where the cars are in traffic all day long anyway. They must sell cars outside of the USA pretty well because I've yet to ever see one on the streets. Isn't their slogan "Hey it's a Ham man"

Originally Posted by Cairns

I agree. Their stripes wouldn't look too good on newer cars. I can't believe they're not offering something different and viable.

On a whim I looked at Hamman's website- their idea of "tuning" is a remapped chip. It's not something I'd put on my new X5. Warranty gone and any horsepower gain is nebulous at best.