Some choice xm images....

[casalingua]

I revised the image of the white car to conceal the spoiler and air intakes. I don´t think these ought to have been so visible. Ideally they´d have been designed out but an alternative was painting them black. They distract from the pointy shape highlighted on the second image. The black band that runs around the waist of the car also does this but it seems to be there for a reason and I can accept it.
Incidentally, someone above said they preferred the Mk 1, Series 1 with the original dashboard, as if this was controversial. Is it? I prefer the Mk 1 though I understand the Series 2 cars are faster and quieter. But they don´t look better than the way the car was intended to look. There´s nothing surprising about this. The number of facelifts that are better than the original is small.

[kingp]

I love the alloys on that one up on the ramp with the big centre caps

A nice refurbed set of them on my future 2.5 would look great

[casalingua]

I have those alloys on my car. I had the refurbished in 2009.

[russ92xmsed]

I think blacking out the lower spoiler actually makes the front look too light and as though it is pointing up. I prefer the original design, only as I think it looks sportier.

[casalingua]

Hmm. Interesting view. I like it for the same reason: it´s more pointy. My suspicion is that Citroen´s designers didn´t think it was very visible and that we were supposed to "read" the shape as shown in the modified image of the white car.

[captainhaddock]

What's the difference between your 2 pics, Casinguula....Please tell us now exactly !!!!

[casalingua]

Look at the original white car versus the second one I posted. The spoiler under the valence is blacked out which strengthens the perception of the profile marked in red. Here is an image of my car with the spoiler under the valence blacked out.

[russ92xmsed]

It looks better on your gold car...maybe it's the view of the white one that makes it look slightly odd. But I think the lower spoiler helps ground the design a little and gives the front a bigger visual impact. Makes the front look stronger and a bit more dynamic.

But when it comes down to it...I would struggle to change any thing of the design. I do feel it has been very well executed.

[casalingua]

It took me a very long time to notice that detail. And yes, the view of it does change things. Most views of the car are from a few metres away and 2 m high. The valence just doesn´t stand out. On a street, in most car parks, most of the time, you´d never see it. The "problem" is a photographic/studio matter. In the end, it´s quite subjective and even I don´t have strong feeling about it, despite having had someone paint out part of the spoiler when I was having the car resprayed in 2009. And I have to agree: the car is very well resolved despite its complexity. What differentiates this from the high standard of resolution found on other cars is that there is a lot of richness in the forms and quite a lot of references. I struggle to see anything to keep my attention in modern Mercedes and they are not that well executed. Audis are studies in relentless elimination of possible sources of confusion but, though often elegant, are sterile. I can´t think of a current car with this level of complexity that isn´t a bit of a mess.

[russ92xmsed]

Yes the lower spoiler is subtle, but it relies on light to catch the upper edge and then you see it.

I would certainly agree with what you say about the XM design...it is complex, but it has been controlled so well. I don't find it cluttered, quite sharp infact. There's loads of pleasing details...'surprise and delight'...the rear indicator panel for example.

Just a cool design!