I disagree, I think the way they've made the grille align with the bonnet bulge works well to counter that need for a taller front end. Personally, it reminds me of the 3.0 CSL, it shares a similar trait (albeit significantly more subtle). --- Post updated --- I do wish BMW would produce a vintage design car in their lineup. This 02 Reminiscence Concept by David Obendorfer is something I would love to see. Like the classic electric 1602 from 1972, which was the inspiration.
Keyword is right there: subtle. The reason why those grilles work very well in the CSL and older examples because not only did it fit well with the time period that the design was made in, but they were implemented carefully to make it an appealing, practical design. These days if you want to recreate that style of grille, just look at the current Giulia and how it reinterpreted its synonymous grille: It's still a integral piece in the design but its designed to be more subtle and cleaner, yet also express more. I don't think anyone needs a grille that just gets unnecessarily tall, that doesn't even need to be so tall in these times, and only appeals to the one market that actually likes them.
I'm clearly insane and just jokin the multipla is the ugliest car in ever existance --- Post updated --- Pretty boi
Even then they didn't need to make it so big, all it does is pander to the one demographic that actually likes it and then splits the rest of the community on whether or not the grille looked good... So really, whatever they were intending with that grille doesn't make the design any good or better. It just shows that they're losing a lot of the charm that their designs once were able to capture constantly.
At the end of the day, it's all subjective. It's not really a matter of pandering to demographics or dividing people within the car community. It's just a new design language to draw attention to the brand, and it's clearly working. In eight years or so, they will have a new language, and people will continue to complain. That's what people do.