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Automotive News & Views Good Styling
392 messages, Last post on Feb 25, 2009 at 8:29 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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I think that if you post anything in Edmunds, you are probably at least a bit more knowledgeable about cars than average. So we all probably see cars more as functional devices than most other people. However, I expect that we all pay at least some attention to styling. So this is the issue: What styling do you like and what do you not like? Hopefully we will avoid personal insults. . . . 
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I think I have liked every vehicle that Honda has produced to at least some extent, except for the latest CR-V. This latest CR-V looks like a mistake in the front. It looks like the grill parts did not fit and there was a gap under it. I do not like the rear quarter windows either. There are a few vehicles with that kind of curved line along the top of the window that does not match the roof line. Again, it just looks like a mistake and that whomever made the parts for the windows mess up, or they ordered the wrong parts and were stuck with them so they decided to fill in the gap with more roof. On the other hand, the Civics, particularly the coupe looks great. It makes all the other cars in that class look like they ran off in the wrong styling direction. |
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| I like the Acadia. The Buick? Neh. | |
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Infiniti FX45? No thank you. G35 Coupe? Excellent. Maybe the best looking car being made today. [Expect me to change my mind about that often, but still . . .] |
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Most styling I like seems to be on previous model cars. I am only good to point out the negative styling points of current models (and there are so many negatives). I'll agree the current CRV is a mess, with its underbite and windowline that doesn't match the roof. IMO Acura SUVs also have a bad windowline, makes the car look like it is leaning forward. The Civics remind me of Saturns. The new Accord is also weird in some ways, but not bad. Speaking of Hondas...the 90-93 Accord is perhaps the most homogenous Japanese design ever, not derivative and almost timeless.
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to be any sort of expert on styling WHATSOEVER, but I will say this: the models that are most acclaimed by the so-called experts to have "stunning style" do not look very appealing to me. For instance, the new Jaguar XF. How does it look? Meh, it's OK. I tend to like the VWs mostly, although the new Passat is another big yawn. I like the looks of the Matrix enough that I bought two, but I would not argue with anyone who thought it will look dated in a few years. And most of the Toyota models look like concrete bunkers that someone melted, stuck in a wind tunnel, and mistakenly attached wheels to. The Hondas look marginally better - the new Civic is gradually growing on me for instance - as do some of the Lexus cars with the exception of the ES. I don't get the new Mercedes motif at all - the new S-class in particular looks like a small car that got stretched like warm string cheese until it was all misshapen, then frozen that way. The new C-class looks OK. The only Ford with any presence is the Mustang, which would probably earn my money if what was under the skin was a lot more appealing. Likewise, I don't really like any of the Chevys except the Corvette, and now maybe the new Malibu. For GM, add the Aura and Astra to my list of reasonable lookers, as well as the Sky/Solstice. I guess I'm weird with what I like and what I don't, but my fave of all of them is probably still the Mini Cooper. Another carmaker still very much on its styling game is Porsche. OTOH, BMWs look bloated now. All the BMWs of 10 years ago looked better to me than the comparable BMW models today. The Z3 and late 90s 3-series were some of my faves of the 90s. Oh, and as for SUVs and tall wagons AKA crossovers? I don't think there's a single one that catches my eye, certainly not the new CRV that's for sure. The CRV has always been a bit funny looking. Maybe the best of the breed is the new GLK and the GM Lambda triplets, but none of them are much beyond just tolerable. |
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| I like the Saturn Sky. I saw one on my way to the airport Tuesday night and it looks like a mini-Vette. | |
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Replying to: nippononly (Apr 24, 2008 6:46 pm) The XF you really have to see in person and in motion to appreciate. The only part of the design I had a problem with before I saw it in person were the headlights and even they look fine in person. |
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Replying to: nippononly (Apr 24, 2008 6:46 pm) Now MB is moving on from the the oval/ovoid headlight theme it honed for 12+ years. Some of the results are mixed. A lot of people associate that look with MB. The form follows function styling of the W126 and W124 will always be gold in my eyes. I can't remember the last Toyotas I thought were good looking...I guess the 92 Camry had a pleasant rounded blandness to it, and the period Lexus SC looked good. I liked the wedge Supras too...but I don't know if I could call them good styling. The lineup is pretty uninspiring lately. I find it amusing the Saturn Sky appears sportier and more aggressive than its Pontiac twin, seeing as Saturn has been a badge for those who don't really like cars. |
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Maybe it's from too many hours spent watching The Jetsons, but the biggest style detractor to me on cars in general are the wheels and tires. I don't care how much chrome you slap on them, the wheels always seem to be an afterthought and the car style never manages to compensate very well for them. Some makes do try to make them a big styling cue while others try to hide them but they are always there, usually ruining the lines. I can't say I've seen many fender skirts that help either. |
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