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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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Replying to: writer (Oct 02, 2008 8:23 pm) As the entire industry knows cars get bigger and bigger. Look at the new Civic and Accord. The Fit is about the size of an old time Civic. Anyway the upcoming Malibu will be bigger than what the Malibu is today. It will be wider,etc. So there is room for a slightly bigger than Cobalt car below it. Also look for the next Aveo to be slightly bigger and then watch for a new vehicle below the Aveo. Things change but they remain the same.
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Replying to: 62vetteefp (Oct 03, 2008 2:56 am) This time around though, it seems the cars are regressing towards a mean. Small cars are getting bigger, true. But the bigger cars aren't. The line between midsize and full-size is really blurred. Once upon a time, full-size meant comfy 3+3 seating with 60+ inches of shoulder room, and 20+ cubic foot trunks. Nowadays though, a Honda Accord is considered full-sized, if you don't get a sunroof. Yet it has a 14 cubic foot trunk (seems bigger though, maybe the way it's shaped?), and I think shoulder room is about 58", which is midsized in my book. Some midsized cars have been as wide inside as that, and some compacts have even had bigger trunks! So while smaller cars are getting bigger, it makes me wonder what's going to happen at the upper end? For example, I doubt if an Impala will get much bigger than it already is, so if the Malibu gets bumped up, it seems to me the two would compete too much with each other. Anyway the upcoming Malibu will be bigger than what the Malibu is today. It will be wider,etc. So there is room for a slightly bigger than Cobalt car below it. Is there talk of a new Malibu already? When is it due out? I know the Malibu, Aura, and G6 have been criticized for having too narrow of a back seat. I think shoulder room back there is something like 54-55"...bordering on compact, really. I was surprised though, that it's that narrow. I've sat in a few, and they didn't seem that tight to me. Anyway, I could see these cars being made a bit bigger. Maybe not longer, but wider. As for the Cruze, how big is the thing supposed to be? I don't think it matters that its bigger than the competition, as long as it's still competitive in fuel economy, performance, maneuverability, etc. Back in the day the Dodge Dart used to be advertised as "King of the compacts" and its advertisements told prospective buyers to quit messing around with kiddie car compacts and just get a REAL car. And it worked. The car was usually among the highest rated compacts, and much of that praise came from it being a compact car that didn't FEEL compact. I think that formula could work again. Small cars have always had a stigma of being cramped and uncomfortable, giving the impression to larger car buyers that they'd have to settle for less. So anything that breaks that mold is definitely a good thing. One problem I've found with the current Cobalt is that it just doesn't feel all that space efficient. I find the front seat to be comfortable and roomy, but the back is horribly cramped. Part of it might be the relatively low seating position. If you regularly need to use the back seat, I think the Civic and Corolla are much better laid out. And the Sentra is downright HUGE inside for a small car. I think going on interior volume, it's actually rated midsize! So if this Chevy Cruise could still end up being smallish yet fuel efficient, and have an interior that's roomy enough to be competitive, I think they could have a winner.
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Just caught up with this thread. Amused by nippon asking if any SW stood out on styling alone, and others obliged with so many examples. Clark Griswolds of the world unite.   4 years ago my wife declares she wants a stationwagon. My immediate reaction was "Ugh, I don't want to drive my mom's car." Of course, now there is a Saturn LW2 in my driveway. |
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It is fun to pick on nuances of otherwise bland, "me too" buggies and wax nostalgic of styling long gone, but what examples of current production cars can you think of that you just know that on styling alone folks will either love it or hate it? Styling that is at least somewhat outside the norm and gets your attention, so it practically demands you form an immediate opinion. Not exactly exotic, but definitely different. a few examples I can think of: Ford Flex - it is either a hearse or a shoebox with wheels or a huge Mini. FWIW I like it, but there are plenty who think that all that square isn't chic. Nissan Quest - the Martian Minivan. Not exactly your typical box with a steering wheel. Not my taste, but some really like it. Volvo C30 T5 - anti-square from the company that made square cool. Especially if approached from the rear. BMW X6 - just a bizarre looking buggy. I would buy one in a New York minute if I was looking for a slightly outside the norm premium sporty crossover and had $60k or so burning a whole in my pocket. Mercedes R class - did MB really make a minivan, or is it an oversized CR-V.
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Replying to: mattandi (Oct 03, 2008 7:00 am) BMW X6 - just a bizarre looking buggy. I would buy one in a New York minute if I was looking for a slightly outside the norm premium sporty crossover and had $60k or so burning a whole in my pocket. I saw a couple of 'em parked at the BMW Oktoberfest last week, they looked like a couple of blimps. There is no excuse for a four-seat automobile being that large, especially nowadays, what are they thinking at BMW?.  Mercedes R class - did MB really make a minivan, or is it an oversized CR-V Actually IIRC the CR-V came second, I can't imagine why Honda would copy that roofline. Amazingly enough, they CR-V seems more popular than ever. 
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Replying to: andre1969 (Oct 03, 2008 4:31 am) |
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People Love Angry-Faced Cars If a Toyota Prius just looks too friendly for your tastes, you're not alone. People readily see faces and traits in cars, and a new study suggests that they prefer cars to appear dominant, masculine and angry. Apparently they studies 38 car models - no SUVs because it would have "skewed the test results" - and with a sample group of 40 participants, cars like the 5-series came out on top because of their "power" characteristics. Just one more step on the road to all cars being styled by computers? I hope not. http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20081006/sc_livescience/peopleloveangryfaced- - cars
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Replying to: nippononly (Oct 06, 2008 11:17 am) Well maybe there's something to be said for that...Dame Edna and the Church Lady can be kinda scary...
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Replying to: nippononly (Oct 06, 2008 11:17 am) The 5er has those Dame-Edna eyes...not exactly intimidating.
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Replying to: fintail (Oct 06, 2008 1:17 pm) , or I guess I should say 
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