Motoring Discussion > Worrying trends in modern car styling Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Londoner Replies: 30
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 Tue 16 Mar 10 23:35 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Londoner
Why does new styling have to be "aggressive"?

I read it all the time in car reviews - something along the lines of: "The front has been restyled to make it more aggressive...."
I wonder if this rubs off on the driver of the car? In my book, aggression and driving don't mix.

The other theme that I see all the time is along the lines of "appealing to a younger audience". As an example, look at the excellent Ford Focus. A very capable car but too "funky" for me.

This is all very well but there are too many such cars chasing too few purchasers. All the smaller hatchbacks seem to be like this now.

The choice seems to be shrinking for old fogeys like me!

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 Tue 16 Mar 10 23:55 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Ted
I agree, I must be as old as you. I was tailgated in our 30 by a dark Audi sports of some sort, very low and wide. Trying to push me along but my old Suzuki knows better. Very aggressive !
I did a last second signal and brake to make my left turn which seemed to ruffle him...Naughty but fun.
Who cares ? I know the Police have an unmarked, dark blue Pan-European working our main road...The rider wears black with just a chequer band round his helmet ! Good luck to him. Rich pickings when Man U are at home !
I don't like these big black open ' mouths ' appearing at the front of some Pugs and Citroens recently either.

Ted
Last edited by: silence of the cams on Tue 16 Mar 10 at 23:56
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 00:25 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - SteelSpark
Nurse, those two dear old men have wandered off again...no, they aren't doing anything wrong, just sat talking about how they don't like new cars, can't understand pop music and don't like the look of those teenagers...yes please, if you can get them back to their rooms before they break a hip or something...Wogan is on in a few minutes, that'll keep them happy... :)
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 01:37 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Londoner
Do you like these new styles then, SS? :-)
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 07:23 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - -
I don't know what they want to call the more recent stylings, to me they are ugly as sin.

You've only got to look at the hideous grille treatments SotC mentions, who in their right mind could say that the front of the facelifted 107 or C1 especially is anything other than a mess, what on earth were they thinking trying to graft an Audiesque front onto a nice little (pre facelift) motor.

We have cloned cars for cloned people, once one of the big makers goes down this route the others follow and examples like the 107 result, quite silly looking really.
Pugs wide grille looks horrible, the Pug 4x4 whatever it's called has arguably the ugliest front seen in decades.

Two trends i dislike intently is the rounded fat backside stated by Alfa especially with the Brera and copied by the Megane coupe, if anyone thinks they can reverse one of these dreadful looking things and see through the port hole at the back they haven't tried.

You'd think they'd put some decent mirrors on to compensate, no chance they have to be stylish too, silly little things in aerodynamic housings tapering out to a point and as much use as a chocolate teapot, these silly triangle mirrors have found themselves onto most new cars now with few exceptions, most laughable is that popular town cars are now copying them with high rear waistlines which makes no sense eg Fiesta.

Not all cars have gone down this route, Kia for example with the new front as seen on facelift Ceed and new Sorento looks smart, clean and fresh.
A few years back Korean cars could look quite odd to Western motorists, they seem now to be much neater looking than the more established makes.

Apparently it's cos i'm old, give over SS.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Wed 17 Mar 10 at 07:25
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 14:36 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Ted

That SS...cheeky young whippersnapper....he'll get his ears boxed !

Ted
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 07:06 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - L'escargot
I don't care that much what my car looks like. I'm not in the habit of walking around it and admiring (or otherwise) its exterior appearance. I judge it on its functionability.
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 08:11 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - AshT
The appearance of a car doesn't bother me much either, but it seems there is an increasing tendency for the styling to take precedence over safety or comfort

The new Fiesta is a case in point - with the low roof and tiny windows the back is not a nice place to sit, and the view out of the back for the driver must be very restricted.
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 09:02 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - movilogo
As people are buying ugly looking cars, for the designers, public are accepting their design.

So, more ugly style follows....

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 Wed 17 Mar 10 09:40 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Dog
I like the Nissan Qashqai, I even actually like the new Juke ... but then I am a fan of individuality.
I liked the old Beetle (to look at!) likewise the 2CV :-D
Most cars on the road bore me witless I must say (not all)
I quite liked the look of my old BMW 320 c85 model.
Peugeot's do absolutely nothing for me - likewise Ford.
I could live with the new Astra - Eurobox = yes!, but its got a little something.
Reno - quite like the new Megane.
I'm probably getting a tad wrinkly though cos my 5 year old Almera looks better every year,
from a reliability viewpoint!
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 13:06 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - alfalfa
I must agree with many of the comments already posted and my current bete noire is the trend to aggressive grills. The Peugeot 407 is an elegant car ruined by a gaping maw and Audi has gone from understated design to "I'm the scariest face on the road". This means that the frontal appearance of a car is often at odds with side elevation.

Associated with the aggressive theme are headlights of increasingly bizarre shapes. The Alfa 147 had superb frontal proportions but the Mito and even the new Giulietta have lights that appear to have been added after the design was finalised.

To continue in my grumpy old man rant (but then that's what I am) I regret the increasing thickness of the C pillar with consequent reduction in visibility, excessive swage lines as on the new Fiesta and alloy wheels of excessive diameter and once again aggressive design.

I pretend that I am sufficiently rational about cars that I would choose on function alone and ignore the styling but then a truly functional car would not have need of styling gimmicks. Finally even if I can accept sitting in an ugly car I don't want to have to look at the others on the road; especially two feet from my rear bumper at 50mph.

alfalfa
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 13:26 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - car bore
E39 5 series BMW, for me this is was a classy shape, for some its maybe be a bit square but I prefer it to the the newer 5 series models. I agree whats been said about the audi's as well, I also find their daytime running lights ugly-as if they've come off a cheap christmas tree.
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 15:40 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Zero
You know, I wonder if this web site has caused a rift in the time space continueum, and beings from the past are slipping through the chasm. Someone stick a cork in it and prevent us being dragged back into the dark ages.

The 407, New Fiesta, New Astras, Alfa Mio, are all sharp and pleasing looking bits of kit to any forward thinking person.
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 15:55 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - alfalfa
Well Zero you are absolutely entitled your view on styling as it is indeed a subjective matter but I am not sure what a "bit of kit" is. Is that a car? A forward thinking person would probably know that the correct spelling is "continuum".

alfalfa
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 15:59 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Zero
Make you feel superior does it?
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 16:04 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - L'escargot
>> Make you feel superior does it?
>>

The Egos are starting to emerge!
:-D
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 16:07 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Zero
And so are the pedants, superior beings that they are.
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 Thu 18 Mar 10 07:27 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - L'escargot
>> And so are the pedants superior beings that they are.
>>

:-D
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 15:58 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - -

>> The 407 New Fiesta New Astras Alfa Mio are all sharp and pleasing looking bits
>> of kit to any forward thinking person.

Which of these handsome modern designs did you buy then Z?
Or did you buy an individual car that has it's own unique style, and no denying your own choice is nice looking and quite old fashioned in it's way too, it's a proper car.

407, yes in coupe form a strikingly good looker from all angles, 407 saloon or hatch not really got it especially at the gorilla end.
New Fiesta might look with it and up to date with all it's clones but it's practicality as a town shopper is compromised unless driven by an expert in mirror reversing.
New Astra, yes it's fresh and easily confused with Leon, though i agree quite a pleasing shape overall like Bravo, i certainly won't knock it or any of those.
Mito, good heavens its dreadful, those lights are horrible and belong on Noddy's car.

Why are those of us who dislike some aspects of the way current design is going considered dinosaurs, luckily we don't have to buy them but many will for possibly the wrong reasons, fashion or image, which means if the car sells it gets copied which means less choice for those who don't need a fashion statement.

Not arguing with you by the way just wondered.
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 16:07 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Zero
My own car? From the front is not unpleasant, but not stunning, from the rear? its actually quite ugly. It was bought primarily on cost grounds and cheapness of running, and had all of the features and funtions I needed as a minimum. Its not what I would call my dream, ideal or aspirational car.

Car designs HAVE to change. They have to appear different or radical. If they didnt we would still be driving around in model T fords.

The general displeasure discussed on here (and the other place) about of the way new cars look, and the new features and functions that appear is really rather disapointing. Its got to the point were anything new is NO NO.

I often wonder how you lot ever got to use the internet. The spawn of the modern devil.
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 16:21 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - -
Z i think your own car is a particularly nice looking individual car, seems to vary in shape too depending on it's colour, though thats my own view obviously.

I agree car designs must change, but some of the changes have been plain wrong and the huge grinning mouth now seen on cars from Focus to C1 to Audi does nothing for the looks of those cars in a reasonable persons eye.

The ever higher waistlines and ever thicker C pillars coupled with small rear windows and rear screens often semi blacked out around the borders giving a tiny oval section of glass to peer through make these cars as difficult to see out of as any loaded builders van, without the benefit of proper squarish mirrors to compensate.

Have a sit in a Megane coupe and imagine reversing the thing in a tight supermarket car park with pedestrians wandering as they do, or one of the new sporty Alfa's they're just the same.
Maybe some who buy these cars never have to park them anywhere, but most people do at some point.

there are many new designs and fittings i like (i can't speak for the others here) and there are many that are of little use, eg electric handbrakes and automated manual gearboxes.

Just because a maker comes up with designs that some like doesn't mean we all have to fawn over them as well.
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 16:27 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Zero
I dont fawn over everything. Electric handbrakes for example are a backwards step and not needed. SOme new cars are genuinely - well Ugly. The multipla when it came out for example was radical, different and so damn ugly no-one would buy it.

The people on here are, on the whole, not typical buyers. To the average punter looks sell cars, toys sell cars, suprsie and delight features sell cars, visibility doesent.
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 16:50 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - alfalfa
Zero you are correct to say that car design must change and also that those in the BR are not typical buyers. The OP asked for dislikes in modern design and I gave my views on them; I did not dismiss all new cars and for the record I like Alfa 159, Audi A4 (except for the grill), Mercedes A class, Porsche Cayman, Fiat 500, Fiat Panda and unaccountably Skoda Roomster and Volvo X 60.

I drive a Forester II, which has no styling and a Golf V which is nicely proportioned but unexciting.

alfalfa
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 18:16 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Armel Coussine
Zero has strong aesthetic opinions and isn't always wrong.

But he thinks he's modern because he's used to electronic tat! Tee hee!

Forward thinking indeed... the future is unknown, unknowable and often backward and a big disappointment when it isn't a nasty shock.
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 18:36 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Zero
I think that gas mantle of yours needs changing my old scribe friend.
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 Thu 18 Mar 10 11:42 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Armel Coussine
>> that gas mantle of yours needs changing my old scribe friend.

Someone has borrowed my penknife to eviscerate a sheep, this goose feather is getting blunt and splayed and the ink is still frozen in its well... Damn!
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 19:06 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - swiss tony
>> I don't care that much what my car looks like. I'm not in the habit
>> of walking around it and admiring (or otherwise) its exterior appearance. I judge it on
>> its functionability.
>>
and poor rear vision is functional?
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 19:53 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - tyro
What exactly constitutes "aggressive" in car styling?
Last edited by: tyro on Wed 17 Mar 10 at 19:53
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 20:29 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Boxsterboy
One of the worst trends in modern styling is the high waist line afflicting some cars. When the (current) A6 Avant came out, I was straight down the Audi showroom becasue it looked so good, but dismissed it straight away because the waist-line is so high kids can't see out even when they are on booster seats. The new Pug 5008 has the same problem whereas the C4 Picasso that sired it doesn't.

High waist lines = kids can't see out = car sickness. Great for a family car!
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 Wed 17 Mar 10 20:37 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Runfer D'Hills
I don't really like the look of my Qashqai, well, it's not my Qashqai it's someone else's Qashqai but I get the use of it.....Anyway, I don't especially like the look of it from the outside. It's really very pleasant inside though which is where I sit. I wonder why I care what it looks like from the outside or if I do care actually...........come to think of it.....I don't think I do. If you see what I mean.
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 Thu 18 Mar 10 09:03 
 Worrying trends in modern car styling - Dieselfitter
Isn't a high waistline functional? Doors with beams in them protect the occupants better than lots of glass. I just wish they'd put back something on those big doors to protect them from dings. Removing the door protectors was a case of prioritising style over function. (Exits muttering and grumbling....)
Last edited by: Dieselfitter on Thu 18 Mar 10 at 09:03
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