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Good Styling

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Comments

  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    but then we have all the lighter shades of lighter and darker gray with creative names.

    Hey, I resemble that remark! :P

    The wife's '08 VUE is "Techno" Grey, while my '06 ION is "Storm" Grey. The daughter's new MINI is "Brilliant" Silver.

    Sigh. :sick:

    I'm with you in that my next car will be anything but a neutral color .. unless the wife says otherwise.

    A few weeks ago, my wife noticed a Lexus RX that was a unique color - Truffle Mica (aka metallic brown). I think that color - or colors similar to that - will become more popular going forward, kinda like green was back in the 90's.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Just saw a whale of a new car, first one of the new model I have seen in person, and this is one that folks have been commenting positively on with regard to the looks.

    The new Sonata.

    OMG.

    It is so absurdly elongated, it honestly looks like a car that has been partially smooshed, like an 18-foot cowpie that has been stepped on by some giant foot in the sky. From other angles it looks like a large fish whose name I have forgotten (not the whale of my subject line though).

    How could people like the looks of this thing in person? I think it looks decent in the pictures, but forget the close-up, in-person view. Sorta looks like they started out to style the new Taurus (an OK-looking if a bit anonymous new model IMO), but then went wrong somewhere along the way...

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    I wouldn't mind a new dark green car, but alas it is pretty hard to find one unless you want a Mini in British racing green (a possibility for my next car).

    The lack of color choices has gotten so bad I am half tempted to let the color palette be the determining factor on my next car purchase - the Fit has some interesting choices, the Fiesta looks like it will, the VW Beetle does, and then...??

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • writerwriter Member Posts: 121
    edited May 2010
    "... a friend of mine's mother had a late 90s Civic back in the day that was dark blue with gold trim - not cool, ..."

    Ouch! After I wrote the first comment, I was looking at my car and I was thinking it might not be so bad if I did some detailing work. Maybe a few small highlights in gold. :-)

    I like gold accents on a very dark blue, or most greens, or on a black. The gold on black was the JPS Lotus. Royal blue and gold were my team colours one year for hockey. I liked that particular combination. Maybe that was what made me think of it. Gold is a good general compliment for greens.

    Actually, I do not think my car would look that good with gold accents because the interior is a light grey. A very dark grey colour interior, or a follow-through of navy blue for the interior would be better with the gold trim. Then again, if I had the interior follow through with the navy blue and added gold accents on the outside, I would have to add gold accents on the inside to maintain the look.

    Going back to blue colours, there are quite a few that I really like:

    1. Mark Donohue/Pensky/Sunoco blue from the Can Am/Trans Am days.

    2. Subaru WRC blue.

    Actually, almost all metallic blues -- except the one that I got.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    unless you want a Mini in British racing green

    As you know, my daughter bought a MINI last month. She's been getting all sorts of swag in the mail from them.

    Apparently, one of the stories is that BRG was originally known as Irish green, but then they changed the name for some reason or another.

    MINI also offers a color (colour?) called Hot Chocolate, which my wife really likes. She'd like the convertible that I get in a few years to be a MINI Cooper S in that Hot Chocolate color.

    We'll see. I wouldn't mind a Monaco Blue 3-series convertible.
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,368
    IIRC that's a dark brown, a color which was popular on German cars during the 1960s. I've always wanted a brown 280SL or 911. It seems to be enjoying a comeback as I have seen metallic dark browns on a variety of cars lately, It seems to be popular on Toyota Venzas and it looks particularly good on them.

    Colors are constantly being recycled, yellow for example hasn't been around since the 60s but is now common. I'm waiting for the return of a 1950's style Turquoise.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    edited May 2010
    Local MB dealer had a brown W212 E550 on the lot, and I have seen a brown XC60 and I think a brown new style catfish FX, so brown is indeed slowly coming back.

    I like this shade of blue, but I might be biased :shades:

    imageSee more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

    This color doesn't work for most cars made after the mid 60s or so. MB now has a color called "quartz blue" which is as close to a modern day equivalent Io have seen. I think it might be special order, I've only seen one or two cars wearing it. an E63 in that color would be very unusual, I wouldn't turn it down.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    edited May 2010
    I don't mind the blue/gold on a WRX because of the rally connection, but I wouldn't want it on another car - especially the gold wheels. I think chrome looks better against dark colors than gold.

    IIRC gold trim was really first mass marketed on mid 50s Caddys and I think as an option on the 57 Chevy...but didn't take off until the Japanese embraced it in the early 90s.

    I like blue too, although a dark blue can be as much of a pain in the butt to maintain as black. My first car, a 66 Ford, was midnight blue. My fintail is also blue and my old W126 was a lovely "diamond blue".
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    edited May 2010
    I think the Sonata is OK from the side, but the front end is a lot less than attractive, and the rear has a weird "stretched" look, which makes the car look ungainly fron quarter angles, especially the front. Funny thing is I have seen quite a few people compare it to the MB CLS. Maybe in some bizarro parallel universe.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I don't care for the gold trim on my Outback but I don't hate it enough to peel the pinstripes off. The worst are the badges, but they don't stand out too bad against the red color on mine.

    Bright medium dark blues are popular here with the Boise State crowd (which is about 80% of everyone). Fortunately you rarely see any orange trim on the cars other than game day flags. :shades:
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    Funny thing is I have seen quite a few people compare it to the MB CLS. Maybe in some bizarro parallel universe.

    I guess I can see some similarity, in the way that both cars seem almost exaggerated in their rakishness. Yet, the Benz pulls it off SOOOO much better!

    I remember years ago, on more than one occasion I've seen people compare the beautiful 2nd-gen Mazda 929 to the suppository-on-wheels 1991 Caprice. I've even heard people compare the 2nd-gen Intrepid to the '91 Caprice! Yeah, all three are a bit extreme in the way they're rounded off, but the 929 and even the Intrepid were a class act compared to that Caprice!
  • xrunner2xrunner2 Member Posts: 3,062
    At that time, I particularly did not want a Ferrari red because I had anecdotal (but in my opinion reliable) evidence that cops targeted "sporty cars" in this colour. Yes, it was a "sporty car."

    That is a a "true fact". I had a number of cars colored white, cream, blue, black then a red Firebird. I had a number of cops stpp me in that red Firebird for sometimes mickey mouse stuff. Most stops ever in my life were in that red car. Never had a red car since, and never had the hassle of cops since. Have not changed my driving style since that red Firebird. There must be some kind of cop intensity toward red sport/sporty cars just like bulls charging a red flag/cloth.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    I wonder if the red thing would apply to all vehicles, or just sporty ones? My '85 Silverado is two-toned, but mostly red, with a white roof and white lower body. You'd think something big and red would stick out like a sore thumb, but I've never had the cops mess with me when I'm driving it.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    I remember I disliked those Caprices when that body was new...I called them "the whale", and the Buick and Caddy derivatives were even more offensive to my eyes. Weird overcompensation for being late to the aero game.

    The 929 and Intrepid are much more restrained designs.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,054
    I think when the 'elitists' at the car magazines started ganging up on the styling of the '91 Caprice, most people soon followed suit. I still think the "Classic", with its 'lace' aluminum wheels, Goodyear Eagle's with pinstripe whitewalls, and plushy leather interior, has stood the test of time. It's really not significantly different than the Crown Victoria which followed a year later, and I've read that some cops actually preferred living with the Chevys better than the Fords--same with some taxi operators. At age 35 I actually bought a new '93, with the rear wheel openings 'radiused' out. Up close it was an amateurish job they did, but it did make the car look less 'heavy' in the rear.

    It was a good car for the 93K miles we put on it. It had the F41 Sport Suspension and a full-size spare--last car I ever had with it. When we traded it in '99, nobody even wanted it. I was constantly getting postcards from companies wanting to buy Caprices for export, so I called one of them and they sent a guy out to my house who bought it on the spot for more $$ than I was offered in trade-in, and drove it away.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    I dunno if it is just blind hate...the car had some odd proportions and was just too rounded. I will say when it was refreshed for 94-95 or so (I am sure someone here can correct me) and got the little kink in the rear quarter window, it somehow made the design a little more balanced, maybe it made the car look smaller. Maybe it's just because it reminds me of the Impala, which is easily the variant of that platform I would choose first.

    I wonder where your car went....it probably had an entire second life somewhere. I know a lot of period GM products were sold in the Middle East, maybe due to their usually good AC.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    Those Caprices looked a LOT better in 1993-94, with the full rear wheel openings and the wider rear track. And better still in 1995-96, when they got the cleaner taillights and the little kick-up in the beltline at the rear quarter window.

    On Thanksgiving Day, I drove out to a nearby used car lot to check out a 1991 Caprice they had on the lot, before going over to my Granddad's to do the family dog and pony show. I was in a sort of limbo period at this time, as my Intrepid had gotten totaled just a week before, and I was looking for a replacement. The dealership was closed, but the Caprice was unlocked, so I was able to sit in it. I wasn't overly wow'ed by the car, but if I could've gotten it for around $1500-2000, I would've considered it. They were asking $3995, and I think it had around 75,000 miles on it, but it didn't look all that well taken care of.

    I'm glad I waited it out a bit, and ended up with my $7500 56K mile 2000 Park Ave Ultra. But, I do find myself oddly drawn to the 1992-96 Roadmaster sedan. They're ugly and badly proportioned, yet still I find myself drawn to them.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    Sadly, I can understand you being drawn to them. Heck, when I see one of the wagons I start thinking, "if I could find a nice, low mile one."...

    Of course the danegr of actually doing it is much higher in your case. ;)
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    I have a co-worker who is still driving the reddish-orange metallic 1991 Chevrolet Caprice LTZ he bought new. When the Caprice was discontinued after 1996, the Pennsylvania State Police had many of its current Caprices refurbished rather than replaced by Crown Victorias. I got to see a PA State Police cruiser up close and it was a pretty impressive machine. Everything was beefed-up. It had a huge alternator, two batteries, thicker hoses, and a radiator core that was twice as thick as the one in a civilian Caprice.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    I don't care what people think of the styling, I'd buy a 1994-96 Buick Roadmaster in a New York second of the car was in decent shape and the price was right.
  • writerwriter Member Posts: 121
    If you think about it, you probably look at the back end of cars more than the front end, or even the side view. In traffic, you cannot be staring in your rear- view mirror to admire the cars behind you. If there is any car in front of you, that is what you will be paying the most attention to for the duration of your drive.

    I have always thought that the back ends of cars tend to be overlooked by stylists. You get great looking distinctive front ends, good 3/4 front views and side views, but the back of many cars tend to look like they were just whatever the designer could do with the side view.

    Ironically, over the last 10 - 20 years, more or less, I think that one company that did exceptionally well designing good looking and functional back-ends was Pontiac. The second series Cavaliers was a good example. The shape of the rear "light-bar" had the extra descending "tab" section that identified it. Also, the spoiler located at the base of the rear window instead of the end of the trunk worked visually very well. I do not know how it worked aerodynamically, but that is another matter.

    Nobody really liked the back end of the Aztek. That was the biggest exception to their record. But the last Vibe looked really good in the back.

    I always liked the look of the Porsche 924 from the back.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I guess it's fun to look at your car in the garage or when passing a plate glass window, but mostly you see the dash and interior when driving around.

    If your mirrors are set up right, you don't even see the side of your car driving around. Maybe you can admire your hood and A pillars.

    The way some cars cramp the cockpit area so that your knees bump the door and console, it makes me think styling took precedence over fit and function. And that's not good.
  • writerwriter Member Posts: 121
    "[T]he dash and the interior"

    I have been thinking about this, and I am not even sure if I remember the interiors of all the cars I have driven. I can remember some details of the very earliest cars vividly, but a some other details are lost. Some of the cars "came and went" leaving little to remember at all.

    In part, I think I have to disagree with you. If you are driving, you really do not have time to be looking at your interior. If you do that, you are just about in your next accident. Mostly, I expect we sort of drive by braille, and memory, and maybe some guesswork thrown in.

    Having said that, let me get critical about a couple of aspects of interior design and controls. I was going to post these ideas in something else I was writing, but it is not that important to me.

    First, I have been muttering for the last 10 years that the car manufacturers are lagged far behind in integrating technologies into interiors. 10 years ago I was telling people that cell phones should be integrated into the driving controls. We are now getting Bluetooth on the radios.

    What we should have had was a standard mount point in the car to "jack" a phone or other devices into. I would suggest something like a flat tray recessed into the top of the dashboard, maybe 5 inches wide by 5 inches deep with a standard locking mount. It could be covered by a removable piece of material for people who do not want to use it. There would be standard connectors available, and optional standardized wiring setups depending on the devices used and current common technologies.

    I thought the "Heads-Up-Displays" were a good idea. I think LASERs pointed at the windscreen could still be used in this way.

    I will also add that my new car has a lighter gray interior. Sadly, any light colour interiors are a bad idea. Actually, anything that draws attention to your interior in any way is a bad idea. It becomes a magnet for "smash and grab" criminals.

    So what you want is a dull, drab, dark, but comfortable and well laid out interior. Uh, gee. Sounds "wonderful."
    :-)
  • writerwriter Member Posts: 121
    First, an explanation of how I got to this posting:

    A while back I was thinking about brands of cars that had gone recently and which cars and styles I would miss. That got me thinking about the Pontiacs, which in turn got me to thinking about back end styling. As I said before, in recent years, Pontiac seemed to do some of the best back ends. I would guess that their stylists simply thought more thoroughly about a total car. Or maybe they were rebelling about having to maintain the front end split grill look. I have no real idea. I never talked to anyone there about it.

    Honda Accord: Anyway, driving recently I was looking at the back end of a new Accord, and thinking about how it had a nice backend style. It occurred to me that really, except for the grill I had grown to like the overall style. I still find the grill in-elegant due to too many (unnecessary) angles. Not only that, but I like it equally in both the 2-dr and 4-dr versions.

    Hyundai Elantra: When I saw the first pictures of this care I was not sure if I would like this style. My first impressions of the actual car were not negative, but it did take a while for me to decide. Since then it has grown on me, and I can say that I actually like it now. The crease in the side does not photograph well, but it is quite nice when you get used to it.

    Acura (overall): Mostly, I like the Acura family styling, except for the big chrome chevron/shield grill pieces. I am still trying to decide if I will ever actually like that.

    Ford Focus and Mazda 3: The first time I saw the new Mazda 3 style, I had a feeling of "oh no, why did they do that?" After this long, I think I can safely say that I am never going to like it. On the other hand, the new Ford Focus is very nice in both the 2-dr and 4-dr versions. I am not really enthusiastic about the chrome grill, but it is not as bad as on the Fusion. I have heard that Ford recently sold shares in Mazda. This pair of styling changes may have had a hand in that.

    Chevrolet Camaro: Some people loved this style when it was first shown, and now some of those people are saying they got tired of it. I was among those who thought it was too "cartoony". At this point I would say, yes, I like it, but no, I would not buy one. But if someone gave one to me, I would not be embarrassed to drive it. To put this in perspective, if someone gave me a Calibre, I would not even drive it. I would sell it, or even give it away.

    Chevrolet Cobalt: I am not going to say much about the sedan. The roof did not really look like it belonged on that car. The Coupe, on the other hand, I have mentioned before as a Chevrolet version of the recently passed versions of Honda Civic Coupe, except for the "Corvette-ish" back end. I think I forgot to say that I liked it. It was not the most wonderful style on the road, but I always did like it. As far as I know, 2010 is the first time they have sold a version of the Coupe without the wing on the trunk. My XFE does not have a wing. I like it that way. It re-proportions the car a bit and cleans up the style. From a practical point, I have never liked wings on street vehicles. The car wash cannot get under the wing. You end up having to finish the job by hand. From a pure styling point, I wish they had changed the front bumper cap, maybe after the first couple of years. The "SS" is nice, but the LS/LT bumper cap is a bit too plain.

    Chevrolet Optra: I can almost hear some of you guys south of the 49th saying "whaaaat?" Yes there was such a car, and it is one of the cars that disappeared recently even from Canada. I never really got to know much about these cars. They were Korean, and they were in the same size and price range as the Cobalt, so they never really had a chance to sell well, even in Canada. But the styling was very nice. It was sort of "a Cobalt done right". Mechanically they might not have been so good. I do not know. But they had a really nice looking 5-dr Hatchback, and a 4-dr + trunk sedan version looked very nice compared to the Cobalt sedan. And they even had a station wagon version beyond the 5-dr.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    Thanks for mentioning the Optra. I had never heard of it.

    image

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    I think the Optra came to us in the States as the Suzuki Forenza...
    image
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    Based on that picture I agree with the assessment of the Optra as a Cobalt done right.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    I think the Optra came to us in the States as the Suzuki Forenza..

    ...and the 5 door version was the Suzuki Reno.

    All of which are Daewoo based ... in the UK, it was known as the Chevrolet Lacetti ("Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" for TopGear).
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    The Suzukis drive me crazy. They are pretty decent looking vehicles for what they are but I wouldn't be driving one, thanks.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    Well, they're not really Suzukis, anyway. The new Kizashi's getting great reviews, and the long term test is also really positive:
    Inside Line likes the Kizashi
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I agree that you get used to stuff over time. However, I think a lot of current styling is a bit overwrought, maybe influenced by video gaming or something. The exteriors and interiors seem exaggerated. Maybe it goes with the big tire trend right now. Stuff tends to go in trends in the US, so I expect more conservative or classic lines will be around in a few years.
  • writerwriter Member Posts: 121
    "I agree that you get used to stuff over time."

    Getting back to what I was saying back then, it is not just a matter of getting used to styles, but that styles do not exist in a vacuum. In some cases a car looks just fine in another context. Think of the M-B that Chris Plummer drives in "The Sound of Music". If you have a nice example of one, you can take it to almost any auto show and it will draw a crowd -- yes, I think it would even go down well at a "Tuner club show".

    On the other hand, I mentioned that the new Challenger can look too big if you are sitting at a stoplight surrounded with Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris or Mazda 2. On the other hand, it looks a lot better when surrounded by minivans.

    Context has a lot of sub-issues. For example, some cars look better in real life than in pictures. I was not impressed by the Chevy Cruze when I saw the first pictures, but having seen it in the real world, I think it was quite a nice looking car.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    image

    If Sarah Palin would know what kind of car this is if she saw it tooling down the street in Anchorage or...Ketchikan...or Juneau, Alaska...somewhere. What kind of car is this Sarah?

    Do ya know? Huh?

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • xrunner2xrunner2 Member Posts: 3,062
    I was not impressed by the Chevy Cruze when I saw the first pictures, but having seen it in the real world, I think it was quite a nice looking car.

    Strongly agree. BUT, magazine reviewers don't give good marks to the Cruze engine.

    Too many cars in last few years get awful front-end, grille styling. Reminds one of some bottom feeder fish with big gaping mouths.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    magazine reviewers don't give good marks to the Cruze engine

    I think one of GM's top priorities should be improving its 4 cyl drive trains. Different 4 cyl GM rentals I've had seem to lack a lot from many of their competitors 4cyl vehicles. Ford was lucky to develop and improve their 4 banger with Mazda, but you'd think GM could work with Opel on this? I think this is really a weak spot in an improving GM product portfolio.
  • xrunner2xrunner2 Member Posts: 3,062
    On Cruze engine.

    GM should just give up and try to get some kind of licensing/manufacturing agreement for their 4 cyl engines. The GM cars using these could have a logo on trunk lid, "Honda Power".

    Honda has been exclusive supplier to Indycar racing series for about the last 5 years. These engines have been bullit-proof.

    On styling, Honda really goofed up their new gen Civic. Last one was tasteful, a little on the edge. New gen is, well, generic.
  • writerwriter Member Posts: 121
    edited May 2012
    There have been so many changes in the last five years. The biggest changes were that Ford and Hyundai found excellent design staffs, and Mazda -- well something went wrong there. Maybe it was in the water supply. Their latest mistake was the Mazda 5.

    Looking back at message 442 about the new GM 4 cylinder engines (nice number by the way ...), it is a bit late for me to make this comment but I would have suggested that "xrunner2" look over at one of the "GM" topics. The first of the new aluminum 4's that showed up around 2003 in the Cavalier was designed by Lotus. There is nothing wrong with the basic design of the engine. It is just that GM has done a cheap tuning job (cheap parts and assembly, so no VVT, though they did have balancing shafts right from the start) and aimed it towards economy. I have had 2 cars with these 4s, and I can say it seems to be quite reliable. And of course it is so very nice to have an aluminum block in Canada where it helps the heater to come up quickly.

    But enough of that. Back to styling:

    I hope Japan gets over the "simple cube look" disease really soon.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Especially with sedans.

    "Designers have long struggled with fitting passengers comfortably into a car while maintaining the desired exterior shape. The riddle has become increasingly difficult to solve with the growing importance of aerodynamics in boosting a vehicle’s fuel economy. There isn’t much latitude if you are sculpting a car for minimum drag."

    Why Do Cars Look Alike? (Wall St. Journal)
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    No mentioning of the lack of imagination in design schools. Of course, it is WSJ, might be seen as anti-"capitalism" in some weird way. Small trim details don't have much to do with fuel economy or space efficiency.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Hm, the old '70s Volvo in my family was very comfy to sit in while broken down on the side of the road.

    Luxurious interiors are becoming a top factor in luring car and truck buyers while increasing profit margins for automakers.

    In fact, reliability takes a back seat to interior design among consumers, according to a recent J.D. Power & Associates survey, which found a greater percentage of consumers will buy an unreliable vehicle than one with an interior design they perceive as unattractive.

    Targeting car buyers from the inside (Detroit News)
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,368
    edited January 2013
    n fact, reliability takes a back seat to interior design among consumers, according to a recent J.D. Power & Associates survey, which found a greater percentage of consumers will buy an unreliable vehicle than one with an interior design they perceive as unattractive.

    This conclusion seems a bit dubious to me, perhaps it is heavily influenced by exactly how the question was worded and no doubt by the fact that most cars now are fairly reliable and have nice interiors.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I wonder how much is influenced by the available telematics too. People want their gizmos.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    edited January 2013
    most cars now are fairly reliable and have nice interiors.

    Really? I think the interiors of most cars under $25K are crap (and a lot of more expensive vehicles too). Way too much hard plastic, lack of color, and how about putting in some contrasting materials? Not to mention we are now rushing headlong towards the future of touchscreens in every dash, with all the ugliness and irritations that brings. And if it's not that, it's gimmicky stuff like the Mini Cooper and the Sonic, as two examples.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • writerwriter Member Posts: 121
    It is hard to believe that the North American mfr. "crash" happened years ago now. There was a long period when every time I came to this topic I was just so sad about the state of the industry that it took away any incentive to say anything about styling. But lately, the industry is picking up, and [MAGIC!] STYLING is back again!

    It's hard to believe that Hyundai is now near the front of the automotive styling world. Go back 10 years and would you have believed that? Go back to the Hyundai Pony and would you believe that the company is still around at all?

    I think I said before that Ford has taken over the position of "good style" that Mazda had before. I cannot believe that Mazda has continued its direction. The new Mazda 5? Why?

    The new Lexus "pinched" grill is ok. The Acura front wedge thingies on the other hand, why haven't they gotten rid of those yet?

    It is nice to see Chrysler's Dart. The size is interesting. I want to see how it compares to the previous Neons. I think the first Neons were shorter in height, but otherwise about the same.

    About the Neons, I still see "well kept" Neons in Toronto. I think people still like the styling and that the owners are proud of their cars, and that gives them incentive to keep them in good shape. I expect to find that in 10 years, you will be surprised to see a Calibre still running.

    Chevy: The Spark is "not terrible". If you give me one, I would drive it. I would not buy one. The same goes for the Sonic. My opinion of the Cruze has not changed. I like the car. I do not like the name. I am glad I got my Cobalt Coupe.

    Buick: For different reasons, the same comment as the Sonic: If you give me one. . . .

    Nissan Juke: The fender lights kill it. It is hard to believe that the same company put out the G35.
  • writerwriter Member Posts: 121
    Maybe interiors should be just slightly uncomfortable. If it keeps you just a bit irritated, maybe it will keep you awake at the wheel and more alert?

    It's just a thought. . . . :-)
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Not buying it, but good try! ;-)

    Since inside is where I spend most of my time, I have come to think that I care a lot more about the quality of the inside than the styling of the outside.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    And that's the minivan owner's secret. :D
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    It is nice to see Chrysler's Dart. The size is interesting. I want to see how it compares to the previous Neons. I think the first Neons were shorter in height, but otherwise about the same.

    I've sat in a few Darts, but have yet to drive one. To me, it feels like they took the front of a midsized car, the back of a compact, and joined them at the B-pillar. I found it plenty roomy and comfortable up front, but the back seat was what I'd call "typical compact"...too small for me to be comfortable, but about par for this size of vehicle.

    I think the midsize/compact thing carries over to the styling, as well. If you take a picture of one from the side, and put your thumb over the back of it, it looks like it would be a fairly good-sized car. But, if you put your thumb over the front of the picture, it just looks like a generic, stubby compact.

    I've seen a few on the road, as well, and when one comes up behind you, it seems to have a lot of presence about it.

    As for the old Neon, I liked them. They were one of the few small cars where I could fit comfortably, both in the front and back. I've heard that reliability wasn't too bad on the later models, either. Unfortunately, resale value is so low that it doesn't take much to total one. I have a friend who had one, and it took a fairly minor side swipe while parked, and that was enough to total it. But then, he bought a Hyundai Sonata, an early 2000's model, and one morning rear-ended a truck with a trailer hitch on it, and even though the damage looked light, it got totaled, as well. He's driving an early '00's Mopar minivan now, but I can't remember which model. I think it's a Caravan, but it might just be a Voyager.
  • writerwriter Member Posts: 121
    So much has happened since January!

    I have been seeing new Toyotas lately, but I have not really seen them closely, so I will wait a while before saying what I think about them.

    The Chev Sonic is interesting. There are individual points I do not like, but if I see one on the street, it isn't bad. Overall it looks like a shrunken AMC Gremlin which I never liked, but I guess, because it is just plain smaller it does not look bad to me. Sort of like the Mazda 3 looking silly, but the Mazda 2, with similar styling cues looks ok. Just ok though. I would still buy the Ford versions. Ironically, I think the Sonic would have had potential for the old "customizers" back in the 1970's. Styling-wise things that I do not like can be isolated and replaced.

    But these days, I would not want to touch a car. The designs are so critical that if you fix a crease you might end up causing body flexing which in turn messes up handling and structural strength. Ick. You can't sneeze at a car these days!
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    You know what looks really weird to me? The Chevy Spark. Now that GM is flooding rental lots with them, I am seeing them on the roads fairly frequently (all with the little barcode in the window of course!).

    That model looks like it was squeezed from both ends, then squeezed from both sides. MUCH too tall for its width and length. And that impression is accentuated by the really tall smeary headlights.

    The new Corolla looks much better than the old one, especially in certain colors and with the black rims of the 'S' trim. Of course under the hood is the same old engine they have been using for about 15 years, the numbest electric steering in the world, and egads! a CVT, so looks will have to carry the day if Toyota hopes to outsell Honda and Ford.

    As for the new Mazda3, the front sort of gapes, but it is quite a bit better than the old smiley model I think.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

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