Silverstreak HX

Is it me or has automotive styling hit the serious doldrums ? First you got Bangle over at BMW with the "Bangle Mangle" and to me the previous cars looked TEN times better except for the Z3 then we have the new Lexus IS that looks like a Pontiac Grand AM,G6 knockoff . Third Subaru has managed to graft on an Edsel grille on the WRX line and Tribeca monster .
The C6 really made me appreciate the C5! The Jeep Commander looks like a Russian SUV from the previous cold war era. The real kicker here is the new Camry front grille with that HUGE Toyota logo looks completely out of place or like they were trying to make it more Buick like or something . The old RAV4 looked different and unique while the new one looks generic and much like everything else not to mention it looks like it gained a little weight!
Thank goodness more common sense was used on the Mustang,new Civic (except maybe for that two tier dash),Fusion, FJ Cruiser,Solstice,Sky, and new GTI . This new generation of stylists need to get their eyes examined!

jimbogxp

IMHO it is all at Chrysler and Nissan.

Even the new Mercedes are strarting to look tacky. BMWs and Mercedes used to have such sophisticated poise. I don't know what is happening to style? It has been more or less dead for 30 years. Everything was bland in the 80s. Everything was invisible in the 90s, borrowing on some or other theme of a worn bar of soap. Chrysler has come on of late with some fine looking cars and Nissan has a few as well. Nissan has had a few aces up its sleeve. I don't care for the look of Cadillacs but they are at least distinctive, poised and aggressive looking.

Except for the S2000, all Hondas look boring. All Toyotas but the new FJ look invisible, they are such utility appliances. Mazda's are either boring or bizzare (RX-8 and MX-5). Most GMs but a few look invisible they are so bland. At least they have some home runs like the Solstice, Sky and Camaro, as well as some near misses like the SSR and HHR. Ford is little better, though at least the Fusion is not embarassing looking.

I remember waaaaay back when you could glance at a car and know just who made it, what model it was, and what segment it was marketed to. Now, you either get completely different cars that have nothing in common but a grill (like Pontiac and BMW), or you get cars like Honda used to be in the mid 80s, where every damn car in the lineup including the Prelude, Civic, Accord and Integra had nearly identical front and rear clips and there was nothing to distinguish between them. Today, every Acura looks just like every other Acura, just differing in scale.

Audis still look clean, then they ruin the look with a cave entrance for a front grill. Don't even get me started with the Subaru, but they have always been a "love it or hate it" looking car.

It is pretty sad.

Chrysler gets it. Nissan gets it. I think GM is starting to get it with the Solstice, Sky and Camaro. Otherwise, it's pretty sad.

lyndon_h

I'd have to disagree on almost all fronts.

The BMWs have finally worn me down. I like them now, except for the Z4. I hate to admit it, but Bangle has really influenced the industry--in a positive way. I didn't like the 1st generation Bangle cars, but as you can see his influence on alot of other cars.

I love the semi exotic look of the C6. The Camry is also looking very good, except for the grill that you mentioned.

The RAV4 did gain weight, but it gained roughly 100hp and a 3rd row of seating. How can you do that without gaining weight?

Of course, Chrysler is on the ball. Nissan doesn't impress me, but their Infinity division is doing it, stylistically.

Hondas are starting to make me yawn though.

Silverstreak HX

If I wanted a 3rd row of seats I would have bought 4 Runner or one of the mindless other Suv choices . What happened to the small SUV choice.? Toyota should have kept that thing small and improved the fuel mileage then I might have paid attention. Now it is just competing with everything else.
And back to the styling rant the new Camaro is

lyndon_h

If you dont want the 3rd row option, you dont have to buy it. The odd thing is that the size of the RAV4 exterior is not really bigger than the competition. It just has better options and 70 - 100 more horsepower.

2006 RAV4
Length: 181.1 in. Width: 71.5 in.
Height: 66.3 in. Wheel Base: 104.7 in.
Ground Clearance: 7.5 in. Curb Weight: 3300 lbs

2006 Honda CRV
Length: 181 in. Width: 70.2 in.
Height: 66.2 in. Wheel Base: 103.3 in.
Ground Clearance: 8.1 in.

2006 Ford Escape
Curb Weight AT3300
Ground Clearance 8.0
Height 69.7
Length 174.9

2005 RAV4
Wheelbase, in. 98.0
Overall Length, in. 166.6
Overall Width, in. 68.3
Overall Height, in. 66.1
Curb Weight, lbs. 3119

derryck

I love the 7 series and the 6 series is one of the best looking cars on the road. The E90 3 series is a good looking car and has actuall grown on me quite a bit. I also like the new IS 350/250 but the GS's look a little bit too much like Avalon's or Camry's for my taste.

sahtt

I despise the design of the new beamers. My uncle has a new 5 series, and I was able to experience it. The interior is great, handling, basically all the driving characteristics. However, the only thing better about the new beamers vs old is that they are newer, that's it IMO.

Do you ever get the feeling these guys redesign cars JUST to redesign them? What happened to the character of these automobiles?

Exact same sentiments on the new IS and subura [you have GOT to be kidding me], even the GS looks very awkward from many angles.

xviper

BMW has not "worn" me down at all. Neither has Audi or VW. BMW has some of THE MOST UGLIEST automobiles in the world today. Just because they are expensive and are high performance does NOT make them pleasing to the eye. They simple make fast, expensive UGLY cars and some peoples' minds, this equates to good looking. But then, just because you have money, doesn't mean you have good taste.

Oh, and WHAT is Subaru THINKING these days?

Penforhire

I tend to agree. I hated Bangle. And my e90 3-series, while having less Bangle, also looks on-the-way to some other style. The e46's do look better to my eye. Tastes vary because I really like the new IS's, except maybe the rear end.

The C5 took a couple of years to grow on me but I got a serious taste for it, looking back longingly at it while waking away when parked, just like I did for the S2000. The C6 tweaks that taste so I'm not 100% on-board with that yet.

How about Hyundai? I've always admired they exterior design-smarts. Whatever design center they used, GM should have been desperate to copy. To me, Hyundai hits the sweet spot of West Coast sensibility. Others, like Scion, are too radical for me.

Chris Stack

I think part of the problem is that everyone buys silver cars now. Take the TSX for instance. In silver it is booooorrrring. Just another snooze-mobile. But if you see a clean black one, or my red one, it really brings out the subtley and cleanliness of the styling-looks a lot like an Alfa Romeo. There are many other cases that are the same; if I saw a vividly colored Hyundai parked next to a silver Ferrari, my first subconscious impression would be that I want the Hyundai, and then reality would hit. But at first glance, give me something brightly or richly colored.

In fact, there's someone who works near me that has a black Mercury Mariner (Ford Escape) with a chrome grille and no roof rack that they keep impeccably clean, and every time I see it, it strikes me, just because of the color and clean styling. If I saw that same car in silver or grey, it wouldn't even register.