Where did good Styling go?
04-14-2006, 04:29 PM
#31
I think time will judge Bangle's designs eventually. Some designs age well, some don't. I personally think the E46 design was classy and will in time be seen as classic and that the E90 will grate on one's sensibilities fairly quickly. But these things are only opinions. Time will winnow out the great from the merely fashionable.
04-14-2006, 04:32 PM
#32
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Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, this thread makes a good point about certain trends. Some things that I think could be going on:
1) New europe-driven pedestrian safety laws making it harder if not impossible to make new cars with a low, sleek nose. As a result, manufacturers try to go the complete opposite way and glorify the big schnoz, some (300C) more successfully than others (Audi) IMHO.
2) Retro- it's just so much easier to re-hash an old idea than come up with a fresh one. And if people keep buying it, they'll keep doing it. Sort of like how it's much easier to make a reality show than come up with a genuinely good idea for a sitcom.
3) Shorter model cycles and more integration from the start between design and engineering teams. If you've watched the BMW "Birth of a Sports Car" series on Speed, you'll know what I'm talking about. The engineering and design are so interdependent now that design always gets compromised. It's ironic that the new 6 is one of the most disappointing recent designs IMHO, now I understand why. It's as if the designers and engineers couldn't see the forest thru the trees by the time they were done.
The most successful desings seem to capitalize on the new constraints. Some nice ones IMO:
300C- Vaguely, but not overly retro. Has hot-rod proportions and feel, but still modern
New Civic- unapologetically modern, genuinely makes its predecessor look dated
360 Modena- was the peak for Ferrari IMHO. F430 updates not so great, other modern ones are so-so.
Dissapointments:
6 series- could have been, should have been so, so, so much better
Accord- Just too many things going on here
Thunderbird- The absolute pinnacle of bad retro
Peter
1) New europe-driven pedestrian safety laws making it harder if not impossible to make new cars with a low, sleek nose. As a result, manufacturers try to go the complete opposite way and glorify the big schnoz, some (300C) more successfully than others (Audi) IMHO.
2) Retro- it's just so much easier to re-hash an old idea than come up with a fresh one. And if people keep buying it, they'll keep doing it. Sort of like how it's much easier to make a reality show than come up with a genuinely good idea for a sitcom.
3) Shorter model cycles and more integration from the start between design and engineering teams. If you've watched the BMW "Birth of a Sports Car" series on Speed, you'll know what I'm talking about. The engineering and design are so interdependent now that design always gets compromised. It's ironic that the new 6 is one of the most disappointing recent designs IMHO, now I understand why. It's as if the designers and engineers couldn't see the forest thru the trees by the time they were done.
The most successful desings seem to capitalize on the new constraints. Some nice ones IMO:
300C- Vaguely, but not overly retro. Has hot-rod proportions and feel, but still modern
New Civic- unapologetically modern, genuinely makes its predecessor look dated
360 Modena- was the peak for Ferrari IMHO. F430 updates not so great, other modern ones are so-so.
Dissapointments:
6 series- could have been, should have been so, so, so much better
Accord- Just too many things going on here
Thunderbird- The absolute pinnacle of bad retro
Peter
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