Worst styling cues

[Payman]

What styling cues on new cars make you cringe? The C-pillar kink on new Infinitis have been mentioned, and I agree it looks awful. I also hate the ginormous Lexus grilles and the Nike headlight swooshes, and Nissan's bizarre headlight designs. It's also time for designers to move past the C-pillar "Hoffmeister (sp?) kink" and come up with some original style, like the Kia Optima's beautiful C-pillar.

[MrH]

The Acura beak comes to mind, but they've gotten away from it and their cars look a lot better.

But the Infiniti c-pillar is just the worst.  Definitely takes the cake.

Another one that's bothering me a lot lately:  Cars that have HID low beams, but halogen high beams.  Then they just turn the high beams on low power to act as DRLs.  My Genesis is like this.  So are a lot of new subarus.  It looks awful.  The rest of the car has clean, white light, then you get these dull, yellow DRLs that look out of place.

[cawimmer430]

A lot of mirrors on modern cars look like afterthoughts. But this has also been the case in the past. One of the things that bothers me.

[Morris Minor]

The intricate LED filigree headlight designs are, to my eye at least, a bit over the top.

[FoMoJo]

I light nice taut lines on a car.  A lot of the swirls and wrinkles tend to be overdone on some models.

[Byteme]

Audi and Lexus grill treatments make me cringe.

Side gills on the front fenders.

Overly busy dashboards.

Surface noise for it's own sake in general.

Big assed names on the tailgate and grill of some trucks (you know who I'm talking about).

Toyota's TuRD line.

[CALL_911]

These dumbass LEDs. They look particularly cheap and especially like an afterthought (which they were) on the pre-facelift C-Class. I hate the LED strip craze. I noticed Land Cruisers have small LED strips under their headlights. Looks like the car paid a visit to Pep Boys

[FoMoJo]

I don't like LED strips (parking lights?) that look like quizzical eyebrows.

[MX793]

Tall beltlines.

[Payman]

Bulgy headlights/tailights that stick out from the bodywork.

[2o6]

Anything modern


#carspin



I'm out

[hotrodalex]

A lot of mirrors on modern cars look like afterthoughts. But this has also been the case in the past. One of the things that bothers me.

I noticed on Top Gear that the AMG GT mirrors are fantastic.

[SVT666]

Gigantic wheels like the ones on the SRT8 vehicles.

The Lexus IS Nike swoosh.

[CALL_911]

Anything modern


#carspin



I'm out

You don't really like the concept of 'opinions', do you

[Cookie Monster]

Designs where the grille goes into the headlights. The new Pilot is the worst but the Mazda3 has it too and it kind of ruins an otherwise nice looking design.

[Rupert]

R A M

[Soup DeVille]

A lot of mirrors on modern cars look like afterthoughts. But this has also been the case in the past. One of the things that bothers me.

They are.

Look at most design sketches. No mirrors there.

[Laconian]

The entire QX80. It has rolls of melting fat, ventiports (lol), a huge nose, and a bizarre D-pillar.

[FoMoJo]

Never, ever seen one of those ^.  Not surprising I guess.

[CALL_911]

Yeah, the QX80 is probably the worst looking car on sale today

[Xer0]

The entire QX80. It has rolls of melting fat, ventiports (lol), a huge nose, and a bizarre D-pillar.

This is the only car on sale that always makes me stop and comment on how ugly it is.  Every single time.

[2o6]

Cars with center stacks that are too intrusive and attempt too hard to create a "cockpit" feeling


(Looking at you Ford Focus, Fiesta, Taurus)

[Madman]

2015 Nissan Murano.  What the hell is going on with that C/D pillar?  It looks all wrong.

[Payman]

2015 Nissan Murano.  What the hell is going on with that C/D pillar?  It looks all wrong.

Speaking of which, those corner creases on the front and rear bumper edges.

[Payman]

Cars with center stacks that are too intrusive and attempt too hard to create a "cockpit" feeling


(Looking at you Ford Focus, Fiesta, Taurus)

Nothing intrusive about the Focus centre stack, and what's wrong with a driver centric cockpit feeling?

[280Z Turbo]

I never cared for the old CRVs grille within a grille design. Also the swoopy rear quarter window that didn't match the roof.

The new version looks better.

[2o6]

Nothing intrusive about the Focus centre stack, and what's wrong with a driver centric cockpit feeling?

In a sports car? Nothing.


In an economy car? It feels clausterphobic. The Focus feels really tight inside, and the shape of the firewall and center stack only goes further to make feel clausterphobic.

[Payman]

In a sports car? Nothing.


In an economy car? It feels clausterphobic. The Focus feels really tight inside, and the shape of the firewall and center stack only goes further to make feel clausterphobic.

I have a '13 Focus, and the feeling of spaciousness was a major selling point for me. 

[MrH]

In a sports car? Nothing.


In an economy car? It feels clausterphobic. The Focus feels really tight inside, and the shape of the firewall and center stack only goes further to make feel clausterphobic.

Agreed.

[2o6]

I have a '13 Focus, and the feeling of spaciousness was a major selling point for me. 

Okay, but compared to pretty much everything it feels hella narrow and tight.



The Fiesta feels like I'm driving a phone booth