So I've been throwing up in my mouth a bit too often these days, seeing as how all car makers seem to want to make their cars big bulbous ugly things that'll turn heads and nothing else. I thought I'd post a few of the outstandingly bad designs from the last year or two that makes my head spin at how anyone thought that shit would fly, ever. I think the ratio of Hate it : Love it for all the cars I'll be listing is something like 10:1 from what I've seen on forums and automotive websites. Please feel free to add your own into the cesspool.

ACURA:

TSX

As far as the new Acura lineup goes, the TSX is definitely the least offensive. The rear actually looks nice, but the front is marred by that lovely new Acura trademark, the butt ugly shield/bucktooth THING that receives almost universal scorn.

TL:

Again, that hideous shield grill that is now shared on all Acura models. Nothing more to say there. Rear of the car has become absolutely hideous, looking more fitting in a lineup for Saturn.

RL: much of the same, just been screwed with as well.

ZDX:


An ugly crossover with questionable purpose.


Toyota/Scion:

iQ concept:


What were they thinking? They turned a boring odd car into a silly looking ricer. Love the fangs.

Nissan:

370z:


Overall, I like the car. I just can't stand those stupid bat fangs in the grill. Talk about something a 5-year old would suggest - it looks like it's wearing oversized dentures. Compare this to the NISMO shown just a couple days ago and just think of what could have been from the start.


Mazda:

Mazda3/Mazdaspeed3:


Bad idea, bad execution. I'd even say the worst of what I've seen so far. Who actually likes that shit-eating grin the new Mazda3's have? It makes me want to key the car just looking at it. The rear doesn't help with those big bulging white WRX-esque taillights. Mazda's new design philosophy seems to be putting a big fat silly smile on the car, then putting everything they can on the car into a diamond shape. The new Mazda3's are definitely up there with the Acuras in just how stupid they look. You'll turn heads, but not for a good reason - people will just be thinking "did you see that stupid giant smile that car had?"

I found this on Autoblog in the comments and thought it was pretty much dead on: http://i41.tinypic.com/2eal5ky.jpg

On a side note, I can't stand any recent BMW designs. They seem to be making the giant nostril grill larger and larger every iteration, and the car just keeps getting uglier and uglier even with Bangle butt having left BMW.

Anyways, those are just a few of the cars that have stood out in the last year to me as being just horrible designs that should have never made it past concept. I know it's all subjective, but I believe bad car design is bad car design, and I hate to see these companies that used to make great looking cars go down this road of making their cars look like shit, for whatever reason.

 

glad someone finally came out and said it.. every company has made thier cars bigger and uglier.. honda even did it (no offense), but the ge eventually grew on me so i like it now. lol

 

Take the 370Z down right now!!!

That thing is sex on wheels

 

^ The head lights look like crap though.

I like the scion though. Leave it to scion to reinvent the car ha.

 

I like the car, if they pulled the teeth. Seeing as how you usually recognize cars from the front, they make the car look retarded the majority of the time (Hey, let's put FANGS on our car, that'd be like really super duper cool huh!). It's the same silly thing with the Mazda3, "Let's make our car SMILE really big, zoom zoom huh!" - neither of which ends up looking good. They're bad design choices like those fake fender vents on the Ford Focus (it'll make our car look faster!), except unlike the Focus, the design choices with the 370z & Mazda3 ruin the ENTIRE look of the cars. It becomes a nice sports car that happens to look like a frightened bat. I just really think these companies need to put their crayon boxes away and stop taking the easy way out with this amateurish crap - just look at the new GTI as a good example of what they SHOULD be doing (except those wheels, I don't know anyone who actually likes GTI wheels).

 

the 370 and iQ are completely fine IMHO

 

The Acuras and 370Z are love-it/hate-it designs. All the Mazdas, including the 3's, are really good looking.

If you have nothing good to say...

 

I tend to agree with a lot of the points raised, this whole modern contemporary styling is totally overblown and trying to hard. Simple clean flowing lines are the key to a nice looking car, trying to exaggerate things too much just makes it look stupid.

Case & Point:

Old Acura NSX = Holy crap, it is 10 years old but still looks like sex on wheels
New Acura NSX = Is that a 2011 concept Accord?

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I think we can all agree that the new Acura (as a whole) is complete and utter fail. Talk about running a great brand into the ground by turning your cars into the Japanese Saturn.

 

Thanks. I'm glad that at least one person agrees with me that the new Acuras look like crap. Hate to say it but some American cars even look better than that. WTH were the designers thinking designing that front end...

If that Scion iQ lost the Fast and Furious body kit and came with the TC motor it would be pretty fast and I'd be interested.

 

I know that the automakers have to meet bumper height requirements, but why must the majority of them make the rear ends look like a grinning old person without their upper dentures in?? Case in point: look at the rear of our own beloved Fit!!
'07 VBP Sport 5MT w/ minor appearance & comfort mods!!

 

It's alll Chris Bangles fault!! with the damn 7 series!.. i think...

 

Though Chris Bangle headed BMW's design studio, many of the designs were in fact penned by Adrian van Hooydonk and others. Hooydonk himself the man who penned the BMW Z9 concept, the car that is arguably the precursor to much of the current BMW design language. That's not to say that Bangle is not responsible, as I believe he's the originator of the "flame surfacing" that looks absolutely brilliant under certain lighting and angles, and rubbish otherwise.

Still however, as designer, I fancy most of these designs. You cannot imagine if you haven't done it how difficult it is to work within the constraints that are levied upon automotive designers.

Could they be better? Of course, but they are in fact reflective an era in which the general public feels they understand design because they've been exposed to things like Ipods and stuff.

Remember, these cars aren't really being sold to car people, we're too few and far between, and are just as likely to purchase an ugly vehicle (i.e. STi and EVO owners, functional is not necessarily pretty) because it pushes our buttons.

No, they're being styled for the uneducated masses who want to talk about their cars as fashionable accessories. Remember timeless designs like the aforementioned NSX are just as much a product of function as an STi, aren't fashionable they're stylish. Same goes for the evolutionary style that characterized BMW and others for so long.

Fashionable (like current autos) is to be subject to the whims, fads, and desires of the masses. Stylish is to understand certain things, such as proportion and balance, will alwayse be appealing, even if they are considered iconic.