Wednesday 12th October 2005

Rodius is UK's ugliest car

Korean MPV gains dubious distinction

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Ssangyong Rodius

The search to find the ugliest cars on Britain’s roads is over: Ssangyong’s Rodius unanimously gets the title of ‘The Ugliest Of Them All’, according to votes logged by visitors to Cardata's site.

Nearly 30 per cent of visitors registered their distinct antipathy towards the unusually shaped Korean MPV. The Rodius may be the biggest MPV on the market, but it has already earned comments like “If Martin Clunes were a car this is how it would look’ and ‘Basically, it’s a dogs dinner to look at’ from critics.

Fiat’s radical Multipla (Mk 1 version) earned second spot in the table despite winning a gaggle of top motoring gongs since its launch back in 2000.

Surprisingly, next down the pecking order was a car designed and built for the super-rich, the Mercedes Maybach. It seems the trappings of a £250,000 luxury limousine doesn’t go down well -- expectations are, one suspects, a tad higher in this price bracket.

Chrysler’s PT Cruiser, like, the Multipla, continues to be a car the public either love or hate. Its retro-American styling may appeal to some, but not to eight per cent of people, leaving it in fourth place.

It may be the chosen vehicle for a Top Gear's 'Star In A Reasonably Priced Car' feature, but Suzuki’s Liana simply doesn’t cut it in the looks stakes according to the public. The Japanese model came sixth with six per cent of the vote.

Results

• Ssangyong Rodius - 29 per cent
• Fiat Multipla - 19 per cent
• Mercedes Maybach - 10 per cent
• PT Cruiser - 8 per cent
• Ford Scorpio - 8 per cent
• Suzuki Liana - 6 per cent
• Rover 75 - 3 per cent
• Kia Rio - 3 per cent
• Renault Megane - 1 per cent
• Kia Sedona - 1 per cent

“Naturally, the results are very subjective. said Cardata spokesman, Andrew Sobell. The results were based on more than 1,500 votes cast on the Cardata Web site.

Links

• Vote for UK'S ugliest car
• www.cardata.co.uk

[JapsEyeDesign]

Believe it or not,

I've seen one on the road. It was so repugnant I vomited all over my dashboard and windscreen, obscuring my vision, and subsequently I crashed head on into a sturdy oak tree.

Well.....

I didn't but it's pretty nasty.

[r988]

Should have crashed into the Rodius, would have made it look better.

[Podie]

Yep, that's fugly.

[jazzyjeff]

It is indeed! ;-)

What I don't understand is how the Rover 75 made the table - IMHO this is a quite handsome car.

Conversely, why none of the Bangle BMW's made the list I can't conceive...

As for the Liana, its just plain dull forget-it-once-its-gone - not sure if that's better or worse than pig-ugly (at least you notice these monstrosities!).

[scared but happy]

Indeed this car game is easy - small mod and bingo!

[alexkp]

Yes, it is horrid. But compared to the Banham Bat it's still quite a looker....

www.bilnorge.no/export/bb_8645.jpeg

[MarkoTVR]

Yep, that is pretty foul, but I'm suprised it beat the Fiat Multipla (which I believe JC very accurately described as 'looking like it had a disease').

Having said that, that Banham Bat is gut wrenchingly vile and I'm hoping that's the one and only time I'll have to abuse my retinas with it.

[Dan]

They seem to have forgotten to list the entire hyundai range... that surely would have come 2nd thro 8th?

[parrot of doom]

I don't understand why the Rover 75 is in there, its a lovely looking car.

I also quite like the Multipla though, its different and I appreciate that. Its also apparently one of the most practical MPVs around.

[tuscan_thunder]

I'd say it's not much worse than the Cayenne

[FestivAli]

Granted, its a pig ugly bugger, but I have favorable impressions because the first time I saw one one the road (only concievable reason it was there was perhaps the Korean Embassy here in Canberra bought one) the driver was fanging it, which was interesting to watch. It was travelling in convoy (well, it looked like it) with a Mercedes S class, which wasn't nearly as interesting. I'd like to have one for the day (no more than that, my dignity suffers at my behalf too often) just for the novelty of fanging it aswell - their rwd after all, if you need an excuse (which you will - advertising ones fertility doesn't cut it anymore, and that would hardly work for me, seeing as I'm a bloke) but yeah, I agree, its one of the more hidious things on the road.

Like the facelifted Rover 75 - it looked revolting (note past tense) whereas te first model was great - very british, very mini jag. A mate rocked up in one in the yr 12 carpark once and everybody commented on how nice it was. the newer one? No wonder the company went bankrupt. Leave the Koala noses to audi, which can afford it (for now).

Interesting the maybach - actually, no, not really. What a bloated waste of metal and percieved taste. The interiors are typically done in grey (all the pics I've seen - still not seen one outside a motorshow) which is far too boring for such an expensive bonnet.

That banham bat? I liken its err, grille to that on the ford edsels, a car which was once described as looking like 'A mercury thats pushing a toilet seat'.

ali.

[LuS1fer]

Gosh, how surprising. Why do they always need a poll to state the obvious?

[ndj]

Rover 75? Not IMHO. How about the Fiat Doblo instead?

[batbuilder92]

"That banham bat? I liken its err, grille to that on the ford edsels, a car which was once described as looking like 'A mercury thats pushing a toilet seat'."

I agree the grill on the BAT is rather strange but then you probably did not meet Paul Banham. I have changed mine to an s type jag one which I think looks a lot better. see profile pic.

[apache]

Hey that was on the Simpsons, remember? the one Homer designed?

[dr chuff]

The Cayenne is a truly hideous abomination and has no place on UK roads. I gather the yanks like it.

DR C

[B10]

Obviously a reader of Which who rated the Rover 75 badly. Tha magazine has much to answer for biased via aganist British autos. The 75 in all it's incarnations is a handsome car. If it had a non British badge it would have not made the list.

[alexkp]

batbuilder92 said:

"That banham bat? I liken its err, grille to that on the ford edsels, a car which was once described as looking like 'A mercury thats pushing a toilet seat'." I agree the grill on the BAT is rather strange but then you probably did not meet Paul Banham. I have changed mine to an s type jag one which I think looks a lot better. see profile pic.

I am genuinely curious and really don't wish to cause offence (and I do genuinely welcome diversity of design) but a couple of questions:

Do you genuinely like the aesthetics of the car, or is the appeal more one of individuality?

Of course beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, but although the car is undoubtedly distinctive, the design repulses me.

What is it in the design that you like? Is it beautiful to you?

Genuine questions.

Best,
Alex

[up-the-dubs]

Forget the 75, whats the Maybach doing in there? You gotta get with the winning team guys and support European manufactors against these Chinease upstarts

[farmer]

parrot of doom said:

I don't understand why the Rover 75 is in there, its a lovely looking car. I also quite like the Multipla though, its different and I appreciate that. Its also apparently one of the most practical MPVs around.

here here !!!!!