Awkward design details on production cars

Awkward design details on production cars

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Discussion

Jimmy Recard

17,540 posts

178 months

Sunday 22nd May 2016
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drivin_me_nuts said:
.. But on the Polestar blue thing, perhaps the idea is that the viewer's eye is drawn around the wheel and along the lower side of the car - giving the illusion of speed. After all, not only does one have to leave Ikea quickly, one has to be seen to leave Ikea Kwikly.

The black hearse-on-stilts overstyled and hideous thing is perhaps more a case of meeting a structural brief. Strait edges and sharp corners don't do as well in stress tests hence, the rounded and upwards lift.
Whether it's hideous or not, it looks massively better than a Lexus LS.

drivin_me_nuts

17,949 posts

210 months

Sunday 22nd May 2016
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Jimmy Recard said:
Whether it's hideous or not, it looks massively better than a Lexus LS.
Oh without a doubt. But then again, it's what lies beneath the surface that's more substance than fluff and cutsie lines, that hold the greater appeal smile.

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 22nd May 2016
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MrTouring said:
QuartzDad said:
The XDrive badge on the back of BMWs, looks like it came out the bargain bin at Halfords.
This!
TBH, any one who ruins their perfectly balanced rwd BMW by ticking the box marked "Add 100kg right upfront, corrupt the steering, make the car understeer horribly, prevent any roundabout fun, and screw the fuel economy", oh, sorry, i mean't "Xdrive" should get more than a crappy plastic badge stuck on their car......... ;-)

Jimmy Recard

17,540 posts

178 months

Sunday 22nd May 2016
quotequote all
drivin_me_nuts said:
Oh without a doubt. But then again, it's what lies beneath the surface that's more substance than fluff and cutsie lines, that hold the greater appeal smile.
I was setting you up for that comment wink

Still, I really like the styling of the new XC90. Including that kink in the rearmost window.

I also don't understand the problems with the Lotus posted a page ago. Is it the Evora?

I think that the way the rear and side windows meet is just great.

stephen300o

15,464 posts

227 months

Sunday 22nd May 2016
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amoore100 said:
Don't get me wrong, I'm a total and complete Volvo fanboy, but there are a few lines on recent Volvos that really irk me; I guess you always find the niggles with the things you love...

First off, the window line on the latest XC90 perfectly follows the body lines for the first two rows, but by the third row, it has a slight upwards kink (outlined in red here) which completely goes against the boxy good looks and annoys the heck out of me.

To 'muscularise' the cars 'haunches'. Tis popular.

Downward

3,490 posts

102 months

Sunday 22nd May 2016
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rehab71 said:
The handbrake in many early '00s VAG product that fouled on the armrest!!!! How the fk did it get signed off? (Picture from Google)

The Alfa 147 was the same.


Poopipe

619 posts

143 months

Sunday 22nd May 2016
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Whether it's to your taste or not, the rest of this car is extremely well thought out and considered but the rear bumper on the 225/r26 is gopping. the standard and GT ones are much nicer.


beach bum

277 posts

151 months

Sunday 22nd May 2016
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While the Zagato Version of the Giulia Gt is pretty sexy, as soon as I look around the back, I want to throw up.





The Peugeot 407 is bit of mess anyway, but that front overhang is out of this world.


Stedman

7,213 posts

191 months

Sunday 22nd May 2016
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JordanTurbo said:




I love the difference these two small alterarions make. The second picture looks so much better IMO.

In fact, now that I've seen how much better it could look. I doubt I would be able to buy and live with an XE without doing both of these changes, especially the exhaust.
I'm glad it's not just me!

stephen300o

15,464 posts

227 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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Improved and generic and two different things.

jamies30

5,910 posts

228 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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beach bum said:
While the Zagato Version of the Giulia Gt is pretty sexy, as soon as I look around the back, I want to throw up.
Which bit in particular?

AH33

2,066 posts

134 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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Far too many angles, Lexus.



Their entire current range looks st.



Absolute gopping nonsense.

Monty Python

4,812 posts

196 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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The Peugeot 307CC when viewed from the rear three-quarter looks like it has no front end at all - the A pillar just seems to go right to the front of the car.

Edited by Monty Python on Monday 23 May 15:37

Vitorio

4,296 posts

142 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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jamies30 said:
beach bum said:
While the Zagato Version of the Giulia Gt is pretty sexy, as soon as I look around the back, I want to throw up.
Which bit in particular?
Looks pretty standard alfa-rear for the period imho, not much different from a sud, sprint or Alfetta-GT

Swanny87

1,265 posts

118 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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Poopipe said:
Whether it's to your taste or not, the rest of this car is extremely well thought out and considered but the rear bumper on the 225/r26 is gopping. the standard and GT ones are much nicer.

Those awful F1 stickers they put on the r25 & 6. We get it, the Renaultsport F1 team had a hand in designing the car, no need to tell the whole world!

stephen300o

15,464 posts

227 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
Swanny87 said:
Poopipe said:
Whether it's to your taste or not, the rest of this car is extremely well thought out and considered but the rear bumper on the 225/r26 is gopping. the standard and GT ones are much nicer.

Those awful F1 stickers they put on the r25 & 6. We get it, the Renaultsport F1 team had a hand in designing the car, no need to tell the whole world!
"No need to tell the whole world" ... Hmmm, well they poured millions into formula 1 to shout about it when they win and help the sales. They didn't do it for the love of the sport.

LuS1fer

41,086 posts

244 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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stephen300o said:
"No need to tell the whole world" ... Hmmm, well they poured millions into formula 1 to shout about it when they win and help the sales. They didn't do it for the love of the sport.
Has any person, in the entire history of the world, ever bought a Megan...or any other car...because of a Formula 1 car?

The answer is yes but only for the paint scheme and that was a fag maker's livery:

https://res.cloudinary.com/dht0bxino/image/upload/...

Benmac

1,465 posts

215 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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Bit of an oldie but this always drove me nuts (once a mate of mine pointed it out). On V6 Ford Probes the twin exhausts sit ever so slightly at an angle. More of a manufacturing and quality botch probably than design per se but still annoying. You can just about see it in this.



The other one I have is another automotive gem. My neighbour had one of these and it made me cross every time I looked at it. The number plate position on the some Hyundai SUV. I can't recall if this is quite right but google images suggest it might be a Santa Fe. If it wasn't a Santa Fe they've done it to another one as well.

The positioning allows the enormous boot release some space with the result being that the number plate is ever so slightly off centre. Not so much that it's a "feature" (I have a Alfa 159 so I'm fine with asymmetric) but enough that it's obvious and annoying. Looks like in markets with smaller plates like the US it doesn't have that effect but anywhere like the UK with long rectangular ones this is the effect.

Arrrrrrggggggghhhhhh


Muddle238

3,871 posts

112 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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The shut line on the rear doors of Hyundai IX35s seems to bisect the lines of the wheel arch body crease - why couldn't they simply curve the shut line to match the contours of the wheel arch, it's only minor but it looks like someone with no aesthetic awareness signed off the design...

The other thing is external trim bits moulded from plain black plastic. It looks bloody awful, the original Ka was a sucker for this and as they get on now, the plastic bumpers fade and just look totally st. Either match the trim to the body colour, or finish it in gloss black if you (manufacturers) insist on having contrasting parts. My car had only a tiny portion of trim left in black plastic, it didn't take me long to have it wrapped in a nice glossy black vinyl after I bought it.

Nickbrapp

5,277 posts

129 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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Kinda a design, cars that dont have a intermittent setting for the rear wiper, really annoying

Also, Japanese cars, their stupid clocks and awful gear gators, along with the buttons from the 80s





Cars where you can see the bulbs in the lamps too, in this day and age it looks awful, surely we should be moving closer and closer to full LED lamps front and rear, and again its the japaneese who are the worst



Edited by Nickbrapp on Monday 23 May 20:48