Which cars are classy these days?
Discussion
Only time diesel and classy should be in the same sentence is with reference to a bog standard Landy.
When I look back to when I was a kid the local Merc dealers would probably have 1 of each model in the showroom so maybe 4 cars. Those who could afford the car outright would buy them and they wanted a comfortable çar to go from one place to another rather than to try and impress anyone else. I go into one now and it's like a car supermarket with young salesman running round trying to flog monthly deals to anyone and their pitbull...All went down hill when buying on the never never become the norm and people bought to impress others. I think a MK 1 Mini Cooper or 60/70 Alfa today has far more class than any new German models. Strangely find the Fiat 500 OK as they don't seem to be trying too hard...
When I look back to when I was a kid the local Merc dealers would probably have 1 of each model in the showroom so maybe 4 cars. Those who could afford the car outright would buy them and they wanted a comfortable çar to go from one place to another rather than to try and impress anyone else. I go into one now and it's like a car supermarket with young salesman running round trying to flog monthly deals to anyone and their pitbull...All went down hill when buying on the never never become the norm and people bought to impress others. I think a MK 1 Mini Cooper or 60/70 Alfa today has far more class than any new German models. Strangely find the Fiat 500 OK as they don't seem to be trying too hard...
scoobygaz1 said:
My boss has the v8 one of these same colour it's lovely to drive and visually has a menacing presence
Menacing maybe. Swollen arches, zero suspension travel & red calipers aren't what I'd call classy 
Classics aside, I'd say some Volvo models are almost there. I was going to say Subaru but a quick look at the latest models of Forester/legacy shows them being pretty gash.
Classy cars....not many these days. I think the current XJ still looks classy and I'm a big fan of the new NSX. BMW i8 too in my eyes.
Few of the German cars look classy IMO. Mercs in particular just trying too hard these days. Lost the timeless simplicity of something like a W124. Audis too, although a V10 R8 still has presence for me.
New Alfa Giulia has nailed it too, for me.
SidewaysSi said:
av185 said:
StangGT said:
My vote goes to the Lotus range.
Rarely chavved.
British.
Rare enough.
Not too Cheshire or Golf Club.
Fair enough.Rarely chavved.
British.
Rare enough.
Not too Cheshire or Golf Club.
Shame the build quality is anything but classy.
Admittedly producing expensive, flabby sports GT cars is more profitable.
Anyway, I think many of the classy cars from the past were far from the highest build quality. A gentleman's choice had other considerations.
Yiliterate said:
Not many nominations for modern day Italian supercars I note...
No - stunning as the 8C may be it is fundamentally just a marketing exercise!It has nothing in common with any other Alfa Romeo - might as well call a VW a Bugatti or a BMW a Rolls-Royce! Oops, already done!
Mr Tidy said:
Perfect!
As much as I've always liked the Coupe, classy? No. It is too similar to the roadster which always suffered an image problem. Not sure if a car which has such a poor ride as these could ever be considered classy and even the M Coupe which are great fun was thought of in its day as a bit crap.
Shoegrip said:
It isn't just the car though.
If I suggested Rover 75 on here, I might be mocked but stick it on Sandringham with the Queen driving it and it is classy.
It is amazing how classic cars have become classy though, even those which weren't in their day.
It's a big shame Rover didn't find a rich uncle like some other makes who might not otherwise be around today.If I suggested Rover 75 on here, I might be mocked but stick it on Sandringham with the Queen driving it and it is classy.
It is amazing how classic cars have become classy though, even those which weren't in their day.
That design was very nice showed promise for the future.
For me it would be a late Bentley Turbo, Arnage T or X350 shape Jaguar, XJR or Super V8 version naturally.
Out in the Shires I tend to find 'Landed Gentry, Country Squire or Old Money' types seem to favour a Subaru Forrester complete with a few dents, unwashed exterior, slightly messy interior & a Spaniel or two!
I noticed on a Shoot I attended last year that the City Slickers, down for the weekend, all had a late Range Rover yet the locals & Shoot owner all had Subaru models.
Out in the Shires I tend to find 'Landed Gentry, Country Squire or Old Money' types seem to favour a Subaru Forrester complete with a few dents, unwashed exterior, slightly messy interior & a Spaniel or two!
I noticed on a Shoot I attended last year that the City Slickers, down for the weekend, all had a late Range Rover yet the locals & Shoot owner all had Subaru models.
Each person's definition of "classy" is obviously quite subjective, but to me it is primarily about behaviour. So if you translate this to cars, you are mainly thinking about your preconceptions about what kind of behaviour you would expect from the driver of a particular car.
In people, most may agree that classiness is a trait exuded by those that are, inter alia:
- Genuine
- Considerate
- Polite, and bestowed with good manners
- Someone of integrity
- Restrained
- Calm
- Graceful
(Hint: these have nothing to with money: they are all free).
Although less important, from a visual standpoint, people who may typically thought to be classy also tend to avoid trends or fads, tend not to be showy, and tend to favour simple, elegant aesthetics over fashion or "luxury" / "premium" looks.
Given the above, when thinking about cars, I'd postulate it is mainly about how likely, in perceived wisdom, is the driver of that car to be someone who exhibits these traits. We've seen various posters here comment on suggested cars by judging what type of person they are most often perceived to be driven by. I'd suggest this is possibly why many cars from the German brands are no longer considered to be classy. Rightly or wrongly, the behaviour of the drivers of many of these cars (not all) is often perceived (by many, not all) to exhibit traits which are antithetical to those of classiness. That is, they are often perceived to be:
- Inconsiderate or selfish
- Impolite, with bad manners
- Lacking calmness; easily angered
- Lacking in restraint
- Showy
Further, and in relation to aesthetics, many modern cars may also be seen to be ‘unclassy’ if they are:
- Disingenuous (unnecessary sports styling, false diffusers, false exhausts)
- Ungraceful (tacky LED DRLs, poorly proportioned, unnecessarily large)
- ‘Trendy’ (animated indicators, bedazzled headlights, fancy LED DRLs, needlessly large wheels, needlessly low profile tyres, false sport styling, large grills, aggressive ‘presence’)
- Overtly luxurious/premium.
Given all of the above, this is possibly why some of the most frequently mentioned "classy" cars are Land Rover Defenders, certain Volvos and various classic cars. It’s why I’d also agree that something like a Skoda Yeti can be a classy car. Or a VW up!. In relation to Volvo; however, I’d say the previous generation V70 was more classy than the current V90, which has perhaps erred a little bit too much in the direction of the ‘unclassy’ aesthetic traits. This is probably at least partly why the V90 is also likely to be much more popular, driven by a wider range of people, and therefore probably less easily able to be distinguished as conforming to the traits of classiness outlined above.
Ultimately, it is less about what the car looks like and more about the associations seeing it invoke in each person. This is largely about stereotypes, generalisations and about personal experience. There are always going to be exceptions. If suddenly, overnight, all of the ‘German brands’ started wafting about with impeccable road manners then people’s perception of the drivers of those cars would start to change. Eventually, over time, the existing associations would be diluted and more people may consider some of these cars to be classy once again, because they would start to be associated with classy behaviour. The styling traits of the cars (aggressive, LEDs, large wheels etc) may then no longer continue to be associated with ‘unclassy’ behaviour. This is unlikely; however, as the styling of the cars arguably a)influences behaviour and/or b) appeals to people with certain pre-existing behavioural traits. (This is a generalisation of a stereotype. Please don’t get upset if you drive one of these cars and consider yourself to exhibit classy driving traits).
Society is arguably becoming less ‘classy’. Many would agree that people seem to be getting more angry, rude and impatient. This is probably why it is more difficult to pick new cars as being classy, as they are associated with the standard of behaviour that is occurring now. Older cars, particularly classic cars, may be associated with past, higher, standards of behaviour. It’s rare that you see classic cars being driven on the road, but when you do they are (almost) never driven in anything approaching an unclassy manner (again, this is a generalisation; there will be exceptions. If you once saw someone in a classic car tailgating a pensioner then there is no need to mention it).
Of new cars though, my suggestions would be:
- VW up!
- BMW i3
- Skoda Superb Estate SE
- Skoda Yeti
In people, most may agree that classiness is a trait exuded by those that are, inter alia:
- Genuine
- Considerate
- Polite, and bestowed with good manners
- Someone of integrity
- Restrained
- Calm
- Graceful
(Hint: these have nothing to with money: they are all free).
Although less important, from a visual standpoint, people who may typically thought to be classy also tend to avoid trends or fads, tend not to be showy, and tend to favour simple, elegant aesthetics over fashion or "luxury" / "premium" looks.
Given the above, when thinking about cars, I'd postulate it is mainly about how likely, in perceived wisdom, is the driver of that car to be someone who exhibits these traits. We've seen various posters here comment on suggested cars by judging what type of person they are most often perceived to be driven by. I'd suggest this is possibly why many cars from the German brands are no longer considered to be classy. Rightly or wrongly, the behaviour of the drivers of many of these cars (not all) is often perceived (by many, not all) to exhibit traits which are antithetical to those of classiness. That is, they are often perceived to be:
- Inconsiderate or selfish
- Impolite, with bad manners
- Lacking calmness; easily angered
- Lacking in restraint
- Showy
Further, and in relation to aesthetics, many modern cars may also be seen to be ‘unclassy’ if they are:
- Disingenuous (unnecessary sports styling, false diffusers, false exhausts)
- Ungraceful (tacky LED DRLs, poorly proportioned, unnecessarily large)
- ‘Trendy’ (animated indicators, bedazzled headlights, fancy LED DRLs, needlessly large wheels, needlessly low profile tyres, false sport styling, large grills, aggressive ‘presence’)
- Overtly luxurious/premium.
Given all of the above, this is possibly why some of the most frequently mentioned "classy" cars are Land Rover Defenders, certain Volvos and various classic cars. It’s why I’d also agree that something like a Skoda Yeti can be a classy car. Or a VW up!. In relation to Volvo; however, I’d say the previous generation V70 was more classy than the current V90, which has perhaps erred a little bit too much in the direction of the ‘unclassy’ aesthetic traits. This is probably at least partly why the V90 is also likely to be much more popular, driven by a wider range of people, and therefore probably less easily able to be distinguished as conforming to the traits of classiness outlined above.
Ultimately, it is less about what the car looks like and more about the associations seeing it invoke in each person. This is largely about stereotypes, generalisations and about personal experience. There are always going to be exceptions. If suddenly, overnight, all of the ‘German brands’ started wafting about with impeccable road manners then people’s perception of the drivers of those cars would start to change. Eventually, over time, the existing associations would be diluted and more people may consider some of these cars to be classy once again, because they would start to be associated with classy behaviour. The styling traits of the cars (aggressive, LEDs, large wheels etc) may then no longer continue to be associated with ‘unclassy’ behaviour. This is unlikely; however, as the styling of the cars arguably a)influences behaviour and/or b) appeals to people with certain pre-existing behavioural traits. (This is a generalisation of a stereotype. Please don’t get upset if you drive one of these cars and consider yourself to exhibit classy driving traits).
Society is arguably becoming less ‘classy’. Many would agree that people seem to be getting more angry, rude and impatient. This is probably why it is more difficult to pick new cars as being classy, as they are associated with the standard of behaviour that is occurring now. Older cars, particularly classic cars, may be associated with past, higher, standards of behaviour. It’s rare that you see classic cars being driven on the road, but when you do they are (almost) never driven in anything approaching an unclassy manner (again, this is a generalisation; there will be exceptions. If you once saw someone in a classic car tailgating a pensioner then there is no need to mention it).
Of new cars though, my suggestions would be:
- VW up!
- BMW i3
- Skoda Superb Estate SE
- Skoda Yeti
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