Which cars are classy these days?
Discussion
So to try and sum up then and I'll use country of origin (irrelevant to "classiness" but an easier way to catagorise), we have nothing from the German brands, as they are victims of their own success and have become far too ubiquitous apart from perhaps the VW Up!, Golf GTI, a base-spec 911, which I'm not sure exists in reality and possibly a dark-coloured, modestly-wheeled estate car. Although for me, anything from VAG post diesel-emissions scandal is far from classy!
Japanese cars have no class apart from perhaps the Mazda 6 and Subaru Forester (the Subaru Legacy Estate is no longer available but the Outback still exists). Toyota Landcruiser was mentioned but someone pointed out that they are popular with the travelling community and burger stand vendors, so no!
Italy offer us Maserati, as long as we avoid white and bright colours and black wheels and possibly the Alfa Romeo Giulia/4C? Ferraris and Lamborghinis are definitely out but some of the older, front-engined GTs would qualify.
Hyundai/Kia...just no!
Britain offer some Aston Martins and the Jaguar XJ (how about the XE?) and Land Rover Defender/RRS/Range Rover subject to spec. Bentley and Rolls can't be agreed upon. Lotus was mentioned but they have some pretty garish colour schemes, which aren't that classy.
Spain can offer us SEATs, so no.
The French brands are still a bit tainted by the Airfix build quality of 10-15 years ago.
Sweden can offer us the Volvo V90.
Not much talk of American cars. Ford, Vauxhall (GM), Chrysler no but how about this?
Japanese cars have no class apart from perhaps the Mazda 6 and Subaru Forester (the Subaru Legacy Estate is no longer available but the Outback still exists). Toyota Landcruiser was mentioned but someone pointed out that they are popular with the travelling community and burger stand vendors, so no!
Italy offer us Maserati, as long as we avoid white and bright colours and black wheels and possibly the Alfa Romeo Giulia/4C? Ferraris and Lamborghinis are definitely out but some of the older, front-engined GTs would qualify.
Hyundai/Kia...just no!
Britain offer some Aston Martins and the Jaguar XJ (how about the XE?) and Land Rover Defender/RRS/Range Rover subject to spec. Bentley and Rolls can't be agreed upon. Lotus was mentioned but they have some pretty garish colour schemes, which aren't that classy.
Spain can offer us SEATs, so no.
The French brands are still a bit tainted by the Airfix build quality of 10-15 years ago.
Sweden can offer us the Volvo V90.
Not much talk of American cars. Ford, Vauxhall (GM), Chrysler no but how about this?
Google [bot] said:
Aitch 'H' said:
Google [bot] said:
white_goodman said:
Bear with me but as far as normal cars go in a dark colour, I would say the new Renault Megane!
I haven't really noticed any around but I saw one in black today and thought to myself, that's quite a smart-looking hatchback and I was surprised to discover on closer look that it was a Renault. Typically a company whose products that I have traditionally hated but if I was in the market for a new small hatchback, I would definitely consider one.
I haven't really noticed any around but I saw one in black today and thought to myself, that's quite a smart-looking hatchback and I was surprised to discover on closer look that it was a Renault. Typically a company whose products that I have traditionally hated but if I was in the market for a new small hatchback, I would definitely consider one.
Raudus42 said:
DonkeyApple said:
What's the opposite analogy to 'you can't polish a turd'?
t on a Savile Row suit.'?I think a car like Rolls Royce proves my general view of the problem was th modern cars. The Rolls is clearly a thing of beautiful craftsmanship and has the potential to be very stylish and 'classy' (albeit that is a ghastly word that like 'executive' is typically applied to things that are clearly not) but whether it is deemed so is wholly dependent on the people associated with the product.
There have always been slimeballs (visually and publicly ghastly people) driving around in Rolls Royces but for many years they were the minority of the clientele but there is a tipping point at which the percentage of these people becomes sufficient to dominate the brand perception. I think we have reached that point with not just Rolls Royce but almost every premium car brand, if not the majority of all premium products. The 'consume and display' culture is so dominant now that almost all premium goods are associated with vulgarity and tastelessness.
These brands then start to change their core values to cater for their new and dominant client demographic and so start adding 'bling' as standard and becoming even less premium until they reach the point of total charade. Which many premium products have. If you take something like the Audemars Royal Oak it was once famed for the slimness of the movement and the general balance of the watch along with its quiet subtlness, whereas today it has morphed into some bloated pastiche of a gypsy timepiece, the equivalent of a mock Georgian Essex new build called Dunrobin Mansion.
We live in a world where you can by a basic car with all the body trim of their premium, performance model but you can't buy the premium, performance model and specify that you want the base trim for its exterior. If I were wanting to buy an M3 I would not want it with all the Barry panels but would prefer it to just look like a base 3 series. I actually wouldn't mind buying a Focus RS as I think they are wonderful cars but they won't sell one that looks like a base model. We are a screaming 'Look at my wad!' society to the point that it simply isn't commercially viable to even attempt to cater for the minority who don't wish to partake.
Going back to Rolls Royce it has genuinely reached a point that you are taken aback to see someone disgorge from one and not be a temple to gypsy bling followed by a rented silicon sex carrot.
But like all fashions there will at some point be a strong reversion away from this hideousness and only then will we start to actually see 'classy' new cars again.
StescoG66 said:
bluemason said:
One of the ugliest porches.
That looks like a Porsche not a porch..........A chap (classy perhaps, to make it fit with the thread) said to the handyman who was painting his shed (or should it be an outhouse? Classy people probably have outhouses not sheds, like they have drawing rooms, terraces and orangeries, instead of living rooms, patios and conservatories, oh and they have antique furniture not second hand furniture): "I'm just going out, but when you have finished the shed/outhouse, please would you paint the porch the same colour". When he returned that handyman said: "I've finished, but your porch was a Mercedes".
PS Why does the very British PH website want me to spell colour, color? Not very classy.
DonkeyApple said:
Raudus42 said:
DonkeyApple said:
What's the opposite analogy to 'you can't polish a turd'?
t on a Savile Row suit.'?I think a car like Rolls Royce proves my general view of the problem was th modern cars. The Rolls is clearly a thing of beautiful craftsmanship and has the potential to be very stylish and 'classy' (albeit that is a ghastly word that like 'executive' is typically applied to things that are clearly not) but whether it is deemed so is wholly dependent on the people associated with the product.
There have always been slimeballs (visually and publicly ghastly people) driving around in Rolls Royces but for many years they were the minority of the clientele but there is a tipping point at which the percentage of these people becomes sufficient to dominate the brand perception. I think we have reached that point with not just Rolls Royce but almost every premium car brand, if not the majority of all premium products. The 'consume and display' culture is so dominant now that almost all premium goods are associated with vulgarity and tastelessness.
These brands then start to change their core values to cater for their new and dominant client demographic and so start adding 'bling' as standard and becoming even less premium until they reach the point of total charade. Which many premium products have. If you take something like the Audemars Royal Oak it was once famed for the slimness of the movement and the general balance of the watch along with its quiet subtlness, whereas today it has morphed into some bloated pastiche of a gypsy timepiece, the equivalent of a mock Georgian Essex new build called Dunrobin Mansion.
We live in a world where you can by a basic car with all the body trim of their premium, performance model but you can't buy the premium, performance model and specify that you want the base trim for its exterior. If I were wanting to buy an M3 I would not want it with all the Barry panels but would prefer it to just look like a base 3 series. I actually wouldn't mind buying a Focus RS as I think they are wonderful cars but they won't sell one that looks like a base model. We are a screaming 'Look at my wad!' society to the point that it simply isn't commercially viable to even attempt to cater for the minority who don't wish to partake.
Going back to Rolls Royce it has genuinely reached a point that you are taken aback to see someone disgorge from one and not be a temple to gypsy bling followed by a rented silicon sex carrot.
But like all fashions there will at some point be a strong reversion away from this hideousness and only then will we start to actually see 'classy' new cars again.
And the same car after someone decided it was too subtle for them. Apparently it resides in Marbella now.
Edited by Raudus42 on Friday 3rd March 15:57
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