Which cars are classy these days?
Discussion
Some years ago you might have looked at a Mercedes E Class Estate or a Range Rover and thought it was a classy looking motor and the owner was probably a person of taste. The fact the car was a bit battered would even add an element of class to it. An E Class coupe or Cabriolet from the early 90's definitely had class about it.
These days I would look at a Range Rover and think the owner lives in a Pools Winners type house in Essex or Cheshire. Mercs are often bought by the same type of people and they usually disintegrate before they can look battered.
Saab had a decent ownership profile some years ago, but they were really GM based for 20 odd years before they went under. Audi used to be a quirky alternative to BMW, but then they devised this advert in the 90's to highlight that fact and all the BMW company car drivers migrated. They're now possibly the least classy cars of all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJa3d17Ktko
Even Golfs, which were known as classless at one point, have a chav appeal nowadays. Most people I know who would have bought a Golf some years ago would be in some sort of People Carrier/Small 4x4 now.
I kind of think an XC90 or Discovery may be a bit classy these days, but that's about it - Any thoughts?
These days I would look at a Range Rover and think the owner lives in a Pools Winners type house in Essex or Cheshire. Mercs are often bought by the same type of people and they usually disintegrate before they can look battered.
Saab had a decent ownership profile some years ago, but they were really GM based for 20 odd years before they went under. Audi used to be a quirky alternative to BMW, but then they devised this advert in the 90's to highlight that fact and all the BMW company car drivers migrated. They're now possibly the least classy cars of all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJa3d17Ktko
Even Golfs, which were known as classless at one point, have a chav appeal nowadays. Most people I know who would have bought a Golf some years ago would be in some sort of People Carrier/Small 4x4 now.
I kind of think an XC90 or Discovery may be a bit classy these days, but that's about it - Any thoughts?
Edited by tomic on Friday 24th February 01:05
dvs_dave said:
Sump said:
nobrakes said:
I think a LWB A8 ( basic wheel spec please) carries a good degree of presence, and arguably class.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
Black or dark blue please.
I'm not so sure about the newer ones though.
No Audi made in the last 15 carries any form of class, let us just stop that right there.http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
Black or dark blue please.
I'm not so sure about the newer ones though.
phope said:
Undoubtedly for the Royal Family there is a special VIP fleet deal, but Audi with the Allroad and Volvo with the Cross-Country & similar have a real niche amongst the well to do looking for a classy, capable vehicle without being vulgar and brash
The Allroad and Cross Country are definitely candidatesjakesmith said:
Maserati / Aston are way more classy than Porsche Merc / GTR / Jag / Ferarri / Lambo type GT / Supercars
Obviously I am very biased but I think this is as classy as a GT can get
That's another example of how spec is important. The Granturismo is one of the classier GTs on standard wheels but those enormous black rimz immediately give it the bruv look. Obviously I am very biased but I think this is as classy as a GT can get
ash73 said:
ChevronB19 said:
New car? Skoda yeti in a dark colour
Please stop with the Skodas 
they are practical, good value, they have lots of positives, but they are not in any way classy! 
Skodas are for cheapskates who never buy a round of drinks. I know because a mate owns a VRS, he earns a good wage and *never* dips into his pocket. He always tells me he has no money, and then next time I visit he shows me the new plasma, or gym equipment, or extension.
MaxSo said:
Yes, this is essentially how I see it. Those with true class live below their means. The rest live above their means. It's why many classy people are still living in modest homes and driving older cars. The flashy cars and the large homes are driven and populated by the less classy people living above their means. This speaks to a wholly different mindset on the part of these two groups. The classy would rather preserve and expand their wealth through investments, while the less classy has a need to accumulate “things” that somehow increase their status with their friends, or mostly just strangers. So who is driving the new white, full matrix LED Audi? And who is driving a slightly tatty Volvo?
Here also is my far too lengthy post from a few pages back:
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
Skoda Superb? I have never seen a Skoda Superb that wasn't a Taxi. Here also is my far too lengthy post from a few pages back:
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
The whole Skoda Yeti thing - come on. Give it a rest. Might be unassuming, but really no class - I know that's why people suggest it but when the Golf had a classless image during the 1980's you could park one in Chelsea and it would fit right in. It would also look fine in a rough part of town. That's what I meant when I started this thread.
The Skoda Yeti just makes you look like a provincial dogging enthusiast who spends most of their time working out ways to get their car to run on used chip fat. It's not classy and it never will be.
The Skoda Yeti just makes you look like a provincial dogging enthusiast who spends most of their time working out ways to get their car to run on used chip fat. It's not classy and it never will be.
helix402 said:
I like the description, massive wide or massive long forearms? Afraid you're wrong on the serial killers. Murderers drive Discos.
Massive wide. I know where you're coming from about the Disco, but I remember this quote from Top Gear.
http://www.quotes.net/show-quote/83529
Don't forget that the Dacia Duster is now arguably the most practical and functional of all Renault made cars.
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