Awkward design details on production cars

[Jonny_]

chrismoose91 said:

Nissan Patrol? Ours has the brake lights low on the bumper

Yep, could well have been the Patrol. The vehicle I vaguely recall had quite small light clusters either side of the rear door, a bit like the Freelander posted earlier, so wouldn't have been an issue with keeping lights visible with the door/tailgate open.

It always seemed bizarre to me that the brake lights weren't grouped with the taillights simply by using a dual filament 5/21 watt bulb, as they are on most cars. Made it look as though brake lights were an afterthought!

[IN51GHT]

LuS1fer said:

The Nissan Leaf high ridge headlights

All about cleaning up airflow around the wing mirrors

[wst]

RenesisEvo said:

Tesla Model S interior door 'handles' - sculpted grabs that are in the completely wrong place to give you any meaningful leverage to open the door.

Ooh!

Transit Custom, whatever model has a 15 plate (I am not an anorak with them, that's just what the work van is).

Imagine it's your first day at your new job, and you park in the accepted place with your work supplied van. There's a slight wind from behind. You pull the door release lever, the door pops open an inch. You're transferring your hand to the door grab, as the lever offers no leverage to open the door (it's close to the hinges)... and the wind beats you, catches that inch of door and slams it open.

The front of the door now fouls on the wing (paint damage, I was lucky it didn't crease the door skin) and you have to give the door a hefty slam to get it to shut properly. And Ford are powerless to actually fix the problem/align the door etc (apparently they've even changed part numbers on the hinges etc).

Would it have been difficult to make it so you are firmly holding the door at all times between releasing it and opening it your desired amount?

[ajprice]

OK, this is a new one on me.

I've seen conventional windscreen wipers
conventional LHD wipers on the RHD Peugeot 206 with the cam on the mechanism to get into the corner
Mercedes single wipers with the cam
triple wipers on an E type
'clap hands' wipers that rest horizontally (most of them)
'clap hands' wipers that rest vertically along the windscreen pillars (Seat Altea)

I have never seen anything like Alpine A610 windscreen wipers. https://twitter.com/KeithParkers/status/1020692634...

The only way I can describe that is drunk backwards clap hands wipers!

[HTP99]

kambites said:

I believe the insignia estate is like that.

Audi A1 too.

Black rearmost pillar on a Jaguar XJ, apparently t its black to give the illusion of a floating roof, unfortunately it doesn't do that at all, it just looks cack and odd.

[GeordieInExile]

My folks just got a 2 series coupe.

I cannot for the life of me fathom what BMW were up to with the bootlid. Why does it jut out so much? Ruins the flow of the lines on what is otherwise not a bad looking thing.

[Pica-Pica]

GeordieInExile said:

My folks just got a 2 series coupe.

I cannot for the life of me fathom what BMW were up to with the bootlid. Why does it jut out so much? Ruins the flow of the lines on what is otherwise not a bad looking thing.

Airflow, and removing rain from rear screen when moving?

[Nickbrapp]

GeordieInExile said:

My folks just got a 2 series coupe.

I cannot for the life of me fathom what BMW were up to with the bootlid. Why does it jut out so much? Ruins the flow of the lines on what is otherwise not a bad looking thing.

BMW are just a mess, not a looker in the range, and the grills just keep getting bigger and bigger, the X7 looks like the old merc GLS with a fish melted on the front

Don’t get me started on the whole remove LED indicators then fit them again at the LCI stage

[mybrainhurts]

Those black rubbing strips....so wrong

[mat205125]

kambites said:

I nominate the stupid little fake grills next to the rear lights on my S2 Elise. They look awful.

All fake grills and vents on all car.

Fake diffusers that do nothing.

Huge chrome circles and stylised chrome oblongs on the rear bumpers, with or without holes through the middle for exhaust gasses to escape through, from their apologetic tailpipes.

Step forward Mercedes Benz for being the worst offender for all of the above. Lots and lots of fancy chrome and tinsel on very low rent, average automobiles.

[Venturist]

HTP99 said:

Audi A1 too.

Black rearmost pillar on a Jaguar XJ, apparently t its black to give the illusion of a floating roof, unfortunately it doesn't do that at all, it just looks cack and odd.

I absolutely loathe it. Lets down a good looking car. It’s not even floating because it’s held up by a silly bendy bit of chrome around the side windows. What were they thinking? Why isn’t body colour even an option?

[Matt Cup]

This plastic thing stuck on the side of most small hatchbacks in some flavour.

I have no idea what its there for, but why couldn't they have incorporated it into the design of the car?

[Dapster]

mat205125 said:

Huge chrome circles and stylised chrome oblongs on the rear bumpers, with or without holes through the middle for exhaust gasses to escape through, from their apologetic tailpipes.

Step forward Mercedes Benz for being the worst offender for all of the above....

Audi SQ5, that's you that is....

[HTP99]

Matt Cup said:

This plastic thing stuck on the side of most small hatchbacks in some flavour.

I have no idea what its there for, but why couldn't they have incorporated it into the design of the car?

I think it is to aid airflow around the rear lamps so they don't get caked in general road crap so they keep clean, other cars have similar bits but are much better integrated.

Looks like an afterthought though, much like the Mitsubushi Mirage that I saw earlier this week with a bloody obvious reverse camera, just plonked in the middle of the tailgate in an obvious housing as opposed to being tucked away discretely like most other manufacturers do.

[sawman]

have we had the panel joint halfway over the fiat spyder front wing?


someone pointed it out a few weeks ago, and now, whenever I see a spyder it's the only feature I can see... pity really I quite like it before

[David87]

The rear lamps on the current Ford S-MAX look like they're partially broken.

[mat205125]

Dapster said:

mat205125 said:

Huge chrome circles and stylised chrome oblongs on the rear bumpers, with or without holes through the middle for exhaust gasses to escape through, from their apologetic tailpipes.

Step forward Mercedes Benz for being the worst offender for all of the above....

Audi SQ5, that's you that is....

Good god, why????

Are their no car enthusiasts involved in new car development and design??

[alec.e]

That Audi looks terrible, probably has the stupid fake exhuast sounds played through speakers too...

[Matt Cup]

alec.e said:

That Audi looks terrible, probably has the stupid fake exhuast sounds played through speakers too...

I believe some Audi’s have a speaker in the exhaust to pump out fake noises to the outside too.

[Cyder]

HTP99 said:

Matt Cup said:

This plastic thing stuck on the side of most small hatchbacks in some flavour.

I have no idea what its there for, but why couldn't they have incorporated it into the design of the car?

I think it is to aid airflow around the rear lamps so they don't get caked in general road crap so they keep clean, other cars have similar bits but are much better integrated.

It’s an aero trip edge to make the flow separate at that point rather than hold on to the form of the body around the back of the car.

The idea is to generate a clean separation of airflow to reduce the coefficient of drag and in turn increase fuel economy/reduce CO2.