Car design trends that have come back around
Discussion
Nickbrapp said:
As we know fashion comes and goes, as does big trends in car design, BMW admit large grills won’t be forever.
What other trends have come back around? I would say sunroofs, very popular in 90s, then died off and now back in a big way with panoramic glass ones.
BMW surely won't permanently do away with the kidney grille.What other trends have come back around? I would say sunroofs, very popular in 90s, then died off and now back in a big way with panoramic glass ones.
I think they'll either incorporate it into the design for functionality in some way, or it'll be there for heritage reasons.
I have to admit, I had never noticed flush door handles making a return. I always preferred them to the 'grab style'.
A few cars (Renault Twingo, Citroen AX IIRC) had those latch-type door handles. Doubt they'd be making a return.
With the growth in customisation of cars, I think two-tone colour schemes (namely involving the roof) have made a return in some way.
As for sunroofs, I think that's more market-specific.
I have a GCC spec (made in Belgium I think) mk3.5 Ford Focus that I use as a daily runner in the UAE with a sunroof, and did not even pay attention to the fact that it did when I first went to view it, as it has become such a non-item in the Western European car market.
Still, I was pleasantly surprised it did have one and it felt like a nostalgic touch to an otherwise nice car.
Deranged Rover said:
Front quarter-light windows.
They're a lot smaller than they used to be and they don't open but they're cropping up on car front windows all over the place, presumably because of the current fashion for huge, steeply-raked windscreens. They look daft IMHO.
I'd imagine the steeply raked windscreens are for aerodynamics. The bit that irks me most about all that is the sheer magnitude of dashboards. On the passenger side of a Ford Capri, the dashboard is about an inch deep. Modern cars are about 2 feet of black plastic that usually don't do much more than house some vents and maybe a speaker. They're a lot smaller than they used to be and they don't open but they're cropping up on car front windows all over the place, presumably because of the current fashion for huge, steeply-raked windscreens. They look daft IMHO.
RazerSauber said:
I'd imagine the steeply raked windscreens are for aerodynamics. The bit that irks me most about all that is the sheer magnitude of dashboards. On the passenger side of a Ford Capri, the dashboard is about an inch deep. Modern cars are about 2 feet of black plastic that usually don't do much more than house some vents and maybe a speaker.
I have a 1987 MR2 - the windscreen is steeply raked and yes, that means lots of dashboard top.No quarter vents, however.
I don't think this has been mentioned, but a retro trend is having the vehicle manufacturer (and maybe the model name) name spelt out on the front and/or back in spaced out block capitals.
E.g. P E U G E O T
S K O D A
F O R D (seems to be a thing on the Ranger because it's the closest rugged looking vehicle you can get to an F150 on this side of the Atlantic. Also noticed it on a fair number of Transit vans. Whether it's a factory option or an aftermarket mod it looks dreadful).
Haval are also doing it.
To the best of my recollection, the earliest car in recent times to feature this was the 2008- Volvo S40 on the bootlid.
E.g. P E U G E O T
S K O D A
F O R D (seems to be a thing on the Ranger because it's the closest rugged looking vehicle you can get to an F150 on this side of the Atlantic. Also noticed it on a fair number of Transit vans. Whether it's a factory option or an aftermarket mod it looks dreadful).
Haval are also doing it.
To the best of my recollection, the earliest car in recent times to feature this was the 2008- Volvo S40 on the bootlid.
captain.scarlet said:
I don't think this has been mentioned, but a retro trend is having the vehicle manufacturer (and maybe the model name) name spelt out on the front and/or back in spaced out block capitals.
E.g. P E U G E O T
S K O D A
F O R D (seems to be a thing on the Ranger because it's the closest rugged looking vehicle you can get to an F150 on this side of the Atlantic. Also noticed it on a fair number of Transit vans. Whether it's a factory option or an aftermarket mod it looks dreadful).
Haval are also doing it.
To the best of my recollection, the earliest car in recent times to feature this was the 2008- Volvo S40 on the bootlid.
Your recollection doesn't extend to the 2004 Rover 45, then? E.g. P E U G E O T
S K O D A
F O R D (seems to be a thing on the Ranger because it's the closest rugged looking vehicle you can get to an F150 on this side of the Atlantic. Also noticed it on a fair number of Transit vans. Whether it's a factory option or an aftermarket mod it looks dreadful).
Haval are also doing it.
To the best of my recollection, the earliest car in recent times to feature this was the 2008- Volvo S40 on the bootlid.
donkmeister said:
captain.scarlet said:
I don't think this has been mentioned, but a retro trend is having the vehicle manufacturer (and maybe the model name) name spelt out on the front and/or back in spaced out block capitals.
E.g. P E U G E O T
S K O D A
F O R D (seems to be a thing on the Ranger because it's the closest rugged looking vehicle you can get to an F150 on this side of the Atlantic. Also noticed it on a fair number of Transit vans. Whether it's a factory option or an aftermarket mod it looks dreadful).
Haval are also doing it.
To the best of my recollection, the earliest car in recent times to feature this was the 2008- Volvo S40 on the bootlid.
Your recollection doesn't extend to the 2004 Rover 45, then? E.g. P E U G E O T
S K O D A
F O R D (seems to be a thing on the Ranger because it's the closest rugged looking vehicle you can get to an F150 on this side of the Atlantic. Also noticed it on a fair number of Transit vans. Whether it's a factory option or an aftermarket mod it looks dreadful).
Haval are also doing it.
To the best of my recollection, the earliest car in recent times to feature this was the 2008- Volvo S40 on the bootlid.
Doofus said:
What's going on with those rear lights? That's not what they look like - that's a weird and bad photoshop, surely.
That is a photoshop, the tail lights remained in their original shape, likely because they weren't going to re-do the rear wing pressing.However the R O V E R is real
Since it was a 2004 facelift, and Rover went kaput in April 2005, such facelift cars are vastly outnumbered by the original models, with the number plate in the centre of the bootlid.
In the short term - buttons vs touchscreens.
A few years ago a touchscreen and no buttons for the radio/climate/etc meant you had a super fancy high-tech motorcar, now it means you have a built-to-a-budget supermini and the fancy cars have gone back to having buttons.
Someone mentioned wheels and tyres - I think the trend for crossovers is people just going back to larger sidewalls and decent ride height after an era of all hatchbacks being Max-Powered from the factory with bodykits, lowered suspension and big wheels.
A few years ago a touchscreen and no buttons for the radio/climate/etc meant you had a super fancy high-tech motorcar, now it means you have a built-to-a-budget supermini and the fancy cars have gone back to having buttons.
Someone mentioned wheels and tyres - I think the trend for crossovers is people just going back to larger sidewalls and decent ride height after an era of all hatchbacks being Max-Powered from the factory with bodykits, lowered suspension and big wheels.
captain.scarlet said:
I don't think this has been mentioned, but a retro trend is having the vehicle manufacturer (and maybe the model name) name spelt out on the front and/or back in spaced out block capitals.
E.g. P E U G E O T
S K O D A
F O R D (seems to be a thing on the Ranger because it's the closest rugged looking vehicle you can get to an F150 on this side of the Atlantic. Also noticed it on a fair number of Transit vans. Whether it's a factory option or an aftermarket mod it looks dreadful).
Haval are also doing it.
To the best of my recollection, the earliest car in recent times to feature this was the 2008- Volvo S40 on the bootlid.
I thought it was all P O R S C H E ‘s fault with the intro of the 2012 911, and everyone followed suit, but I think you might be right with the V O L V O. E.g. P E U G E O T
S K O D A
F O R D (seems to be a thing on the Ranger because it's the closest rugged looking vehicle you can get to an F150 on this side of the Atlantic. Also noticed it on a fair number of Transit vans. Whether it's a factory option or an aftermarket mod it looks dreadful).
Haval are also doing it.
To the best of my recollection, the earliest car in recent times to feature this was the 2008- Volvo S40 on the bootlid.
We’ll blame them for it.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff