Peugeot - WTF went wrong?

[DrTre]

Why have they lost it so badly? Who is in charge of their design now? Is it Patrick something or other?

That new Peugeot TT is no better either.

They used to be lean, lithe, pretty things and now...look at this....it looks like a proboscis monkey with a Ssangyong Rodius stuffed up it's jacksy.



Who on earth is signing off Peugeot's last designs? Andrea Bocelli?

[the_smalls]

Oh, oh dear, that's simply horrific.

[amir_j]

Not seen in the flesh but the pug coupe looks interesting to me- a refreshing design amongst its immediate peers.

[DrTre]

the_smalls said:

Oh, oh dear, that's simply horrific.

I drove past one on Friday, my jaw nearly hit the floor at how ghastly it it.

I think my point is more that it's such a shame to see a manufacturer fall so far, aesthetically speaking. Not sure they're doing much better on the engineering side of things either are they?

[patmahe]

Judging by the amount you see about some people seem to like them. I think Peugeot have given up caring about the enthusiast market and are simply focusing on the mainstream market. I wouldn't have any of their modern range though.

ETA: I've seen a couple of these hideous beasts about, cannot understand anyone buying one of these new, they just look wrong from every angle.



Hard to believe its the same company that once made this which you know just by looking at it will be fun to drive.

Edited by patmahe on Monday 15th March 12:26

[DrTre]

amir_j said:

Not seen in the flesh but the pug coupe looks interesting to me- a refreshing design amongst its immediate peers.

Each to their own, it's not that it's bad per se but it is a blatent TT copy. I'd be embarrassed to market it.

[amir_j]

DrTre said:

They used to be lean, lithe, pretty things and now...

When you say used to be, what era do you refer to? The 307 was lean, lithe and pretty?

[Garlick]

amir_j said:

DrTre said:

They used to be lean, lithe, pretty things and now...

When you say used to be, what era do you refer to? The 307 was lean, lithe and pretty?

1st gen 106/205/306 and a fair few cars before that too IMO

[Chris71]

To bring a little balance to the conversation the recent Peugeot concept cars have been pretty encouraging. I wouldn't say no to these:

[DrTre]

Garlick said:

amir_j said:

DrTre said:

They used to be lean, lithe, pretty things and now...

When you say used to be, what era do you refer to? The 307 was lean, lithe and pretty?

1st gen 106/205/306 and a fair few cars before that too IMO

This.

The 307 was an incredibly bland breadvan, and dynamically inferior even to those....

(again, it's subjective, not belittling your opinion amir_j)

[DrTre]

Peugeot concepts have ALWAYS been brilliant (what was the ace of spades one and queen of hearts or something? Red and black?)...it's a shame the company has become the ultimate in being able to show very good design flair, only to put into production utter cack.
I agree wholly with the point made that they're going for mainstream production cars...I also agree that there's not a single model in their range that I'd be interested in buying, sadly.

I should add that I'm really speaking about the only aesthetics. You can (Peugeot used to) build good cheap cars that sell to the masses that LOOKED fresh and interesting. Now they're just monstrosities. The two things aren't mutually exclusive.

Edited by DrTre on Monday 15th March 12:36

[Jazoli]

I've had 205's, 306's, 309's, 405's and 406's, I've not had anything since, then, how they went from producing well styled and proportioned cars to the horrific stuff I cannot understand uzzled:

[LuS1fer]

The new ad sums it up, cars that explode, a nod to the svelte beauty of the 504 Coupe/Cab and trying to drop a modern Peugeot from a great height before it explodes again. What it is trying to convey is anyone's guess. Like Renault's ad - pointless.

[RobM77]

It's not just the design, it's the way they drive. The 205 was fantastic to drive for what it was - nice steering feel, well weighted controls and a good feel of the road etc. Some of the latest cars are absolutely shocking.

[rhinochopig]

It's their approach to the pedestrian safety requirements. It's what's created the bulbous nose look.

[useyourdellusion]

As already said, they seem to have developed an unhealthy fascination with the Mavis and Mildred end of the market.

Ncap ratings and easy finance do seem to be the order of the day. Utter monstrosities!

[Bonefish Blues]

Chris71 said:

To bring a little balance to the conversation these recent blatant Peugeot rip offs of an AM Vantage and Ferrari 599 respectively have been pretty encouraging. I wouldn't say no to these:

EFA

[freakynessless]

Chris71 said:

To bring a little balance to the conversation the recent Peugeot concept cars have been pretty encouraging. I wouldn't say no to these:

These concepts do look fantastic but whats the chance of them a) making it to the real world b) looking anything like this if they do c) being priced realistically

[Schmeeky]

Chris71 said:

To bring a little balance to the conversation the recent Peugeot concept cars have been pretty encouraging. I wouldn't say no to these:

First one's pretty enough, mostly because it looks like an Aston.
Second one looks stunning - apart from its great big gaping mouth. I hate the way car makers try to make every single machine they produce look the same, with a 'family' face. A Fiesta looks like a shrunken Focus, all Peugeots look identical, etc. etc. ad nauseam.

What's wrong with coming up with a suitable, different design for each particular model? Slightly O/T, I know, sorry!

[DrTre]

Schmeeky said:

I hate the way car makers try to make every single machine they produce look the same, with a 'family' face. A Fiesta looks like a shrunken Focus, all Peugeots look identical, etc. etc. ad nauseam.

What's wrong with coming up with a suitable, different design for each particular model? Slightly O/T, I know, sorry!

I broadly agree with you, but take issue with your picking on Ford, I think they've successfully kept their models individual (Ka/Fiesta maybe are a little too similar) and attractive ...although I really don't like the 2nd gen Focus.
I think Vauxhall are becoming more guilty of it nowadays...

Having said that, my perception is that things do seem to be drifting back toward individuality between model ranges.

I know the big nose thing is in response to ped safety but even so, does it need to be quite so Barry Manilow? And there's no excuse for the gurning village idiot grille and enormo badge that's like a Jim'll Fix It medallion.