the reason i'm ranting is the Launch of the new body style Mercedes E-class.
I remember growing up seeing the previous generation E class and even if it was 5 years old it was still a classy, good looking car. the new styling is crap.
same thing happened with the previous gen. Acura TL and RL.
Also look at the new Ford Mustang. from the 94-97 styling was my favorite style. the 2010 Mustang is a joke. for the "hype" they made about it wasn't worth it.
The Chevy Volt (which is the new model for 2011) looks like a Honda Civic with a Chevy Emblem on it.
Myself as a auto worker for Honda, I'm disappointed not only in Honda's designers but also other car maker designers.
put aside the sucky economy for a second. i think now the car makers should be designing the best looking cars due to its tough to sell a car. yes i agree a lot has to do with the slow economy people aren't buying but i also think the designs blow so why buy. Repair what you got and put it back on the road.
the last 2 cars that really exciting in the last 2-3 years have been:
#1. Nissan GT-R( about 80 grand MSRP)
#2. New Jaguar XF (depending on what engine and how you dress it out 45-80 grand for the new XFR MSRP)
but i believe i don't care if you buy a Scion or a Mercedes it should have a good design. it seems like the designers don't even care anymore.

you are a joke.

oh gawd

@ the 2010 Mustang being a joke..

It is LEAPS and bounds ahead of the previous Mustangs and I'd actually be interested in one, thats saying a lot for me.

Oh, I don't know............

I find the new John Deere tractors pretty hot.




Terry

This would be such a great thread/topic if only someone else started it.

I think the new E class is a great looking car... but I didn't like it from looking at the pictures online...

i'm either going in the path of car design or architectural design and i definitely feel like there are cars out there that just don't look appealing. Maybe it's the economy and how design is not the most important aspect of a car (i personally do think design is important, but not from an economical standpoint).

Nissan put a lot of time and money designing the R35, which is designed to be aerodynamic. Benz E-class, not so much lol.

The Jaguar XF was designed by the same person who designed the new generation of Aston Martins... I'm sure Jag paid a lot of money for that design.

^Those are designed well because they were important projects vital to their company. The E class is the benz that people buy just to have the title as a benz owner (unless you're boosting it or something)

It's not that the car designers themselves care, I'm sure they car as much as, if not more than, the customers. The car companies probably aren't putting as much money into their designs as much nowadays... last year, car design students from the art center college of design (a prestigious art school that 70% of car designers in the US graduate from) were not hired from car companies because of the economy.

you can have one but their a joke. all they did was "touch up " little things here and there. i've test drove a 2010 Mustang nothing to "write home about" the Mustang,Challenger and Camaro are based on designs of late 60s or early 70s previous models. all their doing is taking stuff from approx. 40 years ago putting in modern shit(like Navi, Fuel Injection, larger rims, disc brakes) and reselling it. YEAH THAT'S BEING ORGINAL..
then the dumbasses at Ford are bringing back the 5.0 motor. AGAIN a throwback. instead of going into unchartered ground no we'll bring back shit and re-hash it and rehash it again in 10-20 years. I'll be first to admit the 5.0 was a great engine. but it's time to move on bigger bolder ideas. its time to get out of the 60s and move into the 2000s.

Other than a sheetmetal resemblence, none of these cars have anything in common with their ancestors.

but isn't that a exterior car designer's responbility is to design fresh ideas. the design of a car makes or breaks a car. look at the Pontiac Aztec. it could have had an awesome interior but the thing didn't sell due to poor exterior design. so instead of bringing in a late 60s -early 70s car into the design lab basically redrawing it why don't they go in a new direction.
its like the Big 3 for their "fun cars"(Vette excluded ) wanna be stuck in the late 60s- early 70s.

Many people love these flash-back car designs. They sell well.

If it works... run with it.

Like you mentioned, they tried to be bold with the Pontiac Aztec and failed.

You do realize that that the 5.0 motor is only similar to the old pushrod engine in displacement only, don't you? No.........I suppose not. The new engine is a four valve SOHC design. Perhaps you should familiarize yourself with the differences between the architecture of the two engines.




Terry

My suggestion: Quit now. You know, just like the one in your avatar did.

X 2012

I thought he was gone again and didn't want to jinx us by saying anything.

Everyone has their own styling preferences, but do you really prefer a 94-97 Mustang over a 2010? I personally think the 2010 Mustang is jaw-dropping, especially for its price.

You really can't think the Volt looks anything like a Civic. Are both of your eyes connected to your brain?

You act as if these cars are designed to be intentionally ugly. Acura didn't go and say "Let's make our ugliest car lineup yet(though they did)" there are some that legitimately think these cars look good. I personally don't have any problem with the E-Class's styling.

If you dont like how it looks, don't buy it. Between your job at Honda, your trucking service, and farm, you should be able to buy something better-looking I hope.

Some manufacturers are going for retro designs, so the kids/teens who couldn't have a muscle car can own one now that they have money.

Some manufacturers are going for new, bold design like acura's beak and Nissan's new designs. With this way, people love it or hate it, there is no in between with bold.

Manufactueres like MB and BMW are starting to go with bold designs but with some old cues and lines to keep their heritage and class line.

Others like Porsche aren't messing with their designs that have worked well for so long, just minor touch-ups.

Ugh...that will teach me to have the thought, "Gosh I haven't seen Water-S around for a while. The intelligence factor in AZine has gone up and people seem happier. Maybe he's gone for good."

No joke...I thought that this morning. Now here we are.

The new E-body style is ugly compared to the prior gen-- looks like MB hired the designers of the present-gen Honda Accord, Odyssey, Ridgeline, Acura TL and RL to put a few creases in body panels that shouldn't have any and arches on wheel wells for no apparent reason.

The XF is a pretty terrific looking car.

OP is wrong on the Mustang and GTR, though-- I find the 2005+ Mustangs much better looking than the '94-2004 body styles, while the GTR is not attractive looking (but at least it's not an Aztek wannabe, like the BMX X6).

And I hope Chris Bangle stays away from cars henceforth!

I almost feel stupid for even bothering to respond to this thread....

The GT-R is by far the ugliest car in its price range. Its design was first and foremost a result of extensive wind tunnel testing.

Oh, and nice play on the lack of "vision," since MB is using the "Vision" moniker on a bunch of their vehicles. Maybe too much "Vision?"

Oh, and it's the "BMW" X6 that is the Aztec look-alike, not "BMX" as in my prior post.

stright-(paint)balling, have you actually seen this car in person? Even if you were to say "Yes", I don't believe you...

the new Mustang yes in person and pictures of it .
the new E class in person no but i've seen multiple pictures not in person.
the new Camaro in person and pictures.
the Challenger same.

she's quitting to possibly run for president in 2012. she hasn't ruled it out yet.

It's all subjective, but for me, exterior design peaked around five years ago. I can think of quite a few cars that have been released in the past couple years that look far worse than their predecessors. It seems like many companies are going the overstyled route with gratuitous creases, vents and overly large grilles to make their cars stand out.

well, FWIW... I had made some negative comments on the new E Class (in the E Class thread) when the pictures first came out, but then I saw one in person... and it actually looks really good... and then a bunch of people started changing their minds as well... (because they had also seen it in person).

the 94-97 mustangs are the absolute worst period for the fox body mustangs.

I think you completely missed the point there.

I actually don't quite like the looks of the Camaro compared to the Challenger and Mustang. People have been falling head over heels for it, and while I can understand why, I prefer the Mustang's styling to the Camaro's. That, and the Mustang is 350+ pounds lighter than either the Camaro or Challenger. Too bad it's relatively underpowered.

While I'll admit the tail of the car had to grow on me, I had the good fortune of seeing the new E-class sedan and coupe in person in May,
and all I can say is

It looks more finished than the previous gen. That thing is hot!

Oh dear.

While it could use a couple of ergonomic "touchups", the current generation Mustang is a winner no matter how you slice it....is the best on to date. The 94-97 version of the 4G is second only to the 2G when it comes to weak styling.

Anyone else mildly excited to see the OP post, just for the comments from others?

That being said, the new E looks hot in person. New mustang caught my eye the other day, I must admit but I would never purchase one

The front end of the E class looks pretty nice actually. I saw the E coupe this morning... but when it passed me and I looked in the rearview, I was like

I think you lost your brain bro.

One thing you can say about Mercedes, is that their cars really don't look like anything else. Kind of like Cadillac now. Does anyone think Mercedes has gone to a bit of an edgy design because of competition from Cadillac? Maybe? A little bit? I think maybe just a little.

Quite a few have beaten up Bangle for what he did to BMW. You have to admit, while fugly as sin, those era BMW's were very different. The end result is the new Z4 looks really nice. And the 7 series is finally, styling wise, a close competitor to the LS series Lexus (yes, I said it) and the S Mercedes (which I like too).

And funny for the OP to bring up the Challenger. Chrysler used to be known (90's to about 2000) as the US brand that really looked different. Now, everything they make has the same interior and grille. Just suck ass ugly, with the Challenger being the exception. Oh, and fuck the steering wheel in the Challenger, it looks like it straight out of an Avenger.....Oh, wait, it is, or is it a Charger, or Sebring? They all look the same so I can't keep track.

But anyone with a brain has. Never happen.

How did I miss this post????

The new 7's design is ok, not as classy as the older one (E66). However the S class looks hideous! It looks like a 5 year old drew the arches and it looks like an elephant sat on the rear! As well it appears a monkey designed the steering wheel! Other than that, it's a great car, though costly for what you get...