New cars less attractive than the ones they replaced

[Skeptisk]

I just watched a short video on the Testarossa and the car it replaced - the 512 BB. I don’t know whether the Testarossa drove better, but it didn’t look as good. The Testarossa looks ungainly and brash to me (which fitted the decade it was released!)

Any others (most modern BMWs I suspect!)?

[Robertb]

Ferrari have a history of making replacements and facelifts look worse;

F430 vs F360 vs F355.
575m vs 550 Maranello
F512M vs 512 TR

P38 vs ‘Classic’ Range Rover.
RR Silver Spirit vs Silver Shadow
XJ40 vs XJ6

Yes BMW are a rich seam.
Anything designed by Bangle after its predecessor
Plus E36 after E30
The entire current range vs their predecessors.

Aston Vantage, 2004 vs fish mouth
DB11 vs DB9

[legless]

Plenty I can think of immediately. There will be lots more though.

E3x BMWs > Their replacements
Focus MK1 > MK2
Golf Mk7 > Golf Mk8
Ford Granada > Scorpio
Ferrari F355 > 360

I was going to write Peugeot 306 to 307, but realised that pretty much every replacement for everything from PSA at that time also qualifies. They lost their way hugely in the late 90s/early 00s.

[UK_Scat_Pack]

The new Tiguan for a start! The previous facelift one wasn’t as nice as the one it replaced and now the new one is now a generic, boring looking thing.

[Puddenchucker]

Ferrari 456 > 612

[EBRANDON1]

Think new BMW's and even merc and Audi a lot of previous generations are generally preferred looks wise. Admittedly some models have grown on me.

I personally prefer the P1 to the new W1, not that I necessarily dislike the W1 I just love the P1's looks.

Same with La Ferrari to F80, and Chiron to Tourbillon.

Jag XJ, for me the design peaked in whatever the 1999 generation was then even the small facelift following I disliked.

[Puddenchucker]

I suppose most people would also say the Jaguar XJS is not as good looking as the E-Type, although that's not to say the XJS is ugly.

[samoht]

Elegant, shapely and athletic

Square, staid and slabby

[samoht]

Ferrari 360, elegant and balanced

Ferrari 430, similar but every change for the worse, especially the raised intake added to the rear haunch


They then spoilt the 458 to make the 488 in the same way, by adding an exaggerated air intake to the rear flank.

[Foss62]

I’ll go for ALL mid-sized SUVs and add reduction in practicality to reduction in attractiveness.

The late 90s early 00s originals from Land-Rover (Freelander), Nissan (X-Trail), Honda (CRV?), Toyota (RAV4) etc. both looked the part (design cues from ‘hard’ off-roaders) and were designed with AWD, sensible wheels and tyres for rough roads and trails, decent ground clearance, spare wheels on tailgates etc. etc.

The current equivalents are bloated and shapeless and little better off-road than the average saloon.

[Triumph Man]

Discovery 4 -> discovery 5

[mike9009]

So, it seems, as a general rule car design has got worse over the last 30 years or so.

So, what models buck the tend? Which models have got better looking over the generations.....

<Disruptive post mode on>

[trevalvole]

Robertb said:

Ferrari have a history of making replacements and facelifts look worse;

F430 vs F360 vs F355.

To me the F355 looks dart-like from a distance, but closer up I see the squared-off bumpers and detailing that looks rather kit-car-like. I prefer the F360, which seems to me to have some of the elegance of the Dino 246.

[Triumph Man]

mike9009 said:

So, it seems, as a general rule car design has got worse over the last 30 years or so.

So, what models buck the tend? Which models have got better looking over the generations.....

<Disruptive post mode on>

The Porsche panamera used to be absolutely hideous, but the 2018 model had a much better exterior and interior than the previous model.

[Sensibleboy]

legless said:

I was going to write Peugeot 306 to 307, but realised that pretty much every replacement for everything from PSA at that time also qualifies. They lost their way hugely in the late 90s/early 00s.

Yet the 206 is the best selling Peugeot ever. Why? Because people liked its styling.

[biggbn]

trevalvole said:

Robertb said:

Ferrari have a history of making replacements and facelifts look worse;

F430 vs F360 vs F355.

To me the F355 looks dart-like from a distance, but closer up I see the squared-off bumpers and detailing that looks rather kit-car-like. I prefer the F360, which seems to me to have some of the elegance of the Dino 246.

Bang on, never 'got' the 355, it always looked like an aftermarket stylist was trying to come up with a false ferrari. I've always thought if it didn't exist as a model and someone brought it out as a kit, it would have been pilloried...

[HTP99]

biggbn said:

trevalvole said:

Robertb said:

Ferrari have a history of making replacements and facelifts look worse;

F430 vs F360 vs F355.

To me the F355 looks dart-like from a distance, but closer up I see the squared-off bumpers and detailing that looks rather kit-car-like. I prefer the F360, which seems to me to have some of the elegance of the Dino 246.

Bang on, never 'got' the 355, it always looked like an aftermarket stylist was trying to come up with a false ferrari. I've always thought if it didn't exist as a model and someone brought it out as a kit, it would have been pilloried...

And yet I think the 355 is the last of the proper, pretty and unfussy Ferraris.

[AKjr]

trevalvole said:

Robertb said:

Ferrari have a history of making replacements and facelifts look worse;

F430 vs F360 vs F355.

To me the F355 looks dart-like from a distance, but closer up I see the squared-off bumpers and detailing that looks rather kit-car-like. I prefer the F360, which seems to me to have some of the elegance of the Dino 246.

I would agree but it seems that we are in a minority on here.

We're correct and they are wrong, however

[AmyRichardson]

mike9009 said:

So, it seems, as a general rule car design has got worse over the last 30 years or so.

So, what models buck the tend? Which models have got better looking over the generations.....

<Disruptive post mode on>

Probably more that every car has a 50/50 chance of being worse looking than it's predecessor (if you follow oa stunner/stinker then your odds are loaded, but on aggregate), so you've got half the models ever built to choose from!

Edit: that finess of form is a good predictor of car attractiveness (big GT - a designer's game to loose / XLSUV - problematic), cars probably have got, on average, less attractive. But that's not the same as good or bad design.

Edited by AmyRichardson on Thursday 24th October 22:48

[otolith]

I'm afraid I think there is also an element of disliking cars which look less like cars did when you were younger.

Older people hated the Sierra when it replaced the Cortina. "Jelly mould car". As a ten year old, I thought the Sierra looked modern and the Cortina looked ancient.