Are you really looking forward to the future?

[YSSMAN]

Well, lets do some average cars then. What have the Americans at Pontiac learned?

Lets check the Grand Prix:

Circa 1962:



The overall style remained similar until 1968, but by then it looked more like the GTO than anything else.



Then things started getting awkward in 1969:



Then it was really bad in 1972:



By 1974, things were really looking bad:



However, by 1978 and the fourth generation, things began to look up a bit:



By the middle-'80s, it was on the G-body, and on the right track. It was pretty much the same as your average Monte Carlo or Regal, but still a Pontiac no less. Check this '86 2+2 NASCAR special:



With '88 came the W-Body, and the basis for the Grand Prix we still have today:



The sedan was still ugly though:



The sixth generation brought on some positive changes:



(We actually have an SE like that one there, ours in blue and has the GT wheels)



And then there was the seventh and final Grand Prix generation:



I like the looks of these cars. My Aunt just bought an '06 (red), and I love it.

===

The future? The Pontiac G8:

I'm not sure how this kind of progress is a bad thing...

 

[Duke]

Personally, I don't see what people hate about the CS concept. To me, it's got MUCH better proportions than the current 5-series or 6-series. And the detailing is MUCH cleaner and not all fussy like the overdesigned details that have ruined the BMW look.

It needs refinement, yes. But it makes me hopeful for the future of BMW styling rather than more disgusted. It's so much CLEANER, and the detailing fits the overall shape of the car - not weird, blobby shapes applied at random.

Lets check the Grand Prix:

Things started getting awkward in 1969:



However, by 1978 and the fourth generation, things began to look up a bit:

If you think the 1978 Grand Prix is an improvement on the 1969 Grand Prix, you're not eligible to comment on any other car's proportions.

And then there was the seventh and final Grand Prix generation:

ANYTHING would be an improvement over this car. This is my vote for the First Prize as ugliest Pontiac ever designed (Grand Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Ugliness of course goes to the Azzcrack). The last-gen Grand Prix sedan is absolutely a workbook excercise in major styling errors: awkward basic proportions; titanic front overhang matched with vestigial rear; epicly overscaled headlights and taillights that only emphasize the horrible proportions instead of concealing them; weird and pointless 'character lines'. It could only be worse if it still had the tacky washboard plastic rocker panels that Pontiac loved in 1995.

At least GM (and Pontiac in particular) is starting to get over the inexplicable compulsion to advertise the car's option list and technical details in print on the actual car.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Okay, let's take a step away from all the awesome-but-ugly cars for a second, and take a gander at a couple of 'regular' cars. The Ford Mondeo for example has gone from being a jelly mould:

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/7613/fordmondeodunsterarp750cr9.jpg

To not bad:
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/1778/fordmondeomk3blackfrontrn2.jpg

To "Oh my god I want one."
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/6396/bondmondeo4smallan9.jpg

So yes, I'm looking forward to the future of some cars.

I think the 2nd one here, looks the best. The 3rd is too bubbly.

And I also like the looks of the Camry.


IMO, it is common sense that some future cars will look better and some will look worse.

 

[TopHat]

YSSMAN, the 1969 looks great man. Also I like the way that my dads 76 Gran Prix looked.....

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> My take on the future looks grim, I think all of us will have to drive this very soon:

^ Cops, tree-huggers, NHTSA/IIHS, and all of the BS that the US market regulators keeps on ranting about people and their cars.

BT-> Heres my take on what we call "progress":

Mitsubishi Lancer sedans:

Subaru Impreza:

-> I'll continue this next time.

 

[TopHat]

That is progress! The designs are being renewed and new ideas are implemented. The new Lancer is also teh sex.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

^ I've heard it from some magazine that the Evo X will drive like an M3. Well I don't like the idea on that one. Evo are supposed to be raw, and about to bite your head off, not a Euro-wannabe cruise missile.

-> I've always thought that my wagon (2006 WRX) will be the ugliest Subaru ever, I guess I was so wrong on that.

 

[Sage]

Gawd that’s a pretty car. If they just replaced the upcoming Evo’s stupid grille with the grille from the GTS…

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> I like the JDM version better, the Galant Fortis:

(:

 

[Tornado]

Oh, sure, the car is better. But I can't say "looks like a Riviera that crashed into a DB9" marks it as an improvement in styling.


I'll point out a few obvious ones, though.
Camry.
Z-car.
Impreza.
Sebring.
Galant.
Wrangler.
xB.
CTS.
Mustang (I'm ready for backlash, so go ahead).
Edit: Corvette.
However, as Sage said, there are a few marked improvements:
Charger.
Bonneville.
Outlander.
Camaro.
B9 Tribeca (even if they did just turn it into a Pacifica).

The Ford GT was infinitely better looking and better proportioned than the GT90

Yes. Because Ford put outright minutes into the styling of the GT. Sarcasm aside, its pretty hard to screw up a complete classic design when you use copy, paste, and Ctrl-T to design the successor.




With all that out of the way, I am pretty anxious to see how badly Lotus screws up the next Esprit.
And am I the only one who liked the previous Grand Prix to the current one?

 

[Duke]

Gawd that’s a pretty car. If they just replaced the upcoming Evo’s stupid grille with the grille from the GTS…

Easy fix, just like the current A4/S4/RS4 - have the body shop spray the blacked-out parts to match the rest of the body color. It would improve that horrid Skyline 1000% as well.

 

[Tornado]

It would improve that horrid Skyline 1000% as well.

The Skyline would still suffer from looking like junk from the side, though.

 

[TopHat]

The Lancer GTS is the most popular so far, all the models I've seen have been CVT GTS's with the Nav system.

EDIT: Toronado is now the ONLY person I know who doesn't like the new 'Stang.

EDIT EDIT: I like the older one too. The Grand Prix that is.

 

[Tornado]

EDIT: Toronado is now the ONLY person I know who doesn't like the new 'Stang.

The new Mustang is an incredible improvement over the previous one, and just as great a bargain as it always was (well, not the upper-level cars anymore, but you get the point).
It doesn't look very good, though.
Similar to the Galant: The old one was a car of great beauty. The new one looks like a slug. The old car was also trash, where as the new one is quite nice.

 

[TopHat]

The only thing thats off for me is the rear window glass. It needs to become either scoops, or little louvered vents.

 

[YSSMAN]

If you think the 1978 Grand Prix is an improvement on the 1969 Grand Prix, you're not eligible to comment on any other car's proportions.

You forgot the two designs that split those tho up. Everything went downhill after 1969, and only after the 1978 changes did the designs look good again. But me being a late A-Body/G-Body fan, all of them look great to me.

===

And if we're going to discuss the Mustang, it is important to note that this general Ford-hater loves the Mustang now. I wouldn't have been caught dead in a Fox body, despite the fact that my father had one for an extremely short period of time.

For $27K, I can't think of too many cars better to spend my money on.

(Well, unless I try really hard to forget about the GTI or GLI.)

 

[Tornado]

So I must be the only person in the world who thinks that the Mustang is a clumsy designed piece of retro junk. I thought the '99 Mustang had better implemented retro pieces as well as being a completely original design, whereas the current Mustang is the '67 Mustang with bad body kits on it. The V6 model is the only one that looks any good.

 

[YSSMAN]

Its retro, but to me, thats what makes it cool. It gave the design world the finger, and the same can be said of those who prefer engineering, and still proved to be a fun car to drive.

Sure, the previous car had some nifty bits to it (I still want the old Bullitt GT), but I much prefer the newer car. It just doesn't feel as awkward in some respects (particularly the interior), and IMO, looks a helluva lot better.

As for the V6 talk, it depends. If I can order a Mustang GT with the badges stripped off, the V6 Pony Package (for the grille insert), spoiler delete, with the vintage-style wheels, and you've got one nice ride.

My only problem is they don't offer it in the right color: Highland Green.

 

[Tornado]

It gave the design world the finger

How do you figure? It came out after a long line of successful retro cars that sold specifically because they were retro (New Beetle, PT Cruiser, Plymouth Prowler, Beamer Mini), and another large group of cars that failed regardless (SSR, Thunderbird). It did none of the daredevil things you seem to be implying. Saying that it did says that the countless cars that have come out after it have as well (FJ Cruiser, Jeep Liberty, Ford GT). If anything, it conformed by being retro; and it showed once again that Ford couldn't style cars without ripping off an old design, a problem which followed Ford until the Zephyr.
The New Edge car, while also not being a retro car but still including subtle retro design cues, had such tighter lines and so much better proportions. Everything on the current car is exaggerated simply for the sake of trying to be retro, and so many things are awkward (the rear fenders, for example look big enough to land airplanes on; and the tacked-on fender flares look like they could be held on with super glue). Its like it is trying to bash you on the head with its retro-ness, whereas the New Edge car had understated design cues that harked back to the glory years.

As for the V6 talk, it depends. If I can order a Mustang GT with the badges stripped off, the V6 Pony Package (for the grille insert), spoiler delete, with the vintage-style wheels, and you've got one nice ride.

None of those solve the problem of how poorly the front airdam fits on the rest of the front end. The V6 front end looks so much better because of how the airdam curves. The smaller wheels also helps fit the wheel well better.

 

[Speedster502]

Found one that I think no-one could argue that it isn't a improvement.

Aston Martin Lagonda

Aston Martin Rapide


The Rapide is scheduled for 2009, I think. I choose these two as Aston's last 4dr car was the Lagonda and the Rapide is "supposed" to be it's sort of replacement. I think it is a huge step forward.

 

[YSSMAN]

Wow Toronado, you've really got something against the retro style on the Mustang. Personally speaking, I think its about one of the best things Ford could have done for the car. They had been predicting for quite some time that they were going to go retro on the car, perhaps as early as 2002-2003, so it didn't come as much of a surprise really.

It may be a copy of what had already existed, but lets be honest, those were by far the best-looking Mustangs of the bunch. Using the good pieces from the origional, the '66-68, and the '69-70 (my favorite), they screwed together one helluva car. Sure, its retro, and Ford makes no apologies for it, but there isn't anything else like that on the road.

Sure, the last of the Fox bodies were pretty good-looking cars, but they certainly weren't stand-out models (in terms of look alone) compared to the car thats here today. Thats also part of the reason why Ford is evolving the shape for 2009, not completely changing it. A good choice if you ask me...

My biggest issue is still the fact that they didn't offer Highland Green. I want my Bullett, damnit!

 

[Orion]

EDIT: Toronado is now the ONLY person I know who doesn't like the new 'Stang.

Back in the day, the 5.0 Mustang.

A similar Mustang to which MistaX owns.

Before:
Mustang in game.

In real life.

After:

Need I say more?

The Mustang SVT Cobra R is my most favorite Ford out there, I love it more than the Ford GT.

 

[TopHat]

All I see is a series of good looking cars, getting better after each redesign.

 

[Duke]

The Skyline would still suffer from looking like junk from the side, though.

At least the Skyline wouldn't look like an emo whale shark wearing too much guyliner from the front, though.

 

[Orion]

Dodge Viper GTS

Dodge Viper RT/10

Dodge Viper GTS/R Concept

Dodge Viper SRT-10 Convertible

Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe

Dodge Ram SRT-10

Newer Dodge Ram SRT-10

The series is still just getting worse. I loved the Dodge Viper RT/10 so much, as well as the 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10, but now, they are redesigning them to look ugly.

 

[Joey D]

I don't care for the newer styling on the Viper, I think the previous styling was awesome though. And the Ram in my opinion is a very ugly truck, I don't want something that is pretending to be a semi.

 

[Duke]

Vipers in order from gorgeous > ugly:

'96-200? GTS coupe
'03-present SRT-10 convertible
'06?-present SRT-10 coupe
GTS/R Concept
original RT/10

 

[Prosthetic]

I can't see how people can not like the style of the Viper... I think they have been the best looking American car since... ever really. But IMO thats my opinion and it will always be a personal opinion. As Jeremy Clarkson always says. "I can't be a super car with out machine guns, and rocket launchers" Not a direct quote, but he won't argue against that. And I think it's true, Dodge seems like they put new gun the viper every time. And the sound only adds to the car

And for the Ram, I think it looks fantastic. As something to use every day I think it would be useless, but it looks good.

 

[TopHat]

The new Viper is gorgeous, the original... Not so much.

 

[Turbo Lag]

SVT Mustang is one of the most sexy Fords IMO. I love the new Viper's design. Its kind of sharp like its meant to be. The RAM is also a beautiful ute. I dont like the newest design but i like the previous looks.