I'm going to be mean: What does Toyota have against good looking front fascias?

[Tornado]

A serious case study.
Exhibit A: Toyota Soarer/SC300
Originally a suave, great looking luxury coupe, Toyota felt it best to dull down its awesomeness by adding a hastily done grill to the front end:

to this:

Then to the worst car restyling ever (to add insult to injury, I suppose):

Exhibit B: ZZT231 Celica
Originally a sharp looking car with great details and a lovely overall shape, Toyota felt there weren't enough design clashes in the front end.

to this:

and more commonly, this:

(and I say that despite somewhat liking the 3rd one).
Originally I thought that the second pic was only sold like that in Europe as part of your weird "heritage" (like Cricket), but I saw a fat guy driving a Celica today and it had that front end on it (which is much what brought about the creation of this thread). To add insult to injury, Toyota felt it necessary to kill the Celica and replace it with the junk known as the tC.

Exhibit C & D: (and the far more obvious offender) Toyota Tundra & Tacoma
Originally an alternative to those who didn't want the full size (or compact, in Tacoma's case) American trucks but instead wanted more refinement, the Tundra (in particular) and Tacoma have dropped the whole stately and refined angle and decided to chase after the Dodge Ram for garishness.

to this:

And this:

to this:

I think those two speak for themselves, honestly.

 

[foamy_302]

yea good point. why do car manufactuers in general ( not just Toyota) make good things ugly??? i mean look at the chevy cavalier

 

[Tornado]

i mean look at the chevy cavalier

Not exactly the beacon of shining light that the Toyota Celica was.

 

[V1P3R]

There's not really too many Toyota's that I've liked in terms of looks period but I know they've never really been about that anyway.

It's kind of like if you settle and get a girl friend for what they have on the "inside" rather than anything else.

 

[Kent]

I'm guessing you have no idea how silly this thread sounds.

Don't you realize there's no accounting for taste?

Among the cars shown in pictures above I am sure there are people who feel atleast one of the above is a good looking car.
It's just a matter of taste.

I drive a Toyota and I don't think it is ugly.


If I owned a Lexus SC I certainly wouldn't be unhappy with it either.
For that matter, an IS would be awesome. 👍

My taste are probably different from most here on the GTP though.

 

[foamy_302]

i mean it went from this

to this

 

[V1P3R]

Which is saying...? xD

 

[foamy_302]

it's saying that Toyota isn't the only manufafuer to screw up a perfectly good car.

 

[V1P3R]

What Toyota did and what Chevy did with that POS is two different things my friend.

You know that old saying? You can't polish a turd no matter how hard you try?

 

[Tornado]

Don't you realize there's no accounting for taste?

Yes I do, but Toyota haphazardly adding grills and airdams to cars that originally looked fantastic and original (both of which combined are rare for a Japanese car) does not really avoid the fact that the cars looked much better initially; nor does the idea of differing tastes nullify how the original design was better. Whether you prefer a car more or not does not effect whether the design is good.
Differing tastes would, for example, explain the preference of the current SC to the previous one, and vice versa; but I hardly think taste has much to do with hastily added on details.
In that same token, look at the Jaguar XJ facelift, particularly the front end. The airdam fits none of the cars lines and looks terrible on the car, quite similar to how the grill on the facelifted Celica looks terrible on it.

Among the cars shown in pictures above I am sure there are people who feel atleast one of the above is a good looking car.

And I'm sure that would be true (but probably not for the Tundra). But speaking from a purely design-oriented non-opinionated standpoint, the facelifted Celica was terrible, and the grill was obviously added as a silly afterthought. The same goes for the SC, though less so as Toyota at least made it look like they tried to implement it smoothly.

I drive a Toyota and I don't think it is ugly.

And I happen to think the Corolla is one of the better looking cars in the segment. But it has little to do with my point.

 

[1X83Z]

You missed the worst one!

 

[Mrs. Famine]

Toyota made a mistake when they moved on from the Gen 6 Celica to the Gen 7. Imo.

 

[JCE]

I'll agree with you Toronado. My evidence...

1st gen MR2:

2nd gen MR2:

3rd gen MR2:

It went from good, to fantastic, to flat out fugly in about a decade.

 

[Mrs. Famine]

2nd Gen MR2 is one of the sexiest cars ever made.

I'll have one eventually. Turbo+wet = ditch!

 

[Duke]

I must be the only person in the world who likes the MR2 generations almost equally, and actually thinks it got better as it went along. An MR Spyder decked out in autocross trim, down low and with 13x8 wheels and big sticky gumball tires under it, turns me on.

 

[Dead_Poetic]

I must be the only person in the world who likes the MR2 generations almost equally, and actually thinks it got better as it went along. An MR Spyder decked out in autocross trim, down low and with 13x8 wheels and big sticky gumball tires under it, turns me on.

:Stepping away from Duke:

Ill agree though, Toronado, this is my evidence:

from this:

to this:

Generally, I look at it this way: At some point, car manufacturers have to radically change the design of their vehicles. Maybe their cars need to look more up-to-date, or maybe they are just wearing out the design of a certain car. Now, sometimes this ends up being for the better.

i.e.

This:

To this:

Other times, however, it doesnt work out so well for the company. And consumers dont like their new, "radical" design. Of course, those new toyota trucks seem to be selling well, as I see a lot of them around where I live.

I do disagree with your feelings on the TC. I love them. Alot.

 

[1X83Z]

I must be the only person in the world who likes the MR2 generations almost equally, and actually thinks it got better as it went along. An MR Spyder decked out in autocross trim, down low and with 13x8 wheels and big sticky gumball tires under it, turns me on.

Yeah but stock it had that measly 138-horsepower engine. I sort of agree with you - hidden deep down in there somewhere was a drivers' car - but man you had to search.

 

[Sage]

The last-gen MR2’s headlights very seriously bothered me. I remember one day I was reading a C/D comparo between it and the Miata, and I thought to myself that the only bit of the MR2 that was prettier than the Miata was how the MR2’s windows rolled down in one piece, while the Miata had a cutout near the front that didn’t roll down.

 

[Wolfe]

Yeah but stock it had that measly 138-horsepower engine.

I find it a bit odd how the Miata got away with being underpowered compared to most other sporty cars, but the MR-S was almost completely ignored because of it. I guess people just got used to the SW20 MR2 Turbo, and considered it to be the MR2, rather than the heavy, high-performance exception.

Of course, Toyota can take some of the blame as well, especially since it would have been rather simple to offer the 2ZZ-GE as an option, a la the Celica.

 

[Keef]

I was just IMing Race Idiot about this earlier, actually. While he was rambling off stuff about MR2s and 2JZs and all this mummbly jummbly, he linked a few pictures of the euro Corolla replacement:




OMG.

Why do all the new Toyotas look like boogers? In general, New Toyota SUCKS. However...

I must be the only person in the world who likes the MR2 generations almost equally, and actually thinks it got better as it went along. An MR Spyder decked out in autocross trim, down low and with 13x8 wheels and big sticky gumball tires under it, turns me on.

👍

 

[1X83Z]

I find it a bit odd how the Miata got away with being underpowered compared to most other sporty cars, but the MR-S was almost completely ignored because of it. I guess people just got used to the SW20 MR2 Turbo, and considered it to be the MR2, rather than the heavy, high-performance exception.

Miata was also considerably more practical, not being mid-engined.

I actually like the picture Keef posted - Corollas always look good.

 

[High-Test]

Man I miss my Pre-facelift SC.. I even miss the electrical trouble!

I can't find a logical answer to the question posted in this thread. The Camry used to at least be boring, and in most cases a handsome car. Gak! The Sienna! What the HELL were they thinking? The Previa was on the cutting edge (if not unsafe) , and the older siennas were a handsome minivan. I can't figure out where the slats and bars are going to on the current sienna's grill.

I guess bad styling comes with being the World's biggest.

 

[1X83Z]

I guess bad styling comes with being the World's biggest.

Yes.

 

[High-Test]

Ah, True.

Not just that particular vehicle, though. Anything they made in the eighties qualifies as well.

Wait.. I thought Toyota had surpassed GM?

 

[foamy_302]

thats what i heard but i may be wrong

 

[Tornado]

Of course, Toyota can take some of the blame as well, especially since it would have been rather simple to offer the 2ZZ-GE as an option, a la the Celica.

+

equals

Grr, baby.
Seriously, who wouldn't have loved an Elise for $20,000 (or so) less?

Miata was also considerably more practical, not being mid-engined.

The Miata was also absurdly slower (by over a second to 60. Even the current car is only marginally faster despite a 30 BHP advantage) and hardly was a beacon of practicality to begin with (a golf cart is more practical than both of them). The MR2 handled better too, if I recall correctly.

In any case, I have always found it funny that the Mk. II was always so successful when it was essentially a Japanese Fiero, but the Mk. III tanked and most people under 25 don't even remember the original car (or how the Mk. III was so similar to it).

 

[1X83Z]

Wait.. I thought Toyota had surpassed GM?

Well yes, but not at the time the Aztek was being manufactured.

 

[Tornado]

Didn't GM still own Subaru when the B9 Tribeca came out?

 

[1X83Z]

Didn't GM still own Subaru when the B9 Tribeca came out?

Certainly when it was being developed, GM had a (relatively small) stake in Subaru's parent company, yes.

 

[a6m5]

I think Ford deserved this thread more:
Before

After

Before

After

Overtime

Before

OK, just kidding. Before

After

That's what I'm talking about.... not.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

And I have to throw in this classic:

went to this:

Many of the cars in here actually went from "ugly" to "uglier", I understand that.