Why are French cars so ugly

[AMCNUT]

Well, you're absolutely right about styling being subjective - you can't please everyone, but I think there are definitely trends within the public at large as to what is or isn't pretty. While French cars are indeed odd (which is sometimes a good thing), they usually come off as trying too hard in my opinion.

Citroen is usually pretty good for styling - they were light years ahead of Peugeot and Renault for some time, but French stylists as a whole should at least be commended for not being afraid of trying something totally new, even though there's at least 50/50 odds that it looks horrible. After all, if no one gets adventurous we'd all be stuck driving generic 3-box sedans and the like. Someone has to pave the way, right?

 

[Sniffs]

After all, if no one gets adventurous we'd all be stuck driving generic 3-box sedans and the like

uh...STUCK? this is the prefered insurance safe form of car they go SO generic, americans couldn't stand them, and moved on to two box SUV's instead.

 

[1241Penguin]

Saying that a car is ugly is an opinion. You can't really ask why they are "so ugly"... 💡

In my opinion, some French cars are good, and some are bad.

 

[homeforsummer]

It's funny to me that most recent American cars don't get the chance to be ugly; in many cases, there's been few styling risks taken in the first place. I mean, it's generally either retro, staid, or rather anonymously boxy with a logo-face. That's why stuff like the style of the 2nd-generation Ford Taurus is so polarizing: It's so many things to so many people ranging from weird to neat to ahead of it's time to Very Ugly (other than being a maintenance and repair problem-child). Style is a totally subjective thing, and our opinions are generally formed by what we've experienced in the past...something had to mold it in the first place.

Agree entirely.

I was going to raise this point before but I couldn't think of a way to put it best. Essentially, American market tastes are quite conservative (for the most part) and the makers pander to that. A vast number of American cars since about the 1970s have actually been incredibly bland designs (with a number of honourable exceptions) but because of this, you can't really call them ugly either.

Tastes in Europe are a lot more varied, probably thanks to the huge number of very different cultures, and you can see their preferences in the sort of cars that are designed in and for each country - Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden etc... they've all had a particular approach to designing cars. None are what I'd call bland, so you're much more likely to get definite hits and misses rather than the varying levels of "meh" from the majority of American designs.

I also think Japan has ups and downs. I personally think that they found a certain knack for design in the 70s that was pleasing on the eyes, but the majority of cars they produced in the 1980s were thoroughly bland - I'm looking at you, Supra, RX7, Celica and virtually any saloon car. There were some hits again, the first MR2 being one (though that was just a copy of the Fiat X1/9 anyway) but in general, incredibly bland - but again, not ugly.

Back to French cars, and with a few exceptions, you'd be very hard pressed to call the designs bland. There were a few Renaults in the 1980s worthy of the title and a few Citroens in the 90s, but other than that the cars have always been quite distinctive. And a fair few have been downright pretty.

 

[the_stig_1]

i tend to think that most all new cars are ugly, regardless of national origin.

There are exeptions of course, but most modern designs look unappealing to me.

+7

 

[risuku13]

I actually find new French cars exciting and unique. They look much better than recent Korean and American cars IMHO.

 

[Ibonibo]

Because they are made by french??

No seriously, there are some gorgeous french automotives (old DS, old citroen,...), and some really dispicable ones.
but they are not alone in building hidious car (Fiat Doblo!!)

What i don't like on french cars =
design does not appeal to me
Quality is crappy (for my german-used gusto)
Safty wise they are "nah"

In my country they are quite common, so there is not an "exclusivity" to them as in other countries.

 

[Wiegert]

What i don't like on french cars =
design does not appeal to me

It may be personal preference, but I think some modern French are actually well designed, such as the latest version of the Megane and most of the current Citroen range for that matter. I can't say the same thing about Peugeot though, especially regarding the 3008.

Quality is crappy (for my german-used gusto).

Considering that my mom's Peugeot 406 pretty much fell apart after only 2 years and that my dad got rid of his Megane II due to persistent problems with the car's electrics (also because he didn't like the interior build quality), I would have to agree with you on this.

Safty wise they are "nah".

I thought that almost all modern French cars had a 5 star NCAP rating. Wasn't the Megane II the safest car in its class on sale in Europe when it was released back in 2002?

 

[Ibonibo]

It may be personal preference, but I think some modern French are actually well designed, such as the latest version of the Megane and most of the current Citroen range for that matter. I can't say the same thing about Peugeot though, especially regarding the 3008.

the megane and the ds3 are not bad. True. But i wouldn't buy them

Considering that my mom's Peugeot 406 pretty much fell apart after only 2 years and that my dad got rid of his Megane II due to persistent problems with the car's electrics (also because he didn't like the interior build quality), I would have to agree with you on this.

Especially the interiors are to hard plastic compared to germans.

I thought that almost all modern French cars had a 5 star NCAP rating. Wasn't the Megane II the safest car in its class on sale in Europe when it was released back in 2002?

They have. That is true. But these test are done with 56km/H which is city traffic.
On higher speeds they are not that great, still good but not great.
I owe my life to a german car, in other cars i would have been dead, so that became a huge factor for me, especially as it wan't my fault (someone hit my side rear of the car and flew with 80km/gh straight into a tree, walked out without bruises, as did my passanger, the car didn't)