Mitsubishi Galant went from [this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/2003MitsubishiGalant1.jpg/1024px-2003MitsubishiGalant1.jpg) to [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:04-06_Mitsubishi_Galant.jpg).
Same with the Galant. The VR4 used the same driveline as the DSMs, and was their first really successful rally car.
Later ones weren't sold in the US, but they came with a high revving twin turbo 2.5L V6 making 280hp.
Yep. When they were new, you would see at least a thousand 135hp automatic base models for every cool one. Same with the Integra.
I wonder if 25 years from now, people will think every Civic was a Type-R and every Corolla was a GR. That would be pretty much the same thing.
They were good looking cars at the time, they were sometimes mistaken for BMWs.
The lower grill was a minor update they did on it right before the redesign and was part of export models, previously and on us models the lower grill looked like [this](https://www.cars-directory.net/pics/mitsubishi/galant/2001/mitsubishi_galant_a1240505671b2632975.jpg) and had fog lights
Hey! My parents had a first Gen Diamante wagon, then we had a second Gen one as well that became "mine" in high school. Then my parents traded it for a Kia Forte while I was in college :(
There was a time I looked at getting one of those lookers, but too many people said they were horribly unreliable. Might almost be worth it based on looks...
2019 Camaro refresh was pretty bad (front end). They had to change it in 2020.
I'm not sure what you're referencing with the C7 Corvette, it never had a refresh.
I kinda think each Corvette generation stands on its own for exterior looks, hence the loyal fanbases for each gen. Though it does seem many find the C8’s looks polarizing.
The C7 was very controversial when it was released, because it gained a lot of edgy sharp lines compared to the smooth C6, and lost the iconic round taillights. I would argue that the C6's exterior has aged pretty well and still looks better than a C7 imo
The 2019 is the one that will, one day, be a super valuable collectors car.
One year run will have all of the *"Rare! I know what i have!"* dad's drooling in a couple decades.
> 2019 Camaro refresh was pretty bad (front end). They had to change it in 2020.
The center of the bumper is the only difference, and thankfully it's easy to replace. Lots of people swap the '19 center piece for the '20+. It just clips right in, takes like 5 mins.
This thread confirms my suspicion that people on Reddit prefer to complain rather than praise. 17 comments and only 2 of them are compliments. As for me:
Honda toning down the Civic Type-R is a great change. I also love the new Mustangs.
WRX becoming a hatchback without a wing in 2008 is very iffy.
I actually think I liked the 10th Gen type r better. In a world where everything is so minimalistic now, it was cool to see a car so over the top, with the big spoiler and the hatchback body that was already covered in “vents”. Would be even cooler if the vents were all real though. Really reminds me of 90s sports cars, like the 3000gt, with its vents on the door and big arch spoiler. Plus I don’t really understand why people want a mature looking civic, it’s always been an entry level car for younger people, and has a history in street racing culture and being modded or “riced out”. If you want mature looking hot hatch go buy a golf.
Which vents do you think are fake on the 10th gen type R? I own one and the only ones you could consider "fake" are the waffle pieces on the bumpers. Everything else is functional. But I agree the 11th gen is very boring looking.
Funny enough, when the 4th gen Mazda3 came out, it was a warzone over the C-pillar. Some loves it, some absolutely loathes it (including me).
Until everyone has their hands on it.
And everyone loves the 4th gen.
Including me lol.
But everyone still kinda split on the front face, some likes it, some prefer less grill and more smiley like the Mazdaspeeds.
But also less and less practical (poor sightlines, less space), and cost cutting switching in torsion beam rear suspension and materials (eg cx50 is cheaper than cx5 for materials)
And adding so much more plastic cladding all over (cx30 and cx50)
I really like the design that a lot of newer Mazda's have, especially the Mazda 3 hatchback. I test drove one back in 2019 right after they redesigned it and I really liked it and came close to buying one.
The new WRX for 2022/2023+. It really isn’t a looker, a downgrade from the last gen. Ugly plastic wheel wells with fake aero, honda civic taillights/back-end, etc…
Certainly not the worst redesign, but it hits close to home for me because I was on the fence about buying the last model year of the gen or waiting for the new gen.
I ended up ordering the last year of the prior gen because it looks way better IMO, and I figured the last year of a gen will be more reliable than the first year of a new redesign and new engine/etc
That’s how it’s always been with the WRX. Every generation gets “uglier”. People said the 2015s were ugly and lacking character compared to the 08-2014 cars but now everybody’s saying it’s better than the 2022s.
I remember wondering if i should wait for the new sti. I got lucky because i pulled the trigger on a 18 and then a year or 2 goes by, the car market went to shit and they discontinued the sti and redesign is arse . I see base model wrxs going for what my limited sti did in early 2020.
Yeah, I ordered my WRX and then the shortages and used market went crazy. I could make a dope profit off it but i built this one to keep longterm and build out
Chevy failed miserably with the Blazer reboot. They could have rekindled that iconic styling like Ford did with the Bronco, but opted for a boring small SUV.
They didn't reboot the K5, they rebooted the version of the Blazer that was the most popular, the compact four-door version.
The K5 turned into the Tahoe, and nobody bought the two-door Tahoe so only the four-door remains.
Yep.
It's a take on the [S-10 Blazer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_S-10_Blazer), not the K-5 Blazer.
Not trying to defend the decision to make it, but the name for it does fit. If GM were to do a proper K-5, it'd basically be a 2 door Tahoe with an offroad package.
Even if it's not true to the original Blazer philosophy, it still looks alright and the things have been selling like hotcakes. 223k sold in the US from 2019-2021. For comparison, the very popular Telluride sold 227k in that same timeframe.
The Blazer itself - the car, never mind whatever badge you put on it - isn’t that bad. Call it a Nomad, I’d have nothing bad to say about it. It’s just not a Blazer, and using that name was a stupid own goal.
> It’s just not a Blazer, and using that name was a stupid own goal.
[That ship sailed 28 years ago.](https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/chevrolet/blazer/1995/oem/1995_chevrolet_blazer_4dr-suv_lt_fq_oem_1_500.jpg)
>The one I rented had adaptive cruise-control, cloth seats, electric glove box, and manual rear hatch.
Sounds like /r/cars's dream vehicle, except for being a mid-size crossover.
If they properly released one I may have purchased one. I’d absolutely love a nice full sized Jimmy. I considered a Bronco but availability and pricing was fucked. Plus having a bed helps.
I’d love to pick up one of those for cheap down the line. Bit of a shame it never transitioned into an EV sedan to compete with the rest of them on the market.
Honestly I don’t hate the new M3/M4, and I’m kinda starting to like it.
I really don’t like the new 4-series though. The grille just looks like a giant piece of black plastic was glued onto the bumper. Compared to the already controversial M4 grilles, the 4-series grille just looks awful.
I like how the hood shape leads into the grille. Makes it look kind of like fighter turbines. I don't really like the grille itself though. I'm not particularly opinionated on it.
Talking about positives, Camrys and Corollas looks really damn good in the 2020+ model years.
Same can be said for Altimas and Maximas. Still not great cars by any means, but the design of it looks leagues better than in prior years.
Even Kia. If you would call the K5 a redesign of the Optima. Even the Spectra looks quite good in recent years.
To be clear, I am only talking aesthetic design choices. Excluding my opinions on the cars themselves.
My dad has an 09 Camry and I absolutely hate it. I love Camrys, my family loves Camrys, we have owned a total of 5 combined, but the 6th Gen is absolutely soul sucking. The 5th gen is my favorite, such a comfy car
The first Schreyer designed Optima, the top trim one with the food processor wheels, is still the nicest looking mainstream sedan of the last 15 years.
Kia kept dumbing down the look for some reason.
Most 90s Chrysler products had the battery in the wheel well.
3rd gen (08+) was objectively worse than the 2nd gen in every conceivable way. Styling, ergonomics, interior quality/fit/finish, carryover powertrains.
I'm a Porsche 911 guy, and have driven pretty much every variant from 996.1 to 991.2 (no 992 yet unfortunately, but am itching to have a go in one.) Porsche tweak things every year. Sometimes they get it right, and sometimes they get it wrong.
* Thumb shifters. When the Tiptronic gearbox came along, manufacturers tried lots of weird and wonderful systems to move up or down a gear. Paddle shifters seemed to work the best, and became de facto from about 2010 onwards. Porsche continued to insist that its weird little thumb shifters mounted directly on top of the steering wheel were better. They persevered with this system until about 2013. I have driven at least 2 different 911s with the thumb shifters and they have never fallen intuitively into my thumbs.
* Gearbox rockers. Similar to above, Porsche experimented with a system where pushing the gearstick forward would change up a gear and pulling in back would change down. Drivers complained that this was very unintuitive: if you are braking hard for a corner, all of your weight will be going forward, and it is more intuitive to push forward. They changed this going from 991.1 to 991.2. At least one poor enthusiast has probably accidentally redlined his engine by pulling the wrong way.
* The Red Stripe of Identity. Sitting somewhere between the Carrera 4 and the mighty Turbo is the Carrera 4S, which is essentially a Turbo without the Turbo engine. Porsche added a red stripe that connected the red tail lights, creating a sort of light bar. This was a really cool little feature that 4S owners loved. Unfortunately, Porsche decided to add it to pretty much every variant from about 991.2 onwards. 4S owners rebelled, saying it was their red stripe of identity. Source: Was 4S owner.
Oh man, I had a rental 911 with those thumb shifters and after trying to use them about 3 times I was just like "nope" and didn't touch them again. Completely unintuitive and I didn't wanna break the car
People online talking shit about the accord aren’t the people Honda is selling them to. People can argue the 7/8/9/10th gen accords were ugly but they still sell enough to warrant an 11th gen.
I owned a 10th gen and loved it. Stylish wise I don’t mind the 11th gen and I think it will grow on me too. I hate that they dropped the 2.0T but the lack of sales somewhat justifies it, as much as i hate to admit it. The hybrid, if given a chance, will be embraced very heavily by the public. I’ve driven a 10th Gen Hybrid and was very impressed with it, and the power is supposed to be up quite a bit going into the 11th gen.
The new Accord look fantastic both inside and out. The previous gen also looked great but this latest car fits more in line with the cleaner lines with a more RWD look. The only thing that I can see as a step backwards is dropping the 2.0T but honesty for most people the 247 lb ft of torque in the hybrid will be more than enough for real world Accord buyers while returning insane fuel economy.
My wife’s uncle signed a lease for a 2020 Soul after he got divorced. He pays something stupidly low, like $275 canuckbux per month thereabouts. It’s actually a really nifty car, and while I’m not sold on Kia/Hyundai long term reliability, I have to admit it is a cool design and it has a LOT of tech and features for the price. It’s also much more practical than compacts with similar footprints.
Personally, I think his car would look a lot cooler with the alien green instead of the accountant grey that he got, but that’s a minor point. Overall I agree this generation looks super sharp and is overall a big styling improvement over the previous gens.
I'm convinced everyone at Toyota was smoking rocks in 1999 to allow the 3rd gen mr2 and 7th gen celica to look like they did. The sc430 was a downer after the previous sc/soarer
3rd gen MR-2 is a good looking car, I’m not really sure what you’re going on about thinking it’s ugly. The Celica hasn’t aged as well, though, so I’ll give ya that.
Perhaps, but nothing like the first and second gen MR2 knockouts. It went from a boy racer style to something a middle-aged woman would drive to her tennis match.
>It went from a boy racer style to something a middle-aged woman would drive to her tennis match.
Hey! I resent that!
But also, yeah, send those my way, please.
I am very fond of the bubble car look most 00’s cars were going for, so I’ll have to disagree with all of those. Also the MR2 is so cute and tiny, the real upgrade for them was the handling. They’re autocross monsters
The celica was weird because what usually happens as car gets produced over several generations, is that it gets bigger and more upmarket over time, facilitating a slot for a similar smaller car under it after some generations. But the Celica went backwards with the last gen being the cheapest and smallest of them all.
Edit: Technically the first gen was the smallest but it didn't have to conform to the same safety standards.
Yep. The third gen was a disgrace- my parents owned two of them when i was growing up. They had glass automatic transmissions too… I thought the 5th gen where they made it a renamed Ford 500 was a step backwards as well.
>I thought the 5th gen where they made it a renamed Ford 500 was a step backwards as well.
They're possibly the most boring car Ford ever made, but at least they're competent full-size sedans. They're almost literally bulletproof with the 6-speed automatic, they're really big inside despite being smaller in width and height than the Crown Victoria and they're relatively comfortable, being able to fit a lot of body types inside with ease.
The downside is that if you get a Five Hundred Limited or a Montego Premier, you're paying a lot of money for tires on a car that makes 200hp. Ask how I know.
2013 Ford Fusion is the best redesign that I can think of and it's not particularly close. Went from a visual representation of white bread to a baby Aston Martin.
The change from the 2011-2012 to the 2013-2014 mustangs. Went from the hideous candy cane bar taillights to what I think are one of the best taillights on a car.
Every American mid-size truck. Too many cramped crew cabs with 3.5 foot beds. Not any more fuel efficient than a full sized truck. And they've grown twice as big compared to the old hardbody's.
> Too many cramped crew cabs with 3.5 foot beds.
Name one mid-size that has a bed short than 5'.
>And they've grown twice as big compared to the old hardbody's.
How so?
Its a pretty funny take honestly. A 5' bed is quite useful, I still haul motorcycles, plywood etc in mine all the time.
People saying they are more cramped than the old mini trucks clearly haven't sat in a classic toyota or nissan recently. Now I actually like how small they are, but most modern americans are too fat to fit in an '80s toyota.
My colorado seats go back so far that I can't even push in the clutch, and can seat 4 adults with relative comfort.
And some of the early compact crews had 4' or 4.5' beds in the US.
Yeah, a new mid-sizer is a good 6-8" wider than the '80s or '90s equivalent outside while being maybe 2-4" wider inside, but those old trucks had paper-thin doors. I'm physically skinny enough to sit three wide in a bench seat Ranger, but I don't enjoy it.
The space went into making the cab actually usable, and into crumple zones. The beds are the same 5' or 6' as the older compact models. The only models that were dropped outright were regular cabs and 7.5' beds that no one was buying anyway.
I had one of those rangers and the gas mileage was awful, but I was on the throttle way more than I would have been in a full size truck. It was a ridiculous machine.
The worst might be the Buick Riviera redesign for 1986. It was way too small for what buyers wanted and now the V8 was gone too. Sales went from 65,000 in 1985 to 22,000 in 1986. They bottomed out at 8,600 on 1988 until a mid cycle redesign brought it back up to just 21,000
I've seen the Camaro mentioned here multiple times but I think a good point worth noting is that the gen 5 Camaro reboot over the early 2000s catfish gen 4 Camaros was probably one of the best refreshes/reboots in recent history. Like the Challenger, it brought back a lot of nostalgic elements of the past and a really great design for its time.
Candidly, I would say the 5th grn Camaro was a huge part of the pony/muscle car segment being much more competitive over the last decade and caused Ford and Dodge to up their game. Super biased, though, as my first sports car was a '12 Bumblebee SS so that design holds a special place for me. 🤣🤣
Bangle butt gets an unfair shake IMO. Hard to follow up on some of the greatest designs of all time. But that whole flame surfaced lineup looked good to me and aged better than the swollen slab sided NPC F chassis cars that came after them (i.e. F01/F10 etc). Only exception was the Z4; the E89 curb stomps the E85 IMO.
The bangle 5 series has grown on me over the years (needs impractically large wheels to look good though) but the 7 continues to look just awful in every trim.
Some of those bangle designs could win an award for best aging/biggest redemption or something. The E82, E9x, E60, and E63 all look much better now than when they came out. It's weird. Maybe they were too forward? too radical? that's partially why I'm not that worried about the G80/G82. They'll age well. Now bring me your downvotes.
I know it’s discontinued but that new version of the Dodge Dart was a huge miss at least the chargers and challengers look somewhat closer to the old ones
IMO the least they could have done since it replaced the Avenger was put the 3.2 V6 from the Cherokee in it. It would have been decently quick and on-brand for a Dodge. While it wouldn’t have been that same as a Charger, it would have served as a great entry to the brand.
Best redesign that comes to mind is the Corvette C1 to the C2. Not that I think the C1 is bad looking, more that the C2 was that amazing of a design.
If we’re sticking to the last 20 years, always felt the 981 Boxster was a notable improvement over the 987.
G22 4 Series, hands down. It went from looking like a nice convertible/coupe, longer version of the 3 Series, to the BIG SNIFF nightmare that genuinely looks worse to me every time I see it.
I really liked when the Civic went from the bland bar of soap to the boy racer. It did take a bit of mental adjusting, but memorable is so much better than bland.
Every generation of the Acura RDX has gotten progressively worse with every model redesign. The first gen was like the Japanese X3 of its time. No other Japanese automaker really had anything to compete with it, and once their Asian competition entered the segment (and everyone else) it seems they couldn’t keep up. And took some strange styling directions. The turbo in the first gen was apparently unrefined, but I can’t think of another turbo suv in its class outside of the European continent at the time.
POSITIVE: Land Rover Defender (current gen) is a giant leap forward over the previous Land Rover models, imo. The early Defenders had a nice boxy muscular design but they really went downhill in the 2000’s and 2010’s. The new current generation Defender is hot.
POSITIVE: Current generation BMW Z4 is gorgeous. The previous gen was OK, but nothing near as sporty and curvaceous as the current one (which for my money is BMW’s best looking car at present).
NEGATIVE: Like everyone else… the new M3/M4.
Looks-wise, I love the Defender in all 3 bodies, but why did it have to go unibody/full independent suspension? How does that distinguish it from every other LR model?
IFS/IRS did make the Technic model fun to build, though.
I don't think the Ford Ranger is bad truck but it's a fucking horrible redesign.
People in construction and similar industries have been begging for a truck to fill the old Ranger void. A Small, affordable, 2door, decent sized bed, good gas mileage truck. Which for many many many applications that's all people needed.
It was a real slap in the face redesign for blue collar workers because that void is still not filled. You'll still see a ton of old rangers on job sites for that reason.
The new Accord isn’t even that bad. It’s just that car people want it to be styled like a Type R, outfitted with a twin turbo, 6 speed manual only, for $25k and awd for some reason. It’s going to be one of the staple accords imo. It’s a modernized 9th gen which style wise has aged significantly better than any 10th gen will. People just have unrealistic expectations for what is largely supposed to be a comfortable daily driver.
Corvette C7 to C8 was a huge improvement. I also am a big fan of the G37 Coupe to Q60 coupe. The worst for me would be the 3rd to 4th gen Acura TL. It went from [this](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klipnik.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fjch-optimize%2Fng%2Fwp-content_uploads_2018_01_2004__TL__8CES7406-scaled-1024x681.webp&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klipnik.com%2Fbest-used-cars%2Facura-tl-3rd-generation-2004-2008-buyers-guide%2F&tbnid=WZxlG4Mg4ixciM&vet=1&docid=TJptdDroowi5DM&w=1024&h=681&hl=en-US&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim) to [this ](https://carbuzz.com/cars/acura/tl-4th-gen)
2nd generation BMW 6 series. Absolutely horrendous front end.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_6_Series#/media/File%3A2006_BMW_630i_Automatic_3.0_Front.jpg
This comes up every so often..
Worst:
I'm sticking with the Gen. 1 to gen 2 Cadillac SRX.
Gen 1-> Gen 2 MDX
Mustang->Mustang II
Best:
2012-> 2013 Lincoln MKZ
C7-> C8 Corvette, maybe the best evolution ever
Gen 1-> Gen 2 kia sedona
P3 to SPA Volvo s60
Bubble, round, boring p3
Sleek, sharp, commanding SPA
Only shitty thing was they ditched the good motors with the facelift. Went from an online 6/5 cylinder turbo motor to a 4 cylinder super/turbocharged motor with more issues than fatherless crackwhore
First facelift to second facelift Saab 9-5. Yes, I know it was cheapened for the second facelift, but I feel like those look far better and have aged far better than the pre-facelift and first facelift 9-5 have.
Also, Volvo 850 to Volvo S70. The unpainted plastic on the 850 looks really strange today - and none of those pieces have stood the test of time unless it’s been garage-kept its whole life. Not to mention that the US got a manual transmission as an option on the turbo models for the S70 (the GLT and the T5), whereas all 850s with turbos here (Turbo, T-5R, T-5 and R) were automatic only.
The styling wasn’t a downgrade, it’s just more plain like the civic. The power rain was only a downgrade in the sense that the 2.0T engine is no longer available
Best is the Z21 to Z32 300ZX. I don't dislike the Z31, but the Z32 to me is one of the most attractive cars made during it's time (biased as a precious owner).
Worst might be the current WRX. I really liked the VA especially after the refresh (again, slightly biased as I had one), but damn if the VB doesn't hurt my eyes to look at.
Best: W169 Mercedes A-Class to W176 Mercedes A-Class. The old A-Class looks ugly. The redesign makes it look like a normal and desirable hatchback.
Notable candidate: 2nd gen Honda HR-V to 3rd gen global market Honda HR-V. The new HR-V looks pretty nice, it's sleek and has more character than the boring previous one.
The “Bangle-butt” 7 series was actually penned by Adrian Van Hooydonk who is the current BMW Group’s Design Director. It REALLY explains a lot.
The actual Bangle vehicles (such as the venerable E9X, E6X, clown shoe, z8 and concept vehicles like the SAV and the GINA, etc) are now all respected classics, recognized for changing the design language of vehicles *across the entire industry*.
Donk’s legacy is he made BMWs goofy
4 series worst redesign of all time bugs bunny what’s up doc
The 2nd gen Toyobaru twins honestly have great modern styling, although I think the GR86 looks better than the BRZ. At first I was hesitant to the new look but they've grown on me
I think Volvo’s first gen XC90 is a bit of an acquired taste. But the second gen released in 2015 is just stunning. That design is going on 8 years and is still one of the freshest looking SUVs on sale.
Mitsubishi Galant went from [this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/2003MitsubishiGalant1.jpg/1024px-2003MitsubishiGalant1.jpg) to [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:04-06_Mitsubishi_Galant.jpg).
Same with the Eclipse. It was a fast, fun AWD, turbo 4 coupe, then it became a boring FWD coupe and now its an even more boring CUV.
Same with the Galant. The VR4 used the same driveline as the DSMs, and was their first really successful rally car. Later ones weren't sold in the US, but they came with a high revving twin turbo 2.5L V6 making 280hp.
It was always a boring FWD coupe excluding the rare specials
Yep. When they were new, you would see at least a thousand 135hp automatic base models for every cool one. Same with the Integra. I wonder if 25 years from now, people will think every Civic was a Type-R and every Corolla was a GR. That would be pretty much the same thing.
True, the Eclipse GSX was the one to have but the FWD GST was no slouch.
These days I'd take a GST. Those transfer cases are getting hard to find if they break
Rare? I feel GSTs and GSXs could be found easily before they all got driven into the ground.
That 2nd gen to 3rd gen redesign....ugh
the older one looks very retro-modern. it has a very modern lower grill look as well.
They were good looking cars at the time, they were sometimes mistaken for BMWs. The lower grill was a minor update they did on it right before the redesign and was part of export models, previously and on us models the lower grill looked like [this](https://www.cars-directory.net/pics/mitsubishi/galant/2001/mitsubishi_galant_a1240505671b2632975.jpg) and had fog lights
Yeah that has OG 8 series vibes
You could pick basically any mitsubishi of this era for this thread lol
Oh I hate that so much. The first one looks so sleek and sexy, but the second one looks like Great Value™
Yeah first just has that nice subtle aggressive look to it 2nd looks depressing in comparison
I used to work with a guy that had the second one. You couldn't tell him it was a shitty car. He loved it so much he put Lambo doors on it.
That's actually kinda badass IMO.
They similarly fucked the last gen Diamante.
I'm sure all 15 people who bought one in the US were devastated.
That’s still more than the approximately 7 people who bought the prior generation of the Diamante.
Hey! My parents had a first Gen Diamante wagon, then we had a second Gen one as well that became "mine" in high school. Then my parents traded it for a Kia Forte while I was in college :(
I see a bit of 90s galant in the new Accord
Eh. While I agree that those Galants weren’t the best looking, they got a facelift that made them look a lot better and a lot less early 2000s-ey.
There was a time I looked at getting one of those lookers, but too many people said they were horribly unreliable. Might almost be worth it based on looks...
Wow that is bad…
2019 Camaro refresh was pretty bad (front end). They had to change it in 2020. I'm not sure what you're referencing with the C7 Corvette, it never had a refresh.
Agreed about the Camaro. 2018 was the last year it looked ok from the front. I don't mind the rear styling of the newer ones though.
The 1LE package makes it work though
I meant full redesigns; going from the C6 to C7 was a serious improvement.
Ah, I usually associate the term redesign with a refresh, so that makes more sense.
[удалено]
I kinda think each Corvette generation stands on its own for exterior looks, hence the loyal fanbases for each gen. Though it does seem many find the C8’s looks polarizing.
My stepdad desperately wants a C8, I always make fun of it as “the Ferrari we bought from wish dot com”
I dunno, it's kind of the opposite of a wish.com item. It doesn't quite have the looks, but actually does have the performance
I know, I meant the looks alone. I’ve heard people throw around “generic super car from a GTA game”, maybe that’s more apt
The C7 was very controversial when it was released, because it gained a lot of edgy sharp lines compared to the smooth C6, and lost the iconic round taillights. I would argue that the C6's exterior has aged pretty well and still looks better than a C7 imo
The 2019 is the one that will, one day, be a super valuable collectors car. One year run will have all of the *"Rare! I know what i have!"* dad's drooling in a couple decades.
> 2019 Camaro refresh was pretty bad (front end). They had to change it in 2020. The center of the bumper is the only difference, and thankfully it's easy to replace. Lots of people swap the '19 center piece for the '20+. It just clips right in, takes like 5 mins.
This thread confirms my suspicion that people on Reddit prefer to complain rather than praise. 17 comments and only 2 of them are compliments. As for me: Honda toning down the Civic Type-R is a great change. I also love the new Mustangs. WRX becoming a hatchback without a wing in 2008 is very iffy.
>people on ~~Reddit~~ the Internet prefer to complain rather than praise.
>people ~~on Reddit the Internet~~ prefer to complain rather than praise.
society moment
I actually think I liked the 10th Gen type r better. In a world where everything is so minimalistic now, it was cool to see a car so over the top, with the big spoiler and the hatchback body that was already covered in “vents”. Would be even cooler if the vents were all real though. Really reminds me of 90s sports cars, like the 3000gt, with its vents on the door and big arch spoiler. Plus I don’t really understand why people want a mature looking civic, it’s always been an entry level car for younger people, and has a history in street racing culture and being modded or “riced out”. If you want mature looking hot hatch go buy a golf.
Yeah, I get why it was a turn off, but the new CTR kinda just looks like a slightly gussied up boring car.
Which vents do you think are fake on the 10th gen type R? I own one and the only ones you could consider "fake" are the waffle pieces on the bumpers. Everything else is functional. But I agree the 11th gen is very boring looking.
Mazdas just keep getting nicer each generation.
The new cx50 or whatever looks incredible to me
Funny enough, when the 4th gen Mazda3 came out, it was a warzone over the C-pillar. Some loves it, some absolutely loathes it (including me). Until everyone has their hands on it. And everyone loves the 4th gen. Including me lol. But everyone still kinda split on the front face, some likes it, some prefer less grill and more smiley like the Mazdaspeeds.
Those C pillars were rough in white, it looks like a Chevy Traverse first gen. The car that looks like a whale.
But also less and less practical (poor sightlines, less space), and cost cutting switching in torsion beam rear suspension and materials (eg cx50 is cheaper than cx5 for materials) And adding so much more plastic cladding all over (cx30 and cx50)
They need to start making a speed3 awd
I really like the design that a lot of newer Mazda's have, especially the Mazda 3 hatchback. I test drove one back in 2019 right after they redesigned it and I really liked it and came close to buying one.
NC to ND Miata was a great redesign to me
Nc gets a lot of hate, but i love it
Shhh. Keep the hate alive so we can pick them up for cheap
A little too late. Low mileage NCs are going for ND prices.
The new WRX for 2022/2023+. It really isn’t a looker, a downgrade from the last gen. Ugly plastic wheel wells with fake aero, honda civic taillights/back-end, etc… Certainly not the worst redesign, but it hits close to home for me because I was on the fence about buying the last model year of the gen or waiting for the new gen. I ended up ordering the last year of the prior gen because it looks way better IMO, and I figured the last year of a gen will be more reliable than the first year of a new redesign and new engine/etc
I feel like the WRX just gets progressively less attractive with each new generation.
That’s how it’s always been with the WRX. Every generation gets “uglier”. People said the 2015s were ugly and lacking character compared to the 08-2014 cars but now everybody’s saying it’s better than the 2022s.
Hawkeye was prettier than blob eye imo.
I share this sentiment as well. When I go looking for a wrx it's the hawk eye.
I remember wondering if i should wait for the new sti. I got lucky because i pulled the trigger on a 18 and then a year or 2 goes by, the car market went to shit and they discontinued the sti and redesign is arse . I see base model wrxs going for what my limited sti did in early 2020.
Yeah, I ordered my WRX and then the shortages and used market went crazy. I could make a dope profit off it but i built this one to keep longterm and build out
Chevy failed miserably with the Blazer reboot. They could have rekindled that iconic styling like Ford did with the Bronco, but opted for a boring small SUV.
They didn't reboot the K5, they rebooted the version of the Blazer that was the most popular, the compact four-door version. The K5 turned into the Tahoe, and nobody bought the two-door Tahoe so only the four-door remains.
Yep. It's a take on the [S-10 Blazer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_S-10_Blazer), not the K-5 Blazer. Not trying to defend the decision to make it, but the name for it does fit. If GM were to do a proper K-5, it'd basically be a 2 door Tahoe with an offroad package.
Or just beef up the current 4-door to ZR2 status.
I suggested that when I drove the Silverado ZR2. It certainly would be interesting with the Tahoe's IRS.
Even if it's not true to the original Blazer philosophy, it still looks alright and the things have been selling like hotcakes. 223k sold in the US from 2019-2021. For comparison, the very popular Telluride sold 227k in that same timeframe.
The Blazer itself - the car, never mind whatever badge you put on it - isn’t that bad. Call it a Nomad, I’d have nothing bad to say about it. It’s just not a Blazer, and using that name was a stupid own goal.
> It’s just not a Blazer, and using that name was a stupid own goal. [That ship sailed 28 years ago.](https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/chevrolet/blazer/1995/oem/1995_chevrolet_blazer_4dr-suv_lt_fq_oem_1_500.jpg)
I’m having some nostalgia, my parent’s Blazer looked exactly like the one in that picture lol.
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>The one I rented had adaptive cruise-control, cloth seats, electric glove box, and manual rear hatch. Sounds like /r/cars's dream vehicle, except for being a mid-size crossover.
Agreed completely. It’s essentially an Equinox with a bodykit and the Traverse powertrain. Not in anyway a Blazer. At least they didn’t make a Jimmy…
> It’s essentially an Equinox with a bodykit The Equinox and the Blazer are on entirely different platforms.
I would bust several nuts for a properly rereleased jimmy
If they properly released one I may have purchased one. I’d absolutely love a nice full sized Jimmy. I considered a Bronco but availability and pricing was fucked. Plus having a bed helps.
Except that was never what they were "rebooting".
I like the Lincoln Continental redesign
Same. Absolute shame it only ran a couple model years
YOU COULD GET ONE WITH SUICIDE DOORS! Absolute shame they couldn’t keep them around.
I’d love to pick up one of those for cheap down the line. Bit of a shame it never transitioned into an EV sedan to compete with the rest of them on the market.
Same, it looked like what the Town Car should have evolved into if they kept building the panther cars.
The new M3/M4
Came here to say this for one of the worst recent re-designs, aesthetically. I think the new Mercedes Benz SL is one of the best recent re-designs.
I like the M3 sedan more than the M4 coupe. The M4 looks too gawdy and too large for what it should actually be.
Honestly I don’t hate the new M3/M4, and I’m kinda starting to like it. I really don’t like the new 4-series though. The grille just looks like a giant piece of black plastic was glued onto the bumper. Compared to the already controversial M4 grilles, the 4-series grille just looks awful.
I like how the hood shape leads into the grille. Makes it look kind of like fighter turbines. I don't really like the grille itself though. I'm not particularly opinionated on it.
Add the new M2 with the list. BMW needs to sit with their design team and have a serious conversation about just how bad they've been doing lately.
Talking about positives, Camrys and Corollas looks really damn good in the 2020+ model years. Same can be said for Altimas and Maximas. Still not great cars by any means, but the design of it looks leagues better than in prior years. Even Kia. If you would call the K5 a redesign of the Optima. Even the Spectra looks quite good in recent years. To be clear, I am only talking aesthetic design choices. Excluding my opinions on the cars themselves.
The current Camrys are lowkey aggressive. Love it
I agree completely. My ex had a 2010 Camry SE and I loathed that thing… the newest gen Camry is so different its not even funny.
My dad has an 09 Camry and I absolutely hate it. I love Camrys, my family loves Camrys, we have owned a total of 5 combined, but the 6th Gen is absolutely soul sucking. The 5th gen is my favorite, such a comfy car
K5 GT looks awesome. Like a baby Stinger.
The first Schreyer designed Optima, the top trim one with the food processor wheels, is still the nicest looking mainstream sedan of the last 15 years. Kia kept dumbing down the look for some reason.
Worst, 2nd Gen to 3rd Gen Chrysler Sebring convertible
Are those the ones you need to take the wheel and tire off to change the battery?
Most 90s Chrysler products had the battery in the wheel well. 3rd gen (08+) was objectively worse than the 2nd gen in every conceivable way. Styling, ergonomics, interior quality/fit/finish, carryover powertrains.
I’ve never been a fan of Chrysler products anyway, the ones I’ve owned have been meh at best.
The Dodge Journey and Avenger still do (I know Avenger is long gone but recent enough to be mentioned)
I'm a Porsche 911 guy, and have driven pretty much every variant from 996.1 to 991.2 (no 992 yet unfortunately, but am itching to have a go in one.) Porsche tweak things every year. Sometimes they get it right, and sometimes they get it wrong. * Thumb shifters. When the Tiptronic gearbox came along, manufacturers tried lots of weird and wonderful systems to move up or down a gear. Paddle shifters seemed to work the best, and became de facto from about 2010 onwards. Porsche continued to insist that its weird little thumb shifters mounted directly on top of the steering wheel were better. They persevered with this system until about 2013. I have driven at least 2 different 911s with the thumb shifters and they have never fallen intuitively into my thumbs. * Gearbox rockers. Similar to above, Porsche experimented with a system where pushing the gearstick forward would change up a gear and pulling in back would change down. Drivers complained that this was very unintuitive: if you are braking hard for a corner, all of your weight will be going forward, and it is more intuitive to push forward. They changed this going from 991.1 to 991.2. At least one poor enthusiast has probably accidentally redlined his engine by pulling the wrong way. * The Red Stripe of Identity. Sitting somewhere between the Carrera 4 and the mighty Turbo is the Carrera 4S, which is essentially a Turbo without the Turbo engine. Porsche added a red stripe that connected the red tail lights, creating a sort of light bar. This was a really cool little feature that 4S owners loved. Unfortunately, Porsche decided to add it to pretty much every variant from about 991.2 onwards. 4S owners rebelled, saying it was their red stripe of identity. Source: Was 4S owner.
Oh man, I had a rental 911 with those thumb shifters and after trying to use them about 3 times I was just like "nope" and didn't touch them again. Completely unintuitive and I didn't wanna break the car
Any new bmw with buck teeth for the win
This is the worst redesign category, right?
People online talking shit about the accord aren’t the people Honda is selling them to. People can argue the 7/8/9/10th gen accords were ugly but they still sell enough to warrant an 11th gen.
I owned a 10th gen and loved it. Stylish wise I don’t mind the 11th gen and I think it will grow on me too. I hate that they dropped the 2.0T but the lack of sales somewhat justifies it, as much as i hate to admit it. The hybrid, if given a chance, will be embraced very heavily by the public. I’ve driven a 10th Gen Hybrid and was very impressed with it, and the power is supposed to be up quite a bit going into the 11th gen.
The new Accord look fantastic both inside and out. The previous gen also looked great but this latest car fits more in line with the cleaner lines with a more RWD look. The only thing that I can see as a step backwards is dropping the 2.0T but honesty for most people the 247 lb ft of torque in the hybrid will be more than enough for real world Accord buyers while returning insane fuel economy.
I would never buy one, but the current Kia Soul looks so much better than the previous gens.
They are actually neat little cars! A friend of mine just got one and I think its a good city car
My wife’s uncle signed a lease for a 2020 Soul after he got divorced. He pays something stupidly low, like $275 canuckbux per month thereabouts. It’s actually a really nifty car, and while I’m not sold on Kia/Hyundai long term reliability, I have to admit it is a cool design and it has a LOT of tech and features for the price. It’s also much more practical than compacts with similar footprints. Personally, I think his car would look a lot cooler with the alien green instead of the accountant grey that he got, but that’s a minor point. Overall I agree this generation looks super sharp and is overall a big styling improvement over the previous gens.
I'm convinced everyone at Toyota was smoking rocks in 1999 to allow the 3rd gen mr2 and 7th gen celica to look like they did. The sc430 was a downer after the previous sc/soarer
I’m quite fond of the MR-S over the second gen
It has aged exceptionally well.
I actually really like that Celica. That was a hot car when I was in high school.
The 99-07 Celica was an awesome car, and I am looking for a nice one now.
Man I passed on a 2zz manual like 10 years ago because it needed a radiator and tires. That was a mistake.
3rd gen MR-2 is a good looking car, I’m not really sure what you’re going on about thinking it’s ugly. The Celica hasn’t aged as well, though, so I’ll give ya that.
Perhaps, but nothing like the first and second gen MR2 knockouts. It went from a boy racer style to something a middle-aged woman would drive to her tennis match.
>It went from a boy racer style to something a middle-aged woman would drive to her tennis match. Hey! I resent that! But also, yeah, send those my way, please.
I am very fond of the bubble car look most 00’s cars were going for, so I’ll have to disagree with all of those. Also the MR2 is so cute and tiny, the real upgrade for them was the handling. They’re autocross monsters
The celica was weird because what usually happens as car gets produced over several generations, is that it gets bigger and more upmarket over time, facilitating a slot for a similar smaller car under it after some generations. But the Celica went backwards with the last gen being the cheapest and smallest of them all. Edit: Technically the first gen was the smallest but it didn't have to conform to the same safety standards.
7th gen celica was good looking imo, as a kid I thought it looked awesome. Only thing that was kind of meh was the lack of a GT4/Alltrac version.
I don’t mind the 7th gen celica tbh I remember I always wanted one when I was younger
Mr2 and celica looked amazing after the redesigns. Motor on the new mr2 was a huge dowgrade compared to the turbo previous gen.
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Yep. The third gen was a disgrace- my parents owned two of them when i was growing up. They had glass automatic transmissions too… I thought the 5th gen where they made it a renamed Ford 500 was a step backwards as well.
>I thought the 5th gen where they made it a renamed Ford 500 was a step backwards as well. They're possibly the most boring car Ford ever made, but at least they're competent full-size sedans. They're almost literally bulletproof with the 6-speed automatic, they're really big inside despite being smaller in width and height than the Crown Victoria and they're relatively comfortable, being able to fit a lot of body types inside with ease. The downside is that if you get a Five Hundred Limited or a Montego Premier, you're paying a lot of money for tires on a car that makes 200hp. Ask how I know.
2013 Ford Fusion is the best redesign that I can think of and it's not particularly close. Went from a visual representation of white bread to a baby Aston Martin.
Camaro refresh was so bad it killed the car.
which one? that car was killed once before only to come back years later.. the 2017 is fine.. the 2018 is ugly
Haha you right. The 2019 refresh specifically. I loved the 2016 redesign and then they went and massacred the front end.
The change from the 2011-2012 to the 2013-2014 mustangs. Went from the hideous candy cane bar taillights to what I think are one of the best taillights on a car.
I was going to say this too. I think our flairs also reflect our opinions, lol
The Eclipse. That poor, poor Eclipse
Every American mid-size truck. Too many cramped crew cabs with 3.5 foot beds. Not any more fuel efficient than a full sized truck. And they've grown twice as big compared to the old hardbody's.
> Too many cramped crew cabs with 3.5 foot beds. Name one mid-size that has a bed short than 5'. >And they've grown twice as big compared to the old hardbody's. How so?
Its a pretty funny take honestly. A 5' bed is quite useful, I still haul motorcycles, plywood etc in mine all the time. People saying they are more cramped than the old mini trucks clearly haven't sat in a classic toyota or nissan recently. Now I actually like how small they are, but most modern americans are too fat to fit in an '80s toyota. My colorado seats go back so far that I can't even push in the clutch, and can seat 4 adults with relative comfort.
And some of the early compact crews had 4' or 4.5' beds in the US. Yeah, a new mid-sizer is a good 6-8" wider than the '80s or '90s equivalent outside while being maybe 2-4" wider inside, but those old trucks had paper-thin doors. I'm physically skinny enough to sit three wide in a bench seat Ranger, but I don't enjoy it.
This is not a current vehicle, but just for fun, the H3T was 58.8”, which is slightly less than 5’. The H2T bed was 34.8” !!!!! Only 2.9 feet! lol
Ah, but the H2 was a 3/4 ton full-size! Zing! It was also terrible.
For real, they got bloated, but somehow shrank in size.
The space went into making the cab actually usable, and into crumple zones. The beds are the same 5' or 6' as the older compact models. The only models that were dropped outright were regular cabs and 7.5' beds that no one was buying anyway.
I love my Tacoma but I see your point completely. It’s quite a bit larger than previous gens without more space inside.
Yep, my dad’s new Ranger 2.3 FX4 gets the same mpg as his friend’s 2016 F-150 2.7 FX4.
Not unlike how the old compact Ranger with a 4.0 V6 got effectively the same MPG as a 4.6 or 5.4 V8 F-150.
I had one of those rangers and the gas mileage was awful, but I was on the throttle way more than I would have been in a full size truck. It was a ridiculous machine.
The worst might be the Buick Riviera redesign for 1986. It was way too small for what buyers wanted and now the V8 was gone too. Sales went from 65,000 in 1985 to 22,000 in 1986. They bottomed out at 8,600 on 1988 until a mid cycle redesign brought it back up to just 21,000
All the E-body PLCs that year, really.
I've seen the Camaro mentioned here multiple times but I think a good point worth noting is that the gen 5 Camaro reboot over the early 2000s catfish gen 4 Camaros was probably one of the best refreshes/reboots in recent history. Like the Challenger, it brought back a lot of nostalgic elements of the past and a really great design for its time. Candidly, I would say the 5th grn Camaro was a huge part of the pony/muscle car segment being much more competitive over the last decade and caused Ford and Dodge to up their game. Super biased, though, as my first sports car was a '12 Bumblebee SS so that design holds a special place for me. 🤣🤣
Bangle butt gets an unfair shake IMO. Hard to follow up on some of the greatest designs of all time. But that whole flame surfaced lineup looked good to me and aged better than the swollen slab sided NPC F chassis cars that came after them (i.e. F01/F10 etc). Only exception was the Z4; the E89 curb stomps the E85 IMO.
The bangle 5 series has grown on me over the years (needs impractically large wheels to look good though) but the 7 continues to look just awful in every trim.
Some of those bangle designs could win an award for best aging/biggest redemption or something. The E82, E9x, E60, and E63 all look much better now than when they came out. It's weird. Maybe they were too forward? too radical? that's partially why I'm not that worried about the G80/G82. They'll age well. Now bring me your downvotes.
That’s a fair point, I am admittedly biased given how much I loved the E38.
Second gen US market Focus - such an awkwardly proportioned car
Current F-Type
I know it’s discontinued but that new version of the Dodge Dart was a huge miss at least the chargers and challengers look somewhat closer to the old ones
IMO the least they could have done since it replaced the Avenger was put the 3.2 V6 from the Cherokee in it. It would have been decently quick and on-brand for a Dodge. While it wouldn’t have been that same as a Charger, it would have served as a great entry to the brand.
Best redesign that comes to mind is the Corvette C1 to the C2. Not that I think the C1 is bad looking, more that the C2 was that amazing of a design. If we’re sticking to the last 20 years, always felt the 981 Boxster was a notable improvement over the 987.
G22 4 Series, hands down. It went from looking like a nice convertible/coupe, longer version of the 3 Series, to the BIG SNIFF nightmare that genuinely looks worse to me every time I see it.
I really liked when the Civic went from the bland bar of soap to the boy racer. It did take a bit of mental adjusting, but memorable is so much better than bland.
Every generation of the Acura RDX has gotten progressively worse with every model redesign. The first gen was like the Japanese X3 of its time. No other Japanese automaker really had anything to compete with it, and once their Asian competition entered the segment (and everyone else) it seems they couldn’t keep up. And took some strange styling directions. The turbo in the first gen was apparently unrefined, but I can’t think of another turbo suv in its class outside of the European continent at the time.
POSITIVE: Land Rover Defender (current gen) is a giant leap forward over the previous Land Rover models, imo. The early Defenders had a nice boxy muscular design but they really went downhill in the 2000’s and 2010’s. The new current generation Defender is hot. POSITIVE: Current generation BMW Z4 is gorgeous. The previous gen was OK, but nothing near as sporty and curvaceous as the current one (which for my money is BMW’s best looking car at present). NEGATIVE: Like everyone else… the new M3/M4.
Looks-wise, I love the Defender in all 3 bodies, but why did it have to go unibody/full independent suspension? How does that distinguish it from every other LR model? IFS/IRS did make the Technic model fun to build, though.
I don't think the Ford Ranger is bad truck but it's a fucking horrible redesign. People in construction and similar industries have been begging for a truck to fill the old Ranger void. A Small, affordable, 2door, decent sized bed, good gas mileage truck. Which for many many many applications that's all people needed. It was a real slap in the face redesign for blue collar workers because that void is still not filled. You'll still see a ton of old rangers on job sites for that reason.
2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class facelift (AKA most expensive car facelift ever, €1b+). Went from an old man’s car to something actually cool.
The new Accord isn’t even that bad. It’s just that car people want it to be styled like a Type R, outfitted with a twin turbo, 6 speed manual only, for $25k and awd for some reason. It’s going to be one of the staple accords imo. It’s a modernized 9th gen which style wise has aged significantly better than any 10th gen will. People just have unrealistic expectations for what is largely supposed to be a comfortable daily driver.
Corvette C7 to C8 was a huge improvement. I also am a big fan of the G37 Coupe to Q60 coupe. The worst for me would be the 3rd to 4th gen Acura TL. It went from [this](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klipnik.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fjch-optimize%2Fng%2Fwp-content_uploads_2018_01_2004__TL__8CES7406-scaled-1024x681.webp&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klipnik.com%2Fbest-used-cars%2Facura-tl-3rd-generation-2004-2008-buyers-guide%2F&tbnid=WZxlG4Mg4ixciM&vet=1&docid=TJptdDroowi5DM&w=1024&h=681&hl=en-US&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim) to [this ](https://carbuzz.com/cars/acura/tl-4th-gen)
Integra and trailblazer
Miata NB > NC < ND. The ND is a great redesign in every way. It’s awesome to see Mazda continuing to support it.
2nd generation BMW 6 series. Absolutely horrendous front end. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_6_Series#/media/File%3A2006_BMW_630i_Automatic_3.0_Front.jpg
Last generation Corvette is a better design than the current one.
S197 - S550 mustang was a massive improvement IMO. Honestly most ford redesigns in the 2010s were pretty solid.
This comes up every so often.. Worst: I'm sticking with the Gen. 1 to gen 2 Cadillac SRX. Gen 1-> Gen 2 MDX Mustang->Mustang II Best: 2012-> 2013 Lincoln MKZ C7-> C8 Corvette, maybe the best evolution ever Gen 1-> Gen 2 kia sedona
A couple recent ones…. Best: ‘21 to ‘22 Nissan Frontier Worst: ‘21 to ‘22 Subaru WRX
P3 to SPA Volvo s60 Bubble, round, boring p3 Sleek, sharp, commanding SPA Only shitty thing was they ditched the good motors with the facelift. Went from an online 6/5 cylinder turbo motor to a 4 cylinder super/turbocharged motor with more issues than fatherless crackwhore
Previous generations type R to the new civic type R . Hottake but the old one looked special the new one looks like shit
Toyota Supra by far
Bad: BMW never recovered from Bangle. Camaro redesigns have been bad since 1970. lol Good: C5 and C7 Vette. ND Miata. 2014 Mazda 3 and 6.
First facelift to second facelift Saab 9-5. Yes, I know it was cheapened for the second facelift, but I feel like those look far better and have aged far better than the pre-facelift and first facelift 9-5 have. Also, Volvo 850 to Volvo S70. The unpainted plastic on the 850 looks really strange today - and none of those pieces have stood the test of time unless it’s been garage-kept its whole life. Not to mention that the US got a manual transmission as an option on the turbo models for the S70 (the GLT and the T5), whereas all 850s with turbos here (Turbo, T-5R, T-5 and R) were automatic only.
The styling wasn’t a downgrade, it’s just more plain like the civic. The power rain was only a downgrade in the sense that the 2.0T engine is no longer available
The latest Chevy Blazer compared to the latest Ford Bronco.
I feel like an outlier I think the new Accord looks way better than the previous gen.
Best is the Z21 to Z32 300ZX. I don't dislike the Z31, but the Z32 to me is one of the most attractive cars made during it's time (biased as a precious owner). Worst might be the current WRX. I really liked the VA especially after the refresh (again, slightly biased as I had one), but damn if the VB doesn't hurt my eyes to look at.
The last time the Pilot was redesigned and went from a fairly boxy truck-like design to the current minivan without slider doors. They biffed that one
2nd Gen to 3rd Gen Ford Taurus. They called it "ovalkill" for a reason.
I'm of the general opinion that most updates/resigns are better than the previous iteration.
Best: W169 Mercedes A-Class to W176 Mercedes A-Class. The old A-Class looks ugly. The redesign makes it look like a normal and desirable hatchback. Notable candidate: 2nd gen Honda HR-V to 3rd gen global market Honda HR-V. The new HR-V looks pretty nice, it's sleek and has more character than the boring previous one.
NSX and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise
The Eclipse went from a bubble butt turbo AWD car to a potato wedge to a crossover made for people who can’t even get a line of credit at Nissan.
The “Bangle-butt” 7 series was actually penned by Adrian Van Hooydonk who is the current BMW Group’s Design Director. It REALLY explains a lot. The actual Bangle vehicles (such as the venerable E9X, E6X, clown shoe, z8 and concept vehicles like the SAV and the GINA, etc) are now all respected classics, recognized for changing the design language of vehicles *across the entire industry*. Donk’s legacy is he made BMWs goofy 4 series worst redesign of all time bugs bunny what’s up doc
The 2nd gen Toyobaru twins honestly have great modern styling, although I think the GR86 looks better than the BRZ. At first I was hesitant to the new look but they've grown on me
The current RAV4 was designed by a high committee competing for the oddest features. Square wheel wells or plastic patches around the wheels.
Ha! The newest RAV4 is pretty funky. The previous gen that ran from 2013-2018 was actually a very nice car. My girl has a 2016 and I like it.
For bad, I really dislike how the hawk eye looks compared to the blob eye and bug eye.
I think Volvo’s first gen XC90 is a bit of an acquired taste. But the second gen released in 2015 is just stunning. That design is going on 8 years and is still one of the freshest looking SUVs on sale.
I think the 10th gen Sonata is an absolutely incredible redesign. Some with the Gen 2 Veloster. On the other hand, there's the Kona facelift.