Quote:
Originally Posted by bitkahuna
Seems you're the one who sees it that way. WHAT awkward proportions? It looks extremely well balanced to me. Reminds me a bit of the first IS (300) which I always found 'tight' and 'neat'.
If it were a Toyota or Lexus design like this though, you'd be weak at the knees over it. 
Maybe. But I think you said you hate the current 3 and hasn't that been a runaway great hit there in Canada? Maybe familiarity has bred contempt in you.
'Random'!?  As an 'enthusiast' - would you say its styling beats a Yaris, or a Corolla? |
What awkward proportions? Where do I begin? As I mentioned, the rear bumper is WAY too big, and it sticks out like a sore thumb.
The swoopy, curvy front fender flares do NOT match the sharp creases and cuts on the rest of the car. It seems like Acura and Mazda are going for a similar styling direction here. Instead of that swoopy front fender flare, there should have just been a straight, or less swoopy cut there. The point where the front fender flare meets the shoulder line of the car is also awkward; as I mentioned earlier it's eerily similar to the Nissan Sentra. It's interesting how Mazda chose such strategic and "dynamic" angles to show the car, such as bottom-up-oriented or top-down-oriented views. Neither angles are ones that most people will ever see the car in real-life situations.
The awkwardness of this design will be more apparent when we get more pics, and see the full unveiling.
If this was a Toyota design I'd be slamming it.
Similarly, looking at the rear doors, the area where the character line meets the rear wheel well is awkward; it looks like the car was dented or hit by something. Then there is the cut at the bottom of the doors, why is it there? It doesn't flow or go along with any other styling cues.
The problem is Mazda tried to utilize too many styling elements on a small car, which does not have much exterior real estate to work with.
What about the "me too" Altezza tails, or the previously-mentioned elongated headlights? The fact that the front end lacks a traditional grille only further emphasizes the headlights.
While I don't like the current 3, it IS a better design than this IMHO. If I had to choose between this new 3 or the current 3, I would take the current one based on exterior styling alone. The current 3 is more elegant and cohesive than this new 3.
I'm not a big fan of the Yaris' styling, but neither am I a fan of this 3. The Corolla looks elegant and cohesive, but obviously it's not very sporty looking or eye-popping.
In sportiness and in terms of standing out, this 3 certainly has the Yaris and Corolla beat. Standing out though is not always a good thing; really ugly cars tend to stand out on the road just as easily as really beautiful cars. In terms of design cohesiveness and elegance, the Yaris and Corolla have this 3 beat, and the current 3 has this 3 beat. Yes they may be called bland and boring, but you cannot argue they lack design cohesiveness or elegance, even if it's a bland elegance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwong77
I can't believe your calling the Corolla elegant. The Corolla is full of odd proportions. I mean could they have made it any taller and give it anymore wheel gap please? I'm not knocking the Corolla which is excellent for its given market segment, but please don't call it elegant.
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I would suggest you look up what elegant really means. When I refer to elegant, I mean the Corolla has a simplicity to it's design which gives it elegance, a sort of bland elegance. This is because the design is so simple.
In either case, the Corolla is certainly more elegant than this new 3 (based on my description of elegance).
Being popular does not mean a whole lot in Canada. The Chevy Cobalt is a popular model here, yet I highly doubt that very many people will call it a great car. People in Canada are very price-conscious, as well as image-conscious. A lot of people bought the 3 just because it was different. A lot of people bought the Cobalt just because of it's low price. Regardless, the Civic and Corolla remain the top two cars in the class.
Mazda's reputation is still not very solid compared to Honda or Toyota. Combined with the styling risks Mazda is taking on it's new models, and factoring in the rough economy, people will buy the reputable, or "safe" choice, which means Corolla and Civic. Also factoring in the fact that the current 3 lags behind the Civic and Corolla in fuel economy, it gives people even more reason not to get a 3. Whether the new 3 gets better fuel economy remains to be seen, but the current 3 has already established a (not so good) reputation for average fuel economy compared to the class leaders.
*work in progress
Hybrid Mode
