mmarshall

Well, obviously the grille has to be large enough to adequately cool the engine (though some vehicles manage to draw in air with no grille, down under the front end, and up to the radiator)....but IMO, why make the grille larger than necessary? It can make the front end of the car look like a tuna fish sucking wind.

dicer

I was talking more about the side view and the VW bug looka like roof lines. IE blister roofs. And don't tell me about the safety standards regulating car design.
http://www.dodge.com/en/challenger/
http://www.cars.com/mercedes-benz/sls-amg/2015/snapshot
No bubble roofs here.
There are no safety rules that specify a bubble roof, the Kia soul doesn't have one.
http://www.lexus.com/
The pursuit of perfection in 1989 went from classy to the ones in the link above. Flat ugly bubble roofed, scary predator face grill, I sure hope they get rid of that grill next year.

Hello Lexus -------> Here is how to design a nice looking car the GT 1100, and shock for speed you don't use a bubble roof.

Or just go back and pursue perfection like these cars. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...-of-lexus.html And reestablish a roof line, and the accompanying extra interior and head room that comes with it, and lose the stupid plastic pinch weld strips. Please end the goofy monkey see monkey do as far as car styling goes. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JDR76

Which Lexus sedans have the plastic weld strips on the roof? I know the IS and GS don't. Pretty sure the CT and ES don't. Would have to check the LS but I don't think it does.

NickTee

Maybe you should just buy kit cars, since you're wanting cheap cars to look like $100,000 cars.

-J-P-L-

You have plenty of options. Not all roofs are rounded. Chrysler 300? Cadillac. Or you could save up for a Bentley. It's clear you prefer older car designs. That's fine. But now we are doing something different, You're calling for different but also asking to revert back to the '70's. Today's LS460 looks 10X better than the first LS. Sorry.

The reason most sedans have rounded swept roof lines is because most people prefer the modern look of it, Also, because they are more aerodynamic - a Prius could never be square. One of my vehicles is a Wrangler and one of the reasons it gets 12 MPG is because it is like driving a wall through the air at 65 mph.

No one said safety regs dictate today's rounded roofs. They do dictate a lot of other general things though as I described in earlier posts. You can only change the fundamental shape of cars through different categories - sedan, coupe, truck, SUV, etc... Because each category is designed for specific purposes. A sedan has to have a trunk. A p/u has to have a rectangular bed (usually 4X8), and so on. Vehicles that compromise a lot don't sell.

Cars get designed in a way that most designers and the public prefer NOW. Not everyone will agree but there are countless options for the buyer. There's more models and segments than ever. More shapes than ever. If you don't like anything, there's always buying an old car and restoring it if necessary.

Toys4RJill

I don't hate some of the grilles out there (current L'S and LX) but some of them look ridiculous. The IS is brutal and the new LX looks like it is trying to eat someone's child.

Overall, Audi has the best front ends. The A8 is best of them all.

-J-P-L-

May 2015:

Camry - 43,800 units (gaping front end)
Accord - 32,300 units (traditional small grill)

Sure, there's many factors involved, but clearly one of the biggest grills in the business isn't hurting. Camry sales are nuts.

Sulu

Modern large grills only look large; they are not any larger than the older combined upper (above the bumper) and lower (below the bumper) grills. Especially in North America, where federal regulations require strong bumpers, the front bumper has merely been hidden.

First, we started off with a clearly separated upper and lower bumper, as in this 2012 Camry.





Then we had the upper and lower bumper with a common frame, but still a visible bumper bar, as in this 2013 ES.



Then we had the front bumper bar painted black, to make the grill appear larger (but if you look up close, you still see the full front bumper), as in this 2015 Camry.



Finally, we have the front grill pattern extending from the hoodline right down to the bottom of the front airdam, effectively hiding the front bumper, as in this 2016 ES.



Although the bumper bar is hidden by the front grill, if and when you look directly head-on, you will still be able to see it (but these professional photos hide it well).

MattyG

Well the only thing is that there has been this relentless drift towards a "corporate identity" that's been abused over and over again. Every model has to have it slathered on no matter what. It's like bbq sauce with these guys, too much is just right.

The Lexus predator grill, the Acura beak are ridiculous. In fact Acura had to retreat from the beak because it was that bad. Lexus is going to have to do the same in a couple of years.

When Audi kicked off this trend with big grills, they were going back to their history; the Autounion days. Why would a Japanese or Korean manufacturer resort to this?

It's funny though. As the Jalopnik website's posters point out, VW has some of the most simple and elegant fronts you can ask for yet they retain their identity. That's because the basic shape looks good and works.

Sometimes it's all driven by an automotive press/opinion-shapers who relentlessly criticize a car as "bland" because it doesn't measure up to their keeping-up-with-the-Joneses, flavor of the month crowd. And this is what gets designers in trouble. The more outlandish the better. Being accused of being bland is death in the auto styling industry. But it also drives stylists into odd corners.

dicer

Its the name. And since there are no choices in looks they take what they got. Anyone purchasing a new car should be asked what would you like in styling on your next car. And actually most people are numb and robotic and don't care how it looks just as long as it keeps running.

NickTee

Do you have a source to back up that claim or are you just stating your opinion as fact?

-J-P-L-

Accord has the same name recognition and superb reputation as Camry which is why I use this example. They both share a similar history. Both will run forever. Interestingly, the Accord rates better in most areas. There's other factors at play here but the Camry has an equal opponent so it's not a name thing only that makes Camry king. Point is people don't buy cars they think are ugly. In fact, many people declare looks as a top buying decision. For example, a poll done on Ford Explorer's buyers showed they chose the Explorer because of looks. It accomplished their other needs but ultimately it was styling. All the while, the Explorer is outdone by 6-8 competitors as I have seen in recent comparison tests.

dicer

Not an opinion, just good observation, JPL gave an example.
And why is a source always asked for? And what would make a source anymore accurate?
They would do the same thing, hard study and observation.

NickTee

Why is a source asked for? Because you're stating your opinion, which is an extremely narrow view, for a very broad thing. If you want to state your opinion for a broad thing, back it up with irrefutable evidence to validate what you are saying. Otherwise, it's just some random person's hollow words, which means nothing.
It's the same thing when you write a research paper or do anything that requires some sort of evidence.

dicer

Source and evidence, yes kind of like the pseudo science we have nowadays that has tons of fabricated lies.
The evidence is there all you need to do is observe and look out of the set box we have all been put in. As far as the cars and styling go there are no choices if you desire a new car. Yes you have the option of an old style you like. But that is the key it is old and old usually means it needs work. People buy a new car for reliability so they have to live with what ever the fad is for the manufactures. Maybe some of them are monkey see monkey do just like the makers of the cars and don't want something that looks too out of the norm set for us all by the manufacture.
So what is it you want a source on? If you really need that then start studying and find it.