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I know they're a new thing right now, but I'm talking about when time goes by. In 50 years from now, looking back at these cars, will they look dated? Will people think the large grill made by Lexus an old thing?
Personally, I think if Lexus made a grill change, at least they should've stuck to designs like Infiniti or Acura (not the beak design).
There are some Lexus cars that looks timeless (like the facelift 1st gen RX300 and the 1st gen IS300).
I find the current Lexus grilles to be too aggressive, and of course this is subjective. But car mfgs. do make mistakes, and I think Lexus' grilles are a mistake.
BMW imho messed up an entire generation, but they have since corrected it. I'm not talking about hoods that should open forward and be hinged at the front, but I'm talking that when the hood of a BMW is lifted, the roundel should go up in the air, not be part of an ugly chin. the funniest thing is how Mazda always copies, so they have done the same on a generation of their cars....I would expect them to follow the leader once again...
A lot of cars today have unconventional styling elements, from the rakish lines of Mercedes, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia, etc., to the weird "add ons" in BMWs like the rocker panel hockey stick and headlights connecting to the grille. These design elements give cars more flash at onset but start looking dated very quickly.
The spindle grille works on the Lexus sedans, but it already looks terrible on their SUVs, most notably the RX F sport.
Funnily enough, Audi gets criticized a lot (including by me) for their uninspired designs. But I guarantee these will age better than most other cars. Porsches, save for the 1st gen Panamera, will also age very well.
A lot of cars today have unconventional styling elements, from the rakish lines of Mercedes, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia, etc., to the weird "add ons" in BMWs like the rocker panel hockey stick and headlights connecting to the grille. These design elements give cars more flash at onset but start looking dated very quickly.
The spindle grille works on the Lexus sedans, but it already looks terrible on their SUVs, most notably the RX F sport.
Funnily enough, Audi gets criticized a lot (including by me) for their uninspired designs. But I guarantee these will age better than most other cars. Porsches, save for the 1st gen Panamera, will also age very well.
What's interesting, unless someone can correct me, I believe BMW came up with the corona light rings in the 90's....and they were uber cool! When I test drove my '07 coupe, I recall being behind another car and seeing the light reflect, and the saleswoman said those are your drl's....I distinctly remember my cousin with a M3 saying your headlights look really cool. By about 2011, the forum was saying, "How do I get rid of my ugly lights?" And it was like the 90's when droves went to clear out their tail lenses....humans are funny. btw I had to change out the H7 that lights up one side and no joke cut my hand wide open with blood all over the light housing, not fun....
edit according to the web the E39 first had the angel eyes in 2001....
50 years is a long time, what was once passe becomes cool again and is considered "classic". Best example of the current Lexus "predator mouth" grill on a classic car I can think of is the 1959 Cadillac. When the 1959 Cadillac came out, some people loved the huge fins, some people thought they were ridiculous, ugly, over the top, etc. However, big fins and garish cars were in style in the late 50's/early 60's. By 1965 or so, big fins and the garish 1950's designs could not have been more passe and outdated. Cars got kind of boxy, or took on that "coke bottle" shape, anyways, big fins, excessive chrome, garish styling, pointy bumpers, all very dated. Now days, you look at a 1959 Cadillac, its a classic, a testament to the styles and tastes of that bygone era.
So anyways, the Lexus grill might look silly in 10-15 years(automotive styling/design doesn't change nearly as fast as it used to), but right now it is the big fin Cadillac. People love it or hate it, but hey at least Lexus is trying to look different, something they've never done before. 50 years from now, the big grill Lexus will seem kind of retro-kisch like the 1959 Cadillac.
When the 1959 Cadillac came out, some people loved the huge fins, some people thought they were ridiculous, ugly, over the top, etc. However, big fins and garish cars were in style in the late 50's/early 60's. By 1965 or so, big fins and the garish 1950's designs could not have been more passe and outdated.
Actually, from a public point of view, by the mid-1960s, they weren't outdated.....the public, as a whole, actually still liked them. But, what happened was that Ralph Nader came along in the early 1960s and publicized the built-in dangers of many American-designed cars of the time. The sharp and dangerous fins of the 1959 Cadillac you mentioned were a perfect example.....a number of cyclists and motorcycle-riders were impaled on them.
Even before Nader got legislation through Congress in 1966 (and signed by President Johnson) mandating safer designs and equipment, and after attempts, particularly by GM, to discredit Nader, the auto companies saw the handwriting on the wall and started making safer changes by themselves, even if the public wasn't totally behind it.
I know they're a new thing right now, but I'm talking about when time goes by. In 50 years from now, looking back at these cars, will they look dated? Will people think the large grill made by Lexus an old thing?
I doubt it. I mean, look how modern and relevant tail fins and spare tire humps look today.
I don't really see Lexus abandoning the Spindle grille. In fact it can be found all over the LC 500. Notice there is no chrome between the hood and top of the grille, if was done so do create continuity from front to back. At the rear we see the lines and creases taper to form a spindle in the rear.
As someone said above though, I believe all cars will be dated. 'Cars' as we know them will become even more appliance like blobs, as they become more autonomous vehicles. Within the next 5-10 years side mirrors should start being replaced with cameras.
I don't think Lexus' new grill will go out of date for a long long time.
LC is very well styled, with some degree of symmetry front/rear.
I hope the midlife updated 5.5LS due in 2021 looks a bit more like LC.
05-10-17, 11:31 PM
Will Lexus's new grill go out of date?
