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-   -   What happened to good looking cars?! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/153723-what-happened-good-looking-cars-13.html)

Hyundai Accent had clean lines and looked handsome. But I was disappointed at the way Hyundai changed the grille for India. I hate those huge smiley grilles on Accent, Indica, etc. Accent had parallel lines all around and that smiley grille really did not go well with rest of the design. Grille was the only thing ruining it. While the car still managed to look decent, it could have been a lot more better with a grille that suited the design of the car.


Since you are aware about it at the back of ya mind, I really don't have to say much. Dolphin shape sucked. Nah. No negotiation here. Sorry. It sucked big time. Even if looks are objective, it sucked! No offense s_pphilip, I just cant stop saying that it sucked! :D hehe Sorry but that is no way to evolve from a perfectly good looking car!!

Quite relevant for this thread-

My first (and only) reaction when the the dolphin shape City hit the market was: "Honda, you went from the original OHC design to THIS? Really?:Shockked:"

The refreshed ZX version did make it a half-decent design though, and the 3rd Gen arrow-inspired design was decent too. The latest one screams 'WANNABE' from all angles and I absolutely detest chrome garnishes.

While some manufacturers like Honda are on a steep slide as far as designs are concerned, its not all bad with the current generation cars. IMO, some of the models now on sale in India are indeed a step-up from their previous generation models. Some examples - Skoda Octavia, VW Jetta, Merc C-Class, BMW 5-series etc. Even Hyundai is now getting neutral in their designs (e.g.; New Santa FE), compared to earlier over-styled fluidic ones.

The previous-gen Octavia (India) is a timeless design, esp in VRS trim with the spoiler and the alloys. I loved the previous Jetta too, esp. the concentric circles design tail-lamp cluster.

The previous generation (2nd gen) Octavia was the Laura in India. With the current Octavia, I feel Skoda have regained some of the lost flavour of the 1st gen.

For the Jetta, I prefer the sharper looks of the current one compared to the bulbous 5th gen. It looked more a boot job on the Golf :)

Yes, I was referring to the Indian Octavia 1st gen. These people mess around with the names so much it's really confusing, esp. for internationally sold models. I wasn't a fan of the Laura's styling.

We'll have to agree to disagree on the Jetta. Doesn't help that I'm a huge fan of the Golf, so I'm biased therestupid:. And the tail-lamps were really one of a kind, at least on everyday cars. Still gets a second look from me on road.

Wow. This is awesome; some designs are really going backwards.
Here is one from my end.

Toyota 4Runner Old..




Toyota 4Runner ( What the heck is this? An alien?)

Remarkably ugly transformation. Reminds me of the alien in Predator when he opens the helmet!

True , i hate the way these cars look(with no offense to their owners) , since the very inception of this segment , i used to love how swift used to look but the first gen dzire was ugly! I never really understood this segment , i mean how can adding a poorly executed boot make a car a sedan? , and why does it even matter , almost all the people i know got these cars because they are sedans (they choose to think so) , and not because they need that extra boot space.

Swift and Grand i10 look way better than their sedan counterparts , although seeing loads of dzires on road for a long time has made me sort of okay with the way its back looks (when viewed head on) , Xcent still looks super wierd.

Amaze is one car which looks more proportionate than others and if one wants a diesel , then its not available in its hatchback version so its kindof the only option people are left with. I personally don't recommend any of these compromised sedans to anyone , and whole heartedly recommend their hatchback versions to anyone who asks.

As far as I am concerned, Maruti has not brought anything even remotely exciting (design wise) in the mid c segment after the esteem 1.3L .....call me "dated" (along with the car's style if you like)☺ but I can vouch that a well looked after esteem still gets admirable looks even today.

Typical Indian mentality that a sedan (no matter how the boot is integrated) is better than a hatch.

Trust me, the Xcent in that pic is my own. There is just no way my parents will accept that the Grand i10/ Elite i20 is better than Xcent.

That said- I can live with the Xcent, but not Amaze. I consider Xcent the best of the worst out there, followed by Zest. :D But none good enough for my own purchase- I would rather spend that money on a premium hatch.

Oh boy ! I'm sick and tired of having to look at these ugly ducklings all over our roads. Instead of calling them compact sedans we should come up with something else altogether to identify these creatures. Any suggestions ?

Not to offend any current owner or prospective buyer. These are just completely subjective views.

I would any day put my money on any of the handsome hatch versions of these or upgrade to proper C2 sedan.

As far as I am concerned, Maruti has yet to launch anything even remotely aesthetic in the mid c segment after they stopped production of the esteem 1.3L. Call me dated (along with the car's design):D, but a well maintained example gets admirable looks from a lot of people even today.

Speaking of Maruti, the latest from their stable is quite a looker compared to the previous gen. I am just loving this old school simplicity.