Cars with character

amoghchaphalkar · 12th August 2009, 19:28

My two paisa : Trying to be as simple as I can

A car that I feel like "looking" at every time I see it on the road has character.

I may not necessarily own it, drive it or intend to buy it. But if it catches my eye every single time I see it, it has "character".

Cars that do this to me :

BMW's (5 series, 7 series)
Skoda Octavia
Tata Safari
Toyota Landcruiser
Mercedes S-Class
Fiat Grande Punto

KITE RUNNER · 20th August 2009, 20:35

In my opinion, cars with charecter are those which have redefined or put a permanent mark on the indian car scenario.

Following is my personal list of Indian cars with character. Well, I am not into high end cars, hence excluded.

1) Ambassodor

2) Mahindra MM 540 Jeep

3) Premier Padmini

4) Maruti 800

5) Fiat Uno

6) Maruti Esteem

7) Maruti Baleno

8) Ford Ikon

9) Old Honda City VTEC

10) Cedia Sports

rpmx1000 · 22nd August 2009, 02:34

My Rs.0.02 :->
A car with character is an expression that should be read in its wholeness rather than trying to dissect and analyze. I'm sure the original poster would have got the thing by now, but here's my definition

A Mini cooper has character
A Scorpio has character
A Fiat Punto has oodles and oodles of character!
A Ferrari has CHARACTER
The downside of cars with character is - to my utter dismay - at least in India usually they are usually driven by a character

rather than by someone with lots of character

fiery enzyme · 22nd August 2009, 03:50

@ Ajmat: I'm not sure if we can look at eccentricty as a bench mark for character. Then even the Renault Espace would be a car of character.

Well may be it does have some. Then so does the Ford Transit if you ask me. Maybe even a little more.

Anyway to make it simple, I'd say cars that make you turn turn back and look at it the second time or keep stealing the second glances on the rear view mirror when it is behind you.

That way It would be the Octavia for me. Then would come the Baleno. I know I started doing that for the Baleno after I bought it. Every time I park and go have that chai and look at the car, I can't help admiring it.

The BMW, I did used to look at it when it got launched but somehow I got bored of it now.

Thats the point, I'm yet to be bored of looking at the Octavia and the Baleno, after all these years.

For the guys who digress, my answer is the Qualis has Character.

Sawyer · 22nd August 2009, 06:28

Lots of people here seem to feel that character = looks. That is not true in life, as we all accept ( I think!), and I believe that this would extend to cars too.
I got my answer to the question I had posed in starting the thread, on reading the various responses, and posts 58/59 I have written earlier set out my understanding now.

prnvaa · 25th August 2009, 11:46

How can any mass produced thing have character?

It can have great function / design, but character?!

Swift has character? Why?

Maybe 'character' is another word for perceptions of a community towards cars. Rich guys would think RRs have character. Auto enthusiasts would think that Fiats/Alphas have character.

Could character be used to define the sum of all those things you can't express in definite terms which could include stuff like reliability, brand, cultural positioning (like seen in movies / retro / etc)., design, engineering, etc.?

This is pretty unusual and a little unhinged too maybe!

lin-jo · 25th August 2009, 14:06

I think the cars with character are :
1. Mahindra Xylo
2. Tata Indigo
3. Tata Indigo CS
4. Estillo
5. Mahindra Logan

They add a special character to Indian roads IMHO.

serpente · 25th August 2009, 16:21

Scorpio in itself has a lot of character as it is the best entry level SUV in India. Speaking of cars with character, I came across this Scorpio Limo called Scorosin. This one sure has a lot of character with its length and its interiors.

prnvaa · 25th August 2009, 22:16

Hey another thought - and I was actually thinking bout this word but forgetting it in my last post.

Aren't we confusing the word character with 'iconic'? So sure you can have iconic cars - beetle, 500, fiat / amby / contessa. But I think saying they have character is going too far.

And iconic cars can be defined more easily - in terms of either engineering, or design, or the way they defined a generation of car owners.

fiery enzyme · 26th August 2009, 01:31

Like I said, If you digress on the looks, the qualis has character.

McLaren Rulez · 26th August 2009, 16:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiery enzyme

Like I said, If you digress on the looks, the qualis has character.

In fact the looks of the Qualis give it character. Let me give you an example: The OHC. Looks well proportioned, sleek etc but is also a giant bore. Makes up with the VTEC but the looks are incredibly bland. Same for the old Lancer and many other cars of that era. You don't need to look good to have character. I personally don't like the SX4 design but it has tons of character. Am speaking in terms of design only here so neglect everything else for this post.

MARCUS_520i · 26th August 2009, 16:40

Is it just me or is the Stretch-Scorpio really a bit twisty-turvy and banged at the back???

ashthedivx · 26th August 2009, 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by MARCUS_520i

Is it just me or is the Stretch-Scorpio really a bit twisty-turvy and banged at the back???

Boot Door is opened !!

Torque-ative · 6th August 2018, 09:02

My List in no particular order

Hindustan Ambassador 1.8
Ford Ikon 1.6 sx
Maruti Zen 1.0 (mpfi) VXI
Mitsubishi Lancer slx 1.5
Hindustan Contessa 1.8
Honda City V-tech 1.5
Maruti Gypsy King MG13W
Mahindra Classic 2.1
Mitsubishi Pajero SFX 2.8 (Dual colored variant)

Seems like a middle-aged rant, spewing Nostalgia.
Maybe it is just that, but these were true icons when I was growing up !
At some point I have wanted to own at least one of these cars.

Roy.S · 6th August 2018, 09:34

We used to own 2 cars on the list. The Ambassador and the Zen. While the amby does have its fans, I used to really hate the car. The petrol ones were acceptable but the diesel powered ambassadors were utter garbage.
The Zen, of course, was an aspirational car and was the first hot hatch. It was frightfully expensive, though. We paid about 3 lac for our Zen LX back in '99. If you factor in inflation, that translates into big bucks for a car without ICE, a parcel tray or even a cup holder. The windows were of the hand cranked variety. The smaller dimensions meant that you could reach all the window levers sitting in the driver's seat.
I think the list would not be complete without the iconic cars from the 50s and 60s. Anyone care to add to Torque-ative's list?

12th August 2009, 19:28	#61
amoghchaphalkar BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 640 Thanked: 717 Times	My two paisa : Trying to be as simple as I can A car that I feel like "looking" at every time I see it on the road has character. I may not necessarily own it, drive it or intend to buy it. But if it catches my eye every single time I see it, it has "character". Cars that do this to me : BMW's (5 series, 7 series) Skoda Octavia Tata Safari Toyota Landcruiser Mercedes S-Class Fiat Grande Punto
	() Thanks

20th August 2009, 20:35	#62
KITE RUNNER BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kochi Posts: 101 Thanked: 7 Times	In my opinion, cars with charecter are those which have redefined or put a permanent mark on the indian car scenario. Following is my personal list of Indian cars with character. Well, I am not into high end cars, hence excluded. 1) Ambassodor 2) Mahindra MM 540 Jeep 3) Premier Padmini 4) Maruti 800 5) Fiat Uno 6) Maruti Esteem 7) Maruti Baleno 8) Ford Ikon 9) Old Honda City VTEC 10) Cedia Sports
	() Thanks

22nd August 2009, 02:34	#63
rpmx1000 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 396 Thanked: 36 Times	My Rs.0.02 :-> A car with character is an expression that should be read in its wholeness rather than trying to dissect and analyze. I'm sure the original poster would have got the thing by now, but here's my definition A Mini cooper has character A Scorpio has character A Fiat Punto has oodles and oodles of character! A Ferrari has CHARACTER The downside of cars with character is - to my utter dismay - at least in India usually they are usually driven by a character rather than by someone with lots of character
	() Thanks

22nd August 2009, 03:50	#64
fiery enzyme BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: TN 01 Posts: 413 Thanked: 27 Times View My Garage	@ Ajmat: I'm not sure if we can look at eccentricty as a bench mark for character. Then even the Renault Espace would be a car of character. Well may be it does have some. Then so does the Ford Transit if you ask me. Maybe even a little more. Anyway to make it simple, I'd say cars that make you turn turn back and look at it the second time or keep stealing the second glances on the rear view mirror when it is behind you. That way It would be the Octavia for me. Then would come the Baleno. I know I started doing that for the Baleno after I bought it. Every time I park and go have that chai and look at the car, I can't help admiring it. The BMW, I did used to look at it when it got launched but somehow I got bored of it now. Thats the point, I'm yet to be bored of looking at the Octavia and the Baleno, after all these years. For the guys who digress, my answer is the Qualis has Character.
	() Thanks

22nd August 2009, 06:28	#65
Sawyer Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 2,678 Thanked: 1,793 Times	Lots of people here seem to feel that character = looks. That is not true in life, as we all accept ( I think!), and I believe that this would extend to cars too. I got my answer to the question I had posed in starting the thread, on reading the various responses, and posts 58/59 I have written earlier set out my understanding now. Last edited by Sawyer : 22nd August 2009 at 06:31.
	() Thanks

25th August 2009, 11:46	#66
prnvaa BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 44 Thanked: 40 Times	How can any mass produced thing have character? It can have great function / design, but character?! Swift has character? Why? Maybe 'character' is another word for perceptions of a community towards cars. Rich guys would think RRs have character. Auto enthusiasts would think that Fiats/Alphas have character. Could character be used to define the sum of all those things you can't express in definite terms which could include stuff like reliability, brand, cultural positioning (like seen in movies / retro / etc)., design, engineering, etc.? This is pretty unusual and a little unhinged too maybe!
	() Thanks

25th August 2009, 14:06	#67
lin-jo BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 35 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	I think the cars with character are : 1. Mahindra Xylo 2. Tata Indigo 3. Tata Indigo CS 4. Estillo 5. Mahindra Logan They add a special character to Indian roads IMHO.
	() Thanks

25th August 2009, 16:21	#68
serpente BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: mumbai Posts: 83 Thanked: 0 Times	The Scorosin Scorpio in itself has a lot of character as it is the best entry level SUV in India. Speaking of cars with character, I came across this Scorpio Limo called Scorosin. This one sure has a lot of character with its length and its interiors. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

25th August 2009, 22:16	#69
prnvaa BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 44 Thanked: 40 Times	Hey another thought - and I was actually thinking bout this word but forgetting it in my last post. Aren't we confusing the word character with 'iconic'? So sure you can have iconic cars - beetle, 500, fiat / amby / contessa. But I think saying they have character is going too far. And iconic cars can be defined more easily - in terms of either engineering, or design, or the way they defined a generation of car owners.
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 01:31	#70
fiery enzyme BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: TN 01 Posts: 413 Thanked: 27 Times View My Garage	Like I said, If you digress on the looks, the qualis has character.
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 16:40	#72
MARCUS_520i BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 524 Thanked: 167 Times	Is it just me or is the Stretch-Scorpio really a bit twisty-turvy and banged at the back???
	() Thanks

6th August 2018, 09:02	#74
Torque-ative BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Jakarta Posts: 500 Thanked: 90 Times	G-O-A-T Cars (Greatest of all time) Made in India ! My List in no particular order Hindustan Ambassador 1.8 Ford Ikon 1.6 sx Maruti Zen 1.0 (mpfi) VXI Mitsubishi Lancer slx 1.5 Hindustan Contessa 1.8 Honda City V-tech 1.5 Maruti Gypsy King MG13W Mahindra Classic 2.1 Mitsubishi Pajero SFX 2.8 (Dual colored variant) Seems like a middle-aged rant, spewing Nostalgia. Maybe it is just that, but these were true icons when I was growing up ! At some point I have wanted to own at least one of these cars.
	(7) Thanks

6th August 2018, 09:34	#75
Roy.S BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 768 Thanked: 1,201 Times	Re: G-O-A-T Cars (Greatest of all time) Made in India ! We used to own 2 cars on the list. The Ambassador and the Zen. While the amby does have its fans, I used to really hate the car. The petrol ones were acceptable but the diesel powered ambassadors were utter garbage. The Zen, of course, was an aspirational car and was the first hot hatch. It was frightfully expensive, though. We paid about 3 lac for our Zen LX back in '99. If you factor in inflation, that translates into big bucks for a car without ICE, a parcel tray or even a cup holder. The windows were of the hand cranked variety. The smaller dimensions meant that you could reach all the window levers sitting in the driver's seat. I think the list would not be complete without the iconic cars from the 50s and 60s. Anyone care to add to Torque-ative's list?
	(3) Thanks