[chiekennugget]

Quirks in car design

I have come across quite a few "quirks" in car designs recently. It might be something small like the placement of a feature or radical change like the entire shape of a regular object changing. This made me curious to see if there are any other oddities like that.

I don't know how to categorise some of them, so decided to lump all of them into one thread

Citroen C6

The C6 is an executive car from Citroen. It was supposed to take on cars like the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes E-class, Audi A6. But, at last it failed. Selling only
23,287 cars in its 7 year run. It had an incredibly quirky design and the rear windshield had a concave curve to it.

Renault Twingo

The first gen Renault Twingo was launched in 1992 and it stood for twist, swing and tango. It has an incredibly quirky design and looks quite adorable. The antenna in the car is placed on the side mirror for cost cutting and it has a smile on its face. The car was incredibly successful and Renault sold 2.6 million units of the twingo.

1989 Autech Stelvio AZ1

Mirror mounted on the bonnet of the car isn't very unique. If I had a rupee for all the Fortuner's I have seen with the tiny mirror on the bonnet, I would be able to afford my own Fortuner.

This car takes it one step further by creating an entire enclosure around the mirror. The wheels are flat with a weird opening for the tyre vent spews/valve. According to a video I watched, it serves no aerodynamic purpose.

Citroen CX

The CX also has its fair share of quirks. There is a button on the grab handle on the door. You might be like "Oh, keyless entry request sensor, sweet! But, as a French car it has to be weird and abnormal. You see, it is not a grab handle, it is just a button you click to open the door. Maybe semi keyless entry at best.



The steering wheel is a single spoke design, due to which all of the controls (that would usually rest on the stalks) are placed on the side of the steering side. I un-ironically love it.

MG Gloster

The side mirror on the MG Gloster is placed on the door. Usually, they are placed in front of the window. Instead of a mirror stem, there is a tiny window in its place. I don't know why they did it (comparison with a ''normal'' placement)

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[MotoBlip]

Originally Posted by chiekennugget

Quirks in car design

The side mirror on the MG Gloster is placed on the door. Usually, they are placed in front of the window. Instead of a mirror stem, there is a tiny window in its place. I don't know why they did it (comparison with a ''normal'' placement)
Attachment 2629451

Probably not that big of a quirk because it is so ubiquitous. Many cars have this arrangement, such as the Nano, Punto, Linea, Baleno, City, Elevate, etc. I think it aids with visibility slightly but is mostly for ornamental purposes. It might also be there for marginal aero/fuel efficiency gains, but I'm unsure.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by chiekennugget

Quirks in car design

Citroen CX

The CX also has its fair share of quirks. There is a button on the grab handle on the door. You might be like "Oh, keyless entry request sensor, sweet! But, as a French car it has to be weird and abnormal. You see, it is not a grab handle, it is just a button you click to open the door. Maybe semi keyless entry at best.
Attachment 2629453
Attachment 2629449

The steering wheel is a single spoke design, due to which all of the controls (that would usually rest on the stalks) are placed on the side of the steering side. I un-ironically love it.
Attachment 2629446\

I used to drive a CX Gti occasionally. Some other quirks

• The indicator switch was a rocker switch on the left side (non-self cancelling)
• The horn is a push button on the side. Push lightly for town horns, push hard for air horns
• The speedo was a the cyclops eye - the speed would appear on a small window in 5 mph increments
  
• The radio was located next to the handbrake and the panel was in parallel to the handbrake. Try adjusting this on the go!!
  
  
• The brake pedal was a button on the floor - stamp on it and you kiss the windscreen

Very plush ride and a unique car. I had the option to buy it but high running costs, delayed parts availability and high fuel costs meant I had to pass on it

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by chiekennugget

It had an incredibly quirky design and the rear windshield had a concave curve to it.

Our own desi C6 (not exactly, but close enough):



I think Ritz was Team-BHP's first official review:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ve-review.html (Maruti Ritz : Test Drive & Review)

[blueather]

Doug Demuro's YouTube channel is perfect for your query. He specializes in quirks and features in cars. I have learnt so many unique things about cars.

[IshaanIan]

How can we forget the old Mercedes models like the W124 and their stubby passenger side ORVMs I absolutely love the look of those cars.

[ALTIMAed]

The most irritating quirks, that really hit us drivers of main stream vehicles is the placement of the indicator and wiper stalks. Some have the indicator stalk on the right, some on the left - I find this really irritating as invariably one operated the wiper stalk instead of the indicator - believe me, I hate using the wipers on a dry windscreen glass.

[saikishor]

Honda's unnecessary always auto headlamp on function. One cannot switch off the headlights even if he wishes to do.

[Dry Ice]

I have always felt nauseous looking at Fiat Multipla.

It is quite a quirky design, especially the front.

[Karthik1100]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

I have always felt nauseous looking at Fiat Multipla.

It is quite a quirky design, especially the front.

It looks like multiple designers worked on it. 1st designer wanted it as a sports hatchback, 2nd designer changed it as MUV by giving large headroom and space, 3rd designer decided to make it as mini truck by giving truck like dashboard, 4th designer thought of home theatre in car. Finally it turned as Multipla

[Mustang Sammy]

The Pontiac Aztek also ranks up there for “quirky” and ugly designs.
Interestingly you can still see them on the roads in the US

[Autocaptive]

An interior design quirk of Tatas from the 2010s that I now miss is the illumination of the tachometer, meaning the needle turned red as you neared the redline. My Tiago has this and as fascinating as this was to me, what’s even more fascinating is the innovative way in which Tata could cut costs thereby eliminating the need for two different tachometers for the diesel and petrol versions respectively

[callvvijay]

I have always felt Verito Vibe to be extremely quirky.

Here is our Team-BHP official review (Mahindra Verito Vibe : Official Review) of the car



Added to the quirky design, the boot opening is weird - only the bottom vertical portion can be opened which makes the whole opening very small.



On a different note - about Maruti Ritz.
I personally like the car design. Way back in 2008-09, my friend was looking to buy a car and we did some showroom visits and finally, he paid the token advance for Ritz without even telling his parents. The next day, he had shown a Ritz to his mom and told her that this is the car that he has booked. She looked at the car and screamed - "What!!! I wouldn't even sit in this. Are you sure??". He dropped his mom back home, went directly to the dealership and cancelled the booking and got a Ford Figo!

Cheers!

[SithDefender]

Fiat Multipla says "hold my beer"