Car designs that enthusiasts didn't like at first but warmed upto

I did not like the look of the Zen when it was launched. The Jellybean shape was something we had never seen before in India and was not easy to digest.

Car designs that grew on you with time

There are many cars that you can fall in love with at first sight. But then, there are quite a few cars that you may not find appealing to start with. However, with time you develop a liking for their styling as time goes by. Here are some cars that I felt were not to my liking in terms of styling when they were launched. With time though, I developed a liking for them.

Honda CR-V (2007)

This was the second CR-V generation to be launched in India. I had loved the earlier generation car with its boxy styling. After that, the new car looked bulbous. I remember comparing it to a bulldog and worse still, a toad. But as more and more of these cars hit the road, I warmed up to its looks. It was well-proportioned and looked much more in keeping with the times than the old car.

BMW 5 Series (E60)

The E60 5 Series replaced the much-loved E39. While it had great powertrains, when it came to looks, even some BMW fans found it rather ugly. I thought it was rather vulgar after the svelte E39. Chris Bangle's design was nowhere as understated as older 5ers. However, as the years went by, the E60 somehow started looking attractive. It was probably the aggressiveness of the design that struck a cord.

Tata Aria

The Aria was Tata's first crossover. With the way the bonnet was styled and the vertically stacked tail-lamps, it had a hint of Indica in its looks, which I had grown tired of. While I didn't really hate Aria's styling, I didn't find it very good-looking either. Then came the Mahindra XUV500, which was loud in comparison. It was only after that that I started finding some appeal in the Aria's design. The body didn't have many cuts and creases and in darker colours, the vehicle had a very dignified appearance.

Chevrolet Beat

On my first look at the Chevrolet Beat, I felt like someone had taken an axe to it. The headlights were too big and the rear looked like it ended without a warning. There were multiple cuts and creases all over the body of the car as well. Overall, too much styling for my liking! A couple of years down though, I found it a lot more acceptable. It came in some bright colours that made it stand out in the crowd. It looked funky and young in a sea of dull designs.

Maruti Zen

Big shock! Yes, I did not like the look of the Zen when it was launched. The Jellybean shape was something we had never seen before in India and was not easy to digest. Then, the car's front was longer than the rear overhang giving it a front-heavy appearance. In a short time though, the design became more palatable and very soon, it was my favourite hatchback in the market in every aspect and it remained like that till the introduction of the Fiat Palio. I loved its smooth and slippery shape and how proportionate the lights, grille, wheels and other elements were. If there was one car that I was sad to see go from our market, it was this.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

When I saw this car first, I wanted to throw up. But I was very surprised to end up accepting it, especially after the effective facelifts. In fact, a friend or two had modified their Santro Xings and dare I say, they looked good to me.

Absolutely loved the W126, W140 and W220 S-Classes. When the W221 was launched, I found it to be too awkward & confused for an S-Class. Must admit, it has aged well and a well-maintained W221 turns my head today (W222 is still my no.1):

Here's what BHPian Eddy had to say on the matter:

S-Cross. When it was launched, I did not like the way it looked. But that did not stop me from buying it.

And eventually, the looks grew on me. Maybe because I owned it, or maybe it was like an AR Rahman song - takes a while to like some.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say on the matter:

Never quite liked this vehicle when I saw it first, I preferred the Safari`s shape instead.

As I grew up, I heard from may people including my dad that Scorpio`s shape is smart, except when I sat in the driver`s seat and went for a spin, what an amazing vehicle.

The looks indeed grew on me. My sister who is an art curator told me that old Scorpio had a distinct look different from other 'SUV's, new one looks like a typical SUV.

Perhaps she is right, I grew up to like its character and looks, no one would call a Rottweiler pretty and yet we love them.

Here's what BHPian smartcat had to say on the matter:

Most car designs will grow on you with time. Provided that it was or is a popular enough model that you see it frequently on the roads. For eg:

Toyota Qualis no longer looks ugly. Those who love boxy UVs might even like its looks now:

But Ssangyong Rodius still looks ugly! And that's simply because we don't see it on the road:

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.