Taillights - the best and the worst

Mitsubishi Mirage

I saw an article on Autoblog yesterday reporting that Mitsubishi was considering bringing the new Mirage (pictured above) to the US to "reinvigorate" its ailing lineup. While I agree that Mitsubishi needs to inject some excitement into its lineup, this Mirage certainly isn't going to do it. There are a lot of things I don't like about this car, but most importantly its nondescript, blobby taillights, which make the car look 10 years old. The styling of the Mirage looks instantly dated compared to other subcompacts on the market, especially those from Hyundai and Kia. The Mirage inspired me to think of some other automakers who haven't paid enough attention to taillights, and some that did. Click through for some examples:




First some boring taillights:

Toyota Corolla

The Corolla's taillights could be on any car. There is nothing distinct about them that would allow me to instantly identify the car as a Corolla.

Mazda 5

The Mazda 5's taillights look like droopy, sad eyes. They're too low in proportion to the rest of the back end.

Subaru XV

The XV is a rare example of a Subaru that excites me. The boxy lines mixed with curves are actually pretty cool...so I was disappointed when I saw the taillights, which look like an afterthought. The taillights are so nondescript, that they almost ruin the rear end. The black body cladding on the lower corners of the car saves the day, fortunately.

Subaru BR-Z / Scion FR-S

I know the new Toyotaru RWD project has a lot of fans, but I haven't caught the wave. I'm sure it is a blast to drive and drift, but I don't think Toyota and Subaru pushed the boundaries enough when it came to styling, and the taillights epitomize this. They are too small and seem misplaced with regard to the rest of the design. It's almost like they were aiming to copy the BMW Z4's taillights but had to tweak them enough so as to avoid legal trouble...

VW Tiguan

I like the Tiguan overall, but think VW could have gone further with the taillights. On the next model, make them a little more expressive!

Now for some exciting taillights...

Dodge Charger

The Charger's taillights are easily the most engaging on the market today. Looks great in the daylight and even better at night!

Volvo XC60

I love the curviness of the XC60's taillights, which are easy to see at nighttime, but also look great (just like the rest of the SUV).

Mercedes CLS

Goes without saying, but the CLS' taillights look like a million bucks.

BMW 5-Series

The 5-Series has always embedded LED "stripes" in their taillights, which look awesome at night.

Ford Mustang

Check out the new Mustang's taillights. Against the black plastic, the red LEDs pop at night.

Kia Optima

The taillights are one of many reasons why I love the Kia Optima...one of the first exciting midsize cars available in awhile.

10 boring cars: neither attractive nor ugly

Acura RL / RLX

When Acura released images of the new RLX, I was disappointed. I think the swoopy character line on the sides is homely, and the rest of car is undifferentiated from a lot of the other midsize luxury cars on the market. The RLX made me think of some other cars that are neither good looking or unattractive, but rather boring. Click through for 10 examples.

Acura RL

1. Acura RL: As mentioned in the intro, I've never understood where the RL fits in. The design is completely dated, and could have potentially looked cutting edge 10 years ago. It's a perfectly capable car, but probably not what Acura executives would prefer to be their flagship offering.

Lexus ES

2. Lexus ES: Yawn...the ES is soooo boring. The first-generation model had cool taillights that looked like a baby LS, but the current model looks more like a tarted-up Camry than ever. The average ES-owner is probably well into retirement age (not that there's anything wrong with that!), and reviewers consistently describe how bland the ES's performance and handling are.

Audi A8

3. Audi A8: The Audi A8 is by no means ugly; in fact, it is quite handsome. However, it does not have the excitement that the S-Class or 7-Series have. The A8 is actually a fairly boxy design if you think about it. What makes the A8 work are the subtle curves, technology, and, frankly, the Audi logo. I would love to own an A8, but it is not the first car that comes to mind when I think "excitement".

Honda Pilot

4. Honda Pilot: My guess is that Honda saw the success of the Jeep, Hummer, and wanted in on the action. While the resulting Pilot is similarly boxy, it is by no means rugged or cool. It is extremely bland and devoid of character. Not ugly, just boring.

Toyota Corolla

5. Toyota Corolla: Ugh. Renting a compact car and winding up with the Corolla is like drawing the short straw. Everyone knows someone with a Corolla. They are endlessly reliable, last forever, and capable enough to handle the average person's daily commute. However, that makes the Corolla ubiquitous, and it happens to be a boring design as well! When the current generation first came out, it was stylish, but Toyota hasn't made enough changes over the years to substantially update the car, and the competition has certainly caught up.

Dodge Journey

6. Dodge Journey: Everyone's heard of the Dodge Durango, but most people haven't heard of the Journey. The interior was never up to par, but there is something too "dainty" about the exterior. I don't know what it is...maybe the chrome accents? Taking a step back, the design looks more like a minivan than a rugged SUV. It's not ugly, but falls through the cracks because of its run-of-the-mill style.

Kia Forte

7. Kia Forte: Most of Kia's current lineup is, dare I say, exciting. Cars like the Optima, Elantra, and Sportage have brought Kia's reputation to a new level. The Forte was the first car to preview Kia's new design language, but compared to the others cars I just mentioned, the Forte looks tame in comparison. It is a good design, but there is not enough going on for the Forte to resonate in people's minds. Hopefully the next model will inject some more uniqueness.

Nissan Altima

8. Nissan Altima: As I mentioned in a previous post, I don't understand the Nissan Altima. Unlike the Fusion and Sonata, both of which are beautiful designs, the Altima is blobby and disproportioned. In 5 years time, it will blend in on the highway, just like every other previous Altima has.

Scion xD

9. Scion xD: The Scion xB has always had a cult following for its boxiness. The tC is a cool coupe with lots of standard features. However, the xD makes no sense. It costs about as much as the xB, but is smaller and isn't as distinct looking. The xD replaced the xA, which also prompted the question, "what's the point?"

Subaru Forester

10. Subaru Forester: I understand why people - especially in the Northeast - get Foresters. They are good in the snow and have plenty of room to store things in the back. However, it is so nondescript. Some people call it an SUV, others (like me) call it a wagon, so it's stuck somewhere in the middle and suffers from weird proportionality.

Copycat cars: Haven't I seen that design somewhere else?

Toyota Camry

Subaru Legacy

Look at the similarity of the taillights on the Legacy vs. the Camry...coincidence? Sometimes it's hard to conclude who is the innovator and who is the thief - cars are planned and designed years before we consumers see them, and often shrouded in secrecy. I wanted to point out a few more examples of copycats: design features that look all too similar. Click through for more.

Audi A4

Saturns were always a bit boring, but their one interesting design feature was the upward "swoosh" on the body cladding on the side profile, which became a continuing motif on most of their cars since the original SL1 in the early-90s. It's a pretty unique feature, so it immediately caught my eye when the latest Audi A4 incorporated the same "swoosh". Coincidence that Audi began using the design cue when Saturn began to see the end of its existence?

Mazda 6

Tesla Roadster

Toyota Corolla

One could argue that there are only so many possible taillight designs that meet regulatory safety standards and also look reasonably good. The clustered circle design is one that is used quite often. Cars from the Mazda 6, Toyota Corolla, and Tesla Roadster have used an iteration of this design.

Peugeot 407

Chrysler Sebring

Chrysler used the "gaping mouth" grille in the 90s, well before Peugeot began using it. Given Chrysler's relatively low penetration in the European market (vs. Peugeot's large presence), this act of copycatism isn't as heinous in my books.

Jaguar XF

Chrysler 300M

Flip the Chrysler 300M grille upside down, and what do you get? A Jaguar XF!

Mitsubishi Galant

Lexus ES

Here's a fun one - the Mitsubishi Galant, a dreadfully boring Hertz-special based on the Chrysler Sebring, received a new rear fascia in 2009, 3 years after the Lexus ES released a stunningly similar design. Lexus isn't known for stirring designs, so I'm not sure this was a great move for Mitsu.

Lexus RX

Hyundai Veracruz

Squint long enough, and you will easily mistake the Hyundai Veracruz for the Lexus RX. Intentional? I would think so. The Hyundai looks just a little blander, a little vaguer, and a little less refined...but at a $10k savings, who cares?

Buick Regal

BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe

As I mentioned in a previous post, BMW designers oddly stole a page from Buick's book when they borrowed the upward swoosh on the side of the Regal for the new 6-Series Gran Coupe. The swoosh looks great on the Regal, but is lost on the already-busy design of the 6 GC.

My Ford Fiesta rally experience

I recently participated in the 1-day Ford Fiesta Rally Experience at Team O'Neil Rally School in Dalton, NH. My father accompanied me, and while he did not want to drive, he was able to take some awesome pictures (thanks dad!). I was taught basic rally techniques in both a classroom and track setting. For $569, the 7-hour class for 15 people was an amazing value and more fun than I could ever imagine. Click through to see more.

We started off learning how to left-foot brake by spinning the Fiesta around in a circular track. At first, it seems counterintuitive, since most people use their right foot for gas OR brake, but ralliers hold the gas and tap the brake at the same time to drift-turn the car on loose surfaces, rather than turning the steering wheel.

Once we learned how to left-foot brake, we went to the slalom, which sat at the bottom of a steep hill to gain speed. The instructors had us whip the cars around like there was no tomorrow, providing rapid-fire instructions like, "left, tap the brake, countersteer, keep your foot on the gas, right, tap the brake, countersteer" and after a few tries, I was picking up the technique. They had to continually wet the track to maximize the looseness of the dirt track.

By the way, the car in front with the busted bumper was actually the most souped up model of the bunch. It had previously been in a minor accident, so Team O'Neil gave it a sport exhaust system an real alloys.

Then things started to get more difficult...Pendulum turns and Trail Braking. Both techniques are ways to quickly turn the car at a sharp degree, and demand a strong understanding of when to use braking and how much pressure.

Pendulum turns involve counterintuitively turning the car in the opposite direction of the turn while braking, then letting off the brake and countersteering to use the car's momentum to correct itself and turn in the correct direction. To be honest, I will need quite a few more runs before I could master this one...

Trail braking is a bit simpler: as you approach a turn, you apply brake pressure. Once you release the brake, the car's weight shifts and slides you into the turn at the correct angle.

The next set of exercises were related to accident avoidance and were actually quite practical, in addition to being fun. The instructor had us ramp up speed to 40 mph and approach a set of cones (we were supposed to visualize a moose in the middle of the road), and he would randomly shout one of three instructions: 1) stop, 2) stop turn (left or right), and 3) no stop turn (left or right). Similar to a real accident scenario, the randomness of the instruction required us to stay on our toes.

The Fiesta itself was a joy to drive and is very easy on the eyes. The little subcompact is probably the best looking car in its class and fits nicely with the rest of Ford's design language. The interior is exceptionally high-class for a car at this price range. The models we were driving were stripped of carpeting for safety and to save weight, but the dashboard is smartly designed with easy to operate buttons. The cars we were driving are heavily flogged on a daily basis, but have held up quite nicely, which is a testament to Ford's quality. The steering was direct, the acceleration was peppy, and the brakes were responsive. By the end of the day, I was convinced - if I was in the market for a subcompact, the Fiesta would be at the top of my list.

As a treat for finishing the long day of exercises, the instructors took us on a lap around the track at full speed. I am sitting in the back seat of this red Fiesta pictured above, and was clinging on for dear life! The pro driver took us off small jumps, sped down a tiny wooded path at 40+ mph, and did huge powerslides - much larger than the ones I was attempting to do earlier. This experience was almost more fun than driving the cars myself!

In sum, I would recommend this course to anyone who is a car enthusiast. Every single person who participated left with a huge grin on their face (myself included). The program was professional, educational, and excellent value compared to some of the other driving schools out there. I hope to do the 2 or 3 day school, which goes into more depth in some of the more advanced techniques. Plus, they have a full stable of Audi, Subaru, Jeep, VW vehicles of all drivetrains. I could see this getting pretty addictive...

Top 10 ugliest SUVs of all time

Pontiac Aztek

SUVs are a relatively modern phenomenon, rising in popularity in the mid-90s and losing steam in the late-00s when gas prices rose. In this short amount of time, we've gotten some great designs (which I will save for a subsequent post) and some scary designs. I want to spend time discussing the latter. I've ranked the top 10 ugliest SUVs, in order of bad to worst. Click through to see:

Mercedes GLK

10. Mercedes GLK. If you haven't already noticed, I am a huge Mercedes fan...so it pains me to include the GLK on this list, but it must be done. The GLK is oddly proportioned throughout. The front end looks like a cartoon character, the sides are too boxy, and the car looks pretty wimpy for an SUV. The interior is up to Mercedes' standards, but the exterior falls short of competitors like the Q5 and SRX.

BMW X3

9. BMW X3. BMW has finally fixed the awful Bangle-era styling of its 3, 5, and 7 sedans, but there's still something very displeasing about the X3 - too many nips, tucks, creases, and bends for my liking. The rear windows between the C and D pillar are an ugly shape, and I don't like the little downward curls and creases on the sides of the car. The front end is nothing extraordinary. The interior is the design's only saving grace in my opinion.

Acura ZDX

8. Acura ZDX. As the Honda Crosstour's ugly sister, the ZDX has had a hard time getting notoriety as a contender in the swoopy-SUV category. After the success of the Mercedes CLS, all the car manufacturers are racing to get 4-door coupe designs on as many vehicles as possible - sedan and SUV. The ZDX is Acura's answer to the BMW X6, but falls short. The front end has Acura's ugly shield, the rear doors have Pathfinder-like handles, and the rump is too big. Acura tried way to hard on this one.

Jeep Compass

7. Jeep Compass. Jeep screwed up on the Compass / Patriot combo. The quirky Compass was meant for the female demographic, while the boxier Patriot was for the male counterpart. Instead, why not create 1 vehicle the entire population would want to buy? Neither car could actually go off road; based on the Dodge Caliber, this platform was meant to be an SUV-like successor to the Dodge Neon. The harmless looking Patriot was the less egregious of the 2 Jeeps. Meanwhile, the Compass is a hot mess of design cliches. We've got the triangular front indicator lights, the word "Compass" is written in huge letters on the fake aluminum-trimmed bumper, the D-pillar is ugly and provides poor rear visibility, and the rear doors have Pathfinder-like handles (similar to the aforementioned ZDX) to give a fake-coupe look. None of this works, and the car hasn't sold well. For 2011, Marchionne has ordered up some much-needed improvements to the front end and the bargain-basement interior...but is it enough?

Infiniti QX

6. Infiniti QX. One word to describe the QX: ghastly. Check out my article on Infinitis...nuff said.

Lincoln MKT

5. Lincoln MKT. The MKT would make a good hearse, but not much else. Check out my Lincoln article.

Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet

4. Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. Kudos to Nissan for trying to push the design envelope...but it didn't work, sorry. The Murano's front end looks like a frog; shedding 2 doors and roof does not help its case. There is something unflattering and hunchbacked about the design. The rear lights are awkward, similar to the Toyota Venza. For close to $50k, I don't understand why you would get an unsporty convertible instead of the myriad of true 4-seater convertibles in that price-range. And if you're dead set on an SUV convertible, get a Jeep Wrangler.

Subaru B9 Tribeca

3. Subaru B9 Tribeca. There is something very feminine about the Tribeca's design. Nothing wrong with femininity, but a dainty SUV fundamentally confuses me. The front end is one of the biggest trainwrecks in modern auto design history. The rest of the car is forgettable and irrelevant. The dashboard is shaped in an ugly swirl. Subaru tried too hard to innovate, and the result was one of the ugliest SUVs in history.

Honda Crosstour

2. Honda Crosstour. What's the only thing worse than an Acura ZDX? Its hideous sister the Honda Crosstour. This ugly duckling came very close to unseating the #1 ugliest SUV. The Crosstour is Honda's self-indulgent take on the swoopy SUV, mixing a variety of poor design cues. When the car was revealed on Facebook, the overwhelming number of negative responses resulted in one of the worst marketing campaigns in history. Honda is so embarrassed of the bad publicity, that they removed "Accord" from the nameplate, which is now just "Crosstour". The front end is oddly proportioned and the grille looks like it was yanked off of a last-gen Honda Odyssey. The rear end is jacked up too much, and whereas the Porsche Panamera can pull off a big rump, the Crosstour doesn't manage to. Time for an emergency redesign, Honda.

Pontiac Aztek

1. Pontiac Aztek. The king of ugly SUVs reigns supreme! Despite being out of production for over 5 years, AND despite the fact that the Pontiac brand does not exist anymore, the Aztek is still often mentioned in car publications in reference to the quintessential ugly SUV. The Aztek concept was a cool idea - a study to design the most functional SUV. But when the concept met reality, too many design features were scrapped and the vision was compromised beyond repair. Excessive gray plastic body cladding, ugly wheel arches, an amphibious "double grille", an oddly-slanted rear end, and frumpy proportions throughout plague this car to this day. I personally believe the Aztek was the catalyst (followed by the G6 GXP) that eventually brought Pontiac to its demise.

Honorable Mention:

• Toyota Venza


• (First-gen) Toyota RAV4


• Buick Rendezvous


• Saab 9-7X


• Chevy Blazer


• (Current-gen) Honda CR-V