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.

Has-beens: Cars that have lost their cachet

Chrysler PT Cruiser

There are a handful of car models who were once celebrated, but have since lost their luster. These cars usually fit into 2 buckets:

• Cars that were awesome when they were released, but have since lost their novelty
• Cars that were awesome in the 50s/60s/70s, but due to cost cutting have become terrible. This is an American phenomenon, since Japanese car makers have not been in the states long enough to establish meaningful brand history.

 I've highlighted a few examples - click through to see.



Category #1: Cars that have lost their novelty

Chrysler PT Cruiser

When it first came out in 2000, there was nothing else like the PT Cruiser. It had dramatic retro styling, was incredibly affordable, and looked like a mix between a hot rod and an SUV/crossover (neither of which it actually was). However, the Cruiser did not age well, and as you saw more on the road its novelty wore off fast. If you look close enough, you'll see a crummy compact car whose quality could not compete with the Japanese offerings. Chrysler stopped making the Cruiser last year.

Mini Cooper

When BMW released the new Mini Cooper in 2001, it was very popular. Its UK roots and cute styling gave the car panache, and BMW made sure the car was of great quality. However, for $20-30k, I don't think this car is a very good value. It's too small and impractical for people in the suburbs or rural areas, and while the engine is quick against the car's light weight, it's not a sports car by any means. Also, 10 years later, I see too many on the road and I'm sick of the styling, which reminds me of Austin Powers. Mini has tried to broaden its range to SUVs, convertibles, coupes, and the slightly larger Clubman, probably because people have begun to lose fondness for the little car.

Scion xB

In 2003, Toyota's new Scion brand was very polarizing - some people thought their designs were cool, but others found them to be ugly and juvenile. In the end, Scions have seemed to appeal to young teenagers who want to customize their cars, and paradoxically, retirees who need an affordable compact hatchback. I believe Scion's current designs are watered down and have lost their edginess. They have gained many of the androgynous bumps and lumps that Toyota's main line suffers from. It's no secret that the brand has been struggling as of late, since parents are no longer able to afford to buy a car for their kids, and retirees are holding on their old cars longer. I wonder how sustainable the brand will be going forward.

Audi TT

The Audi TT looks like a cross between a Porsche 911 and VW Beetle, and was appropriately priced somewhere in the middle. Its retro styling, which was unique when it was released in 1998, now looks more cutesy than cute. The latest iteration does have a more masculine, sporty stance, but if I was to spend $35-40k on a sports car, I'm not sure the TT would make the list. Why not get an A5, which has similar performance characteristics, but has enough space to feel comfortable on a long trip? The base TT also does not have the blistering fast qualities you would expect from a car that aspires to be a sports car.

Chrysler 300

For a number of reasons, the 300 was an instant hit when it was released in 2005. It was the first decent looking product Chrysler had produced in years and marked a departure from the company's cab-forward designs. The design cues were a smart, modern take on the original 300C. The interior was nothing to write home about, but the exterior was a good mix of retro and modern. 6 years later, I think the front end is too retro for today's tastes, and the car has become popular with retirees, fleets, and livery. Sometimes you'll see a rapper wannabe who has distastefully put 24-inch DUB wheels on the car and swapped out the grille. I see too many on the road, and the styling looks too commonplace today. The updated iteration in 2011 looks almost identical to the outgoing model, although Chrysler claims every body part is new...

Category #2: Remakes gone bad

1969 Chevy Nova

1985-1988 Chevy Nova

Can anyone help me understand how the top picture became the bottom picture? A Hummer and a Volt has more in common. The Nova has historically been a cool car - a muscle car by any standard. When GM teamed up with Toyota in 1985 to resurrect the Nova name, the ugly rebadged Corolla they concocted sullied the Nova name forever, never to appear in Chevy's lineup ever again. It was so embarrassing, Chevy had to create the Geo brand to sell their Toyota joint-venture cars. The Nova became the equally ugly and unloved Geo Prism.

1967 Buick Skylark

1992 Buick Skylark

One of these days, I will put together a list of the ugliest cars in history...the 1992-1998 Buick Skylark will definitely be on that list. There is nothing redeeming about this remake, which in my opinion ruins the Skylark name for good. You can just picture the designers at GM writing ideas on a whiteboard on how to make a throwback to Buick's designs from the '50s and '60s. Pointed front end? Check. Covered rear wheels? Check. The only missing design cue is portholes. The rear end is stubby, the front end is hideous, the entire car is wrapped in ugly body cladding (and the pinstripe does not help), and the interior is a typical overdesigned relic of the early '90s from GM.

1964 Chevy Impala

2006-present Chevy Impala

See my article on the Chevy Impala - nuff said.

1968 Dodge Charger

2006-2010 Dodge Charger

The Charger has always been a 2-door, so why did Dodge resurrect the name as a -door after a 19 year pause? Don't get me wrong, I actually think the new Charger is a cool car and has much more personality than its Japanese counterparts, but it is such a departure from what the Charger has been historically. To recap: not a bad car, but not what I would have expected.

1968 Pontiac GTO

2005 Pontiac GTO

The old GTO is a properly cool muscle car designed by the late great John DeLorean. The new GTO, which was produced from 2004-2006, has a large cult following, but I never liked it. 5 years ago, it was the cheapest way to get 400+ horsepower for under $30k, but the styling is so boring. GM thought it could simply rebadge an Australian Holden Commodore as a Pontiac in the States, but it ended up looking more like a mid-90s Grand Am than what a modern-day GTO should look like. The interior was also standard GM fare - nothing fun or special.

1969 Pontiac LeMans

1992 Pontiac LeMans

A lot of things bother me about this early-90s remake of the LeMans, but most of all is that ugly black plastic on the C-pillar, which exists because it was a cheap way to cover up a bad design. Everything about this car is ugly, uncool, and cheap. This was the start to GM's maligned relationship with Daewoo, which ended up flooding the American and European markets (through Opel) with small, ugly designs. Why did they have to name this little runt the "LeMans"? GM's strategy in the 2000s was better: to name its rebadged Daewoos as generic Asian or Italian sounding names such as "Lacetti", "Aveo", "Leganza", and "Matiz", so if the model didn't work out, it didn't ruin decades of storied American muscle car history, such as the LeMans.

1937 Lincoln Zephyr

2006 Lincoln Zephyr

Oh, I get the connection Lincoln was trying to make here....NOT. The use of the Zephyr nameplate was an obvious attempt to resurrect Lincoln's historic American roots. However, that goes against Lincoln's attempted strategy to sell more cars to younger folks. The word Zephyr doesn't sound cool - it sounds like something your grandfather would drive. Maybe that's why they changed the name to the more forgettable MKZ after 1 year. Smart move.

1968 Saab 99

1994 Saab 900

1998 Saab 9-3

2005 Saab 9-3 SportSedan

The last car I'll mention is what is now called the Saab 9-3, but whose roots stem from earlier teardropped Saab 90s. After decades of hatchback and notchback sedans, Saab's new owner, GM, decided to use its Malibu-based global architecture to underpin the new 9-3. This meant a more traditional sedan, which sucked all the intrigue and uniqueness out of the Saab. GM's rationale was rational - it needed to find a cost effective way to bring Saab onto its architecture and still manage to keep some of the quirky design features that attracted Saab buyers (pop-out cupholders, ignition on the center console, airplane-like dashboard, etc.). The problem was that GM compromised too much and the 9-3 (and 9-5) became uncompetitive entries in an already crowded field of entry-luxury sedans. Today, Saab is in danger of extinction, and I wonder if GM's takeover is what set the ball in motion.

Japanese cars even a non-JDM-enthusiast can appreciate

As you can probably tell so far, I am not a huge Japanese car enthusiast. I don't hate Japanese cars, but for a variety of reasons, European cars excite me more. IMHO, European cars are more elegantly designed and appeal more to the senses than Japanese cars. Yes, Toyotas and Hondas will certainly be more reliable and perhaps technologically sound than their German and Italian counterparts, but Camrys and Accords do not excite car enthusiasts as much as Passats and S40s - plain and simple.

That being said, there are a handful of Japanese cars that do excite me. I'm limiting the list to vehicles under $100k, and sold some time within the last 25 years (1986-2011). I'm also leaving out some of the obvious ones like the Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi Evo, Mazda Miata, because they are too overexposed. I'd much rather write about some of the unlikely favorites. Click through to see which ones made the cut:

Nissan GTR R35

Let's start out with a more obvious one. The Nissan GTR R35 is an insanely capable car that can give much more expensive Porsches a serious run for their money. The design is not classically beautiful, but very clean and sharp. The engine sound is delicious. It blows previous Skylines out of the water, and was such a leap forward that Nissan finally decided to bring the car to the States!

Lexus GS

Now for a less obvious one. Hear me out on this - I know most people would expect me to put the IS-F over the GS, but let me explain my reasoning! Reviewing Lexus' current lineup, I realize that their models have become a bit blobby like their Toyota counterparts. The styling of the IS (and especially IS-F) is overdone IMO and will never beat the 3-Series performance-wise; the ES is hideous attempt to mask a Camry; the HS is weird; the CT is ugly; the SC is ancient; the RX/GX/LX are soccer-mom specials; and the LFA and LS are both fantastic but too expensive for this post. The GS, however, has always intrigued me. To be fair, I would never buy it because of its overly soft suspension, and ultimately, the E-Class or new 5-Series would win me over in this price range. However, the GS has certainly held up as an attractive, respectable design.

Mazda 6

I'm not sure why sales of the new Mazda 6 / Atenza are so weak. The Nagare styling is much less offensive as on the 3 (i.e., the grille doesn't look like it's about to eat me). The car is actually attractive and more exciting than its relatively conservative competitors. The ride is also sportier than some of the competition (cough, cough...Camry), and the rear end is almost a notchback. Very slick.

Last-gen Acura TL

When it was redesigned in 2004, there was nothing else like the TL. The deep crease along the sides of the car is quite unique, even to this day. I strongly believe that the previous-gen TL is much better looking than the current iteration, which is overdesigned (I hate the trunk), "shielded" by a huge ugly grille, and lacks the signature crease. Also want to mention, I love the angle of D-pillar...it is very subtle, but works well, and is eerily similar to the current-gen Chevy Malibu (which is also well-designed...in most areas, at least).

Mid-2000s Toyota Celica

The (stock) Celica is not too fast, but even after years of being discontinued, it still looks current on the road. The only thing that bugs me about the design is the door handle, which looks like it was yanked from a Camry.

Last-gen Scion tC

Alas, if only Toyota would style the Corolla like this... I think this is an awesome, underappreciated design. Toyota squeezed in as many upmarket features as possible in this entry level coupe. When the tC was released, very few competitors had 2 sunroofs and indicators on the side-view mirrors. And the interior is one of Toyota's best - the aluminum looks great, and there are enough pop-up gizmos to impress the ladies. Now, why did they have to go and ruin the car in its current iteration? The 2011 model is boxy, has weird C pillars with terrible visibility, and the interior is much less "luxurious" and takes on a more stripped down approach.

late-90s Toyota Supra

The last generation Supra was a fantastic design, silky smooth in just the right places. I love the simplicity of the rear fascia, the mild-mannered air vents on the hood and sides, and the classic rear spoiler. I think this body style Supra is much better proportioned than the oft-compared Mazda RX-7, which looks too small and "mousy" in comparison.

90s-Mitsubishi 3000GT

The Mitsubishi 3000GT and its sister the Dodge Stealth look much more expensive than they are to the untrained eye. To the masses, this reasonably priced coupe looks like a Viper or a Corvette.

Mid-1990s Nissan Z

This car is an absolute classic. I love the glass roof, the aerodynamic stance, and the futuristic interior. It is also a killer in the drifting circuits. Quentin Tarantino knew what he was doing when he included this car as a cameo in Kill Bill Vol. 1. It is so emblematic of Japanese sports cars and added to the already masterful ambiance of the movie. The eventual re-emergence of the Z in the early 2000s was an interesting take on the car, but the current redesign is way too curvy and overdesigned for its own good. Bring it back to basics, Nissan!

Early-90s Infiniti G

The first-gen G was a tarted-up version of the (JDM) Nissan Primera. It is fairly entry-level, but had enough creature-comforts (leather, sunroof, etc.) to make buyers feel like they bought a luxury car. If you squint hard enough, the car almost looks like a baby mid-90s BMW 5-Series. There is something very charming about this car; today, it is popular with the high school crowd - those teens that want to have a respectable car in class, brand, and styling but can't afford to pay a lot. The current iteration of the G is attractive, but a bit too overstyled for my taste. I would buy a C-Class, 3-Series, A4, or even a CTS before I would consider test driving the current G37.

Late-80s Honda CRX

This car instantly reminds me of the 1980s. Honda has never managed to create as timeless of a design, no matter how hard they have tried with the CRZ, Civic Si, and Integra. I think most people will agree that the CRX is not luxurious, not fast, and not classically beautiful, but it's compact in just the right places. Even the glass above the taillights, which looks a bit awkward when applied to the Insight and CRZ, actually works on the CRX.

Subaru B9 Tribeca

Just kidding :)