Committee design needs to end: An editorial on GM's biggest visible failures.

"boxrocket" (boxrocket) 09/12/2013 at 14:31 • Filed to: gm, chevrolet, gmc, silverado, suburban, yukon, sierra, design, gm sucks, government motors

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GM just showed its new full-size SUV vehicles to the public in the form of the 2015 !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

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While the refresh was long overdue (almost as much as Ford's Expedition, if we're honest, which needs an infusion of the new F-150 goodies ASAP), in terms of front and rear design, these are miserable failures. Proof positive yet again that committees need to stay out of the design studios and go back to debating cup holder placement and what other electronic gizmo they can put in a vehicle to drive its sale price up for maximum profits, even more so if it's part of a tech package with frivolities the buyer doesn't want and won't use.

First, I'll say that the design overall looks improved over the current generation, which looks too soft and has too many conflicting elements in it already. However, they all share the same too-tall shoulder line with a too-short of greenhouse. I know we all despise the increasing lack of visibility out of vehicles, to where companies almost have to sell a backup (and now, even front and side view) cameras so the driver doesn't run over someone/thing while in motion. The chevy looks the softer of the two, as it should, but it's still a bit of a jumbled mess, and that's before we get to the details.

Let's start with the Yukon, the better of the two:

It's reasonably handsome, sure, and the GMC versions of vehicles typically look better than their Chevrolet counterparts (save the current Yukon and Terrain). However, it doesn't share any of its stable mates' brand-unique exterior styling elements save the shiny bits (wheels, grilles, and certain trim). How so?

Let's start with the new Sierra.

This is the Denali version, like the Yukon pictured above, so you can see some of the resemblances with the grill shape and "texture". However, the Yukon's headlamps don't resemble anything in the GMC lineup, the placement of brightwork doesn't match, and, with the exception of the blocky fender (which the suburban shares) it doesn't look as "tough" or "masculine" as the Sierra.

That said, the new Sierra looks like a 2005-2008 Super Duty with trailer-park makeup:

Moving on to the next-newest GMC, the Acadia.

Not the best-looking vehicle in the world, but far from the worst. It shares the blockier fenders and the slightly up-angled lights of the Sierra, and the bold square-ish Ford-derived grille with the three sections, like the non-Denali version of the sierra and Yukon:

Notice that they share the Ford-drived 3-bar grille:

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As for the taillights, I have no idea where they got those from, but they wouldn't look out of place on a Ford:

In short, the Yukon seems to look like what the Escalade should be updated to. It has headlamps that resemble the current Cadillac sedans

and speaking of Cadillac, all the front ends (especially the headlamps) remind me of the original Fusion/Milan twins, as well as Mercury's other similarly-shaped lights, which also found their way to the Transit and Transit Connect:

We'll skip the Terrain as it's long-in-the-tooth and set to be replaced soon, and is not indicative of GMC's future designs. Ditto the Savannah, which, while old, still has GMC's best grille, the letters floating in the black void, which looked great on the original GMCs.

TL;DR, it doesn't look like a GMC, and that's not a good thing.

Now shifting our focus on to the volume leader, the suburban.

First, the elephant in the room. What. The. Hell. Is. Up. With. That. Front. End?! Did someone sneeze while drawing it? Did someone see a 370Z and think "Yep, we want that on a giant SUV."

Or maybe it was the Maxima?

Or, in fairness, perhaps a prius (though unlikely)

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Needless to say, it doesn't ape the bold, blocky (and, again, Ford-derived) look of the Silverado, save for the split grille-bar, which they've been doing for a few years.

I'll admit this hearkens back to the glory days of the gm trucks

it seems more to be inspired by something more modern, at least in terms of scale and execution:

At least the taillights resemble the Silverado's in layout, but not in overall shape.

Part of the charm (if you could call it that) of gm's truck and full-size SUV designs was that, for the '70s through the early late '90s, the SUVs were clearly wagon versions of the trucks. The bubble-faced suburbans offered simultaneously with the angle-faced silverados ended that, but there were still resemblances until this upcoming generation. It made parts interchangeable and cheaper, and gave the brand a stronger and more-consistent identity, something that few automakers seem to strive for anymore (the best at it seem to be Mazda, McLaren, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Aston Martin, except the Rapide S's face). Fun fact about those brands: usually it's just a small handful (or just one) of designers for the major elements, and typically a small design team to flesh out details, all working together to make the inside and outside match, rather than a committee that resembles a small horde. And whether they work together, against each other, or just use a giant dartboard with elements they agree on to decide what goes where, I'm not sure, and I shudder at the thought.

In short, GM still likes muddling its designs across brands to make some of the blandest and most forgettable mass-produced junk on the road. Granted, they're not the only ones (chrylser's done it, notably with the Nitro and Liberty twins, as one of the more glaring examples). Regardless, I'm still going to shake my head with disappointment and disgust any time I see one of these anywhere but on a dealership lot (and even then I'll be disgusted these got green-lighted for production) as-is.

On the plus side, Ford and Ram/Dodge seem to be making some good-looking and highly capable vehicles, and I wouldn't mind seeing Ram/Dodge take over gm's place in the truck/SUV market.

Kookanoodles > boxrocket 09/12/2013 at 14:34

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I don't understand why Americans call these things SUVs. I mean, they're just oil tanker-sized mansions on wheels.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > boxrocket 09/12/2013 at 14:36

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GM's entire design team should be fired for plagiarism.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Kookanoodles 09/12/2013 at 14:37

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Enough horsepower to offset the mansion-on-wheels performance drawbacks to the point of "well, we tried to make it Sport, seriously" plausible deniability - that counts for the "S".

The UV comes from being able to haul anything and everything in the attached fenced patio or sun room.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 09/12/2013 at 14:39

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That's a good point. Mind if I repeat it elsewhere?

jmgadget > boxrocket 09/12/2013 at 14:39

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When i was browsing through the thumbnails over on AB I actually thought the GMC version was the new Caddy. Those headlights are definitely not GMC.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 09/12/2013 at 14:40

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Use it as often, and emphatically as possible!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 09/12/2013 at 14:46

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I just hope its styling will still be as solid a couple years from now. Wouldn't want people to notice I ripped off something a few years old and ducked out for an early liquid supper at the bar.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 09/12/2013 at 14:49

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Proof positive that the "New" GM is still the "Old" GM pretending to be the "New" GM but repeating the mistakes of the "Old" GM.

Shit. Now I'm stuck in a feedback loop.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 09/12/2013 at 15:03

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So what you're saying is, you're stuck in as much of a feedback loop as GM's designers, who, having learned nothing from the market, continue to rehash everything based on repeatability more than appeal?

Shit, now I'm stuck too. I blame you for this.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > boxrocket 09/12/2013 at 15:49

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It seems like everything GM puts out lately is dated before it is even for sale. And they all look like a college project when it comes to styling.

You do the front fenders, I'll do the roof and hood, Jim will do the front and rear clips and Steve will do the rear fenders and glass openings. We'll meet back here next Tuesday and mash everything together."

I had a rant a few days ago about seeing a new Stingray. It doesn't look like a car, it looks like a collection of body panels that got assembled. The Malibu/Impala/beigemobile looks like a 2004 model that had some Pep Boys LED's tacked on to make it look "more modern". GM design absolutely sucks right now.

the__man > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 09/12/2013 at 16:34

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Thanks for insulting my job. I can tell that most of these design opinions come from non-design people. It's relatively funny that you assume we hodgepodge everything together and call it a car, when in fact it is far from this. The whole design of a vehicle from concept to prototype, pre-production, testing, and mass manufacturing is a collaboration of many departments which all keep close attention to what the other is doing. In fact jim does design the front fascia and suzy designs the grill and Tom designs the crash beam but they all are in constant contact with each other throughout the design phases not once has your situation ever happened. There is heavy influence on all modules of vehicle design from every team and from what I see in the pipeline and what is coming out now it is some of the best things that GM has developed. You are entitled to "GM design absolutely sucks right now" but before you decide to bang on a design department you should probably know the process and then make the appropriate comments.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > the__man 09/12/2013 at 16:49

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You're right, I'm not a designer. And no, I don't know how the design process works. But when I as a consumer look at a car I want it to look like a cohesive design. When I as a consumer look at a car and thinks that it looks like it is a hodgepodge of different designers that is a problem. Because when a car looks like none of the design elements fit together, I don't want to buy that vehicle.

Cars are consumer objects and are designed to please the consumer. Currently GM designs do not please me as a consumer because in my opinion they do not offer a cohesive design.

This was not meant to single out a profession or a person. It is simply my opinion of current GM design. You'll note that I didn't say the GM designers suck. I realize that they have to work within certain constraints, and sometimes the design is pushed in a direction by accounting or by management.

the__man > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 09/12/2013 at 16:59

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I understand that, I was responding to the whole thing not just trying to single you out.

And like I said you are entitled to everything that you want in a vehicle even down to design cohesiveness (I'm sure marketing isn't even aware consumers are looking at this) and by using that trait in looking for a new vehicle you are miles a head of the next guy. To be completely honest, GM doesn't have the best track record for design but what we have now versus what we had when we designed the Aztec is something to say, and in the end I don't even own a GM car and I work for them, however, I do think that the direction they are headed is on the right track (new ats-v,cts-v, lts, chevy ss, C7)

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 09/12/2013 at 17:04

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I suppose me, you, and the GM design team are doomed to spend an eternity falling through an infinite hole in the space-time continuum, endlessly far from the start, yet never nearing the end. It's like every Greg Kinnear movie I've ever seen.

That is also a surprisingly accurate description for almost all non-Corvette post-1999 GM vehicles.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! 09/12/2013 at 17:08

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Mystery Men was arguably a Greg Kinnear movie - for about 10 minutes total. Then he got crisped to a cinder.

Oh god, the madness of the abyss has set in. Ben. Stiller. Movies.

Group B-raaaaaaaaaap! > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 09/12/2013 at 17:14

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I give MM a pass. because scorching Greg Kinnear.

Also Dane Cook before we got tired of his shtick. Presenting, the Waffler!

It's a rapid and brutal descent towards madness in the moebius of our doom.

Canut > the__man 09/13/2013 at 12:27

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I am with “You can tell a Finn…” on this one, the design looks odd.

However, I find automotive design fascination, I actually looked into going to the Art Center of Design in Pasadena, but at the end I am more of an engineer than a designer.

I really admire the work that you guys do. An as part of the design team, could you share some insight of the design process?

I would love to have a whole thread about your experiences. I want to know how much does the accountants, marketing guys and engineers input your design.

I want to know how in the world did the Aztec was made. What was that process? Did anybody along the line from the CEO to the janitor ever question the looks? Was it a product o complete apathy?

I would love to get an insight of your personal experience. Please share.