What's the worst car facelift?

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 11/30/2015 at 11:26 • Filed to: Unofficial Oppo QOTD

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Somewhere towards the middle to end of a model’s generation run, automakers love sprucing up the interior and exteriors of the model. Sometimes, the car becomes the car it should have been all along, other times, the new look is worse than a bad plastic surgery. What’s the worst?

I have two nominations in particular:

2013-2015 smart fortwo.

The 451 fortwo got an initial facelift for 2011. They improved the interior materials, added some additional airbags, some new funky exterior colours, and made the tailgate electrical (so much easier for loading).

For 2012, they refined the transmission programming, doubled the factory warranty, introduced a bluetooth system, and the side skirts became body coloured.

For 2013, smart decided to try to give the 451 fortwo a front end from one of the concept cars that displayed smart’s updated design language. It just looks, unfinished. If they changed the headlights to match, it would look better. Instead it’s just half-baked.

My second nomination goes to the Chevy Cruze.

Before:

After:

GM, why do you hate us?

What’s your nomination?

BringBackTheCommodore > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:29

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The Mk. VIII.

From this:

To this:

Smaller, sleeker headlights looked better.

PS9 > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:32

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Cute. Adorable.

Hideous. Disgusting. Not exactly a facelift, but still steeped in ‘why does this need to exist’ territory.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:35

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SAY NO TO PLASTIC GRILLS

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:35

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There are so many: Citroen DS5, BMW E46 coupe, Audi Q3, 2015 Malibu, current E class, Vauxhall Astra J and many more that I can’t think of right now. And sorry for not posting any pics because Kinja mobile sucks donkey balls.

mcseanerson > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:35

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Impreza

From this

to this

It makes a nice Saturn though.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:38

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From this:

To this:

Not much but it completely ruined the look of the NC

jjhats > mcseanerson 11/30/2015 at 11:39

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not a facelift....

mcseanerson > PS9 11/30/2015 at 11:39

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It is a travesty that we don’t get the Mazda and we do get that abomination on the bottom.

Sam > BringBackTheCommodore 11/30/2015 at 11:39

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While not an amazing looking car, that face-lift made something okay looking into something ugly.

Mercedes Streeter > mcseanerson 11/30/2015 at 11:40

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Wait, those two are from the same generation? Why Subaru? :(

mcseanerson > jjhats 11/30/2015 at 11:41

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I see that now. I always assumed the red one was a facelift because the pig nose was so short lived.

crowmolly > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:42

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Same generation car, and going from a ‘73-’74 front end to the ‘68-’72 style is not uncommon.

jjhats > mcseanerson 11/30/2015 at 11:45

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interestingly enough the pig nose was the second face lift on that generation of cars. its also a rare example where they started ugly (bug eye) and moved to pretty

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:46

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Here’s an oddball one: Saturn L-Series

From this sort of sleek, clean looking face:

To whatever the hell this is:

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:47

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Agreed on the Cruze. Maybe that’s where Honda got the inspiration for the 2016 Underbite Accord!!

Worst would have to be Aston's 2013 attempts on the Rapide. It might not seem big comparitively, but they ruined something that was SOOO beautiful in the process it's almost criminal.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > mcseanerson 11/30/2015 at 11:49

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You've got to be kidding. The Mazda isn't coming to NA?

BringBackTheCommodore > PS9 11/30/2015 at 11:50

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Mazda must have robbed Mitsubishi’s styling department.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 11/30/2015 at 11:53

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Second one always makes me think of a British cop’s mustache. Actually, I think I can pin down the exact one.

But with angry face.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:53

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I felt the Charger went way in the wrong direction on this model.

2013:

2015:

Opposite Locksmith > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:54

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Current mustang

BringBackTheCommodore > crowmolly 11/30/2015 at 11:54

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That automotive era experienced some hideous facelifts. The Ford Maverick, for one (mainly the bumpers because of Federal Safety Regulations):

The Dodge Challenger:

1972 Roadrunner:

1973 Roadrunner:

El Rivinado > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:54

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I’ll nominate the first Lincoln MKX. When it came out it looked like this

Not a brilliant thing, but it was reasonable handsome and well proportioned. Then this happened.

Hopefully nobody drove one near the ocean, lest it ended up beached.

Master Cylinder > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:55

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I always hated the refresh of the first-gen Focus. The headlights are the worst part.

MultiplaOrgasms > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:55

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It’s not even a hatchback!

Also, this.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:55

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Gonna throw a curveball on this one:

The Saturn Ion

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > BringBackTheCommodore 11/30/2015 at 11:56

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That's Scion tho.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 11/30/2015 at 11:56

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Wow... you nailed that.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > mcseanerson 11/30/2015 at 11:57

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That’s not a facelift, it’s a generation change. Going from this:

To the first one you have pictured is a classic ‘the fuck where they thinking?’ move.

BringBackTheCommodore > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 11/30/2015 at 11:57

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I stand corrected, you’re right! Still, that front end screams “Mitsu!” to me.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > mcseanerson 11/30/2015 at 11:57

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That’s not a facelift though. Must be within the same generation

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 11:58

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The most recent Honda Accord update is pretty awful. Until 2015 they looked like this:

A bit boring, yes, but handsome. It will look pretty good 20 years from now.

For 2016, they’ve been attacked by the Acura grill. Poor Accord:

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 11/30/2015 at 11:58

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I like it. It looks subtly sinister now instead of in-your-face-i'm-going-to-murder-you. Don't get me wrong, both look great, but I don't think the change in attitude was a bad thing. It's refreshing.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > BringBackTheCommodore 11/30/2015 at 12:01

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The influence is there, anyway.

Scion, trying to play catch-up to the styling of a car that is no longer styled that way, and completely f**king it up.

EL_ULY > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 12:03

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e60 was not very pretty to look at from the get go but at least it kept the shark motif down in the lower mouth section. Then all of a sudden, e60 got all happy face :]

Moves-Like-Senna > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 11/30/2015 at 12:06

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Like smallbear - I also like the facelift. It’s more subtle but still screams for attention. I like both but this one wins me over. I actually had one over the weekend and the number of heads it turned, waves, thumbs up and other attention was insane. I got more of those in a Charger SXT then I’ve ever gotten driving a super car. It was bizzare.

Mercedes Streeter > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 11/30/2015 at 12:07

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Ah, you can tell when GM just stopped caring about Saturn :(

PS9 > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 11/30/2015 at 12:08

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Apparently not. The reasoning smells like bullshit, too. It’s likely because of their contract deal with Toyota over the scion.

Mercedes Streeter > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 11/30/2015 at 12:10

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Oh God, is America king of really horrible facelifts?

PS9 > mcseanerson 11/30/2015 at 12:11

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(un)Impreza

mcseanerson > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 12:11

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I was confused by how shortlived the pignose was.

mcseanerson > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 11/30/2015 at 12:12

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It stays in Mexico.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > PS9 11/30/2015 at 12:14

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Fuck Toyota. Developed together, should be sold together. Same crap they pulled on the BRZ when they said they had to sell 10 times the amount Subaru did.

PS9 > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 11/30/2015 at 12:16

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Well now they want you to sell 0 times the amount their badge engineered version does.

Cé hé sin > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 12:16

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Tatra 613:

They weren’t great before though:

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 11/30/2015 at 12:17

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I like it, apart from the mustache (gloss plastic strip inside the grill). From

omgomgomgwe’regoingtocrash to

Yippee! Happy little car!! Let’s go drive!!

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Opposite Locksmith 11/30/2015 at 12:18

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Not a facelift and not ugly

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > mcseanerson 11/30/2015 at 12:18

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Canuckistan at least?

mcseanerson > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 11/30/2015 at 12:20

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Actually I think they get it too. Only they have to call it a Maazduh.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > mcseanerson 11/30/2015 at 12:22

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Yes!!! Suckers.

Hoccy > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 12:26

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Ford Scorpio

Yes, that is a facelift.

g_berserk > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 12:47

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Peugeot 406 Coupe Pininfarina
From this

To this chromed big-mouth crap

Also,the new Mini Cooper

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 13:08

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Honestly, I don’t think the Cruze looks so bad. Does the older one look better? Yep, was the facelift pretty much unncessary? Yuup, but as far as looks go, I could live with it. As for the Smart... I think the design simply doesn’t catch my eye that much that the facelift bothers me, but yeah, the old one was better resolved.

I'm in my mum's car, vroom vroom > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 13:13

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I second your Cruze nomination. However, you should be thankful you don’t live in Asia, because this is the facelift that we get.

The US version at least still gets to keep its more distinctive rear.

Speaking of Asia, I’d also like to nominate Toyota for doing a terrible job facelifting their RWD minivan, the Innova in 2013. From the bland but somewhat OK looking 2011 model

to this oversized mess of a grille.

The same can also be said for the Rapide.

Maybe because it was impossible to improve upon the too-pretty-to-exist original one.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 13:17

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From cheerful, plucky little bugger...

To cross-eyed mouth-breathing doofus.

Twism > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 13:26

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They removed the most iconic part of the RAM (the crosshair grille) and replaced it with this nasal atrocity:

Textured Soy Protein > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 13:27

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I don’t know if it’s the worst, but I definitely prefer the pre-facelift Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

The Mercedes SL has been getting progressively worse for a while now but the latest one is maybe slightly less ugly than the really ugly one it just replaced.

Mercedes Streeter > Twism 11/30/2015 at 13:29

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Wait, is that thing on EVERY new Ram now?

I hope not, the crosshairs looked good!

I'm in my mum's car, vroom vroom > jjhats 11/30/2015 at 13:31

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I guess I’m the only one who liked the bug-eye Impreza better than the blander-looking facelift. But the bug-eye only looks good on the STi, which had projector beam headlights

instead of the standard WRX’s reflector lights.

I'm in my mum's car, vroom vroom > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 11/30/2015 at 13:36

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Yes, I totally agree! I guess the facelifted Charger looked okay from several angles, but you can see how disjointed the front and rear end are to its lines, especially on the cheaper models.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Moves-Like-Senna 11/30/2015 at 13:42

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That’s really, really weird.

Twism > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 14:14

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Not on all RAMs (for now; I think they were waiting to see what the public thought of it), only the Limited and the Rebel.

I really hope the next generation will keep the crosshair; it’s part of Dodge’s signature at this point (which may be why they are trying out something new; after all, Dodge and RAM are different brands now...)

Roundbadge > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 14:45

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Ignoring the poor condition of the truck in the after picture, I nominate the refresh of the Chevy S10 in 1994.

1993:

1994:

I’m also partial to the earlier generation because I had a ‘92 and loved it. I drove a few of the newer body style trucks, but I never liked them as much as I did the original.

fennelbreath > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 11/30/2015 at 16:13

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I actually preferred the first one. I liked the contrasting roof rails and I don’t think they were available on later Ions (though, could be totally wrong about that).

touring the brook - now with ZHP! > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 19:03

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Before I say the nomination, I’m gonna say the E46 Coupe/Convertible facelift looks great.

My nomination is the Chrysler 300

Ew. No. The 300 went from an understated, nice looking American luxury car to whatever this is. I know the changes were minimal, but it just ruined the look of the car.

ranwhenparked > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 22:25

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1990, when Roger Smith retired. Or maybe it was a few years earlier, when they bought out Perot. Either way, the company seemed to lose interest fast.

ranwhenparked > Mercedes Streeter 11/30/2015 at 22:28

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Don’t know if its the worst, but I never cared for what they did to the Vega:

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > Mercedes Streeter 12/10/2015 at 18:34

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I mean, the Cruze was a terrible committee design to begin with anyway, so...

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 12/10/2015 at 18:37

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The refresh is way better.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > BringBackTheCommodore 12/10/2015 at 18:40

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I like the 73 Roadrunner better. Maybe because Daisy Duke drove one:

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 12/10/2015 at 19:13

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Seriously, the ‘01-ish Neon was a handsome, even classy and upmarket looking thing. Still looks good to this day.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > ranwhenparked 12/10/2015 at 19:15

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Especially a shame for the Cosworth, it was supposed to debut with the standard Vega in ‘71, but got pushed back because it couldn’t meet emissions regulations.

BringBackTheCommodore > evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) 12/10/2015 at 19:32

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I can understand the appreciation in that context.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 12/10/2015 at 19:39

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The first version of that gen was bad too:

Honda has lost the plot on design. That second refresh was a fluke.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > I'm in my mum's car, vroom vroom 12/10/2015 at 19:53

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Nah, those refreshed Cruze taillights look FAR better. I always hated the originals because they bear no connection to the rest of the design, they look entirely like an afterthought and they also mix blobby-ness with angles, which makes no sense. Abstract shapes are always wrong on cars.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) 12/11/2015 at 08:12

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That’s actually a different generation (8th) from the current (9th).

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 12/11/2015 at 14:51

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If that’s what Honda claims, it’s clearly bullshit.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > BringBackTheCommodore 12/11/2015 at 14:57

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LOL, I didn’t even mean it like that. I meant it more like “because it was in the Dukes of Hazzard.”

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) 12/11/2015 at 15:07

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Honda went from a multilink up front to struts from the 8th to 9th generation. Even if that’s the only change (and it isn’t), that’s good enough for me.

BringBackTheCommodore > evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) 12/11/2015 at 16:36

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Either way, the context is appreciable. The Dukes of Hazzard gave me an appreciation for the Jeep Renegade, for sure, much the same way it gave you an appreciation for the Road Toad.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > BringBackTheCommodore 12/14/2015 at 00:08

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Road Toad? Never heard that one

BringBackTheCommodore > evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) 12/14/2015 at 09:04

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My dad (who grew up in that era) referred to the Roadrunners that way. I’m guessing it was a name of endearment from then - kind of like how the GTO is referred to as a Goat.