What automotive design trend got played out the fastest?

"E. Julius" (soonerfrommi) 04/13/2015 at 11:40 • Filed to: None

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My vote is for LED strip running lights. Audi got in early with these back in what, 2004? I remember thinking they looked phenomenal at the time, but by ~2012 almost every damn thing on the road had them and they looked about as cool as MC Hammer's pants. Any other suggestions?

Note: my suggestion is only speaking about the strips where the individual LEDs are visible. The new style like in the photo below still look rad as hell.

whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 11:43

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Angel eyes. Looked revolutionary on this

in 2001, but now that they're on everything from trucks to Cavaliers, a bit played out.

GeorgeyBoy > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 11:45

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Couldn't agree more. So tacky.

itschrome > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 11:45

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Fake vents, scoops, ect on the front of cars...

EL_ULY > whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU 04/13/2015 at 11:46

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+1

Halos > LED dots

Anon > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 11:48

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The late 90's- early 2000's trend of putting a spoiler on EVERYTHING! Spoilers are cool and all but when it's on every accord, civic, maxima, altima, beigemobile it's a bit overplayed.

Milky > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 11:55

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LED strips are nice looking IMO. There are a lot of shit "oh damn we need led, just a strip" refreshes that kill the look.

Literally a row of LEDs stuck in the middle of air vent.

E. Julius > Milky 04/13/2015 at 11:58

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Exactly. I don't think they look inherently bad, the looks has just been played out. Like I said in the original post, I thought they looked cool as hell when they were first introduced, but the fact that they're tacked on to so many other things now has just soured them for me.

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 12:12

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For me, it's the rear spoilers on hatchbacks/CUVs/SUVs sticking out over the backlight. Most of them sold in the U.S. now have them as standard equipment — you can't delete them — and they look terrible:

Subaru holds out against this trend, but for how much longer?

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 12:13

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HIDs. So obnoxious and distracting towards other drivers.

desertdog5051 > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 12:14

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I think it is because the US manufacturers knew it was only a matter of time before DRL were mandated. Nobody likes the look the incandescent DRL give GM vehicles. With LED's, you can incorporate styling and design into them.

ciscokidinsf > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 12:14

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I never warmed up to Altezza-style clear rear lights. And they became all the rage for a couple of years. Red is fine. Thank you.

E. Julius > desertdog5051 04/13/2015 at 12:17

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It's not the fact that they're LEDs that's annoying, it's the fact that the "styling & design" is often the style of poop and looks terrible.

450X_FTW > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 12:27

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The push button start/stop ignition so you can keep the keys in your pocket. Personally I love them and it is a big convenience. Ferrari's and other high end cars did it years ago and now the guy with the Kia thinks he needs to explain his fancy ignition button switch to the valet.

450X_FTW > Anon 04/13/2015 at 12:29

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Pontiac G6 was probably the worst offender. For those that don't remember, yes that is the spoiler that came with the car on a certain trim level. Hideous

Kofi > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 12:34

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Shark fins. First came on BMWs in the early 2000s by the end of the decade every economy car had some type of variation of the shark fin

McMike > E. Julius 04/13/2015 at 12:36

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Yes. Those LED DRLs caught on QUICK!

Which explains why it was done soooooo poorly for the first several years.

PushToStart > Kofi 04/13/2015 at 12:39

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Those aren't for style, they're antennas. I much prefer one of those other the old, long, dangly things that were susceptible to breaking every time forgot to put it down before going through a car wash.

Kofi > PushToStart 04/13/2015 at 12:45

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Imo I like the integrated antennas.

itschrome > 450X_FTW 04/13/2015 at 13:02

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But it's soooo coool! in fact Porsche saw it and built a time machine to go back in time to put them on their cars!

Jayhawk Jake > Svart Smart, traded in his Smart 04/13/2015 at 13:03

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On most cars they look better than having nothing

itschrome > Svart Smart, traded in his Smart 04/13/2015 at 13:04

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they held out on the spoiler, but not on spoiling their designs.. stupid CUV/SUV looking outback is a crime! I thought that was what the forester was for! damn it! the outback WAS a wagon!!

450X_FTW > itschrome 04/13/2015 at 13:05

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I'd bet a fiver that Porsche has at least functional spoilers

itschrome > 450X_FTW 04/13/2015 at 13:08

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oh yeah! of course. I forget what gen had them but the 911's with the active aero whale tail was sweet! watching them rise and fall as they speed up and slow down. it's awesome.

Goodeveningofficer > Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed 04/13/2015 at 15:03

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That's only the case if they're aftermarket. OEM xenons have self leveling.

Goodeveningofficer > 450X_FTW 04/13/2015 at 15:16

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I think those buttons are stupid. It's not like the hidden immobilizer hotrodders secretly install. It's not like a kill switch needed on motorcycles and small engines to prevent fire/dismemberment. Its not a starting sequence like an actual race car, that would be cool.

450X_FTW > Goodeveningofficer 04/13/2015 at 16:13

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This is why engineers are not allowed to design interiors, they'd all look like this. Photo courtesy of trophy trucks

Goodeveningofficer > 450X_FTW 04/13/2015 at 16:16

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That's an epic car interior. I would love to have my wife/mother in law climb through the window and wear a headset just to talk to me. I could then just pretend to have comm issues.

NoneOfYourBiz > PushToStart 04/14/2015 at 09:49

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Yup. Not played out at all; every car should replace whip-style-car-wash-incompatible antennae with shark fins.

NoneOfYourBiz > E. Julius 04/14/2015 at 09:54

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Tail light plastic covering the entire rear end of the car:

Oh HA! Would you look at that? The put a spoiler on a Tercel. :P