What cars looked great, until they got a facelift?

"TheOnelectronic" (theoneelectronic) 07/10/2015 at 15:30 • Filed to: None

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I loved the look of the A5/S5 when it came out. It had a clean design and gorgeous lines. Then the facelift came along and tried to make it look “aggressive” and “sporty” and probably a bunch of other words marketing came up with, and in my eyes it just ruined the look of the car.

Honorable mention goes to the ‘15 Focus ST and family. The changes to the front and rear lamps aren’t huge, but they both really take away from the car, in my opinion. They both just look too thin for the shape of the car. Like they got shrunk in the wash or something.

CalzoneGolem > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 15:36

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OK - Better - Gross

Xyl0c41n3 > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 15:37

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Jeep. The whole trend of making the lamps smaller overall because of super bright LEDs.... it totally kills the balance of so many new cars today, IMHO.

Jeep is one of the worst. Below some Jeeps.

(edited because my comment was incorrect).

Milky > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 15:38

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TheOnelectronic > Xyl0c41n3 07/10/2015 at 15:40

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The top one is just the Okay Cherokee vs. the Grand, but I agree. The weird thing for me is the false headlights. The DRL’s look too high to be the headlights, and the actual headlights look like high fog lights. I saw one the other night driving with its fog lights on and it had six total light areas. Weird.

Milky > Xyl0c41n3 07/10/2015 at 15:40

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Ah no. The top one is just a Cherokee, replaced the Liberty. The refreshed Grand Cherokee looks like this:

TheOnelectronic > CalzoneGolem 07/10/2015 at 15:41

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They figured if Porsche could make droopy headlights work, then so could mighty Chrysler.

They just didn’t notice the fact that Porsche did not make them work.

Nibby > Xyl0c41n3 07/10/2015 at 15:44

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Different cars. The Grand Cherokee is larger than the new Cherokee.

That said, I agree... the new Cherokee is ugly.

And the pre-facelift WK2 looks a lot better than the facelifted one. See:

They made the headlights smaller and now it looks weird.

DylanToback > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 15:44

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I actually prefer the look of the 2015 ST. As far as the Audi goes, I think the facelift did more favors for the S5 than for the A5.

To answer your question, I thought the 2013 facelift of the Gallardo was a huge step back in design. The rear end looked particularly bad.

2013

2011

not for canada - australian in disguise > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 15:46

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Xyl0c41n3 > Milky 07/10/2015 at 15:46

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Still the smaller lights look ick. I don’t even like Jeeps — of any variety — but I see them all the damned time and the new ones with the skinny lights always remind me of angry bugs squinting on the highway as they clog the left lane.

nermal > Xyl0c41n3 07/10/2015 at 15:50

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I actually like the design language of the new Cherokee and Grand Cherokee. It’s edgy and modern. Which is exactly what they needed to be, and the reason they are selling the crap out of them.

Vicente Esteve > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 15:51

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EASY

The Mitsubishi Outlander went from being a decently looking CUV to this retarded donkey

Milky > Xyl0c41n3 07/10/2015 at 15:52

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Maybe since you don’t like ANY Jeep, you might not be the best judge for what a good Jeep looks like.

Wacko > Milky 07/10/2015 at 15:52

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My cousin had a 73 same colour(color for you yanks) but with a with the rear seat removed to be able to fit street drag tires.

Alfalfa Romeo > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 15:53

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5th gen Thunderbird. While I do kind of like the ‘beak’, this particular generation looked much better with the regular fishmouth.

And then there’s the 2nd Gen Impreza. Everyone knows bugeye is best.

camaroboy68ss > Milky 07/10/2015 at 15:54

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I let that slide because chevy did the best they could with the imposed new laws they had to meet. They made the actually look good with the next facelift in 1978

CalzoneGolem > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 15:57

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The headlights are bad but it is the smoothing out of the bumpers that really kills it for me. Actually the interior changes were the most bizarre.

Soft lines and body colored panels

Hard lines body colored panels and a GIANT SILVER SLAB!

Margin Of Error > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 16:00

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The US Hyndai Excel was much better looking with the sealed beams

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

They totally ruined it with the flush headlights

Xyl0c41n3 > Milky 07/10/2015 at 16:00

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I’m not particularly fond of camaros, either, but I value their aesthetics well enough.

You don’t have to be a fan of something in order to offer objective criticism of it. And by criticism, I don’t mean complaint, I mean analysis of things like style, balance, line, space, and weight and whether or not all those variables come together in successful ways.

I don’t like Jeeps, but I think earlier renditions more successfully combined those elements into a more appealing product than do current iterations.

Milky > camaroboy68ss 07/10/2015 at 16:01

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Damn near everything got uglier then …. but still, i’m not a fan.

camaroboy68ss > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 16:04

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I might catch some flack but I think the 69 Camaro RS did a good job of ruining the 67-68 RS Camaro menacing nose. They had too add the slits in the doors due to issues of the doors not working but it just doesn’t look as mean as the blacked out grille of a 67-68

Xyl0c41n3 > nermal 07/10/2015 at 16:05

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Eh, Jeeps have always been good sellers. There are a lot of car companies that are making really creative use of new lighting technology. Some of them are more attractive to me than others. Like Dodge, for example. I’m not a fan of Dodge, either, but I really like what they’re doing across their lineup, especially with their tail lights. And I never really thought I would like the all-the-way-across tail light idea before. Color me surprised.

Amoore100 > Alfalfa Romeo 07/10/2015 at 16:06

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I...um...I actually prefer Blobeye...but for me, Hawkeye was best...

Stinkeye is growing on me...

Milky > Xyl0c41n3 07/10/2015 at 16:10

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I hate subcompacts with headlights that are 3 feet long. Why do the smallest cars have the largest headlights? Looks out of proportion IMHO.

Alfalfa Romeo > Amoore100 07/10/2015 at 16:12

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You are wrong!

Haha. I kind of like all of them, but the bugeye is the only one where I would potentially put aside the associated douchbro connotation to own.

Xyl0c41n3 > Milky 07/10/2015 at 16:15

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Oh, you mean like my car?

Milky > Xyl0c41n3 07/10/2015 at 16:35

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;)

But that was my point. You don’t like small lights, others don’t like large lights. Yay design!

Xyl0c41n3 > Milky 07/10/2015 at 16:39

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But that was my point. You don’t like small lights, others don’t like large lights. Yay design!

I think you mean that was my point.

Your entire point was to dismiss and invalidate my opinion:

Maybe since you don’t like ANY Jeep, you might not be the best judge for what a good Jeep looks like.

Not to simply disagree with it and offer one of your own.

Textured Soy Protein > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 16:49

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My pictures keep getting kinja’d! Here’s my last try.

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe went all derp-faced when it got refreshed.

The Lexus GX 460 was never particularly good looking to begin with, but...

This is a bit of a stretch but to me Ford Explorer got a bit more boring (but at least the Sport no longer looks suspiciously like an unmarked cop car).

Amoore100 > Alfalfa Romeo 07/10/2015 at 16:55

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It’s all a matter of taste...I would really prefer a Legacy GT Spec B wagon though...

Milky > Xyl0c41n3 07/10/2015 at 17:12

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You don’t like any Jeep and new jeeps have smaller lights. Jeep sales are also up … by a lot. So my point about not being a good judge of jeeps seems spot on.

Berang > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 17:16

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Subaru have been on one hell of a wild ride.

then

then a little better

oh noooooooo

he got better though

Xyl0c41n3 > Milky 07/10/2015 at 17:35

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The title of this post:

“What cars looked great, until they got a facelift?”

What OP opines about two different cars:

“...in my eyes it just ruined the look of the car.”

and:

“The changes to the front and rear lamps aren’t huge, but they both really take away from the car, in my opinion.”

What I said:

“The whole trend of making the lamps smaller overall because of super bright LEDs.... it totally kills the balance of so many new cars today, IMHO.”

What you said:

“Jeep sales are also up … by a lot. So my point about not being a good judge of jeeps seems spot on.”

Jeep sales figures are totally irrelevant. Just because other people think they look smashing doesn’t mean I’m going to alter my opinion to better align myself with the masses. OP asked us for our opinions, so I offered mine. OP did not stipulate such opinions could only be made if we could provide quantifiable data that supported those opinions.

I’ll give you an example from a car I love: the Mustang. I love that car. It’s, hands down, my all time favorite. There’ll always be a soft spot in my heart for the original pony car. But... I prefer the body styling of the 2014 versus the 2015.

That’s my opinion.

And hey, guess what? Sales of 2015 Mustangs are blowing 2014 sales out of the water .

From the linked article:

“The Ford Mustang has posted very strong sales through the first three months of 2015, moving a total of 29,811 cars during the coldest months of the year. It took Ford well into May to sell that many Mustangs in 2014...”

Not only that, but the Mustang is beating out popular domestic competitors, the Camaro and the Challenger.

But, so what? I don’t give a fuck that sales of 2015s are better than 2014 models. I don’t care that that makes them more popular. I like the 2015, too. Think it’s a great car, but that doesn’t change my opinion that, aesthetically, I prefer the 2014 model.

I’ll reiterate: your point, which is erroneous, is also irrelevant.

wkiernan > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 18:10

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This was, in my opinion, the most beautiful car of the decade 2001-2010, until they “facelifted” it and made its elegant, delicate lines fat and coarse instead.

Alex B > CalzoneGolem 07/10/2015 at 20:11

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I didn't actually realize it went through that much change. I never really see them around honestly.

TheOnelectronic > wkiernan 07/10/2015 at 20:13

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While I maybe don’t share the extent of your enthusiasm, I do definitely think these looked far better before.

TheOnelectronic > Berang 07/10/2015 at 20:13

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Hawkeyes are still my favorite. Come at me, bro.

TheOnelectronic > Textured Soy Protein 07/10/2015 at 20:14

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Until the cops get the facelifted versions.

TheOnelectronic > Margin Of Error 07/10/2015 at 20:15

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I think you’ll win “most esoteric suggestion” on this one.

TheOnelectronic > Amoore100 07/10/2015 at 20:16

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Hawkeyes are the best.

TheOnelectronic > Vicente Esteve 07/10/2015 at 20:17

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But admit it! For a second, you thought it might be a Honda and/or a Lexus and/or a Saab!

TheOnelectronic > DylanToback 07/10/2015 at 20:19

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On the Focus, the headlights just look too thin for the car. It’s like it got botox and now can’t move its forehead.

Amoore100 > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 20:42

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Agreed.

wafflesnfalafel > Berang 07/10/2015 at 22:50

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I still love the orig version of the bug eyed, (but people say I was dropped as a child...)

Vicente Esteve > TheOnelectronic 07/10/2015 at 23:29

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Eehehehhh, a tad.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Margin Of Error 07/11/2015 at 00:57

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EVERYTHING is better with sealed beams

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > TheOnelectronic 07/11/2015 at 01:03

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I’m going to have to throw the first gen Tacoma into this discussion.

Off to a wonderful start:

But suddenly, stupid flush plastic lights, new grille, and discontinuous chrome bumper:

And then a slight improvement, but when you think about it, bizarre second facelift:

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Nibby 07/11/2015 at 01:05

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Smaller headlights and the negative space just changed to plastic! UGH

Berang > TheOnelectronic 07/11/2015 at 02:23

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I felt like it was some strange SAAB reference because

and that weird saab-subaru lovechild thing that happened.

Berang > wafflesnfalafel 07/11/2015 at 02:27

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I think it’s one of those designs that looks good - with the right color.

Milky > Xyl0c41n3 07/12/2015 at 14:13

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TLDR version - you like less attractive cars. Got it.