Design Details: Rear Wipers Edition

"Amoore100" (amoore100) 09/24/2015 at 22:23 • Filed to: Design Details, Toyota, Camry wagon, Sienna

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Featured on most hatchbacks as well as some liftgates and sedans, rear wipers are a handy innovation for the times when it actually rains. (I live in California...) Several automakers have adjusted the humble rear wiper for their own needs, the most prevalent being Toyota. From making it disappear to doubling it, Toyota has always had an interesting take on cleaning the rear window (don’t forget the new Prius C ’s super short one as well!):

On the new Sienna, you can’t see it...

But on the old Camry wagon, there were two!

So what do you think Oppo?

What are the weirdest/best/worst rear wiper designs ever created?

TheHondaBro > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:27

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This one is the worst.

dogisbadob > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:28

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The worst rear wipers are the cars that don’t have them. They’re SO useful and should be on EVERY car! Except maybe the convertibles.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:29

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The worst wiper designs ever created are any cars without one.......

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:30

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I really like the way Toyota hid their rear wiper under the rear roof molding.

XJDano > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:31

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My Cherokee has one, both mk1 Gti rabbits have one, wife’s Equinox has one, my DD metro doesn’t have one.

I would want it mostly for times of the year like this where the cool evening puts dew on the glass in the morning & the defroster takes some time warming the glass to get it to go away.

f86sabre > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:35

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Story I heard was that installation of rear wipers started with Japanese manufacturers. The issue was that traffic was so bad in Japanese cities that cars rarely went fast enough to clear the rear glass when it rained. I have no idea if this is true or not.

Both our Evo and Mini have read wipers.

Amoore100 > TheHondaBro 09/24/2015 at 22:39

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Wow. I can tell.

Amoore100 > f86sabre 09/24/2015 at 22:40

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Well vertical glass is also out of the way of the airflow, which is why hatchbacks need wipers anywhere whereas sedans and other kammback style cars only need them in cases like Japan...

DoYouEvenShift > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:42

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Amoore100 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 09/24/2015 at 22:42

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Even worse is when the car is a hatch, as in the old Elantra wagon...

Amoore100 > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 09/24/2015 at 22:43

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Yep, the new Range Rovers do it as well...

15wrbrex > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:44

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The Hyundai Veloster has an interesting one I think.
Split rear window, and only lower portion has a wiper.

I’ve never driven one so I cannot attest to the necessity for a wiper on the top portion however.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:49

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see TheHondaBro’s pic...yeah my car is right next to him. I can’t see shit when it rains heavily.

Amoore100 > 15wrbrex 09/24/2015 at 22:52

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Well the new Prius C has the world’s shortest wiper...

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:52

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The worst are the ones that you have to buy the fucking $40 wiper from a dealer, so some fuck in a Florida Walmart parking lot decides to rip the fucker off along with the mount when he decides it’s not worth buying.

15wrbrex > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:54

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That looks useful for clearing the middle 8 inches of the windshield of debris haha, not much more than that

Amoore100 > 15wrbrex 09/24/2015 at 22:57

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I really hate Prius C’s...I mean is it that much more efficient than a Fit, persay? And is it worth it to have more Prius snobs on the road? (well for Toyota it obviously is, but from what I’ve heard it’s a crap car...even Consumer Reports, the America’s biggest supporter of Toyota says its terrible...)

TheHondaBro > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 22:57

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With the air rushing over the greenhouse and over the tail, an area of negative pressure is created on the rear glass, sucking air towards it. Going fast enough, water would be blown off.

dogisbadob > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 23:00

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Wrong! ALL cars benefit from a rear wiper, regardless of glass shape.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 23:00

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That’s awesome. I hope more manufactures start doing that. Especially hatches like the Mazdaspeed 3 and GTIs. It’d make their cars look so much sleeker in the rear.

dogisbadob > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 23:01

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That one should have two rear wipers, just like they did 20 years ago.

Amoore100 > dogisbadob 09/24/2015 at 23:05

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But cost cutting...

Amoore100 > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 09/24/2015 at 23:06

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Agreed. I can’t understand why Honda won’t get with the game on the Odyssey, especially since that black ‘spoiler’ would be the perfect place to hide a wiper...

NPM96 > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 09/24/2015 at 23:17

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GM does it now to with their full-size SUVs.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 23:28

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They’ve been doing that since the 90’s with the P38.

and 100 more > Amoore100 09/24/2015 at 23:39

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My car has one. I never use it. I’ve been tempted to delete it.

That said, the MINI with the split rear doors has two wipers.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Amoore100 09/25/2015 at 00:07

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I hate how every goddamn rear windshield wiper is proprietary with Toyotas.

Amoore100 > and 100 more 09/25/2015 at 00:07

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True, I hadn’t thought of that one!

Svend > Amoore100 09/25/2015 at 02:03

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They are bringing it back as a no cost option for the new Skoda Superb.

Whether the car is a hatchback, saloon or estate it makes sense to have a rear wiper to adequately see behind you without relying on side mirrors.

Amoore100 > Svend 09/25/2015 at 02:28

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Awesome...wipers on non-hatchbacks that are also not Japanese are awesome! That and the new Superb is superbly pretty...

Svend > Amoore100 09/25/2015 at 02:42

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The new Superb is a single piece hatchback now and not a two piece saloon/hatchback operation like on the Mk2 car.

Skoda used to put them on most cars and a friends old early Mk2 Octavia had one.

Which like the Superb looks like a saloon is in fact a hatchback.

Here’s a Mk3 Superb I was looking at, at Skoda the other week.

Amoore100 > Svend 09/25/2015 at 03:01

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I guess we’re still waiting on a Superb with both the dual-function liftback as well as a rear wiper...sigh, it’s always one thing or another with automakers...

Svend > Amoore100 09/25/2015 at 03:27

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Skoda said they deleted the twindoor option as not many people used it.

The single piece hatch allows the rear to slope down in a more natural way whilst also saving quite a bit of weight.

I like the clamshell bonnet the most.

No panel shut lines. Which also means full access to the engine bay. 1.4TSi ACT engine bay.

Matvei > Amoore100 09/25/2015 at 03:55

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Most Japanese cars have these. My R32 Skyline (which is a coupé) has intermittent front and rear wipers. I mainly just use the rear for the washer setting.