What car design feature is the worst afterthought?

"Rainbow" (rainbeaux) 09/29/2015 at 09:06 • Filed to: None

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Last night, I was following a Honda Pilot when it hit me... Those reverse lights look so horribly out of place. The more I look at them, the less they make any sense. Now, I’ll be honest with you: this is seriously a well-designed and attractive vehicle, in my opinion. But those lights.... they just ruin the whole thing. I’m so glad Honda moved them into the taillights for the next facelift.

My citroen won't start > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 09:14

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This is the way to do it.

Ash78, voting early and often > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 09:17

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Really? I think the worst afterthought of the Pilot’s design is the Pilot :D

But on a serious note, I think that most cars have crudely thrown-together mufflers that don’t jive with all the design effort that went into the rest of the car. This is no exception. It sits there like a discarded coffee can with ugly welds and angles clearly visible from 3 sides. That’s almost as bad as the older minivans (and Aztek) with the clearly visible rear suspension beam.

So I guess my general answer is failure to conceal — or at least beautify — pieces of the underbody that can be seen from outside the car.

Hiroku > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 09:18

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To me it’s clearly the trunk on the Fiesta sedan. It was clearly designed as a 5-door but then they slapped an ass on it because Americans are allergic to hatchbacks or something.

The hatchback looks great, the sedan looks like a cheap chinese knock-off.

Rainbow > Ash78, voting early and often 09/29/2015 at 09:23

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Nooo, the Pilot is the sexiest of the soccer mom SUVs!

Or at least it was before the current generation.

But anyway, I completely agree with you there! I can see the dip in the trunk where my spare tire sits from behind the car and it really bothers me. I’ve been meaning to buy a can or two of flat black spray paint to make it stand out less.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 09:24

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This cupholder.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Hiroku 09/29/2015 at 09:25

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Ditto the Sonic.

jariten1781 > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 09:25

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Gotta be all the tacked on bumpers for Americanized European cars a few decades ago.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Hiroku 09/29/2015 at 09:26

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The same is true of the hideous Focus sedan. These cars were both designed in Europe to be hatches and they turned them into sedans because Americans are weird...

Hiroku > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 09/29/2015 at 09:28

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It’s true of every hatchback-turned-sedan. The Fiesta is just the single worst offender, IMO. It looks absolutely atrocious in 4-door trim.

Hiroku > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 09/29/2015 at 09:28

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Also a good example.

McMike > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 09:33

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I’ve seen worse.

I’m looking at you late 6th gen Accord.

Those are even taillights on the trunk lid, they were added to the later cars because someone thought it would look better.

While I wasn’t a fan of the lights in the first photo, lickem and stickem reflectors is straight outta autozone.

fhrblig > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 09:41

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The entire back end of the Chevrolet Traverse, pre-facelift. Worst rear design ever. It’s like they finished the car and then realized they forgot to do the rear and scribbled this out in 5 minutes.

DrScientist > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 09:48

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this little doohicky on the corner of the x3 headlights. is like they forgot the lights actually belonged on an object with 3 dimensions, and then had to wrap the thing around the side of the car... unsuccessfully.

functionoverfashion > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 09:49

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Rear-mounted spare tires, on vehicles that aren’t jeeps or old land rovers. Kinja is fighting me or else I would post a pic of the Rav4 as an example. Even worse are the older Troopers and others where you had to swing the spare tire out of the way just to open the rear door. Holy Afterthought, Batman!

Rainbow > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 09:51

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I actually think it looks quite good, as long as it doesn’t have a plastic cover. (Excluding conversion vans - they only look good WITH a painted cover)

TheHondaBro > McMike 09/29/2015 at 09:53

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Agreed. Those look odd.

fourvalleys > fhrblig 09/29/2015 at 10:15

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Those taillights just floating there... I’ve always thought the back of the Traverse looks like the back end of a cow. And they always seem to be white, too.

BigBlock440 > fhrblig 09/29/2015 at 10:17

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Just like the KL Cherokee, something’s missing. I’m getting used to it now seeing so many around, but I always thought it would look better with a rear mounted spare. Like this ‘chop:

gin-san - shitpost specialist > fhrblig 09/29/2015 at 10:29

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I agree, I absolutely hate driving behind one of these cars because I have to look at it. I think it’s awful, and produces an irrational amount of hatred within me whenever I have to see it.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > BigBlock440 09/29/2015 at 10:29

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The second photo looks so... correct. I'm surprised there isn't something like that available as an option.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 10:43

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The center console cup holder on fifth generation Mazda trucks (Rangers & Explorers too). It was especially bad if you had a five-speed. If you didn’t hold the cups when you stepped on the brakes, both cups took a nose-dive into the floorboard. Big cups also interfered with 2nd gear, fourth would fit between the two cups if they weren’t too big.

This isn’t the interior on my truck, but it is close. The black part of the center console is the cup holder. Looks like this one is in either 2nd or 4th gear.

David Komendanchik > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 11:01

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Wait, it’s the lights that bother you and not the ugly wart of the back up camera tacked on there?

atrombs > Hiroku 09/29/2015 at 11:12

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I will never understand why someone will choose a sedan over a hatch. They’re so much more practical, and have better visibility.

Hiroku > atrombs 09/29/2015 at 11:53

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And, in this case, look much better!

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 11:54

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I’m all for nice screens/touchscreen units in cars but this new trend of just plopping it on the dash rather than incorporating it into the dash, is awful to me.

The pop up ones aren’t as bad but even those look cheap and awful to me. And yes, I borrowed this pic from the Jalop article last year about this very topic.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Rainbow 09/29/2015 at 11:54

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I think this is self-explanitory...

philipilihp > fhrblig 09/29/2015 at 13:36

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First gen Audi Q7 is the same way. Lovely front, great design details, but a hideous rear that they forgot to design.

philipilihp > David Komendanchik 09/29/2015 at 13:36

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That’s what I thought the afterthought was about as well! Glad I’m not the only one.

atrombs > Hiroku 09/29/2015 at 13:54

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yes. yessir.

Probenja > Hiroku 09/29/2015 at 16:49

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You sure about that?

Hiroku > Probenja 09/29/2015 at 18:30

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Still looks worse than the 5-door, and the trunk still looks like an after-thought IMO.

and 100 more > McMike 09/29/2015 at 20:46

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*cough cough* 8th gen, not 6th *cough cough*

McMike > and 100 more 09/29/2015 at 20:58

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Ooops. I knew that.

and 100 more > McMike 09/29/2015 at 21:11

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You can dismiss my message if you like

McMike > and 100 more 09/29/2015 at 21:14

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Nope. When you’re wrong, you’re wrong.

LET IT RIDE!

Nauraushaun > Rainbow 09/30/2015 at 07:19

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All that stuff that got added to satisfy stupid American regulations is fairly tacked on:

Nymphicus Hollandicus > Rainbow 09/30/2015 at 09:33

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THIS. The brake light is also the turn signal, where the turn signal should be. The top part only lights up when the headlights are on... It’s quite stupid. It’s been fixed with the facelifted Regal though.

Same goes with the Grand Cherokee, why didn’t they put a turn signal below the taillight?

Rainbow > Nymphicus Hollandicus 09/30/2015 at 09:38

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We seriously need to mandate amber rear signals by now. Cars should have, at minimum, four distinct lights on each side of the back. (Taillight, brake light, turn signal, reverse light)

But no, we have cars with just a reverse light and one single red light that covers all three other functions.

Nymphicus Hollandicus > Rainbow 09/30/2015 at 10:22

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I don’t think it even matters if it’s amber or red at this point, look at the Pilot (which I drive), it has 3 distinct lights (I think 4 may be a bit much unless it there’s enough space to do it).