Design Details: Side Mirrors Edition

"Amoore100" (amoore100) 02/25/2016 at 23:03 • Filed to: Design Details, Side mirrors, Japan, Wing mirrors, Nissan, Tesla

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Door mirrors. They are a necessary evil on modern cars. Having just passed the driver’s test, I can tell you that they are very useful in minimizing blind spots; however, they are easily broken, get in the way in tight spaces, and are often an aerodynamic nightmare. Some automakers have managed to incorporate them both stylistically and functionally, whereas others have not been so successful. Also, we mustn’t forget the classic tradition of Japanese fender mirrors here either, although they have mostly gone by the wayside in recent years.

Tesla has done a good job on theirs, making it both sleek and aesthetically pleasing by blending the chrome with the door trim.

Meanwhile, Nissan has decided on the Elgrand/Quest that gigantic dumbo ears will do. Effective, but not efficient or pretty.

So what do you think Oppo?

What are the best/worst/most distinctive side mirrors in the automotive world?

McMike > Amoore100 02/25/2016 at 23:08

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The early Testarossa mirrors were pretty distinctive.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Amoore100 02/25/2016 at 23:09

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I can tell you that the Quest mirrors are not effective enough to be that ugly

Boxer_4 > Amoore100 02/25/2016 at 23:15

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The 4th generation Camaro definitely had distinctive side mirrors, if you include the aero treatment on the front fender.

CB > Boxer_4 02/25/2016 at 23:18

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Such an ugly design.

1111111111111111111111 > Amoore100 02/25/2016 at 23:19

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Not the most effective, but among the coolest.

Amoore100 > McMike 02/25/2016 at 23:20

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Holy mackerel! I had completely forgotten about those but it was a truly bonkers way to make something effective (or was it dictated by regulation?) The way they stick out reminds me of the Huayra, although it can be argued that Pagani’s approach is much more elegant.

Amoore100 > Boxer_4 02/25/2016 at 23:21

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Definitely, although I think I’ve seen something similar elsewhere...

Amoore100 > OPPOsaurus WRX 02/25/2016 at 23:22

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True, we rented one on Maui last summer and jeez those things let you see everything and everyone. Really a pain though when you get to the one lane roads.

Amoore100 > 1111111111111111111111 02/25/2016 at 23:25

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Yep, pretty much any old Japanese classic fits into that category.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > McMike 02/25/2016 at 23:25

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Especially when there was only one.

Rainbow > Amoore100 02/25/2016 at 23:26

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Mine are matte black and connected fully, rather than on a stalk. They should all be that way. It just works.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Amoore100 02/25/2016 at 23:27

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The side mirrors on my 350Z always bothered me a bit. Like they were just plopped onto a little plastic plank. The shape of the actual housing though, it suited the body well.

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I rather like the 2017 Audi lineup mirrors because the current ones on our Q5 and previous A4's always seemed a little too chunky, now they will be a little more sleek.

My favorite though, are the current BMW M model (most of them) mirrors. Who would’ve thought that side mirrors can be so aggressive looking. Though they could still be considered a little chunky.

*They look better when looking at the entire car and it’s designing*

Amoore100 > Rainbow 02/25/2016 at 23:34

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The V50 agrees with the not on a stalk policy, but the matte black, not so much.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > McMike 02/25/2016 at 23:38

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Beaten to it.

-this space for rent- > Amoore100 02/25/2016 at 23:41

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Not a necessary evil for long http://www.cnet.com/news/bmw-ditch…

Amoore100 > -this space for rent- 02/25/2016 at 23:49

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True, although knowing our government they won’t be legalized for another fifty years, just like BMW’s laser light technology.

CodyVella > Amoore100 02/25/2016 at 23:58

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I was one of the not-so-bright people who bought a 2012 Civic Coupe. But one thing I did like about it was how the mirrors were mounted directly to the door. Similar to the Porsche 944.

Amoore100 > Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) 02/25/2016 at 23:58

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Wow! My favorite of the bunch would definitely be those later M model mirrors. Such a funky design shape, probably pretty good aerodynamically despite the pointed edge looking a bit awkward from some angles.

Amoore100 > CodyVella 02/26/2016 at 00:00

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Funny how there’s the door mounted party and the window mounted party. I don’t mind myself, but all three of our cars have window mounts, and I was surprised to find that my grandma’s ‘10 Civic sedan has the door mounted design. (The last great Civic ;)

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Amoore100 02/26/2016 at 00:04

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You’re right, they’re funky from some angles, or when you’re looking at them close up but overall I really like them. I don’t understand why they didn’t put them on the new M2.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/26/2016 at 00:10

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I had a toy Testarossa as a kid, and it always bothered me that it only had one mirror.

When I first thought of mirrors, I immediately thought of Pagani. I think they’ve definitely got something going on. (Image source: http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f3/magi… )

BaconSandwich is tasty. > CB 02/26/2016 at 00:11

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Ugly, sure. Different? definitely not usual.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Amoore100 02/26/2016 at 00:12

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Mind if I make a request for the next Design Detail? I’ve been thinking about how many different ways a car door can open. Can we do door openings next?

Amoore100 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/26/2016 at 00:18

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Of course! Excellent suggestion, some days I’m really groping for ideas so it’s always good to get input. Do you have any examples in mind to showcase the topic (like the Tesla and Quest above)? It really helps to illustrate the point when you do something a bit more obscure such as door openings or rear bumper gaps .

gawdzillla > Amoore100 02/26/2016 at 00:20

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Best mirrors are the ones that let you see / does everything

CodyVella > Amoore100 02/26/2016 at 00:46

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The Sedans have used door mounted mirrors since ‘06, but the Coupe didn’t switch to door mounted mirrors until the ‘12 model year. It allows for a greater side window area, which results in greater visibility.

Something I always found odd was when you could “option” a vehicles mirrors. For instance, my first car, a 1992 Pontiac Sunbird, had two styles of mirrors. The standard mirrors (pictured on the convertible), and the optional “Aero Mirrors” (pictured on the coupe). My Coupe had the optional aero mirrors, and they were TINY. You could barely see anything out of them. They looked good though.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Amoore100 02/26/2016 at 01:32

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I like my car’s mirrors.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Amoore100 02/26/2016 at 01:33

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I’d nominate the Huayra mirrors. They’re shaped after the shape of a lady’s eye.

And honorable mentions are the e46 M3 mirrors. Simple yet sleek.

And the LaFerrari since it’s just sticking out of the door with a super slim carbon stalk.

Amoore100 > CodyVella 02/26/2016 at 03:39

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That’s rather odd...I wonder why GM, the stingiest of all companies, would actually offer different pieces for the same purpose while cheaping out on everything else. American logic...

McMike > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 02/26/2016 at 05:07

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I’m surprised there are any at all, actually.

Liam Farrell > Amoore100 02/26/2016 at 07:43

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My Land Rovers miracle mirrors

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Amoore100 02/26/2016 at 08:33

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Vans have sliding doors. The Koenigsegg has a crazy helix hinge. The BMW i8 door swings both up and forward in a way because the hinge placement. There was also a small French car that had sliding doors. Gordon Murray’s T25 had the front body work flip upward. I think door hinge design is still an area ripe for improvement.

Amoore100 > Liam Farrell 02/26/2016 at 10:30

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Miracle?

Liam Farrell > Amoore100 02/26/2016 at 10:49

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It’s a miracle if you can see anything out of them.

Amoore100 > Liam Farrell 02/27/2016 at 14:22

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But they definitely look the part.

Amoore100 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/27/2016 at 14:24

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Ah, got it now. For whatever reason I thought you meant the shape of the hole that a door makes when opened, hence ‘door openings’. I really like that idea, it will definitely make its appearance next week! I might just label it as ‘doors’ though since for the most part hinges are a major part of the overall design of a door.