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wpaulson
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In all the discussion about what is wrong with Acura designs, what I find really interesting is that recent sedans by Acura (TL), Infiniti (G37), and Subaru (Legacy) are actually very similar.
Look at the silhouettes of these cars from the sides. They are almost identical despite differences in their sizes & overhangs. So, they are working from the same generic design.
The differences are in the details, & the details do make all the difference: the results range from pleasing to painful to look at.
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TLOwner
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Honda/Acura has been trying to copy EU designs spefically Audi design if you look carefully at the front and tail shape.
Audi has their big/imposing grille so Acura decided that they too must have a big/imposing grille. The tail lights on the MDX are very similar to Audi A4 and A3 tail lights.
check out the grille in CR-Z. You can not tell me that it is not an Audi grille.
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DOFE
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wpaulson wrote:
In all the discussion about what is wrong with Acura designs, what I find really interesting is that recent sedans by Acura (TL), Infiniti (G37), and Subaru (Legacy) are actually very similar.
Look at the silhouettes of these cars from the sides. They are almost identical despite differences in their sizes & overhangs. So, they are working from the same generic design.
The differences are in the details, & the details do make all the difference: the results range from pleasing to painful to look at.
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There is only so much you can do with the basic sedan shape, especially when you think about how these are supposed to be mainstream sellers. So a little convergence in the design is to be expected, I think.
On the other hand, I disagree about the silhouettes. The Legacy and TL are quite similar in profile, but this is because their FWD-based architecture dictates the wheel placement (which in turn dictates the entire visual stance of the car). The G37 is plainly different in this regard. Because of its RWD architecture, the G37's front axle sits further forward. To me, the result is that the visual mass seems to shift backwards, which to me looks much better, as it makes the car look more dynamic (like all other classic front-engined RWD sedans).
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DOFE
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[URL=http://img62.imageshack.us/i/36507580.jpg/] [/URL]
[URL=http://img228.imageshack.us/i/52816903.jpg/] [/URL]
[URL=http://img696.imageshack.us/i/acra.jpg/] [/URL]
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wpaulson
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DOFE wrote:
wpaulson wrote:
In all the discussion about what is wrong with Acura designs, what I find really interesting is that recent sedans by Acura (TL), Infiniti (G37), and Subaru (Legacy) are actually very similar.
Look at the silhouettes of these cars from the sides. They are almost identical despite differences in their sizes & overhangs. So, they are working from the same generic design.
The differences are in the details, & the details do make all the difference: the results range from pleasing to painful to look at.
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There is only so much you can do with the basic sedan shape, especially when you think about how these are supposed to be mainstream sellers. So a little convergence in the design is to be expected, I think.
On the other hand, I disagree about the silhouettes. The Legacy and TL are quite similar in profile, but this is because their FWD-based architecture dictates the wheel placement (which in turn dictates the entire visual stance of the car). The G37 is plainly different in this regard. Because of its RWD architecture, the G37's front axle sits further forward. To me, the result is that the visual mass seems to shift backwards, which to me looks much better, as it makes the car look more dynamic (like all other classic front-engined RWD sedans).
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Silhouettes (side profiles) are nearly the same except as we both mention there are details such as less front overhang on the G37. On the photos above, if you black out the profiles and ignore the overhangs, it is hard to tell them apart. I agree that the G37 is more pleasing when you look at the details. That is one of the reasons I recently bought one.
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absolude
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The profile of TL loks boring compared to the G. The G looks more like the BMW, like is on the move...
The overhang is plain attrocious.
And let's not forget the performance.
0-60 is 5.4 G37. 6.7 TL
1/4 mile 13.7@102.8 G37. 15.0@94.3 TL.
Ouch, this is painful, right in Civic Si territory.
I know, it's not fashionable these days on Honda forums, but in the real world, if one wants a sport sedan better be able to provide some decent acceleration.
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notyper
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Wow, what an interesting comparison. Definitely more similar than different when viewed in direct comparison from the profile like that.
The similarities in the greenhouses are particularly interesting. If you photoshopped these to show just the greenhouses of the Infiniti and the Subaru in these photos, I don't think 99% of people out there could tell the difference.
The TL has the same basic shape, but the high belt line causes the greenhouse to look squished (or chopped, to use an old hot rodder term). I'm not sure I like that look, but at least it makes the TL distinctive.
From this angle, I think it really becomes apparent how much the grill really screws up the TL. There isn't really anything wrong with the profile compared to the other two cars, and this photo is in white, which is not particularly flattering. Its just when you get around to that beak, it all falls apart.
Is it just me, or does the Infiniti look richer in these photos? I can't quite figure it out, but maybe its the way the light falls on the curves. The wheels and body detail help as well. It seems more voluptuous and complex than the other two. Of course, it could just be better photography or some photoshopping of the highlights which don't exactly look natural to me.
SC
p.s. - compared apples to apples, the TL isn't that much slower than the G37 to whoever posted those numbers.
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DOFE
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Yeah, I was very surprised how similar all three cars looked in profile. The C-pillars in particular look like they were designed by the same guy. I never really compared them from that angle until paulson raised the issue in this thread. In fact, I fairly certain that if you remove the wheels and references to the wheel wells, most people would have a difficult time differentiating between the three.
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Hondarulez
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absolude wrote:
The profile of TL loks boring compared to the G. The G looks more like the BMW, like is on the move...
The overhang is plain attrocious.
And let's not forget the performance.
0-60 is 5.4 G37. 6.7 TL
1/4 mile 13.7@102.8 G37. 15.0@94.3 TL.
Ouch, this is painful, right in Civic Si territory.
I know, it's not fashionable these days on Honda forums, but in the real world, if one wants a sport sedan better be able to provide some decent acceleration.
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To be fair, the fastest TL can do 0-60mph in 5.2s and 1/4 mile in 13.8@101mph.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/09q4/2010_acura_tl_sh-awd_manual-short_take_road_test
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wpaulson
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notyper wrote:
Wow, what an interesting comparison. Definitely more similar than different when viewed in direct comparison from the profile like that.
The similarities in the greenhouses are particularly interesting. If you photoshopped these to show just the greenhouses of the Infiniti and the Subaru in these photos, I don't think 99% of people out there could tell the difference.
The TL has the same basic shape, but the high belt line causes the greenhouse to look squished (or chopped, to use an old hot rodder term). I'm not sure I like that look, but at least it makes the TL distinctive.
From this angle, I think it really becomes apparent how much the grill really screws up the TL. There isn't really anything wrong with the profile compared to the other two cars, and this photo is in white, which is not particularly flattering. Its just when you get around to that beak, it all falls apart.
Is it just me, or does the Infiniti look richer in these photos? I can't quite figure it out, but maybe its the way the light falls on the curves. The wheels and body detail help as well. It seems more voluptuous and complex than the other two. Of course, it could just be better photography or some photoshopping of the highlights which don't exactly look natural to me.
SC
p.s. - compared apples to apples, the TL isn't that much slower than the G37 to whoever posted those numbers.
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I agree with your comments. I posted this thread because I have been amazed at how the beauty of a car often comes down to how well the details are executed. Three months ago while car shopping, I seriously considered the G37, TL, and Legacy (all as 6MT) and gradually became aware of how similar the designs really are.
The G37 is really the beauty of the 3, and when viewed in person in profile, it looks like it is all business (i.e. sport sedan), whereas the other 2 (especially the TL) fall short. So, I brought my wife to take a look at a liquid platinum (i.e. silver) G37, and her reaction was "it is breath taking." Part of its success is that it is not full of the gratuitous flourishes of the TL (e.g. grill & rear) that do so much to mar an otherwise very good car.
So, I bought the G37. More than I normally pay for a car, but the beauty of this car helped silence my wife's more practical nature (and she is definitely not a car "gal").
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ballermd
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notyper wrote:
Wow, what an interesting comparison. Definitely more similar than different when viewed in direct comparison from the profile like that.
The similarities in the greenhouses are particularly interesting. If you photoshopped these to show just the greenhouses of the Infiniti and the Subaru in these photos, I don't think 99% of people out there could tell the difference.
The TL has the same basic shape, but the high belt line causes the greenhouse to look squished (or chopped, to use an old hot rodder term). I'm not sure I like that look, but at least it makes the TL distinctive.
From this angle, I think it really becomes apparent how much the grill really screws up the TL. There isn't really anything wrong with the profile compared to the other two cars, and this photo is in white, which is not particularly flattering. Its just when you get around to that beak, it all falls apart.
Is it just me, or does the Infiniti look richer in these photos? I can't quite figure it out, but maybe its the way the light falls on the curves. The wheels and body detail help as well. It seems more voluptuous and complex than the other two. Of course, it could just be better photography or some photoshopping of the highlights which don't exactly look natural to me.
SC
p.s. - compared apples to apples, the TL isn't that much slower than the G37 to whoever posted those numbers.
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Yes it does look richer. The devil is truly in the details!!! And with that said, I think it's a bit unfair to have such a plain ugly white base model TL pictured, with those god awful alloy wheels, against the top of the line G37 Sport with its vibrant glossy paint job and much more attractive aluminum-alloy finished wheels. I think a TL SH-AWD in a grigio metallic would have fared much better in the comparison.
Also agree that the G37 and Legacy have almost identical silhouettes. The TL, not so much, as the rear end has no protruding bumper like the other two. But I'm guessing you can get pretty much the same results from any number of random sedans.
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aznxthuggie
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ballermd wrote:
notyper wrote:
Wow, what an interesting comparison. Definitely more similar than different when viewed in direct comparison from the profile like that.
The similarities in the greenhouses are particularly interesting. If you photoshopped these to show just the greenhouses of the Infiniti and the Subaru in these photos, I don't think 99% of people out there could tell the difference.
The TL has the same basic shape, but the high belt line causes the greenhouse to look squished (or chopped, to use an old hot rodder term). I'm not sure I like that look, but at least it makes the TL distinctive.
From this angle, I think it really becomes apparent how much the grill really screws up the TL. There isn't really anything wrong with the profile compared to the other two cars, and this photo is in white, which is not particularly flattering. Its just when you get around to that beak, it all falls apart.
Is it just me, or does the Infiniti look richer in these photos? I can't quite figure it out, but maybe its the way the light falls on the curves. The wheels and body detail help as well. It seems more voluptuous and complex than the other two. Of course, it could just be better photography or some photoshopping of the highlights which don't exactly look natural to me.
SC
p.s. - compared apples to apples, the TL isn't that much slower than the G37 to whoever posted those numbers.
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Yes it does look richer. The devil is truly in the details!!! And with that said, I think it's a bit unfair to have such a plain ugly white base model TL pictured, with those god awful alloy wheels, against the top of the line G37 Sport with its vibrant glossy paint job and much more attractive aluminum-alloy finished wheels. I think a TL SH-AWD in a grigio metallic would have fared much better in the comparison.
Also agree that the G37 and Legacy have almost identical silhouettes. The TL, not so much, as the rear end has no protruding bumper like the other two. But I'm guessing you can get pretty much the same results from any number of random sedans.
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it will after the mmc lol
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wpaulson
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ballermd wrote:
notyper wrote:
Wow, what an interesting comparison. Definitely more similar than different when viewed in direct comparison from the profile like that.
The similarities in the greenhouses are particularly interesting. If you photoshopped these to show just the greenhouses of the Infiniti and the Subaru in these photos, I don't think 99% of people out there could tell the difference.
The TL has the same basic shape, but the high belt line causes the greenhouse to look squished (or chopped, to use an old hot rodder term). I'm not sure I like that look, but at least it makes the TL distinctive.
From this angle, I think it really becomes apparent how much the grill really screws up the TL. There isn't really anything wrong with the profile compared to the other two cars, and this photo is in white, which is not particularly flattering. Its just when you get around to that beak, it all falls apart.
Is it just me, or does the Infiniti look richer in these photos? I can't quite figure it out, but maybe its the way the light falls on the curves. The wheels and body detail help as well. It seems more voluptuous and complex than the other two. Of course, it could just be better photography or some photoshopping of the highlights which don't exactly look natural to me.
SC
p.s. - compared apples to apples, the TL isn't that much slower than the G37 to whoever posted those numbers.
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Yes it does look richer. The devil is truly in the details!!! And with that said, I think it's a bit unfair to have such a plain ugly white base model TL pictured, with those god awful alloy wheels, against the top of the line G37 Sport with its vibrant glossy paint job and much more attractive aluminum-alloy finished wheels. I think a TL SH-AWD in a grigio metallic would have fared much better in the comparison.
Also agree that the G37 and Legacy have almost identical silhouettes. The TL, not so much, as the rear end has no protruding bumper like the other two. But I'm guessing you can get pretty much the same results from any number of random sedans.
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Actually, the profiles reflect recent designs that were not used a number of years ago. I believe the way the roofs currently curve downward toward the back originated on the previous model of the VW Passat. Japanese car makers appear to have liked it a lot, as evidenced in these 3 models.
So, manufacturers use common design themes that they borrow from each other, then they move on to new themes.
I think one of the worst current themes is the furrow or line that defines the sides of a lot of current cars. Everything from BMWs to Accords to Chryslers to Saturns have these. I think it dates these cars, and cheapens the look of BMWs if everyone else has it. Just my opinion.
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notyper
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I know how you feel wpaulson, looks were a significant part of my decision to purchase a G37S 6MT sedan over a TL 6MT.
This time though my fiancee didn't get much say in the decision. Back in 2005 I told her we were getting a G35 6MT, but she could pick the body style and color. We ended up with a red coupe. Beautiful, but less practical.
SC
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Mark Hill
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wpaulson wrote:
Actually, the profiles reflect recent designs that were not used a number of years ago. I believe the way the roofs currently curve downward toward the back originated on the previous model of the VW Passat. Japanese car makers appear to have liked it a lot, as evidenced in these 3 models.
So, manufacturers use common design themes that they borrow from each other, then they move on to new themes.
I think one of the worst current themes is the furrow or line that defines the sides of a lot of current cars. Everything from BMWs to Accords to Chryslers to Saturns have these. I think it dates these cars, and cheapens the look of BMWs if everyone else has it. Just my opinion.
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I think you're absolutely right about the widespread adoption of the curve of the roof-line on most sedans these days. But rather than the Passat being the originator, I believe it was the Audi A-4. (The A-4 debuted in 1996, and was the first car I can recall with that arc used in the roof-line. It was fully fleshed out a year later with the A-6...and also the Passat, in 1998.) After that, the Nissan Altima jumped onboard, as did Infiniti and nearly everyone else.
It's funny to think about how much car design in recent decades was influenced by Audi... In the mid 80's the Audi 5000 changed the shape of cars from squarish to rounded shapes, (the Ford Taurus was given much of that credit, but in truth, the 5000 pre-dated it.)
Last edited by notyper on 07-10-2010 20:39
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Mark Hill
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I think you're absolutely right about the widespread adoption of the curve of the roof-line on most sedans these days. But rather than the Passat being the originator, I believe it was the Audi A-4. (The A-4 debuted in 1996, and was the first car I can recall with that arc used in the roof-line. It was fully fleshed out a year later with the A-6...and also the Passat, in 1998.) After that, the Nissan Altima jumped onboard, as did Infiniti and nearly everyone else.
It's funny to think about how much car design in recent decades was influenced by Audi... In the mid 80's the Audi 5000 changed the shape of cars from squarish to rounded shapes, (the Ford Taurus was given much of that credit, but in truth, the 5000 pre-dated it.)
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wpaulson
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Mark Hill wrote:
I think you're absolutely right about the widespread adoption of the curve of the roof-line on most sedans these days. But rather than the Passat being the originator, I believe it was the Audi A-4. (The A-4 debuted in 1996, and was the first car I can recall with that arc used in the roof-line. It was fully fleshed out a year later with the A-6...and also the Passat, in 1998.) After that, the Nissan Altima jumped onboard, as did Infiniti and nearly everyone else.
It's funny to think about how much car design in recent decades was influenced by Audi... In the mid 80's the Audi 5000 changed the shape of cars from squarish to rounded shapes, (the Ford Taurus was given much of that credit, but in truth, the 5000 pre-dated it.)
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Yes, Audi has made many beautiful cars, some of them with groundbreaking designs. However, I think their recent grills may have gone a bit too far (although they seem to have toned them down a bit).
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Mark Hill
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I agree. The 'open mouth' grill design went not only too far, but I think it caused Acura to react and go too far with the Power Plenum.
All of that aside, as beautiful as some Audis are, I would never own one due to their reliability issues.
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Spearsoft
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The TL is no beauty, but I will never understand the obsession with Audi design. Audi goes from plain to flat-out ugly. I put them slightly above lexus on the intersting-to-look-at scale. The grill is too much, the lights are too busy (LEDs were neat at first, but they're a bit overdone ), interiors, although high-quality, are not very interesting.
The G sedan isn't anything special either, at least not in the way the G35 was when it came out. The coupe is another story, it's just pure sex.
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ballermd
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TLOwner wrote:
Honda/Acura has been trying to copy EU designs spefically Audi design if you look carefully at the front and tail shape.
Audi has their big/imposing grille so Acura decided that they too must have a big/imposing grille. The tail lights on the MDX are very similar to Audi A4 and A3 tail lights.
check out the grille in CR-Z. You can not tell me that it is not an Audi grille.
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I really don't get all the talk of Honda/Acura copying Audi. I really don't see this at all. Yes, the CR-Z grill does look a lot like the current Audi grills, but it's the only one in the entire Honda/Acura line-up that does. Besides, it seems all auto manufactures are starting to use the same design theme on the front end these days - one that includes vertical creases on both sides of the grill that bisects the front end into three pieces. The current design language also dictates little to no front bumper. These type of features lend themselves to having a big bold grills that extend the entire vertical length of the front end. Trust me, more manufactures will start to do this. Along with Audi/VW, Ford has also started using this prominent grill with the current Explorer, Escape (on certain models) and now the 2011 Edge.
As for the current Acura tail light design that debuted on the MDX - I believe Acura borrowed it from the current generation Civic sedan rather than the A4. I mean, yes Audi did debate the design on the 2005 A4 a year before the Civic, but do you really think Honda changed the design of the Civic only after 1 year of Audi using it? I seriously doubt it, because if you can remember Honda introduced the Civic concept at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show early that year. While this was the Si "coupe", it still indicates that both coupe and sedan designs were pretty much completed. In fact, the current Civic sedan tail light design is more of an evolution of the 7th generation tail light design than a copy of the A4 design.
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ballermd
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Oh and GM is starting to use the same big bold extended grill theme with the Caddy CTS and Chevy Malibu...
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Mark Hill
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I agree with you.
--And I think it's really just one poster talking about Honda Acura copying Audi. The rest of us were talking about the entire auto industry borrowing the curved roof design of Audi, starting several years ago.
With that said, I think that Audi's prominent grill theme is fairly unique, but that Acura responded to it, (rather than copying it). The power plenum is a unique grill also...but it looks nothing like Audi's design language.
I think you could argue that Honda has been borrowing as much or more from BMW over the years, (90's Civics emulating the 3-series, current Accord sedan looks much like a 5-series, the Accord coupe's specially shaped chrome accent in the rear looks for the 3 Series coupe, etc.)
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owequitit
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Mark Hill wrote:
I agree with you.
--And I think it's really just one poster talking about Honda Acura copying Audi. The rest of us were talking about the entire auto industry borrowing the curved roof design of Audi, starting several years ago.
With that said, I think that Audi's prominent grill theme is fairly unique, but that Acura responded to it, (rather than copying it). The power plenum is a unique grill also...but it looks nothing like Audi's design language.
I think you could argue that Honda has been borrowing as much or more from BMW over the years, (90's Civics emulating the 3-series, current Accord sedan looks much like a 5-series, the Accord coupe's specially shaped chrome accent in the rear looks for the 3 Series coupe, etc.)
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This is very true, and largely I think it has to do with the fact that there are only so many ways to design a box.
Ultimately, when people cross-shop/compare, they have a very specific set of criteria they are looking for. They also tend to check specs, so you better have within fractions of everyone else when it comes to space, or else you are immediately judged "inferior."
This all serves to make everything merge toward the same mold, as that is what the demographic expects.
Also, I think it has gotten to the point that some of the styling oddness these days is designed to "trick" the eye into not believing that some of these cars are actually as monstrous as they are. The design stuff happening to hide the pedestrian friendly front ends, and massive overhangs comes to mind. In fact, you can see a lot of that in Honda/Acura's new front ends where the front end is a constantly changing arc or shape from headlight to headlight. While it tends to exaggerate them from the profile shot, it works greatly to reduce the perceived overhang from nearly every other angle. For instance, the 8th gen Accord's front starts changing shape just a few inches in front of the tire, so you don't really perceive the large overhang, unless you are exactly at a profile view. You can also clearly see it in the wide, drawn out, upright front end on the latest BMW's (like the new 5 series) that attempt to use visual trickery to hid the pedestrian front end.
That is probably another major factor driving style to converge. As the greenies and safety nazis have their way, each new design must perform to the same generic criteria, and thus some of the hard points on the cars start to become fixed and similar.
Then of course, if Audi is seen as a leader in design, then their choices will also directly influence everyone else.
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wpaulson
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owequitit wrote:
Mark Hill wrote:
I agree with you.
--And I think it's really just one poster talking about Honda Acura copying Audi. The rest of us were talking about the entire auto industry borrowing the curved roof design of Audi, starting several years ago.
With that said, I think that Audi's prominent grill theme is fairly unique, but that Acura responded to it, (rather than copying it). The power plenum is a unique grill also...but it looks nothing like Audi's design language.
I think you could argue that Honda has been borrowing as much or more from BMW over the years, (90's Civics emulating the 3-series, current Accord sedan looks much like a 5-series, the Accord coupe's specially shaped chrome accent in the rear looks for the 3 Series coupe, etc.)
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This is very true, and largely I think it has to do with the fact that there are only so many ways to design a box.
Ultimately, when people cross-shop/compare, they have a very specific set of criteria they are looking for. They also tend to check specs, so you better have within fractions of everyone else when it comes to space, or else you are immediately judged "inferior."
This all serves to make everything merge toward the same mold, as that is what the demographic expects.
Also, I think it has gotten to the point that some of the styling oddness these days is designed to "trick" the eye into not believing that some of these cars are actually as monstrous as they are. The design stuff happening to hide the pedestrian friendly front ends, and massive overhangs comes to mind. In fact, you can see a lot of that in Honda/Acura's new front ends where the front end is a constantly changing arc or shape from headlight to headlight. While it tends to exaggerate them from the profile shot, it works greatly to reduce the perceived overhang from nearly every other angle. For instance, the 8th gen Accord's front starts changing shape just a few inches in front of the tire, so you don't really perceive the large overhang, unless you are exactly at a profile view. You can also clearly see it in the wide, drawn out, upright front end on the latest BMW's (like the new 5 series) that attempt to use visual trickery to hid the pedestrian front end.
That is probably another major factor driving style to converge. As the greenies and safety nazis have their way, each new design must perform to the same generic criteria, and thus some of the hard points on the cars start to become fixed and similar.
Then of course, if Audi is seen as a leader in design, then their choices will also directly influence everyone else.
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Are you saying that large overhangs have something to do with pedestrian safety?
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notyper
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Less the overhang than the tall bluff front end treatments we are seeing, IMO
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owequitit
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wpaulson wrote:
owequitit wrote:
Mark Hill wrote:
I agree with you.
--And I think it's really just one poster talking about Honda Acura copying Audi. The rest of us were talking about the entire auto industry borrowing the curved roof design of Audi, starting several years ago.
With that said, I think that Audi's prominent grill theme is fairly unique, but that Acura responded to it, (rather than copying it). The power plenum is a unique grill also...but it looks nothing like Audi's design language.
I think you could argue that Honda has been borrowing as much or more from BMW over the years, (90's Civics emulating the 3-series, current Accord sedan looks much like a 5-series, the Accord coupe's specially shaped chrome accent in the rear looks for the 3 Series coupe, etc.)
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This is very true, and largely I think it has to do with the fact that there are only so many ways to design a box.
Ultimately, when people cross-shop/compare, they have a very specific set of criteria they are looking for. They also tend to check specs, so you better have within fractions of everyone else when it comes to space, or else you are immediately judged "inferior."
This all serves to make everything merge toward the same mold, as that is what the demographic expects.
Also, I think it has gotten to the point that some of the styling oddness these days is designed to "trick" the eye into not believing that some of these cars are actually as monstrous as they are. The design stuff happening to hide the pedestrian friendly front ends, and massive overhangs comes to mind. In fact, you can see a lot of that in Honda/Acura's new front ends where the front end is a constantly changing arc or shape from headlight to headlight. While it tends to exaggerate them from the profile shot, it works greatly to reduce the perceived overhang from nearly every other angle. For instance, the 8th gen Accord's front starts changing shape just a few inches in front of the tire, so you don't really perceive the large overhang, unless you are exactly at a profile view. You can also clearly see it in the wide, drawn out, upright front end on the latest BMW's (like the new 5 series) that attempt to use visual trickery to hid the pedestrian front end.
That is probably another major factor driving style to converge. As the greenies and safety nazis have their way, each new design must perform to the same generic criteria, and thus some of the hard points on the cars start to become fixed and similar.
Then of course, if Audi is seen as a leader in design, then their choices will also directly influence everyone else.
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Are you saying that large overhangs have something to do with pedestrian safety?
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No. The large front overhangs have to do with crush space to protect the occupants inside the car. Ultimately, because transverse FWD powertrains sit in front of the axle centerline, this exaggerates amount of space ahead of the wheels needed to absorb an impact. In order to hide that, the automakers have resorted to some elaborate eye trickery.
The pedestrian safety comment is just like Shaun said. The front ends are very upright and broad to disperse the forces over a larger area.
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iNteGRaz92
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Spearsoft wrote:
The TL is no beauty, but I will never understand the obsession with Audi design. Audi goes from plain to flat-out ugly. I put them slightly above lexus on the intersting-to-look-at scale. The grill is too much, the lights are too busy (LEDs were neat at first, but they're a bit overdone ), interiors, although high-quality, are not very interesting.
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at least audi interiors are nice to look at, unlike bmw interiors which all look the same: cold and boring.
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wpaulson
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owequitit,
I'm not sure that eye trickery worked in the case of the TL.
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wpaulson
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owequitit,
I'm not sure that eye trickery worked in the case of the TL.
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ballermd
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iNteGRaz92 wrote:
Spearsoft wrote:
The TL is no beauty, but I will never understand the obsession with Audi design. Audi goes from plain to flat-out ugly. I put them slightly above lexus on the intersting-to-look-at scale. The grill is too much, the lights are too busy (LEDs were neat at first, but they're a bit overdone ), interiors, although high-quality, are not very interesting.
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at least audi interiors are nice to look at, unlike bmw interiors which all look the same: cold and boring.
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BWM interiors do all look the same, but OMG, Audi interiors all look the same even more. But what's the problem with that? It's called having a strong brand identity. Furthermore, unlike the heavily tech inspired BMW interiors, Audi interiors have a very dated design.
I detect a little bias here...
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