MARK TAKAHASHI: Hey, everybody, it's
Mark Takahashi, former art director
and current automotive journalist.
The last time I spoke to you from quarantine,
it was my 10 picks for the most beautiful vehicles
on sale today.
This time, we're going in the opposite direction,
with 10 design trends I wish would just go away.
These aren't necessarily an indictment
of a particular brand or model, but rather, design elements
that irked me as a journalist with a design background.
If there's something you think I left out or disagree
with some of my picks, leave a comment below.
So let's get right to it, shall we?
You're not fooling anybody.
Anyone who's spent any time on a dating app
is painfully aware of false advertising.
I get that we all want to present ourself in the best
light, but when it comes to cars,
it seems a little desperate and completely unnecessary.
I've never been a fan of fake vents.
Also, I've never been a fan of fake exhaust tips, fake wings,
or fake anything on a car, quite honestly.
Let's take a look at some fake vents on what I consider,
actually, a very attractive, large sedan,
the Buick LaCrosse.
I like everything about it design-wise,
except for that little fake vent right there under the mirrors.
Now, I get that that's a Buick heritage trait,
going all the way back to the VentiPort,
on the 1949 Buick Roadmaster.
But in this modern application, I just don't think it works.
Buick isn't alone in this, however.
If we take a look at the INFINITI QX80, well,
it's got a big, fake vent as well that's
completely unnecessary, again.
In Photoshop, I can just clone it out real quick
and, poof, it's gone.
And I think it actually improves the overall design.
Better or worse?
It's like an eye exam.
Better?
Worse?
Better?
Worse?
Better.
One of the most egregious uses of fake vans
has to be the Honda Civic Hatchback.
I mean, whew, look at that.
What is going on there?
Yikes.
Now, maybe they're trying to make some kind of connection
to the Indy Racing Honda race car, with that big rear pod
there.
But anyway you cut it, I just don't think these vents work.
They also show up in the Honda Civic Sedan,
but they're much smaller and I contend a lot more forgivable.
Next topic, big grills.
Big grills need love too, but sorry, they're
not getting it for me.
Thanks to advances in aerodynamics
and thermodynamics, cars really don't
need these big, honking grills that they used to have.
Back in the day, however, those big grills
gave cars a lot of personality.
Nowadays, though, it's really unnecessary.
And I think they can be a little more pragmatic about it
and possibly even make cars a little bit more
attractive in the process.
One of the biggest offenders of big grills today is Genesis.
You can see it here in the new G90.
That grill is huge.
Why is it so huge?
It doesn't need to be that big.
It's dominating the entire front of the car.
And it's actually worse, I think, on the GV80 SUV.
Oof, look at the size of that thing.
Really, the only thing that's missing
is a big Superman S, and not even that helps it.
Honestly, I'm not sure if it's the shape that bothers me
or not because the scale is so far out of whack.
Coco Chanel was famous for saying,
before you leave the house, look in the mirror
and take one item off.
It's also been paraphrased as saying, take the first thing
that you notice off.
Genesis would have done well to heed her advice
because those giant grills are almost
like a giant brooch or ridiculous hat.
It's just screaming, pay attention to me.
And to me, good design should whisper, not shout.
Of course, Genesis isn't alone.
Toyota is also guilty of giant grills.
Look at this grill on the Camry.
Why?
Look at that thing.
It's like a baleen whale trying to filter out krill--
completely unnecessary.
Going back a few years, also, I wasn't
a fan of these Zagato-bodied Aston Martins.
To me, they looked just a little cat-fishy,
and that's never good for a car.
Next topic is thick A-pillars.
What's an A-pillar, you ask?
Well, in automotive parlance, an A-pillar
is the forward-most roof pillar in a vehicle.
In the case of this Type 2 VW bus, bing, there it is.
Behind it are more roof pillars, and they get
sequentially higher letters.
In the early 2000s, NHTSA and the IIHS
made rollover tests and roof strength tests a lot
more prominent and important.
As a result, since then, A-pillar
have been getting thicker and thicker.
I'm all for a roof strengthen rollover protection,
but not when it comes at the expense of outward visibility.
Volvo, about 20 years ago, came out
with this very cool concept that solved the problem.
They used this super cool lattice on the A-pillar
that you could pretty much see through or at least get
a very good idea of what's behind that A-pillar.
Nissan did something very similar
maybe about 10 years ago.
And a few years ago at CES, continental--
yes, the tire company Continental--
came up with a concept for an OLED screen that
wraps around the A-pillar that's slaved to an external camera.
So you can virtually see through it.
I'm personally more fond of the Volvo solution
because it maintains depth perception,
but also it just looks cool, right?
Moving on to death to piano black, dun-dun-dun.
Somewhat related to the visibility issues
in the last topic, I'm bringing a panel black and, actually,
any glossy interior trim that's either reflective or metallic.
Because in certain lighting conditions,
the sun will hit it, reflect it in your eyes,
and sear your retinas, making it really hard
to see out of the car.
And we all know seeing out is kind of important when
you're operating a vehicle.
I'm giving piano black an extra shout
out here because, no matter what, it always looks dirty.
Two seconds after wiping it down,
it's already covered in smudgy fingerprints and dust.
My plea to auto manufacturers is, please, stop it.
Next up, flat-bottom wheels you make the rocking world go, why?
Flat-bottom steering wheels, right there.
Now, those were derived for race cars because space and comfort,
well, they're secondary.
You're usually cramped in in a very, very tight little pod
and not a lot of room to move.
In a regular car, though, that's properly designed,
there's plenty of space between your thigh
and the bottom of the wheel.
This is sort of like the first topic, fake vents and whatnot.
It's trying just a little too hard.
Let's stop this practice, shall we?
Next up, where are the buttons?
Where are the buttons?
[CLICK]
There is a developing trend going on right now,
where manufacturers are taking physical buttons
and moving those functions to a touch screen.
I get that eliminating a lot of buttons out of the cockpit
makes it look super sleek, and modern, and kind of a space
age-y.
But the problem is when you want to do something
as simple as change the temperature, that
means you have to take your eyes off the wheel or, even worse,
dig through a menu to try and find how to change it.
Mazda and BMW have struck a good balance, if you ask me.
They have the right amount of buttons
that you usually use, especially for climate control
and for audio.
Meanwhile, Mercedes has their MBUX infotainment system,
where you can control some basic functions with your voice.
Unfortunately, it does take just a little bit longer to do,
and it feels just a little awkward still.
No bueno.
Next topic, what time is it?
Analog clocks in cars are stupid.
There, I said it.
This is especially true nowadays,
when you have multiple digital clocks on the dashboard.
You have one in the instrument panel
probably, in the infotainment screen,
even another one within the infotainment screen in Apple
CarPlay.
They're scattered all over the place.
I get that back in the day, they were
trying to add some old world charm with an analog clock
in the middle of the dash, but nowadays, it just
seems out of place.
And yes, that even applies to the $160,000
Breitling Tourbillon option in the Bentley Bentayga.
It's cool, sure, but there's no place for it in a modern car.
[CLOCKS TICKING]
Do you know what time it is?
Next up, light-colored dashboards
may look great in a press photo.
But in practice, it gets a huge hell no from me.
Not only can it be a nuisance looking through this,
but it could be slightly dangerous because it's
a little distracting.
Also, after a few hours behind the wheel,
it can actually cause a little bit of fatigue.
Keep this in mind next time you're
configuring a car online.
Four-door coupes.
What?
Four-door coupes?
Why not a two-door sedan or a sexy minivan, huh?
You know why not?
Because they don't exist.
[CHIME]
[SIGHS] Four-door coupes are sedans
with a coupe-like roofline to give it
a little more sleek style.
But unfortunately, one of the byproducts of that roofline
is it cuts into rear headroom and also reduces
cargo capacity.
In my book, that's a no-go.
Don't even get me started on the coupe-like SUVs.
Ugh.
One of the things you gravitate to a SUV for is space,
and that effectively gets rid of it.
Plus, if you ask me, they kind of look like a turtle.
And since these coupe SUV are supposed to be a sporty ones,
you probably don't want it to look like a turtle.
Have we learned nothing from the Acura ZDX.
Moving on, what is the deal with big key fobs today?
[BEATBOXING "SEINFELD" THEME SONG]
That's my Seinfeld.
The display keys from BMW are huge.
They're as big as my cell phone was in the early 2000s.
Likewise, Bentley's key fob is this big hunk of metal.
In the age of skinny jeans, I'm calling upon all car makers
to stop the madness.
Now, some carmakers-- BMW included--
have a smart car that is part of your cell phone,
so you don't even need to carry a key fob.
Brilliant.
All cars should do that moving forward.
Anywho, those are my 10 design trends I wish would go away.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Add the ones you think I left out,
or totally criticize me for the ones I actually included.
But let's keep it civil, again, shall we?
For more information on any of the vehicles covered here,
head on over to edmunds.com.
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