Or are all new cars starting to look alike.

Gimme a split-second glimpse of a tail light, and I can tell a '54 Olds from a '53 Chevy from a '55 Ford, and so on.

But all these new things look pretty much alike--with obvious exceptions like the Tesla, the Aztec, and the PT Cruiser. Take off the nameplate and I could probably not tell a Mercedes from a Honda.

Seriously, how the hell do you guys tell the new iron apart?

Or are all new cars starting to look alike.

Gimme a split-second glimpse of a tail light, and I can tell a '54 Olds from a '53 Chevy from a '55 Ford, and so on.

But all these new things look pretty much alike--with obvious exceptions like the Tesla, the Aztec, and the PT Cruiser. Take off the nameplate and I could probably not tell a Mercedes from a Honda.

Seriously, how the hell do you guys tell the new iron apart?

From the rear, I have to agree. From the front, no. Manufacturers all have their own style of front. The backs all look the same to me.

But fronts. Just to rattle a few off:

Porsche has a very distinct look.
Mercedes has the bubbley look.
Mazda always has a terrible, ugly grill.
Honda always has something boring.
Chevy and ford look pretty similar, as well as dodge.
Caddies and Lincolns also have a very distinct front end.

It's not in the rear anymore. It's all in the face.

Maybe he means how you might tell this:

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/4117/1120701coty02wl2007toyojd5.jpg

From this:

http://www.automedia.com/NewCarBuyersGuide2008/photos/2008/Honda/Accord/Sedan/2008_Honda_Accord_ext_1.jpg


Personally, I think they both lack style. The reason you can't really tell them apart and distinguish them by the finer details, is they aren't even worth looking at in the first place.

Or are all new cars starting to look alike.

Gimme a split-second glimpse of a tail light, and I can tell a '54 Olds from a '53 Chevy from a '55 Ford, and so on.

But all these new things look pretty much alike--with obvious exceptions like the Tesla, the Aztec, and the PT Cruiser. Take off the nameplate and I could probably not tell a Mercedes from a Honda.

Seriously, how the hell do you guys tell the new iron apart?

Give me a split-second of the headlights and I can tell you whether or not it's a Crown Vicky. :D

Alot of cars really are melding together in a bad way. It's pretty damn ironic too because focus groups for GM talk about nothing but looks. Of course, there are plenty of cars that look still unique, or fairly unique in their own ways. When Saturn made its own cars they had a unique look to them, and alot of their lineup still does. From what I've seen high end and low end cars tend to have the most radical designs. Mediocrity seems to be reserved for everything in between.

Still, it's nothing like the awesome designs in the 60's especially the American and Japanese companies. I love the S500. :)

Maybe you're right AM.

I think it has something to do with pedestrian safety.

In terms of 4-door sedans, absolutely. Bloody all of the FWD 4-doors look alike, with the exception of Chrysler's RWD stuff and maybe Audi.

Maybe you're right AM.

I think it has something to do with pedestrian safety.

Are you saying that because you have better odds of surviving if you're hit on foot by a aerodynamic Prius, rather than a blocky '52 ford?

Are you saying that because you have better odds of surviving if you're hit on foot by a aerodynamic Prius, rather than a blocky '52 ford?


I dunno about anybody else, but id prefer to be hit by the ford.


Least id die in style..


(Besides, the prius wouldnt be able to go fast enough to kill ya anyways)

In all seriousness, I WOULD rather be hit by some new age plastic curve wagon than a blocky metal murder grille.

I can't support the general trend in automotive design, or the copycat styling. Still, it's not like there's no more good looking cars coming out. As for identification, I find that I can sort out most every model from the late 70's to today.... but I start to have trouble for earlier cars (with a bunch of obvious exceptions). I think it has more to do with the cars that a person is familiar with, or identifies with.

Bonus: I was driving a newer Legacy GT (250hp H6) in the snow today and I came across an Alpina B10 on the highway! I was psyched, first time I saw one in RL. I tried to get him interested in a lil' race but the conditions were bleh anyway and I would have had a ridiculous advantage in a 0-100. BTW the legacy CHAMPS it in the snow, I get better traction than locked-up trucks with 33's.

I dunno about anybody else, but id prefer to be hit by the ford.


Least id die in style..


(Besides, the prius wouldnt be able to go fast enough to kill ya anyways)

Because old Fords are such beasts in a straight line, right?

From the rear, I have to agree. From the front, no. Manufacturers all have their own style of front. The backs all look the same to me.

But fronts. Just to rattle a few off:

Porsche has a very distinct look.
Mercedes has the bubbley look.
Mazda always has a terrible, ugly grill.
Honda always has something boring.
Chevy and ford look pretty similar, as well as dodge.
Caddies and Lincolns also have a very distinct front end.

It's not in the rear anymore. It's all in the face.
mazda is improving
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj317/lovecraft_2007/new62.jpg

mazda is improving
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj317/lovecraft_2007/new62.jpg

Why do new mazdas have increasingly chinky eyes?

Why do new mazdas have increasingly chinky eyes?
Mazda D-N-A that's what they call it .
I have to go to mandatory Mazda pep school once a year, they get some shit head motivational speaker and spew there latest crap.
The product is good .so please buy a Mazda.
"they made me say that"

the reason most cars are looking alike is that there are alot of government regulations on safety, so bumpers are looking more and more similar, also remember the ugly us-spec bumpers that german cars from the 70s had fitted to pass spec here. heck i know most euro audi's bumpers are alot slimmer than the us-spec one.

when i went to italy in the summer of 2005, it was intersting seeing the european version of my car there, and i could see the difference in the bumpers, they dont stick out near as much, i think its because of the usa's 5-mph crash regulations.

euro cars usually have different headlights and tail lights. different lenses in HID's, along with no amber lens in the turn signals.

take the 1982 bmw 320 for example

here's the us-spec version, note the chrome and rubber bumper that sticks out so far:
http://www.strathspey.co.uk/unixnerd/e21_us.jpg
here's the euro-spec version, note that the license plate does not mount on the bumper:
http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/1982_BMW_323i_Euro_E21_Race_Car_Front_1.jpg

Damn, that US version is UGLY..