Here Are The Worst Current Automotive Design Trends, According To You

Designing a vehicle is no easy process. Automakers love giving us a preview of what they envision the future to be, or what's to come — typically in the form of a concept car. But what looks good on a concept doesn't often translate well to reality once things like federal safety regulations and new technology must-haves start mingling with a designer's pen. Some can come out rather alright, victorious even. Some we wish they'd have tried again.

Last week, we asked you, our readers, what current automotive design trends were the worst. Here are your best answers.

Basically every single thing on modern trucks. From the squared off wheel wells, to the pointless boxy designs, to the huge size, to the stupid macho grills, to the fake chrome, to the awful faux "masculinity language" interiors, to the absurd prices, to the tiny beds, to the laughable weights, to the shitty sightlines.

Trucks in the US went from functional everyday workhorses, to conspicuous consumption status symbols for suburban poseurs that materially make themselves and other less safe.

Submitted by: The Original Mr. Goodpost

Rear load floors on hatches with too high a lip. Our poor dog would need steps to get into most of them, and she's not small.

Submitted by Ian Harrison via Facebook

Concur with many of these but no one has mentioned the death of colors outside of grayscale and maybe a red in the lineup. Instead of "concrete gray" or whatever that is, give me a blue, green, or dark red. Those used to be pretty standard colors.

Submitted by: VicVinegar

Touch screens.

Full stop.

I don't want to have to take my eyes off of the road to look at a screen for any reason. I don't know how this is even allowed from a safety standpoint; drivers are distracted enough already. Screens replacing physical controls is a deal-breaker for me, which is unfortunate because it looks like that's the way the industry is inexplicably moving. All of the screens will also inevitably open up drivers to unsolicited advertising and limiting functions to a subscription plan.

And, they're mostly just plain ugly.

Submitted by: R.Zachary Williams Esq. and damn near everyone else

Overcomplicated, busy designs with too many character lines/creases.

I took a photo of a the headlight of a parked Lexus one day that perfectly encapsulated the issue:

Count the number of character lines going on in *just this tiny section of the car*

I didn't include the original picture in this poster's answer, but Lexus is still at it. Just take a look at the front fascia of the new LM.

Submitted by: Skipp

Auto transmissions that do not shift with a standard PRND lever. I drove a '23 BMW today, and putting the car in reverse required pushing the selector lever FORWARD, while putting it in drive required pulling the level BACK. I surprised BMW didn't decide to reverse the accelerator and brake pedals just for a laugh while they were at it.

Submitted by: Tom Kuekes via Facebook

Black on black on black over black cars aka "Murdered-out". You don't look look cool, or tough, or wealthy, when you drive one. You just look like another rather basic person who lacks creativity and is following the crowd. (And if you do it to look like a cop you are just a tool).

Submitted by: 17 Seconds

How about the complete lack of automotive design? Take a good look at all of the current mid-sized SUV's. They damn near all look the same. Sit in the drivers seat and it's more of the same (I'm looking at you tablet-style display screen). I get that it's the meat-and-potato's of the automotive sales world, and all automakers want their piece, but it's like we are all headed to a future where we all drive the same thing.

Submitted by: Derek Gustafson via Facebook

Ruggedification of compact/subcompact CUVs. Especially if they're decked out in tacky matte surfaces even though they barely have more ground clearance than their sedan counterparts. Who are they even fooling?

Submitted by: Pessimippopotamus

Too low to be seen by anyone other than the car directly behind them!

Submitted by: Dennis Maus via Facebook

I still don't understand the purpose behind plastic cladding around the wheel arches. I think most cars would look fine with the metal arches with a little cladding like the brake vents.

Ed. note: Also, did we not learn from the Great Plastic Cladding of the Cars in the aughts?

Submitted by: deathspartan117

Green-ification of design. Aka making every EV or hybrid stand out with future robotic designs that are only there for shock value so everyone knows you're driving an EV.

Submitted by: savethemanualsbmw335ix

If you are purely talking design, I have to go with the high-beltline greenhouse combined with the ever sharpening rake of windshields.

The high belt lines on current cars has gotten ridiculous to the point that Polestar says that a rear window isn't possible and give another camera. Visibility, at one time, was considered a safety feature, and I have a hard time thinking with steel and alloy technology that automakers can't engineer visibility back into their cars.

Regarding windshield rake...I get aerodynamics, but it forces the front seats WAYYYY further back compromising space. There are some enormous cars out there with extremely efficient powertrain designs (think electric) that have seriously shitty back seat space because of how far the front seats have to be from the cowl due to the windshield rake.

Both are reasons why the Golf is, to this day, considered an extremely practical and space efficient car. But, to my point, sit in a 4th Gen Accord, then sit in a new Accord...not much more space, but the car itself is gargantuan.

Submitted by: drock87

Big wheels/low profile tires. Spend more on rims so you can spend more on tires just to make the ride worse. And most of the time, the trim with the bigger wheels doesn't even have bigger brake rotors.

Submitted by: theart

I think it is passing but I hate the floating roof look on crossovers.

Submitted by: 4jim

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