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If you want a bare-bones sedan, look no further than the Chevy Malibu Fleet, $23k of rental-car awfulness: https://www.gmfleet.com/cars/chevrolet-malibu https:/

If you want a bare-bones sedan, look no further than the Chevy Malibu Fleet, $23k of rental-car awfulness: https://www.gmfleet.com/cars/chevrolet-malibu https://www.gmfleet.com/cars/chevrolet-malibu In general, if you want the most basic, low-opex car you can find, just look at what rental car companies are buying (though rental companies have been desperate for anything, so this currently doesn't apply.) Regulations and fuel economy standards absolutely influence design. The reason most euro cars/SUVs have a sloping hood (compared to the "RAWR I AM AGGRESSIVE" square front on most American SUVs) is to meet pedestrian Euro-NCAP standards. High door sills are to provide better side impact protection, smaller windows are to lower heat/AC load for fuel economy. "All cars" are not "looking completely ridiculous." He cites some of the most infamously ugly cars (Toyota Camry and Prius) while ignoring, oh, the entire rest of the market. There are loads of conservatively styled cars out there. Toyota intentionally dramatically changes their styling almost every year because underneath those changing body panels and tail/head lights is the stuff that's actually expensive to change. They're intentionally garish because they want the design to look exciting now, and like aged dogshit in 3 years. They also want to push their more conservative buyers into Lexuses. Lots of decent looking cars out there. VW's current "narrow line" design language looks like ass, but go back one or two model years and I think they're pretty fantastically well-styled cars. The Audi A6 hasn't been an ugly looking car in at least ten years. Current model: https://www.topgear.com/sites/default/files/cars-car/image/2020/11/audiuk00028059_audi_a6_saloon_50_tfsi_e_-1.jpg https://www.topgear.com/sites/default/files/cars-car/image/2... Want something more "fashion forward"? Volvo's S90 is a work of art inside and out: https://www.media.volvocars.com/image/low/171020/2_2/1 https://www.media.volvocars.com/image/low/171020/2_2/1 If you want a sporty sedan that looks like sex on wheels and have a big wallet, the Alfa Giulia: https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/alfa-romeo/giulia/2022/oem/2022_alfa-romeo_giulia_sedan_quadrifoglio_fq_oem_1_1600.jpg https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/alfa-romeo/giulia/2022/oe... Want something a bit more conservative but sporty looking? BMW 3 series https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/bmw/3-series/2021/oem/2021_bmw_3-series_sedan_330e_fq_oem_1_1280.jpg https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/bmw/3-series/2021/oem/202... I don't get what the author is on about with the current F150. It feels like Ford is really in stride; usually they're a shitshow of fugly, awkward curves and proportions, but they seem to be making designs that not only look good in the present, but are holding up longer.

omosubi 5y ago
If you look at cars from their inception until about the 80s, most cars, even lower end models were aesthetically very pleasing. That's not true of most cars today. The ones you've cited are all luxury sedans and are rare to see on the road (at least where I live). Also, the cheapest is $40k. That's not practical for most people, and that's not even including operating expenses.
- HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
  You have clearly forgotten about the Chrysler/Dodge K-Car series.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  > If you look at cars from their inception until about the 80s, most cars, even lower end models were aesthetically very pleasing. That's not true of most cars today. I disagree, and most people living when those cars were new would, I suspect, disagree. I would guess this is either a nostalgia-driven (positive for older designs) or overexposure-driven (negative for newer common designs) aesthetic preference.
vannevar 5y ago
Yeah, I feel like most of the overdesigned cars in the past decade or so have come from Japan. Notably Toyota, which in my opinion has produced some of the worst car designs of the past twenty years. The pinched grill that started with their Lexus line and is now on Toyotas as well is a matter of taste I guess, but it's always reminded me of the alien's mouth in Predator, which in turn is reminiscent of an anus. I think some of the most recent Lexi pull it off, but throughout most of its history, I think that grill has been pretty awful. Honda lost its design mojo a long time ago, and its most recent Accord is ok only because it resembles a BMW. The past 20 years has been a series of mostly very forgettable Honda designs. Nissan has also produced a lot of atrocities the past couple of decades since the genuinely striking tail treatment on the 2002 Altima. The Maxima has been particularly bad. Then there's Hyundai, which has been hit or miss but who went through a very organic look for awhile that made all their cars look like they were grown in pods. They were beautiful in their own way, but like a lot of their Japanese siblings, just overdone in my opinion.

omosubi 5y ago

If you look at cars from their inception until about the 80s, most cars, even lower end models were aesthetically very pleasing. That's not true of most cars today. The ones you've cited are all luxury sedans and are rare to see on the road (at least where I live). Also, the cheapest is $40k. That's not practical for most people, and that's not even including operating expenses.

HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
You have clearly forgotten about the Chrysler/Dodge K-Car series.
dragonwriter 5y ago
> If you look at cars from their inception until about the 80s, most cars, even lower end models were aesthetically very pleasing. That's not true of most cars today. I disagree, and most people living when those cars were new would, I suspect, disagree. I would guess this is either a nostalgia-driven (positive for older designs) or overexposure-driven (negative for newer common designs) aesthetic preference.

vannevar 5y ago

Yeah, I feel like most of the overdesigned cars in the past decade or so have come from Japan. Notably Toyota, which in my opinion has produced some of the worst car designs of the past twenty years. The pinched grill that started with their Lexus line and is now on Toyotas as well is a matter of taste I guess, but it's always reminded me of the alien's mouth in Predator, which in turn is reminiscent of an anus. I think some of the most recent Lexi pull it off, but throughout most of its history, I think that grill has been pretty awful. Honda lost its design mojo a long time ago, and its most recent Accord is ok only because it resembles a BMW. The past 20 years has been a series of mostly very forgettable Honda designs. Nissan has also produced a lot of atrocities the past couple of decades since the genuinely striking tail treatment on the 2002 Altima. The Maxima has been particularly bad. Then there's Hyundai, which has been hit or miss but who went through a very organic look for awhile that made all their cars look like they were grown in pods. They were beautiful in their own way, but like a lot of their Japanese siblings, just overdone in my opinion.