The original Jeep Grand Cherokee, unveiled in 1993 was one of the most handsome SUV design of all time. It had unpretentious clean straight lines, a bit military but enough flair and round edges. It was an instant hit, setting the standard of what a sport utility vehicle should be.
There once was a time when the extra premium you pay for a luxury car actually got you a better car, a superior build quality, reliability and durability. However, the meaning of luxury has changed over the years. It now merely means “Hey, look at me, my car is expensive!” And the car makers have replaced reliability and durability with array of electronic gimmickry and toys. In short, all modern luxury cars exist only to make you look rich for few years and then you must move on to the next new model that comes along in order to continue to look rich. Because of this, manufacturers know very well not to waste too much effort trying to makes these cars last for years and years or fit them with gadgets that don’t break down after few years. They don’t have to. These cars are never meant to be kept for long period of time.
The folks at G-Power knew that BMW X6 isn’t capable of any real off-roading. They also knew that X6 hasn’t got any practicality. So they have decided to take the uselessness to the extreme and gave the X6 close to 900 horsepower, a 5500cc V-10. It costs a vomit-inducing $870,000 USD. Yes, it’s a lot of money but you get a body kit, fat tires, and more tacky vents and ports that put Batmobile to shame.
So far the hideous G-Power X6 holds the title as the world’s fastest, the ugliest, the most useless SUV. Being the world’s most this and that must count for something but the maker, even G-Power themselves aren’t quite sure how many people are actually stupid enough to buy this crap. But they’re somehow convinced that there will be at least 5 dumb-asses out there. So they’re making 5 of these.
Honda has officially lost it as far as styling is concerned. Starting with Acura models few years back, Honda has produced number of retarded designs in recent years. As if the disastrous remake of the Pilot in 2009 wasn’t disturbing enough, the 2012 Odyssey proudly debuts bearing even more WTF? styling cues.
Nissan does it again like clockwork, putting us to test how much visual distortion human eyes can bear. Introducing the absolutely hideous Infinit QX 56. The fake fender vent ports come standard and are carefully styled not to look like an integrated part of the car.
When I was 10 years old, our family car was a 1975 Mercury Cougar XR-7. Silver 2-door coupe, maroon interior, power everything. It was a very stylish car. Big, rode like a boat but it didn’t matter. It was the car to be seen in rather than Toyota Corona or a Datsun 510.
For the good part of its life Mercury was a stylish statement. Even during the ho hum 80s Mercury kept its cool. The Capri RS was a thousand times cooler than Mustangs of the same era, the Cougars always had an edge over Thunderbirds on styling and flair. Mercury definitely had its good days…
Good bye Mercury.
These are some of the cars that no one cares about, remembers, or even know they have existed. They’re not all that ugly nor pretty. These cars provoke absolutely no emotions of any kind. No one will be able to tell the year or the model. These cars are perfect choice if you’re a murderer or someone who is planning a major attack on tallish skyscrapers.
Here are some of the ugliest cars made during the last 20 years or so:
Merecedes-Benz has got to be the most ugliest cars that you can buy today next to the Geely. At least with Geely you don’t pay for the ugliness. It’s rare that a car maker’s entire model line consists of butt-ugly cars but Mercedes has somehow pulled this off.
The new SLS is no exception. Your jaw will drop not because of its price ($180k +) but because of how awful it looks. No two shapes work together on this car. The grill, headlamp, trunklid, taillight all do their own thing from different era.
When BMW shocked the world with its provocative styling some years back, at least I asked myself “maybe I was missing something” or “maybe the Bangle guy knew something that rest of us didn’t”, and for the most part he did. Many of the past BMW styling cues are being imitated among younger designers and the Bimmers have aged somewhat gracefully.
Mercedes has officially ceased to produce handsome cars since the 90s. Therefore, it’s probably not right to expect anything that would prove otherwise. But this thing is too much of an eyesore to ignore. Are they doing this on purpose or do they simply not have any talent?
Lotus Elite – Looks great, but not like a super car.
This is the newly planned Lotus Elite. It looks sweet in every angle. At first glance, you’ll think it’s a coupe with a solid roof. But it’s actually a folding top convertible. This new Elite may be the first folding top design that I’ve seen that in no way looks like a folding top. But of course this is only a concept. We’ll have to see how this design is translated into production model.
It will have a Toyota based V8 tucked under its front bonnet. Yes, in the front. Not the most preferable location for a motor for a car that commands super-car price (about $180,000 USD). The Elite is beautifully designed and it really is a sensuous looking thing but not quite in a super-car way. It feels more like a really good looking next generation Toyota Celica rather than a car that competes with the Audi R8 or the Aston Martin DB9.