https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq170ByWnC4
Longtime viewer of RCR (though haven't watched their stuff in a while, still think they have great commentary) and I angrily agreed while watching this video. I'm finally at a point financially where I can comfortably afford a "nice" daily. I also live in China, where "nice" cars are significantly, significantly cheaper than back home in the States.
I remember going to auto shows with my dad growing up and sitting in the back of luxury cruisers from the German big three and thinking how comfortable they were, and how much I wanted one. One memory in particular that sticks with me is sitting in the back of a well optioned Audi A8 at the Chicago Auto Show in 2008 or 2009. It had glossy burl walnut interior trim and dark brown leather that had me thinking "Wow, this is *nice*". Sitting in it felt like sitting in a comfortable cigar lounge (not that I would have known what that felt like at 12 years old). The exterior was all business. Not too flashy, but well designed and formal. It looked expensive and felt the part too. Same with the BMWs and especially the Mercedes of the era too. We were a middle class midwestern family, so there was no way we could afford something like this, but it was an experience that shaped what I wanted for years to come.
Fast forward almost 20 years, I'm now cross shopping a BMW I5, Audi A6 E-tron, and Mercedes EQE, among other cars. I want an EV, I think the driving experience is great, and public charging here is cheap and convenient. The exterior designs of these cars are visually bad in comparison to cars of the past. Worse yet (for me at least), the interiors of all three of these cars suck. Sitting in the I5 feels like being in an amusement park ride that is meant to feel like a spaceship, but in a tacky way. Light up neon colors everywhere, jagged edge patterns in seats, no real fit and finish. Modern Audi interiors are a complete joke. They are barely above Volkswagen in terms of material quality, and just a few years ago this wasn't true. Mid 20-teen Audis had great fit and finish and material quality, and now it's black plastic everywhere. To Mercedes' credit the interior of the EQE is the best of the three. I could do with at least a couple buttons and less shiny black plastic in the center counsel, but the steering wheel feels great and the optional yacht deck-like wood dashboard really stands out, but the car itself looks like a suppository. It's the driving blob to end all blobs and in my opinion one of the worst modern car designs ever. Nothing about it is striking or inspiring. Nothing about the way it looks communicates "I made it, I am someone now"; it's just an amorphous blob.
I'm just disappointed that there is really very little in the way of competitive luxury sedans like there was just a couple car generations back. Sure, I could buy an older car, but I live in a foreign country and want something with a factory warranty. These aren't even new designs; with exception of the Audi, the other cars have been out for several years now and the designs haven't grown at all on me. What were car companies thinking? Why did product design fall so badly, so quickly? It's frustrating, hopefully automakers hear customer's complaints and change course, but for now, the market is bland, bleak, and uninspiring.
Just skip this gen and either buyCPO or come back in a couple years. Not much else you can do.
We can document this current malaise era like hes doing. For educational purposes.
I always said we're in a new malaise era, one that's different than the 70s.
Only for luxury cars. IMO mainstream cars are better looking than ever. And that probably contributes to luxury cars losing their specialness. Like a modern Civic or Prius or even a Sentra are genuinely nice looking cars.
Agree mostly but I think the malaise is mostly in interior design and over connectivity/gimmicky features that are haphazardly implemented and overall aren't intuitive and cheaply made but for stupid prices
Honda and smaller Chevy suvs catch my eye often.
It is an emissions era for sure. Started in 2012, 2003-2012 was a malaise era coming out of the second muscle car era of 1987-2002. In short, cars have sucked since y2k.
If you don’t want something modern but still need something modern, I recommend a 1937 Chrysler Airflow.
The best way to keep living is either in the past or not at all. Because I enjoy complex protein synthesis, I continue living.
Reject modern, embrace Moderne.
i want that hyundai black luxury concept sedan
I'm a Cord man myself.
Why stop there? Graham Hollywood!
Eh 39 zephyr imo
Nash Airflyte all the way.
Nah I do not agree at all, the new designs are fun and trying to innove.
There is a lot of hits and misses, though.
Take a look to the new electric lineup of Renault. Cool retro designed cars with bright colours, what’s not to love ? They’re selling like hotcakes so the rest will follow.
The attempts from Audi and Mercedes are them trying to create something of special and unique that works but it’s not working well so far albeit you have admit they’re doing attempts.
I think it’s a better era than the one we were in with all the boring repetitive designs with only monochrome colours being offered.
No hate to RCR, I've never really gotten into his videos but his fanbase is very boomerish, I see their sub recommended sometimes it's always these, "things were better back in the day" type of posts.
I think I'm a bit too young to be in the target audience, and I can agree maybe there was a golden era of design before economic crashes happened in the 2000s, but I still think we have some gems rn like modern Porsches, Hyundais, and Nissans looking the best they've ever looked imo.
I feel the same way about rcr. the only videos I watch from them nowadays are Roman's videos since imo his 'race to the bottom' reviews are a bit less vulgar but I also like the more positive tone he has on what we typically consider are shit cars
To be fair, most things WERE better "back in the day," when you didn't have to endure things like having GM take away CarPlay, piano black accents weren't so common, and cars weren't exclusively designed about doing the bare minimum to turn a profit while harvesting as much data from drivers as humanly possible.
It doesn't mean everything was always better the further back you go. There are modern advancements that are great. However, OEMs are mostly doing them in the most self-serving ways that make them worse.
How in the hell are you going to lead with "things we're better back in the day" and then complain about the removal of CarPlay. Unless by "back in the day" you mean yesterday.
I just find just about everything in your post contradictory or ignorant. It's just astounding to me this level of rose tinted glasses
Agree with this take. I give a ton of credit to Hyundai/kia for pushing the boundaries of design. Especially in affordable options. It’s making other manufacturers move their ass.
Agreed. There are some standouts. Porsche Taycan. Dare I say Kia EV9.
The taycan wagon is just a good looking car, every time I see one I'm like, damn that's a nice car.
Not nice enough for the depreciation rate, but still very nice.
Yep, my take right here. There’s always been shitty designs in every era, and that’s no different to now. Being like “all car design sucks now” is just the most lame and negative take I can possibly imagine
I'd love to see where excitement is in modern design. You get the same kind of ugly, angled wheels with silver and black. Hatch designs are inherently bland. Most of what's new is aiming for the same lightbar-centric lighting and thin, minimalist headlights. You get hideous, oversized screens slapped lazily across the dash in a way that doesn't convey any kind of design language most of the time.
Yes, there are exceptions, but they're increasingly rare. IMO, cars offered a lot more character and difference in design, partially thanks to the presence of a trunk. When every SUV/CUV's rear is just a slap with a ducktail spoiler at the top, it's pretty boring.
Interior design is suffering from far more than the “slap a screen on it” issue right now. Like, why is the center console so fucking huge? Why do I need to feel like I have a 747 console eating up half the space in the car? Nothing right now seems to have a cohesive form or function other than taking away space from the driver and passenger. It’s the one thing of “the good ol days” I think actually does need a revisit, true design language based on the horizontal dashboard being incorporated into the entire front cabin. Seeing Scout bring back the full bench on the Terra was a breath of fresh air, and the Traveller just looks so goofy inside without it.
Yup. I also feel like I've been hearing that current car design sucks, or really "new thing bad/old thing good" since around the 2000s or so. I partially agree especially with certain aspects of tech stuff (enshittification), but I think modern cars are fine inside and out and some really stand out even. Rivians seem decent to my eyes, the new Hondas look OK, my current two vehicles uh... look like they always have, just like a 911 haha. Mazda's current SUVs look pretty good IRL too. Cars like the Ioniq 5 are trying new design things and actually selling well even, that's cool and fun.
I definitely have specific things I like to rant about - the war on glass and sidewall and the increasingly aggro designs of car front ends - but don't feel like new cars are that bad in terms of overall aesthetics compared to older ones.
Seriously why do Rav4s and other daily driver cars look like they want to fight me now.
Yeah every car needing to look mean is a trend I strongly dislike. It’s fine on something like a Dodge Charger but it just looks silly on something 200HP family CUV.
I like how friendly Rivians look.
Same, except I agree with the neon lights part. So tacky and I don't think it will age well at all
I'd go for a volvo/polestar if you want a nice, comfortable and tastefully designed cabin. The germans have gone down the cost cutting route with their huge shiuty screens and frankly ugly interiors. I feel half of the upmarket Chinese brands have them beat on quality and efficiency.
There are a number of Chinese brands my wife and I really like. Nio in particular makes great value, high quality products with excellent UX and interior design (imo a little bit bland on the interior, but very comfy in a Lexus kinda way). The option to battery swap is a big selling point too. Additionally, Nios are sold in Europe and all the models we're looking at (ET7, ES6, and a couple others) have 5 star Euro NCAP crash test ratings, so any concerns about "cheap Chinese quality" in terms of safety are unfounded. Volvo and Polestar are great choices (my dad has owned an S40 for the last 15 years and I basically learned to drive in it), but Polestar is facing major financial difficulty and I'm concerned about the future of the brand, parts availability, etc.
Also, this is dumb, but this is an emotional purchase for me. I grew up loving cars, specifically German and Italian cars. I always wanted a BMW, Audi, or Mercedes. This is finally my chance and there just isn't as much choice as there was when I was a kid in terms of good product.
Just buy the Nio. The current generation of BMW and especially Mercedes, Audi aren't targeted at you.
I own a Polestar and the cabin looks good but the quality is straight ass once you feel it.
why what parts?
The whole interior from cloth to plastic. Hollow brittle plastic, cloth doesnt feel like cloth because its one of those “plastic eco textiles”. Doors feel as bad as my Type R.
Man, i forgot about RCR, i wonder why its not recommended for me or why it isnt in the YT algorithm for me
2 edgy 4 advertisers
Just subscribe and ring the bell.
Some of his edgiest (or most tasteless, depending on your POV) material has been voluntarily removed.
100%
Interestingly, I actually think we’re starting to turn around. I think the last decade has been largely awful, but manufacturers are starting to go back to simpler forms and more classic silhouettes instead of telling their design team “add as many competing lines and curves as you possibly can, the more visual complexity the better.” Whereas I previously thought cars were getting progressively worse looking, I’ve recently found myself largely preferring new models to the ones they’re replacing in a variety of sectors (excluding BMW here - they’re self owning so hard right now imo). The CUV era is going strong, but at least they look better than they did in 2018. I’m in agreement about interiors though - I’m disappointed they’re not nicer.
Do you have any such examples?
Sure, many. In my subjective opinion, the following cars look better now than their last model. This isn’t an exhaustive list.
I recognize this is mostly SUVs - I think I haven’t been paying much attention to sedans and coupes because I haven’t been as excited by them recently. And the market for sports cars feels pretty stagnant. But I think the new Genesis G90 Wingback concept is sick, as is the Audi RS6.
I would love an all black AWD iD Buzz as a 2nd vehicle for cargo and around town. I suspect they might be very very good deals used in a few years. Literally the only ev that tempts me at all
I think BMW is actually the best example of this recent turnaround. BMW’s Neue Klasse is looking great and they are doing really well with EV’s. Innovative and not-ugly, which is all you can hope for in the crossover space. BMW wants to leave the pig snout era behind and I have high hopes for the i3 and i3 Touring.
The Neue Klasse cars are even more appealing to the blind, because they don’t have to look at them
Ix3 looks fantastic.
Ironically I actually think they look pretty good, especially compared to the pig-nosed 4 and 7 series
What a strange way to write ‘I don’t like them’
Is it strange for people to use hyperbole to joke about how strongly they feel about something?
Some exteriors are OK, but interiors are horrible because they lack any character. Everything is minimalist and "clean," so you get a rather bland slapping of a screen across the dash and nothing of note beyond it. Screens have become the primary (sometimes only) design cue, and it draws away from the character of any interior. That some (AUDI) surround the screen in cheap plastics doesn't help the cause.
I like the front designs of most cars that aren't using a lightbar, like Cadillac's sedans, but the interior screens ruin it. However, there's no saving mass market SUVs like the Equinox or Rogue to make them look good. At best, they're forgettable inoffensive, and that's the biggest portion of the auto sector's sales these days.
The Equinox is deliberately ugly to upsell the Optiq/Lyriq. The Prologue is the same car and looks infinitely better. It doesn't cost extra to make a Equinox look like the Prologue. Product segmentation is one of my least favorite things about business.
A tale as old as time, someone who grew up during a certain era of cars hating on the new era of cars
Don’t you live in China? I agree on Mercedes, can’t speak to the rest of the Germans. Others have indicated the Germans went cost-cutting; so you should just go to a Chinese domestic or something like Volvo. The YangWang U7 looks cool.
More generally I don’t agree with the idea. While the German 3 may have gone one way or the other (again can’t really speak to it), people have such intense nostalgia glasses for when they were younger. We do need buttons back but most manufacturers except Mazda are going back to the buttons.
Realistically only some buttons will come back, there are two many features/options living in a car to not require a digital display unless you are fine with the center console being a keyboard.
That new Toyota though…
https://www.topgear.com/sites/default/files/2025/12/1128_T008.jpg
Don’t even have to go that high. Toyota has been putting out some great designs. I think the latest GR86 is gorgeous. (I am a sucker for a duck tail spoiler though)
You know you’re in trouble when even Ferrari has lost its way.
The problem is that most automakers are stuck in mentality that EVs have to stand out as EVs with their exterior designs and weird quirky interiors.
Some of them understand this issue and are designing cars with regular interiors like VW with the i.d series and Porsche with thier EVs.
I would still rather have an e-Golf over any of the new i.d series VWs
I wouldn't say so. A lot of EVs have a pretty standard design. The Korean OEMs aren't doing anything really crazy, with the IONIQ 5 the most extreme you really see. GM's got a good number of SUVs at Cadillac and Chevrolet that aren't doing anything crazy. The stuff at Audi and Porsche is quite tame.
Rivian and Tesla have kind of done that, but I can't think of others that have bizarre designs to them. Mercedes MAYBE, but I think theirs were more victims of chasing aerodynamics than trying to be unique. BMW's issues with EV design are mostly tied to that horrible grille they carried from their last generation of ICE stuff, so I can't blame those either.
The Cybertruck just looks like a DIY build. Looks cheaper than it costs.
I think you could say that about the entire car market though. Everything is $10K+ more than you'd expect.
The new bmw m2 is prime modern ugly
Imo audi interiors have always been poor. Just the same hard scratchy plastic as in vw and skoda, ew.
And yeah, everything is a fat blob now. Except actual long hooded coupes/cabrios from proper luxury brands like ferrari, but those are unattainable to most.
I think the problem is that everyone just lost their balls. All manufacturers only want to make cars that are a success. So everything is designed into an inoffensive average blob because that's the thing the average customer buys. Because the average person has no taste and is scared to make a stand. It's the same reason as why we only get superhero movies these days.
Luxury EVs are better off as CPOs just due to the depreciation of EVs. Save the $20-30k and go for the gas version instead