When designers are allowed to really do their thing, cars can look like literal works of art, and unlike most sculptures, they actually move and interact with their environment. At their best, they legitimately deliver on the ad copy’s promise of “dynamic design.” Of course, the opposite can be true, too. Some cars just don’t look good at all, whether it’s because the design is just a little too out there for your personal taste or because the powers that be started messing with the design, usually to lower costs and hopefully boost profits.
At the same time, though, an ugly car isn’t automatically a bad car. Looks aren’t the only thing that matters, and if you bring enough to the table, plenty of people will be more than willing to overlook your disappointing exterior. Or at least that’s what I tell myself any time I see myself in a mirror.Â
My pick
The first-generation Porsche Panamera is a classic example of this. The front end is fine, even if it isn’t the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, but once you get past the A-pillar, you get a car that very clearly wanted to be a wagon but never could quite get all the way there. No one would ever accuse the first-gen Panamera of being beautiful, but at the same time, the praise for the Panamera’s driving dynamics was nearly universal. People just loved the way these things drove, and as Top Gear famously pointed out, once you were behind the wheel, you didn’t have to see the way the car looked.
Today, we want to know what car is like that for you? Which car do you still love even though it’s ugly? Do you actually like the design and think the haters are idiots, or do you agree on the design but love it even though it’s ugly? Let us know down in the comments.
