Automotive trends have come and gone for approximately as long as we’ve had automobiles. From streamlined art deco designs and tail fins to coach doors and angry-eyebrow headlights, both manufacturers and owners have always had their tastes change with the times. Today, we ask: What’s the modern day’s worst automotive trend?
This can be OEM or aftermarket, so long as it’s something popular right now. Do you hate the size of modern crossovers, the death of the hot hatch, or the light bars that every automaker is slapping between their headlights right now? Well, you’re in the right place. Today’s your day to rant and rave about all those dumb things the kids are doing in their home garages or their automaker boardrooms, and make your voice heard. Maybe, if we’re all lucky, some trendsetter will take our ideas and build the perfect car — after all, surely none of us disagree on what trends annoy us.
Branded puddle lights are dumb
For my take, I hate branded puddle lights on modern luxury cars. The idea of a puddle light itself isn’t a bad one — I’ve certainly stepped in plenty a puddle while exiting a car at night — but to have a light that’s actively made worse at its job just to display a logo is stupefying. I don’t need a tri-star shaped view of the ground below me, I need a big patch of light. The puddle light pictured above, from Land Rover, is actually one of the less-bad variants — at least, rather than a logo, this one shows a spaceship. I just don’t need a vehicle to shout “I’M A MERCEDES-BENZ” every time I enter or exit.
But what about you? What’s your pick for the worst modern automotive trend? Leave your answers in the comments below, and I’ll collect my favorites later on in the week.
