It’s the common refrain from middle aged people like me.
Why are today’s car’s so BORING?!?
Cars used to be exciting, with sweeping lines and character.
Now we’re living in a sea of lookalikes that, rather than getting the pulse racing,
makes you fall asleep.
Many large volume car makers seem to have coalesced around one style of car, to the
point where it’s hard to differentiate one car from another.
So why is that?
Why don’t we have the cars we were promised from the visions of the future?
Let’s look into why we have cookie cutter cars today, and if there are some exciting
cars hiding out there for us to go and buy.
(music)
I’m sorry to have to tell you, but you likely
aren’t the target market for many of today’s modern cars.
Most people just want a car that starts in the morning, has a happy face, and can play
their Spotify playlist through Bluetooth.
And car companies are happy to supply cars that do just that.
It’s not that car designers want to make a bland car.
They don’t spend years in education just waiting for the day they can make the new
Vauxhall Astra look slightly different from the old Vauxhall Astra, and to be honest not
that far off a 2004 Ford Focus.
They likely spent their adolescent days jotting crazy designs on the back of their exercise
books at school and dreamt of making the next modern automotive masterpiece while getting
their degree.
So why can’t we all get cool looking cars on a budget?
The original Mini was cool, it made good use of space, it was fun.
Why can’t we do that?
Well, the Mini might have been cheap, but it cost a LOT to manufacture because of how
it was designed, and in fact the British Motor Corporation lost money on every car they sold.
Maybe that’s why they ceased to exist in 1968.
Profit margins on modern cars are razor thin.
Old players Ford & GM are under attack from cheaper competition like Dacia and Chinese
manufacturers who can produce cars for less with cheaper labour.
Look at the cheapest car you can buy today in the UK – the Dacia Sandero.
For under £7,000 you get 5-doors, power steering, front and side airbags,
ABS and emergency brake assist.
Back in the 60s and 70s you were lucky if you got a door mirror, especially on a base model!
And unlike those 60s and 70s cars, the Sandero gets a 4 star NCAP crash rating.
Or if you live in the US of A you can buy a brand new Mitsubishi Mirage with power windows,
Bluetooth, ABS, backup camera and air conditioning for the low, low price of $7,587.
And they’ll throw in 2 years of maintenance for free.
Modern streamlined manufacturing, coupled with lower wages in emerging markets mean
bland econoboxes can be churned out for less money than a bag of chips.
And established car companies are doing everything they can to stay in business.
If they can save a penny on a component they will, because on a run of tens of thousands
of cars, those pennies add up.
It’s hard for car companies to take a risk on new bold designs that can take years to
reach the market and cost a small fortune to develop.
One thing they do to mitigate the risk is to develop a common platform for many different cars.
The Ford Escort was an attempt first to make a car that would work for all of Europe, and
then for all of the world.
Now car companies are merging so these common platforms can be used across many different cars.
PSA, who owns Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall have said they want to go down
to just 2 platforms for all of their cars.
And they make a lot of different models!
They’ve just merged with Fiat Chrysler where I’m sure they’ll be working to do the
same across those models as well.
And it’s not just PSA doing this.
The 7th generation Golf used the MQB platform that was used by all of these cars, across
their many car marques.
So, if you're thinking of making a new exciting car design, the first thing you'll need to
do is make sure it fits on a common platform.
That’s not impossible, but it might limit your creative design.
And part of the reason for a common platform is each one has to go through a raft of tests
to ensure they’re safe on the road.
The public wants safer cars, so Governments mandate better crash structures and airbags
to protect not just you, but pedestrians as well.
That’s a good thing, and road deaths have fallen or stayed static whilst the number
of cars on the road has been steadily increasing.
But that crash structure limits the funky, cool shape you want to give your new car.
All these extra safety rules add yet another hurdle for small car manufacturers.
And if you’re starting a new car company, just think how much money you’d need to
get started, while entering a market that’s shown slim profits over the years.
Remember, this is a market when you can buy box with four wheels for less than £7,000
or $8,000!
So new car makers target the high end market where they can compete.
It’s impossible for a privateer to make a cheap, fun car.
Even a basic Caterham Seven, based on a 1950s car, costs over £27,000, and if you want
to buy the spiritual successor to the Seven, the Ariel Atom, you’re going to need a lot
more cash.
Back in the olden days we had designers each with a sharpened No. 2 pencil behind their
ear drawing sweeping lines on a piece of paper, slowly refining the car’s shape.
They were trying to find that perfect balance between practical space, cost and style.
And along the way they came up with some great designs (and some duds, but we’ll get to
that in a minute).
Today we have computers that can run through millions of iterations to find the hatchback,
MPV, SUV or coupé shape with the most interior space for the minimum cost.
And don’t forget a good drag factor because that leads to better fuel economy.
Each car company knows customers look at statistics like fuel economy, rear storage capacity and
of course the purchase price before they even step into the showroom to book a test drive.
So, the computer crunches its numbers and comes up with the optimal shape.
And so it’s easy to see why cars seem to have become so similar.
Take the humble car door handle.
In the 1960s and 70s there were so many different types.
But if you walk down a line of cars today, you’ll likely see one style stand out.
Most car companies have moved to this style likely because its aerodynamic, it’s easy
to use, it fits the style of all cars in their range, and most importantly it’s cheap to manufacture.
There are some car companies that have bucked the trend and are trying new styles, and who
knows, some of these might turn out to be a better design.
“Better” being more aerodynamic, easier to use and cheaper to manufacture.
And if that’s the case, you can be sure you’ll see this new style on every new car in town.
But it’s more likely that any new door handle style, or indeed external car design will
be either slightly more expensive to manufacture, slightly less aerodynamic, or give slightly
less internal space.
The car company has to research if these trade-offs will be worth the extra sales they might see,
to ensure the car will make a profit.
You can be sure they’ll be asking focus groups if middle-class mums under 35 will
be willing to make the switch.
It’s a brave car executive that sticks out his or her neck to green light a new and novel design.
And the larger the company, the harder it is to push through radical changes.
In smaller companies where there are less politics, it’s possible to get the team
behind a new direction.
Jaguar’s CEO, Sir William Lyons even had a hand in designing many of their cars, such
as the Jaguar XJ6.
It’s impossible to think of that happening at most large car companies now with a long
chain of command.
It’s not impossible to create a fun, stylish new car, especially with a strong visionary
leader, but the larger the team, the exponentially harder it gets.
When I’m shopping for a car I tend to focus less on a car’s exterior and more on the interior.
It’s partly because I’m a technology geek who wants the latest gadgets, but it’s also
because 90% of the time that’s what I’m looking at.
Car companies know this and spend lots of money making sure cars have the latest bells
and whistles, and that they’re clear and logically laid out.
But with cost pressures they can’t use different switchgear and in car entertainment systems
for each model they produce.
This is why the sporty Mazda MX-5 has an almost identical interior to the Mazda3 hatchback.
From these photos it’s pretty hard to tell which is the MX-5 and which is the Mazda3.
If you’re spending 90% of your time looking at this while inching forward in slow moving
traffic, why would you buy the less practical open top?
But having a common set of buttons and switches has its advantages.
It’s easier to give the MX-5 Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, heated seats, climate
control and Lane departure warning, when you’re dipping into the parts bin from other models.
But a less than inspiring interior in my opinion really lets down the overall car.
I remember when Ford released the Thunderbird reboot in 2000.
It was a really nice design.
But the interior used stock Ford parts and let the side down.
And don’t get me started on the interior of the latest VW Beetle!
We also seem to be seeing fewer car colours.
In the US at least, the most popular colours are white, black and silver, with grey not far behind.
I think we’re slowly moving to a monotone world.
And I’m part of the problem – my last car colours were grey, grey, grey and silver.
So why aren’t we all driving around in neon pink cars?
Well other than that being a terrible idea, outlandish car colours don’t shift quickly
from dealer’s forecourts, and dealers want to stock cars that will shift quickly.
Customers used to wait 8 weeks or so for their new customised car.
But most people, me included, will make a few compromises, like the car’s colour,
to get something close to what they want if they can have it now.
The more turnover at a dealer, the more profit, so they only stock the safe colour choices.
Car makers are aware we find their cars bland, and despite everything I’ve just said they
do sometimes try new designs to make their cars stand out.
But taste is individual, and one person’s stylish masterpiece could be another person’s
hideous monstrosity.
So again, it’s a big gamble to try something new.
There’s plenty of train wrecks where car companies have tried and failed to capture
the larger public mood, such as the infamous Fiat Multipla, but there are times when a
car company has just got it right.
Like the original Ford Focus.
It was a wild departure from the Escort shape, yet the New Edge styling was fresh and attractive.
It got better handling, in fact it seemed pretty much better in every way than the old Escort.
But still there were some people at the time that didn’t like the new design.
Sometimes car companies try to create a “halo” car.
That is, a car that gets people in the showroom door, but the customer’s really looking
for a more mainsteam model.
Like the Vauxhall VX220 that was a version of the Lotus Elise, or the Volkswagen Scirocco,
which is essentially a Golf GTI with a less practical, but hopefully more interesting
body, and it was a bit lower to the ground to help with cornering.
But when the mk3 Scirocco was released in the UK it would set you back between £18,000
and £22,000.
At the same time, you could get a Golf for just £12,000 to £20,000.
Would you pay the extra £2,000 or so to get a bit more “cool”, and a bit less practicality?
From the Scirocco’s sales figures, it seems not.
VW’s abandoned the idea of a “halo” car, and there’s not much in the way of
“fun” in their current line-up, unless you want to buy yourself a Volkswagen e-up!
Nostalgia for the past, or just seeing classic cars on the road, makes us think all cars
had classic styling.
But let’s not kid ourselves, not all old cars were beautiful masterpieces.
For every Renault 5, Escort RS2000, Opel Manta, or MINI reboot, there’s an Austin Allegro,
Austin Princess, Austin Maxi, so many Austins…, BMW Z3 coupé, Toyota Corolla, or Fiat Croma.
But the old boring cars of the past have been forgotten, and crushed, and we remember the
fun cars we owned or lusted after.
In our mind we’re driving them on that one sunny highway in car commercials that always
seems to have no traffic.
As they say, nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.
And although it’s easy to say modern cars are boring, there are some good designs out there.
And this is the point where you're going to be shouting into your screen, and furiously
writing comments because you disagree with what I’ve chosen.
And that's fine – everyone’s taste is different but I'm sure you can come up with
other designs you like.
So, here goes!
The Fiat 500 or 500C is small and fun, and the interior’s not bad.
Or there’s the mad Abarth 595C version with a 7 second 0-60 time.
The new MINI is always fun, but in my opinion the shape is getting on a bit, but don’t
let Mrs. Big Car hear me saying that!
Or there’s the Jeep Renegade if you want a little more room for an affordable price.
Or how about a Suzuki Jimny?
Or then there’s the Tesla Cybertruck.
It turns pickup design on its head while creating a striking design you definitely can’t call boring!
And the latest Ford Fusion or Mondeo, depending upon which side of the pond you’re on, is
a great design that has a bit of Aston Martin flair about it.
But not everyone can spend this sort of money on a car.
It’s tempting to think that sporty cars from the 50s, 60s and 70s
were exciting, stylish and cheap.
So, let’s take a look at a couple of them.
The MG Midget was just £455.
The Bank of England inflation calculator says that today that’s around £10,700.
It’s going to be hard to buy a new fun car for that money today, but let’s broaden
our search a little.
Your MG Midget was going to break down and rust much faster than today’s cars, so let’s
compare it to a few lightly used sports cars.
A quick internet search shows I can get a choice of a Mazda MX-5, MINI convertible,
Fiat Spider, BMW Z4, Audi TT or even a Mercedes-Benz SLK!
But how about the must-have coupé from 1970, the iconic Ford Capri?
You could get a cool-looking, but very slow 1.3L version for £890 in 1969, and that converts
to just shy of £15,000 today.
For that price I can get a Mercedes C class, a 3-year old open top Audi TT with just 3,000
miles on the clock, a 6-series BMW, a Ford Mustang!, a Subaru BRZ, or a Toyota GT86.
And while the Capri took over 20 seconds to get to 60mph, all of these cars can do it
in less than 8.
Or if you’re looking for a new car for just a little bit more money, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta
looks pretty spiffy.
So are modern cars boring?
If you’re going for a car you need to pack 2.4 kids and dog in, there are a lot of cars
that look the same, but you can find many fun and interesting cars if you do a bit of research.
And unlike cars that were born when the world was black and white, today’s cars are reliable.
So go through all the new or used cars available to you, and choose something that’s interesting.
Maybe it’ll encourage car makers to make a few less boring ones!
If you want to read more, there’s a great article on Jalopnik that I’ve linked to
in the description.
But for now, a big shout out to my Patrons and don’t forget to subscribe.
Thanks for watching and see you in the next video!