Ewwwwww 3 series Gran Trismo??

[97tbird]

why do they keep building this butt-***** gran trismos/coupes?
This should win the Ugliest Car of the Year award...(well, perhaps not, but should be in the top 5 or so...)

Pic Copyright: Motorauthority.

 

[Obos]

Because the CLS succeeded

 

[artificialist]

It looks similar to the unattractive Honda Accord Crosstour.

What were they thinking?

 

[JHZR2]

Isnt that actually the 4 series or something?

I agree, yuck. But maybe hatchback sedans have their place.

After all, people want the utility of a hatch-like car, but are too cool for a minivan, station wagon, or hatchback car, and too eco-savvy for an SUV.

LOL.

 

[Mr Nice]

Yuck. It looks like the Honda Crosstour.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

But maybe hatchback sedans have their place.


Yes, at the year end clearance event.

 

[IndyIan]

I like the Mazda6 hatchback. Not much wrong with that shape.

 

[The Critic]

Personally, I think it's an awesome looking car.

 

[SLCraig]

Wow, that is horrid.

 

[JamesBond]

Ugh...Ford Focus fender vent?

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Personally, I think it's an awesome looking car.


Maybe because the rear end resembles a Prius?

IMO it's ugly. I'll take a full fledged wagon thank you very much.

 

[Nick R]

To me another example of....

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Obos
Because the CLS succeeded


Because a sedan always looks better with a sloping crossover SUV [censored] end slapped on it.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Isnt that actually the 4 series or something?

The 4-series is supposed to be a 2-door, from what I've read...

 

[Hokiefyd]

I like the car. But I also like the Honda Crosstour, the Toyota Venza, and all of those hatchy sedan cars. They give sedan-quality handling and lower center of gravity, and largely remove the limitations of a conventional trunk.

Would a real wagon be better? Yes, but we don't have many of those to choose from, so this is the game we play. Of the available models, I think these hatchy sedans are good multipurpose vehicles (again, if looking for the lower stance of a sedan vs. a crossover).

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Would a real wagon be better? Yes, but we don't have many of those to choose from, so this is the game we play.

The 3-series wagon will be available in the US very soon. I'd rather take that than this ugly duckling that OP posted.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I like the car. But I also like the Honda Crosstour, the Toyota Venza, and all of those hatchy sedan cars. They give sedan-quality handling and lower center of gravity, and largely remove the limitations of a conventional trunk.

Would a real wagon be better? Yes, but we don't have many of those to choose from, so this is the game we play. Of the available models, I think these hatchy sedans are good multipurpose vehicles (again, if looking for the lower stance of a sedan vs. a crossover).


I'm not sure what the strict definitions of "wagon" vs "hatchy sedan" are, but a Venza is a wagon. I don't know what Toyota is trying to pass it off as, but it's a wagon.

I love a good wagon, but these monstrosities that BMW is coming out with are not a good replacement for them style-wise or utility-wise. This thing is ugly, although I felt the same way about the 5-series version.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: cchase
I'm not sure what the strict definitions of "wagon" vs "hatchy sedan" are, but a Venza is a wagon. I don't know what Toyota is trying to pass it off as, but it's a wagon.


To me, the Venza is not a wagon. To me, a station wagon is a proportional definition. That is, the cargo area behind the 2nd row of seats is at least as long as the 2nd row of seats is. The BMW 3-series wagon is, well, a wagon. Old Volvo wagons are wagons. Any 3-row SUV today is a vehicle I consider a wagon (or at least a lifted wagon).

The Venza/Crosstour/Gran Turismo vehicles don't have the same cargo box usability that defines a wagon for me. They're like sedans with hatches. Not unlike the old Mazda 6 hatch. You'll recall that the Mazda 6 was sold in three versions: the Sport Sedan", the "5-Door", and the "Sport Wagon". The hatch had different proportions than the wagon did. To me, the current crop of these types of vehicles are more akin to the old Mazda 6 hatch than anything.

 

[cchase]

I'd have to measure, but I don't think the E46 wagon cargo area is as long as the 2nd row of seats.

Interesting way of looking at it, either way!

 

[Hokiefyd]

It may not by strict measurement of the tape, but you can see that it has a well-defined cargo "box" behind the 2nd row. The Mazda "Sport Wagon" does as well. The Venza/Crosstour/Gran Turismo do not have defined "boxes" behind the seats. The roofline just continues to slope down. Maybe it's a "visual" proportion thing to me, rather than a dimensional one. Even I don't know!

I consider our Acura MDX to be a wagon. I'm not sure about the CR-V...I've never really thought about it. It doesn't have the same visual proportions of a wagon to me, but I think that's because of the highly-curved rear side window. If the rear side window followed the lines of the roof and rear liftgate, it probably would look more like a wagon to me.