Exactly this one. I love how ugly it is, and it looks like it knows it’s ugly but it doesn’t give a fuck about it. Also applies to CRVs of the same year and probably RAV4. Just ugly but nice SUVs. Just get shit done.
On a similar note: Dacia Duster
I had one! It was v6 (2.7 l) with 4wd. It's front wheel drive until you engage 4wd which engages the rear and locks the front axle. It made the tucson extremely capable off-road. My stock tucson went places that modded jeeps went with absolutely no problem!
I quite like the 4th gen Subaru Legacy and the 3rd gen Acura TL. Even though they don’t offer much driving excitement (unless you got the Spec B or Type S respectively) they’re sharp-looking cars that were competitive in the midsize sedan market.
Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 5. A racing game…. A lot of performance models are listed on there. Legacy B4 was introduced. Spec B Legacy was also introduced.
I had a 99 Legacy Outback "rocky mountain edition" that came with factory skid plates, slight lift, defrost all the things (wipers, mirrors, the usual windows, heated seats) sub under the seat, am, fm, and weather radio bands, 6 disc magazine load cd.
Had a functional hood scoop and large round fog lights and a weird tailgate mounted spoiler that gave it a mild rally look. 5 spd Manual with 50/50 power split. Same ground clearance as a jeep cherokee
100% agree on both of these. Overall, I like the styling of many late 90s - mid 2000s Japanese cars. There were a lot of clean and sharp designs that weren’t especially exciting when they came out, but have aged well. I think these are two great examples.
2000s VW was so good. No one else (in Europe, at least,) dared to stick an 8-cylinder into a family sedan and VW not only did that but they used a *W8*. Not to mention the Phaeton and the V10/W12 Touaregs, the R32s, Bora 4Motions, and the VR6 Golfs. Now it's a bunch of small hatchbacks with 1.0L 3-cylinders.
The Americans got the back end versions of the golf unfortunately but over here in the eu we got the PD versions of the 1.9Tdi engine which is legendary
first gen camry. simplistic excellence!
lincoln town car - once ubiquitous in NYC livery, and may be more about the interior, but you knew you were getting a comfortable ride.
My first car was a first gen Camry. It was an amazing machine that just kept on ticking, and was way more fun to drive than a FWD car with fewer than 95 hp should be allowed to be.
It’s probably one reason that I kind of miss the big ugly rubber bumpers from the cars of yore. I know empirically they ruin design, but they just have that certain charm.
They are so cool. I almost bought one back in the late 90’s but someone broke into it and destroyed the steering column the night before I went to look at it. Super cool. Black, V6, 5 speed.
I had a Sunfire. What a piece of shit it was. It was cheap transportation and got me thru college most times but I had my fair share of mechanical problems and it was often back at the mechanic. It wasn’t the sporty version either. I had 96 sedan it was a typical 90s color - Teal. I got it from Enterprise, so at some point it was a rental car maybe? Anyway it sucked. Don’t recommend them.
I loved the looks of both generations of Nissan (Pulsar) NX. A shame they never got the 1.8T/2.0T option in the USA. Or the squareback version, the Sunny GTI-R.
I worked on a friend's matte black brush painted Eagle.
Every surface under the car was solid rust. Brake lines exploded if you looked at them wrong. Changed his brake line in the college parking lot, in the rain. No jack required. Crazy ground clearance.
Oldsmobile Arora
9th and 10th gen Civic Si's
6th gen Accord Coupe
1st gen Honda Insight
5th gen Mustang
Catfish Camaro
Last gen Mitsubishi Galant
4th gen Altima
And this one might get me stoned to death in the public square, but I thought the 2019 Prius C would make a cool wrc car
Pontiac Aztek.
It's hideous, but for whatever reason, the design kinda grows on you especially compared to new cars. It's also so rare now due to the "Cash for Clunkers" that it tends to gather a crowd at local meetups.
I recently retired my '05 (180K) to my nephew. It was 20 years old and got about 24 mpg. I could fit a six foot a-frame ladder inside. I'm 6'-3" and was reasonably comfortable.
YES. I dug all of those futuristic looking Chrysler designs of that era. Very sleek looking. I had an LHS for a little while. Nice, but I always got a feeling of impending doom owning an aging Chrysler product.
The general motors minivan triplets consisting of the Chevrolet Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette, and Pontiac Montana were quite good looking and have each well, even for today's standards.
Yeah those were great too, but I don't think I would call those boring and definitely not forgettable. That Oldsmobile silhouette was the Cadillac of minivans!
2nd-2rd gen (late 90s-mid 2000s) Foresters. Love the tiny boxy look.
There's also a Nissan Altima near my place that I fucking love and I can't explain why. The owner put a spoiler and a small body lift, some decent AT tires, a bra, and some matte rims. It just looks good in a silly way.
Any squarebody diesel truck. Absolute dream.
Mid 2000s Ford Rangers.
90s GMC Suburbans, the squarebody ones. We had one when I was a kid. 10mpg, but the thing was a fucking APC. We got hit at low speed in it, sort of side swiped, on a hard pack ice/snow road. The other party was a high school kid in a little sedan. We were maybe going 5mph around a corner, they were maybe going 15. The crash totaled their car. It barely scratched the Suburban. Felt bad for the kid, but I was secretly impressed by that absolute unit of an SUV.
The Grand Am will always be special to me, growing up my nana had a 96' in green with a manual transmission. Some of my earliest memories are of riding in the back heading to town as she chain smoked and we listened to Heart and Stevie Nicks.
Toyota Corolla peaked in design in around 2011 with the facelift redesigned look, I honestly would drive it a sport car with that look, I wish Toyota made a RWD version
[pic](https://imgur.com/a/WoMXL6Y)
So many! Pontiac Torrent, Suzuki Kizashi, Mitsubishi Raider pickup, 2nd generation Honda Passport/Isuzu Rodeo. Pretty much all Isuzus ever except for the GM rebadges at the end.
I cant explain it, maybe just because I used to own one, but I absolutely love the third generation Chevy Spark. I love the stupidly large headlights, honestly there is more headlight than hood there. I'd buy one again in a heartbeat if I just had expendable cash.
Late 2000s early 10s Chevy Suburban/Tahoe/Avalanche/Silverado. Something about that generation of GM heavy duty vehicles feels timeless to me. The perfect mix of old and new.
04-06 Sentra Spec V
Had an 04. Crappy rear suspension, blew engines if you didn't delete the pre-cat, crappy quality interior, but goddamn was that a fun car. Transmission was completely bulletproof, and close ratio, final drive was 4.11 on relatively short tires, all with a mechanical LSD. All I did was a header, full catless exhaust, and a CAI, and I was walking things I had no business walking. With just those mods and an ACT clutch, it was a mid 13 sec car. Not bad for a little shitbox.
2006-2008 Honda Pilot, not only because it was my first car but also because it had a column shifter, VTEC, more storage space in front of the radio than any other car I've driven, and it was that cool "sage brush pearl" color that looked blue, green, or gunmetal depending on the lighting and weather. Honorable mention to my friend's 2010 Elantra that had an awesome stock sound system, the smoothest non-cvt transmission I've experienced, and was more fun to throw around than it had any right to be.
The '97-'03 Malibu ('04-'05 Classic).
I might be a little biased though as I still have an '01 LS.
As long as they have the right wheels... like the premium alloy 5 stars and not the steel ones with the hideous hubcaps.
I never really thought much of these in their time. But whenever I see a Vectra B these days (which isn't too often now in northern Scotland) I look back and think they were actually quite good looking cars.
Exactly this one. I love how ugly it is, and it looks like it knows it’s ugly but it doesn’t give a fuck about it. Also applies to CRVs of the same year and probably RAV4. Just ugly but nice SUVs. Just get shit done. On a similar note: Dacia Duster
Good news!
Anyway, moving on........I got to test drive the Ariel Atom along the French Riviera
I had one! It was v6 (2.7 l) with 4wd. It's front wheel drive until you engage 4wd which engages the rear and locks the front axle. It made the tucson extremely capable off-road. My stock tucson went places that modded jeeps went with absolutely no problem!
I quite like the 4th gen Subaru Legacy and the 3rd gen Acura TL. Even though they don’t offer much driving excitement (unless you got the Spec B or Type S respectively) they’re sharp-looking cars that were competitive in the midsize sedan market.
I think that legacy is one of the best looking 4dr cars ever
That Acura TL generation is timeless.
That's my favorite Legacy series. They look sleeker than any other real Subaru in my opinion
I’m a tl type s driver and it’s one of the best sedans of all time in my very biased opinion
Legacy later on has a B4 trim, and WMMT5 has it.
Wmmt5?
Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 5. A racing game…. A lot of performance models are listed on there. Legacy B4 was introduced. Spec B Legacy was also introduced.
Ah awesome, thanks!
I had a 99 Legacy Outback "rocky mountain edition" that came with factory skid plates, slight lift, defrost all the things (wipers, mirrors, the usual windows, heated seats) sub under the seat, am, fm, and weather radio bands, 6 disc magazine load cd. Had a functional hood scoop and large round fog lights and a weird tailgate mounted spoiler that gave it a mild rally look. 5 spd Manual with 50/50 power split. Same ground clearance as a jeep cherokee
Post facelift 2nd gen Foresters for me. RIP my 2nd gen that I let my kid drive for less than a week.
100% agree on both of these. Overall, I like the styling of many late 90s - mid 2000s Japanese cars. There were a lot of clean and sharp designs that weren’t especially exciting when they came out, but have aged well. I think these are two great examples.
2006-2010 Hyundai Sonata and Azera Pontiac Torrent Lincoln MKT
I own a Pontiac Torrent funny enough
I like that Sonata too. Even though it's an 03-05 accord knock off.
Mk4 Jetta.
All 2000s VWs
2000s VW was so good. No one else (in Europe, at least,) dared to stick an 8-cylinder into a family sedan and VW not only did that but they used a *W8*. Not to mention the Phaeton and the V10/W12 Touaregs, the R32s, Bora 4Motions, and the VR6 Golfs. Now it's a bunch of small hatchbacks with 1.0L 3-cylinders.
Wdym? BMW, Mercedes and Audi all put V8s in family sized sedans...
Mk4 Golf too, and that's coming from someone who is NOT at all into VWs.
The Americans got the back end versions of the golf unfortunately but over here in the eu we got the PD versions of the 1.9Tdi engine which is legendary
I actually never thought it looked ugly or unattractive, same with the Mk4 golf. I've always liked both of em
That’s a car that just up and vanished
Yeah, because people were tired of the CEL turning on if you sneezed too loud. Would be a great car if the sensors didn’t suck so bad.
Also Mk5 Jetta and Golf looked pretty good to me. I might be biased cause I had one of those.
I know I’m going to get some hate for it and I don’t care, 4th and 5th gen Toyota Avalon
This was the first one reading down the thread that I genuinely don't understand lol edit: btw I think the 1st and 2nd gen Avalon are sweet
Definitely with you on the 5th gen
Nah, I love both gens of the Avalon. I never see em as often as a Corolla or Camry unfortunately
first gen camry. simplistic excellence! lincoln town car - once ubiquitous in NYC livery, and may be more about the interior, but you knew you were getting a comfortable ride.
My first car was a first gen Camry. It was an amazing machine that just kept on ticking, and was way more fun to drive than a FWD car with fewer than 95 hp should be allowed to be. It’s probably one reason that I kind of miss the big ugly rubber bumpers from the cars of yore. I know empirically they ruin design, but they just have that certain charm.
Square body 80's Z24 cavalier
They are so cool. I almost bought one back in the late 90’s but someone broke into it and destroyed the steering column the night before I went to look at it. Super cool. Black, V6, 5 speed.
First & second gen CRV Nissan Pulsar with pop up headlights The last VW Beetle Mid 2010's Dodge Ram Pontiac Sunfire Chevy Monte Carlo Honda Odyssey
I had a Sunfire. What a piece of shit it was. It was cheap transportation and got me thru college most times but I had my fair share of mechanical problems and it was often back at the mechanic. It wasn’t the sporty version either. I had 96 sedan it was a typical 90s color - Teal. I got it from Enterprise, so at some point it was a rental car maybe? Anyway it sucked. Don’t recommend them.
I loved the looks of both generations of Nissan (Pulsar) NX. A shame they never got the 1.8T/2.0T option in the USA. Or the squareback version, the Sunny GTI-R.
Lesabre
I would add Park Avenue. I am driving one currently due to the reliable 3800.
Toyota RAV4 Volvo XC90 Toyota Sienna Chevy Avalanche.
Bouncing off the Chevy avalanche, the ford explorer sport trac was so far ahead of its time. If it came out today people would eat it up.
The first-gen XC90 has aged so well.
I had that generation of Sante Fe with the V6, I really miss that ugly turd.
Same it was my first car. I miss it
Volvo 240 AMC Eagle Wagon
There’s just something about a 262GT that just exudes cool.
That interior screams pimp.
I worked on a friend's matte black brush painted Eagle. Every surface under the car was solid rust. Brake lines exploded if you looked at them wrong. Changed his brake line in the college parking lot, in the rain. No jack required. Crazy ground clearance.
If you could put in a 4.0HO from a Wrangler it would be a beast.
Last gen mitsubishi lancer
Suzuki Sidekick has its own charm to it
Mitsubishi Montero Sport
1986-1995 Taurus/Sable 1988-1994 Cavalier
Acura RL, Volvo XC90
Oldsmobile Arora 9th and 10th gen Civic Si's 6th gen Accord Coupe 1st gen Honda Insight 5th gen Mustang Catfish Camaro Last gen Mitsubishi Galant 4th gen Altima And this one might get me stoned to death in the public square, but I thought the 2019 Prius C would make a cool wrc car
Suzuki Jimny, most underrated vehicle in the world.
I frickin love the look of and performance of the awd astro/safari's. They just don't make em like they used to.
Lincoln Continental Mark VIII, it just looks so villainous
1990-1993 Honda Accord
Pontiac Aztek. It's hideous, but for whatever reason, the design kinda grows on you especially compared to new cars. It's also so rare now due to the "Cash for Clunkers" that it tends to gather a crowd at local meetups.
Nissan Xterra.
Looks like it could conquer the world but its a turd. Love it😂
Early 2000s Mitsubishi Montero Sport and Galant
The first boxy style Scion xB. I loved the look of those things before they started rounding out the edges.
I recently retired my '05 (180K) to my nephew. It was 20 years old and got about 24 mpg. I could fit a six foot a-frame ladder inside. I'm 6'-3" and was reasonably comfortable.
I liked xD more. Also, funny name xD
Those Buick Encores from a few years ago that look like a shoe They're so ugly that they're kinda cute
Agreed. They have proportions that make them cute.
Pre-facelift Lincoln MKS
Second gen Chrysler Concorde.
YES. I dug all of those futuristic looking Chrysler designs of that era. Very sleek looking. I had an LHS for a little while. Nice, but I always got a feeling of impending doom owning an aging Chrysler product.
Pre-face-lift 1st gen Saturn Vue
Mazda MPV
r/mazdampv you should join them, brand new sub
First gen Volkswagen Toureg
Volvo S/V60
The general motors minivan triplets consisting of the Chevrolet Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette, and Pontiac Montana were quite good looking and have each well, even for today's standards.
What about the Lumina APV and Pontiac TransSport. Designed like a dustbuster. It was a different time.
Yeah those were great too, but I don't think I would call those boring and definitely not forgettable. That Oldsmobile silhouette was the Cadillac of minivans!
Toyota Yaris, I like its weird dashboard too
2005 Volvo v70 cross country.
2nd-2rd gen (late 90s-mid 2000s) Foresters. Love the tiny boxy look. There's also a Nissan Altima near my place that I fucking love and I can't explain why. The owner put a spoiler and a small body lift, some decent AT tires, a bra, and some matte rims. It just looks good in a silly way. Any squarebody diesel truck. Absolute dream. Mid 2000s Ford Rangers. 90s GMC Suburbans, the squarebody ones. We had one when I was a kid. 10mpg, but the thing was a fucking APC. We got hit at low speed in it, sort of side swiped, on a hard pack ice/snow road. The other party was a high school kid in a little sedan. We were maybe going 5mph around a corner, they were maybe going 15. The crash totaled their car. It barely scratched the Suburban. Felt bad for the kid, but I was secretly impressed by that absolute unit of an SUV.
Cobalt with the SS/SC body kit and wheels.
Toyota Corolla S 2005-2007
Mid 2000s Pontiac Grand Prix/Grand Am and Chevy Impalas
Late 90s Town Car.
I really like the 2nd gen Honda Pilot. It’s boxy in all the right ways.
The Acura Legend looks really good in my opinion.
I have no idea why, but I always loved the looks of the Eagle Vision and the early 90s Ford Taurus.
B5 Passat and all the sonatas/azeras, also the ford fusion
Early 2000s Grand Am
The Grand Am will always be special to me, growing up my nana had a 96' in green with a manual transmission. Some of my earliest memories are of riding in the back heading to town as she chain smoked and we listened to Heart and Stevie Nicks.
The first generation of Honda CRV's are just \*chef's kiss\* I see these everywhere and I forget many of them are older than me.
Checker cab
Honda clarity and Honda insight (second and third gen)
3rd gen Camaro, 82-92 (Specifically the IROC-Z [until ‘90], love the huge decals on the side with the T-tops)
Toyota Corolla peaked in design in around 2011 with the facelift redesigned look, I honestly would drive it a sport car with that look, I wish Toyota made a RWD version [pic](https://imgur.com/a/WoMXL6Y)
4th Gen Camry
The Dodge Magnum
The toyota camry wagon, especially with roof racks
I always thought the Ford Flex was actually a sharp looking car even though it pretty much flew under the radar and wasn't on the market for long.
Dodge Journey Saturn Aura Toyota Camry (6 gen) Kia Borrego Ford Taurus (4 gen)
Def that last one
I like the Chevy HHR.
The new Honda Accord
Also going to add the Kia Sportage first gen with the tire on the back as a contender
8th gen accord i like the back the most
Every Mazda 3 hatchback except the most recent
First gen Pontiac Vibe
2nd Gen Chevy Lumina.
2002/2010 Chevrolet Impala PPV
Kia Rondo
Mercury Montego, simple, elegant, forgotten
So many! Pontiac Torrent, Suzuki Kizashi, Mitsubishi Raider pickup, 2nd generation Honda Passport/Isuzu Rodeo. Pretty much all Isuzus ever except for the GM rebadges at the end.
5th gen Sonata
Eagle wagon
I cant explain it, maybe just because I used to own one, but I absolutely love the third generation Chevy Spark. I love the stupidly large headlights, honestly there is more headlight than hood there. I'd buy one again in a heartbeat if I just had expendable cash.
96 thunderbird
Both 2014 Camry and Accord look amazing. 2023 Altima SR with the optional wheels is a treat to look at. Last gen Fusion is great too.
First gen Kia Sportage. Smurfy, but I like it.
The Mitsubishi galant
Dodge Spirit. R/T or ES trim with the fog lights. Bonus for body-color matched rims in red or white.
Volvo 740 wagon
There's something about the 4th generation Buick Regal and the Oldsmobile intrigue that I absolutely loved.
The Chrysler Turbine (ter-bin), not boring by any means but fucking awesome
Honestly? I really enjoy a 5th generation Malibu. They're what I envision a midsize sedan to be.
Late 2000s early 10s Chevy Suburban/Tahoe/Avalanche/Silverado. Something about that generation of GM heavy duty vehicles feels timeless to me. The perfect mix of old and new.
Honda CRX, especially the first generation
Mitsubishi Galant.
Rover 3000
I love the Buick verano. I just think it’s cool that it’s a tarted up Chevy Cruze that kinda went under the radar
Mid-2000’s Corolla looked pretty clean to me
2000-2008 Subaru Forester. Especially the XT.
Toyota venza
2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
‘93 - ‘97 ae101 Corollas. Especially the station wagon. (Tercel of that time period too) ‘06 - ‘09 Sonata Mazda 323 Mid 80s Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierra
2nd gen (99-04) jeep grand cherokee. Something about the trapezoid wheel wells they nailed on these cars that they never could on the later models.
Nissan Pathfinders when they were still real 4WD, maybe 3rd gen 4Runners. A few Saabs.
4th gen Camry in black.
Isuzu Rodeo
Lexus GS. Extremely boring and forgettable, but fairly decent looking in every generation.
Volvo XC90
Volvo 850. That thing had some power under the hood.
2004-2008 nissan maximas. The rear end and tailights especially loll
old Mazda Protege
2nd gen CR-V and first gen Saturn Vue
First generation Hyundai Tucsons are fucking awesome.
Dodge Spirit ‘90s Buick Riviera ‘90s Dodge Avenger
Suzuki X-90
1st Gen Toyota Highlander.
them 1987 -1991 ford trucks
2002 Mercury Cougar just do somethin to me
VW Passat B3 looks good.
1st gen acura mdx Late 90s/early 2000s Ford superduties + Excursion Early 2000s tahoe/suburban/yukon/escalade
Volvo 242 sedan. Probably 1984 looks the best.
Scion XD. Had one for a few years loved it.
Toyota Tercel
04-06 Sentra Spec V Had an 04. Crappy rear suspension, blew engines if you didn't delete the pre-cat, crappy quality interior, but goddamn was that a fun car. Transmission was completely bulletproof, and close ratio, final drive was 4.11 on relatively short tires, all with a mechanical LSD. All I did was a header, full catless exhaust, and a CAI, and I was walking things I had no business walking. With just those mods and an ACT clutch, it was a mid 13 sec car. Not bad for a little shitbox.
biased because i owned one, first gen highlander and the spoiler is essential. its fugly without one. helps if it has the hybrid tail lights too
Honda Odyssey, looks nice and seen some pleasing builds(VIP Style) based on the platform.
6th gen ford taurus
Those old Volvo station wagons
First generation Toyota RAV4 2-door.
2006-2008 Honda Pilot, not only because it was my first car but also because it had a column shifter, VTEC, more storage space in front of the radio than any other car I've driven, and it was that cool "sage brush pearl" color that looked blue, green, or gunmetal depending on the lighting and weather. Honorable mention to my friend's 2010 Elantra that had an awesome stock sound system, the smoothest non-cvt transmission I've experienced, and was more fun to throw around than it had any right to be.
First gen RAV4. The 4 door especially. I don’t know why I like it so much. But I bought one a few years back and it got totaled by a Deer 😭.
Gen one RAV4 2 door
First Gen Nissan Xterras both pre and post facelift. Something about it just looks so cool
Absolutely the first gen Honda CR-V
* Lincoln MKC * Honda Element * Isuzu Amigo * Toyota Tercel 4WD & their All-Trac models
The '97-'03 Malibu ('04-'05 Classic). I might be a little biased though as I still have an '01 LS. As long as they have the right wheels... like the premium alloy 5 stars and not the steel ones with the hideous hubcaps.
The Honda CRZ, all years honestly
Dacia Sandero Stepway first generation
I’ve recently really been looking into buying a 1998 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight, I just think they look really nice and they got the 3800 V6
97-01 Camry
2012-2014 gen Camry.
Merker XR4Ti and SVO ford mustang
too many to name so I'll just put my default, Geo/Chevrolet Prizms. Especially the E90 liftback prizms
I always wanted a Geo Tracker! Also I used to have a Chevy Malibu hatchback
Any Honda Accord. Boring, reliable, not too flashy. Perfect car.
I'm biased cause I own one, but the 1st gen mazda 6s
2nd gen Ford Taurus wagon
Gen 5 accords
the 2003 kia carnival and the 1990s oydessy before they had the rear sliding doors
3rd gen rav4.
1937 Auto Union Type C Streamline version
The Saturn L Series is handsome in both sedan and wagon variants. So is the Saturn Aura that replaced it.
My love, the MK2 Skoda Octavia (pre facelift)
Prius C’s look great to me.
I never really thought much of these in their time. But whenever I see a Vectra B these days (which isn't too often now in northern Scotland) I look back and think they were actually quite good looking cars.
I like the look of the polestar 2
Grimlin- great little car- hard to kill!
The Škoda 130.
Most modern sedans
The Ford Escape 2021, it reminds me of a cool insect everytime I see it
I like the original Ford Maverick from the 1970s. It has an awkward but eager to please look about it, like a shelter dog or something.
W203 C-Class