Honda make crappy cars and live on their reputation

[Pushki]

The newest car I've ever owned was 12 years old.
I don't think I've ever driven a modern car. I'd never buy one!

Rob's got it spot on! They all look the same.

[rob quilter]

The 'designers' just seem to rip off another manufacturers design for a car, 'slightly adjust' the shape of the headlights and front grill, and claim it as their 'new' car.



Tossers.

[Confused]

All cars now are designed by software, rather than a bloke with a pen and paper.

This is because there are so many safety, visibility, crumple aspects that need to be taken into account in the design, once these variables are all punched into a bit of computer software, they tend to come up with the same design!

The large, tall mouths are so that pedestrians are hit towards the top of their legs, rather than at their knees. The reverse-rake rear quarter light windows are that shape because it gives best visibility with the huge thick C pillars (as well as the ridiculously thick A pillars) that are required for preventing the passenger compartment from collapsing when rolling over.

Also - in another effort to reduce costs, many manufacturers platform-share, and change a few accent lines on some panels, throw a different badge on the front, back and the middle of the steering wheel, and hey presto, multiple identical cars too!

[RattyMcClelland]

Car design isnt as free as it used to be. There are now certain dimensions and overhangs and wheel to bonnet to engine dimensions for crash safety as of 2010. Peugeot was the 1st to start the new era of design back in 2008. All cars HAVE to follow suit.
Im not a fan personally although i love Mazdas new looks and the new Fords look ok apart from the 2013 mondeo. Utter gash.

Oh S2000 is shizzle. love it. Honda still make great cars but are again limited now. NSX = poor mans ferrari???????????

Iv seen more ferraris on the road than NSXs. Therefor NSeX all the way.

Cars are still deigned initially with a pen and paper then move onto CAD and autodesk.

[bennyboy]

Its a cycle I think. Look at the late sixties, a seriously golden age of both beautiful cars and cars with character , just a few years later after a fuel crisis and some emissions regs (sound familiar?) and they all turn to crap.
But sooner or later some manufacturers learn to work through the rules and develop something worth noticing, and if it sells well enough, other manufacturers take notice.
I do agree that there's very little in the current lineup that excites me, hence why I've just spent what I would have spent on a 'new' car on a new engine instead. The fact is we are spoiled with the lude and always have been, its more than the sum of its parts, and tbh I think this discussion has gone on since I've owned mine.
Small euro boxes with high MPG is 'fashionable' right now, that's what the market dictates so that's what they manufacture. If anything, at least Honda are trying to show that eco can still be fun withe crz?

Also, after previewing my post I can see that confused has saved me a job and typed pretty much the rest of what I was going to say

[jjmartin349571]

I know the safety aspect meaning the cars are chunkier to help protect against side impacts, fitting in airbag systems, increased strength in case of a roll over etc. It's detrimental to aesthetics though, and where will it end? I know I'm screwed if I'm in a head on in my Golf, but people are killed in modern cars too. Maybe the chance is lower but it's still there. I'd rather enjoy my car and be slightly more at risk in the event of an accident, as opposed to driving something I dislike only to be saved from death just live the rest of my life driving more despicable cars As for visibility in modern cars, it's total bum droppings!! The pillars in my mum's Clio are bigger than the bloody walls of my house, the amount of things I've almost hit because I had a blind spot up front!!!

[craig_jdm]

I really cant stand most new cars but i also am a big fan of alot of hondas older cars i cant think of much good honda have done since 2002 but i can namr alot of cars i like prior to that

[Bio]

I agree that (most) modern cars are dull as dish water. The Late 80's and nearly the whole 90's was the most interesting time for "modern" performance cars imo.

The drive (no pun intended) for increases in fuel economy, passenger and pedestrian safety, lower manufacture costs etc, makes everything pretty much the same.
You can only have <X> angle on the bonnet otherwise it wont meant <Y> standards for safety etc.

Interesting cars will come round again, but I don't think until we have removed our reliance on fossil fuels, or until alternative tech is really viable to replace petrol.

[Supermarine Blues]

I agree - it's not just new Hondas that have lousy visibility & no soul. I despise most moderns - the Toyobaru being a possible exception. At least Hondas still generally possess excellent control ergonomics and adequate reliability.

However, for Paul to describe the S2000 & NSX in such terms suggests a degree of ill-informedness that defies belief. You've either not driven them far enough, or not driven them at all.

The S2000 is one of the most engaging, hooligan, full-on cars one can have the pleasure of driving. Not as much purity as an Elise maybe, but it's a tad more practical too.

I cannot really say much about the NSX that's not already been said. Responsible for a massive advancement in automotive design, it's not totally unlike a mid-engined, refined, fast Prelude to drive. The similarity is quite astounding at times. And it has that Honda 'aliveness' even when driven at normal speeds too. All from a time when supercars were universally crap.

Partly the safety Nazis, partly the sky is falling brigade, partly the focus group wonks, have rendered modern cars rather duller than those of the 1990s period - exactly as LJKS predicted.

It may indeed come full circle, but probably not for some time.

[paul bristol uk]

@jjmartin349571 I could not agree more and don't apologise just feel sorry for those who drive these souless things!