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Honda_Ridgeline-2017

Detroit 2016: the Disappointments

1.    Honda Ridgeline

Echoing Bart’s article, I really can’t imagine what Honda was thinking when it designed the new Ridgeline. It looks like a pick-up version of the Pilot SUV, a yummy-mummy favorite, but surely the target audience is on the exact end of the spectrum?

2.    Infiniti Q60 coupe

The Q60 coupe is not a bad car per se, as the mechanicals are promising (especially the twin-turbo V6 with 400HP), but with the stupid crescent side window and Jabba the Hutt rear to my eyes it looks much worse than its immediate predecessor, and even more so than the original G35 coupe, one of my favorite designs of the time. A missed opportunity.

3.    VFL Force 1 V10

Normally you can trust Henrik Fisker to produce gorgeous designs, so you have to wonder what he was smoking when he (over-)designed this monstrosity. No brownie points for delicious mechanicals, as they are pretty much taken wholesale from the Viper.

4.    Acura Precision

I really debated whether to put the Acura here, but in the end I decided that this undoubtedly sexy car belongs on this list. Why? Because its design is so “out there” that it will never translate to Acura’s road-going models, sort of like the wavy design Mazda showed off on the jaw-dropping Furai gave us a Mazda5 that’s been scratched in the parking lot.

5.    Lincoln Continental

Another car on which I totally agree with Bart’s opinion – the Continental is a missed opportunity for Lincoln. Somehow, the shape lost its road presence in transition, and details that looked cool on the concept, like the high-set doorhandles, to me look weird on a production car.