Automotive Facelifts - For Better or Worse

[05XR8]

Just like the Challenger Civic Type R conversion exists, I can see this Cadillac front clip on the Civic Type R.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

The facelifted Taycan certainly looks a bit less...unique I suppose? I will say I've gotten rather bored with Porsche's design as of late, especially with the Macan and Cayenne.

Another facelift that I'm unsure of.

2020 - 2024 Cadillac CT5 prefacelift (or 2022 - 2024 for the Blackwing)

Really like the design of the CT5 when it first came out and it still looks handsome to this day.

2025+ facelift doesn't look as cohesive (if that's the word).

The blue one reminds me of the C7 ZR-1 where the design brief seems to be "put random **** everywhere". Wouldn't be surprised if they came from the same designer.

 

[MedigoFlame]

The blue one reminds me of the C7 ZR-1 where the design brief seems to be "put random **** everywhere". Wouldn't be surprised if they came from the same designer.

The C7 ZR-1 really was a mess with that tacked on spoiler and huge front splitter. With all that aero, I would have expected at least some notable diffuser at the rear to offset it all, but it looks like a regular C7 from the back. (Other than the wide fenders)

On another note...I find the pre-facelift current gen Kia Sorento decent looking (at least from the front)

Not sure how Kia's new light designs work on the Sorento's facelift though... It's not bad, but just doesn't seem to fit the body as well as the pre-facelift.

 

[Tornado]

I will commend Kia and Hyundai's dedication to throwing out their entire design language every 4 years.

 

[GranTurNismo]

I will commend Kia and Hyundai's dedication to throwing out their entire design language every 4 years.

Hyundai and Kia really are the fast fashion of the auto industry. New designs, often radically new, in a shorter period of time than any of their competitors, yet questionable long-term reliability and quicker depreciation. It could be that they are still overcompensating from their reign during the mid 1980s to the late 2000s as the most boring brands with the worst made products and reputations. I can’t wait to see what the next Santa Fe will look like after Hyundai decides they’re done with the retro-boxy theme.

I say this as a Hyundai owner.

 

[MedigoFlame]

Never really was a fan of the current Aston Martin V8 Vantage design. But the facelift makes it too similar to the larger DB12 to the point of losing its individuality. Some would say it makes it better, but I'd prefer a different model to have its own look than to copy the larger model. I do feel like this might be a bit of an unpopular opinion....

Pre-Facelift:

Facelift:

DB12:

 

[05XR8]

Well, the grille hasn’t looked like a bowler hat in ages, but now it’s more like a drying Tupperware bowl.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

If I have to choose, I think the early 996 Porsche 911 looked better, but it's not by much. I honestly grew fond of them, though that might be my nostalgia since this was the new 911 for a lot of my childhood.

 

[Aaronhuang]

Never really was a fan of the current Aston Martin V8 Vantage design. But the facelift makes it too similar to the larger DB12 to the point of losing its individuality.

Yep. When I first saw the new Aston Martin Vantage I immediately thought they copy-pasted the front end and molded the front intakes into slightly different shapes.

 

[Neddo]

I thought about putting this in unpopular opinions thread, but I will put it here instead: I think that best looking XJ-S is last facelift. It's amazing how 70s car still looked current in 90s yet retains its individuality. Bumpers and wheels offered are highlight to me. Rear lights are good looking but original ones flowed better with design

 

[Tornado]

I'm not sure about that across the board but it's definitely true for the convertible.

 

[TexRex]

Coupe or convertible better below the beltline at the end. The coupe greenhouse got awkward--too much glass in the quarters and weird shape to the hatch.

Gotta go with the earlier rear fascia as well. Looks like they just put it through a rock tumbler.

 

[Liquid]

Love the pre-facelift XJS but I agree the lines across the bottom are far prettier on the refresh.

 

[Neddo]

Coupe or convertible better below the beltline at the end. The coupe greenhouse got awkward--too much glass in the quarters and weird shape to the hatch.



Gotta go with the earlier rear fascia as well. Looks like they just put it through a rock tumbler.

I gotta say looking at this, prefacelift coupe looks better. Totally overlooked the glasshouse. Glasshouses are rarely changed in facelifts

 

[TexRex]

I gotta say looking at this, prefacelift coupe looks better. Totally overlooked the glasshouse. Glasshouses are rarely changed in facelifts

They hit the front end out of the park, though, and I think that's what first registers. They did so much to the front end (below the brow) but it ends up looking like a subtle refresh.

I think they were trying to keep the general theme of the pre-'91 but soften as much as possible. The things they did well, they did very well, but the things they didn't do well, they did very badly. The metal sail panels are so svelte on their own that they need the filler panel to bulk them up and when they added more glass they fouled the overall shape. The decklid also needs to end abruptly to work with those long sail panels but they rounded it over and it looks bulbous instead of just softened.

If you could take the earlier shell and swap out the entire front end but change only the rear bumper, I think you'd have something very special. I think the later door handles need to be body color as well, otherwise keep the earlier handles and only remove the side trim.

 

[Neddo]

If you could take the earlier shell and swap out the entire front end but change only the rear bumper, I think you'd have something very special. I think the later door handles need to be body color as well, otherwise keep the earlier handles and only remove the side trim.

I would also lightly smoke the prefacelift rear lights because it would give it just enough then current appeal while remaining consistent. Such a simple yet effective detail. Many modern cars would benefit from smoked taillights as it would relax designs a bit IMO.

 

[TexRex]

I would also lightly smoke the prefacelift rear lights because it would give it just enough then current appeal while remaining consistent. Such a simple yet effective detail. Many modern cars would benefit from smoked taillights as it would relax designs a bit IMO.

Ehhh, that's fine for you but I don't really agree. I'm not a fan of smoked lenses...probably ever.

Also for the future don't feel like you need to preserve my text formatting. If it goes because of quoting select text (as it does), so be it. I do what I do for me and me alone.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

The XJ-S is a strange looking car to me. I don't dislike it, but the detailing and the overall proportions look so bizarre vs it's contemporary peers. It's almost as if every detail on the car was designed independently of all the others. It somehow comes together in a mostly cohesive way, but there's definitely a kind of DIY feel to the car overall - etsyish. Like why do we have such tight orthogonal geometry on the side glazing, but at the back glazing now all of a sudden it's swooping curves? What are those buttresses?

 

[TheCracker]

The XJ-S is a strange looking car to me. I don't dislike it, but the detailing and the overall proportions look so bizarre vs it's contemporary peers. It's almost as if every detail on the car was designed independently of all the others. It somehow comes together in a mostly cohesive way, but there's definitely a kind of DIY feel to the car overall - etsyish. Like why do we have such tight orthogonal geometry on the side glazing, but at the back glazing now all of a sudden it's swooping curves? What are those buttresses?

That's kind of true as the original designer of the concept died before it was finished.

I never really thought much of the XJS at the time as i felt it looked a bit odd, but i think they look great now, especially the early ones in those flat 70's colours.

 

[Tornado]

It's kind of like the boattail Riviera and (original) Avanti where from most angles it is absolutely astounding that someone put a car so dramatically styled into production and the effect is truly stunning.


And then you have angles like this:

View attachment 1367385

Where it looks like some sort of awful American coachbuilt car built off of a Monte Carlo.

The Ford facelift did clean that up a bit, at least.

 

[Liquid]

Is there any European car that looks good with US-spec bumpers? That's always a fugly stumbling block, whether the car is inherently good looking or not.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Is there any European car that looks good with US-spec bumpers? That's always a fugly stumbling block, whether the car is inherently good looking or not.

That's a great question. I can't honestly think of one. I've heard some people express a preference for the US-spec F40 front end with it's deeper chin, but I don't think it's better. I could actually see a thread comparing different European cars vs their US-import spec models because they often look considerably different even if the changes are minor. The Peugeot 504 for instance, looks way different in US-spec.

 

[05XR8]

I’ve always adored the XJ-S. Used to be so many on the streets that I could get up close and look at.

The pic above is such a bad angle. Makes the window appear like an el Camino.

Is there any European car that looks good with US-spec bumpers? That's always a fugly stumbling block, whether the car is inherently good looking or not.

Probably the 930.

 

[Tornado]

Post-1970s 911s (turbos or not). The Golf Cabriolet after VW gave up and just made the US bumpers standard with the Clipper kit. Ferrari in particular seemed pretty decent at making US bumpers that are barely different at a glance from European spec ones.

In general I don't think it was an issue anymore regardless after manufacturers started painting bumpers the same color as the body.