Stumble It!
How anonymous is your car?
25/07/07 10:11 Filed in: Motoring
Does your vehicle look eerily like your
neighbour’s? Are designers copying each other? If it passed you in
the street could you "name that car?".
According to research by online buying guide New Car Net, the answer is no. Just one in four of us are able to recognise popular models on British roads today.
Stripped of all identifiable marks, New Car Net tested the anonymity of a small selection of ten vehicles to see how much of a visual impression they had left on the average motorist.
Honda’s futuristic Civic was the most recognisable, while Vauxhall’s Zafira MPV is the most anonymous.
The new Honda Civic - most recognisable in marked contrast to its predecessors
A close second behind the Civic was the Ford Focus, reflecting its position as the biggest selling car in the UK. The BMW 1-Series also scored highly to come third in the NEW CAR NET online test.
The Toyota Avensis, Volvo XC90 4x4 and Suzuki Swift were next on the list, recognised by only some of the visitors, while the most anonymous vehicles were the Peugeot 407, Mazda 3, Volkswagen Polo and the Vauxhall Zafira.
In recent years manufacturers have been making great efforts to give their cars a recognisable 'face' to make them stand out in the market.
Audi's big grille was invented to give the German marque more presence
That of course is where BMW, Mercedes and Rolls Royce have scored over the years, with their distinctive radiator grilles making the cars stand out as distinctive.
Other manufacturers have been busy developing a distinctive style - Audi (above), Vauxhall (with the chrome V), Ford (with the trapezoidal grille) and perhaps most unfortunately Subaru. I know their front end is meant to look like an aeroplane and remind people of the company's heritage. But it's big centre grille has the same doleful shape as the poor old Ford Scorpio's headlights. Perhaps it is not surprising that it looks set to be replaced rather quickly with a new look for the new Impreza.
The Subaru Tribeca - distinctive but hardly a great looker
According to research by online buying guide New Car Net, the answer is no. Just one in four of us are able to recognise popular models on British roads today.
Stripped of all identifiable marks, New Car Net tested the anonymity of a small selection of ten vehicles to see how much of a visual impression they had left on the average motorist.
Honda’s futuristic Civic was the most recognisable, while Vauxhall’s Zafira MPV is the most anonymous.
The new Honda Civic - most recognisable in marked contrast to its predecessors
A close second behind the Civic was the Ford Focus, reflecting its position as the biggest selling car in the UK. The BMW 1-Series also scored highly to come third in the NEW CAR NET online test.
The Toyota Avensis, Volvo XC90 4x4 and Suzuki Swift were next on the list, recognised by only some of the visitors, while the most anonymous vehicles were the Peugeot 407, Mazda 3, Volkswagen Polo and the Vauxhall Zafira.
In recent years manufacturers have been making great efforts to give their cars a recognisable 'face' to make them stand out in the market.
Audi's big grille was invented to give the German marque more presence
That of course is where BMW, Mercedes and Rolls Royce have scored over the years, with their distinctive radiator grilles making the cars stand out as distinctive.
Other manufacturers have been busy developing a distinctive style - Audi (above), Vauxhall (with the chrome V), Ford (with the trapezoidal grille) and perhaps most unfortunately Subaru. I know their front end is meant to look like an aeroplane and remind people of the company's heritage. But it's big centre grille has the same doleful shape as the poor old Ford Scorpio's headlights. Perhaps it is not surprising that it looks set to be replaced rather quickly with a new look for the new Impreza.
The Subaru Tribeca - distinctive but hardly a great looker
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