Hooniverse Asks: Is Nissan's New Styling Direction Edgy or Execrable?

2015-Nissan-Murano-300
Let’s try this one again.

Nissan used to be Datsun here in the States, and they used to have cars like the 240Z and 510, simple, handsome, and today some of the most coveted of ‘70s Japanese imports. Then something happened. The 510 was supplanted by the 610 which was weird looking, while the Z-car grew dachshund-ish with an ill-conceived 2+2 edition. It got so bad that in the early ‘80s the company changed their name here in the U.S. and brought back both the boxy and its 510 name. The Z grew an X and some fancy duds, and in general Nissan got religion when it came to styling.
In my humble opinion, things have once again slipped down that slippery slope. Nissan’s products for 2016 and the near term beyond have gotten all funky again. They have all sorts of creases and angles and fake windows and who knows what going on. Some might aver that this makes them both visually interesting and uniquely representative of the brand, which I think could be argued. I don’t know about that however, and I’d like your opinion on Nissan’s current styling trends, do you think it’s a good place to go, or have they simply lost their way?

Image: Carscoops

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

  1. tonyola Avatar
    tonyola

    Execrable. Nissan is trying too hard.

  2. GTXcellent Avatar
    GTXcellent

    Just soooooo busy. So many different styling cues and ideas, almost like a design by committee. “Ok, quarter panel group, show me what you got. Grilles, you’re up next…”

    1. Rocky McCoy Avatar

      Busy. Exactly so.

  3. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    Both. Certain elements work, some are just too much, some are dependent on the vehicle they’re applied to. I don’t feel compelled to buy anything Nissan makes, but at least it gives me reason to pay attention to them.
    I still like the Juke though, so I’m content if they stay a little weird.

  4. smalleyxb122 Avatar
    smalleyxb122

    I don’t like it, but there are worse. There seems to be a plague among automakers where they seem compelled to substitute styling for style. Swooping body lines and sharp creases are the tail fins of the twenty-teens.
    I know that we wax nostalgic over the tail fin era of automotive design, but it really was baroque in the original pejorative sense. Today’s styling is analogous in that they are forcing styling elements into designs whether it works aesthetically or not.

    1. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar

      Agreed. Too many car design chefs cook barely tolearable food but disguise it under gallons of controvertially spicy sauce.

    2. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      Part of that is due to overly high belt lines. Those giant, featureless flanks need to be broken up with curves, swerves and creases to hide their bulk.
      The end result is giant expanses of curves, swerves and creases…

  5. PotbellyJoe★★★★★ Avatar
    PotbellyJoe★★★★★

    Apart from the M45, I can’t think of many Nissan designs I was impressed with over the last 15 years, honestly.
    Their designs come off as Junior designers attempting to make a name for themselves so they can get hired into the big-leagues.
    I know this isn’t true, they’ve employed some impressive designers, but they do seem to try too hard on every execution.
    Also, the black-panel-over-thick-pillar trend needs to die.

    1. pj134 Avatar
      pj134

      The 350 was probably the best looking of the turtle cars in my book. Their BOF truck/suv lineup had some lookers too in my book.
      Recently it has been pretty bad.

    2. DisTurbo Avatar
      DisTurbo

      I really think the 1995 Micra and the 2006 Micra were a breath of fresh air, styling-wise. Girly, yes, but clean, simple lines and no crazy overhangs. The bug-eye headlamps are the only detail I would change on the 2006- models.
      Also, Renault have an influence on everything Nissan creates. It’s usually not obvious, but it’s there.

  6. dukeisduke Avatar
    dukeisduke

    Overwrought. There’s the weird D-pillar treatment with the black, and all the strange angles. Other Nissans, especially the new Maxima, are equally busy, and other automakers are starting to do the same thing.
    Flame surfacing? I’d rather just set fire to it.

    1. Tanshanomi Avatar

      Just for the record, I typed “overwrought” prior to seeing your comment. I think we have the definitive term for it.

  7. Tanshanomi Avatar

    It manages to be overwrought and yet still come across as weak, directionless and namby-pamby. With apologies to Pink Floyd, I would describe it as “Uncomfortably Numb.”

    1. DisTurbo Avatar
      DisTurbo

      Definitely directionless. I can’t for the life of me, distinguish between the following 2014 models, when I see one in traffic:
      Pathfinder
      X-Trail
      Dualis
      Quashquai (Seriously??)
      I don’t think Nissan have a grip on their range. “Let’s just add more crossover-type cars and hope for the best.”

  8. engineerd Avatar
    engineerd

    Someone needs to give the designer’s less time. It seems they keep putting in character lines and other design cues way past the point of being “done”.
    WTH is going on at the bottom of the doors?

  9. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    In keeping with tradition, Nissans in general continue to be ugly.

  10. stigshift Avatar
    stigshift

    Cartoonish would be my description. And when did rear visibility become obsolete?

    1. Hatchtopia Avatar

      When everyone decided that turning their head was too much work and tv screens are better.

      1. stigshift Avatar
        stigshift

        It saddens me that the answer is indeed that simple…

      2. Vairship Avatar
        Vairship

        The TV screens only come on when selecting reverse, though. They’re not much help otherwise…

  11. Citric Avatar
    Citric

    The Nissan Gripz – which sounds like a hookup app for stage hands, but I digress – does have one good idea:
    http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–_WB8daMb–/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/1431546076281437358.jpg
    If we are forced to have thick A-pillars for rollover protection, cutouts so you can still see out is a useful innovation.
    Because credit where it’s due…

    1. PotbellyJoe★★★★★ Avatar
      PotbellyJoe★★★★★

      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Goteborg_Volvo_Museum_65_SCC.jpg
      Vovlo pitched this in 2001 with the SCC concept.

      1. Citric Avatar
        Citric

        Yeah, but then they didn’t do anything with it. Still a good idea I’d like to see actually show up on the market. Hopefully on something better looking than the Gripz.

  12. Jeff Glucker Avatar
    Jeff Glucker

    Our back end is fucked right now… so here’s the text that is supposed to be with this post. We’re working to get it all back together, apologies folks
    Nissan used to be Datsun here in the States, and they used to have cars like the 240Z and 510, simple, handsome, and today some of the most coveted of ‘70s Japanese imports. Then something happened. The 510 was supplanted by the 610 which was weird looking, while the Z-car grew dachshund-ish with an ill-conceived 2+2 edition. It got so bad that in the early ‘80s the company changed their name here in the U.S. and brought back both the boxy and its 510 name. The Z grew an X and some fancy duds, and in general Nissan got religion when it came to styling.
    Now – in my humble opinion – things have once again slipped down that slippery slope. Nissan’s products for 2016 and the near term beyond have gotten all funky again. They have all sorts of creases and angles and fake windows and who knows what going on. Some might aver that this makes them both visually interesting and uniquely representative of the brand, which I think could be argued. I don’t know about that however, and I’d like your opinion on Nissan’s current styling trends, do you think it’s a good place to go, or have they simply lost their way?

  13. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    I agree with everyone saying this is too busy and directionless. And since we’re talking about Nissan, I already inagine the rust forming around the sharp edges, particularly with the awful lights.
    That said, I applaud Nissan’s appetite for producing odd looking cars like the Juke or Murano Convertible. They have an interesting lineup, which should create confidence for them, too.

  14. Andrew_theS2kBore Avatar
    Andrew_theS2kBore

    I saw a new Maxima in traffic yesterday… with the V6’s optional aero bits it actually looks far better than any other current FWD midsize. The pedestrian-friendly high hood and generic stretched-prius aerodynamic profile are well hidden and the C-pillar/decklid/ducktail arrangment flows very nicely.

  15. I_Borgward Avatar
    I_Borgward

    It’s like Nissan is striving to be all Exner and everything, only devoid of actual coolness.

    1. DisTurbo Avatar
      DisTurbo

      If only they had Exner’s enthusiasm. They seem to have picked up where Exner left off…..ie going nuts and designing the ’61 Plymouth. All Nissan did was to make it bigger, to fit on a CUV/SUV platform.

  16. Van_Sarockin Avatar
    Van_Sarockin

    Do they call it Flame Broiled styling?

  17. Bryce Womeldurf Avatar

    The bull ring on the front end bugs me the most. I eventually accepted the weird roof and the zig-zag headlights, but the bull ring just looks stupid. Nissans used to have nice front ends. I’m not sure where things went haywire.
    http://bit.ly/rogKTZ

  18. mve Avatar
    mve

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but everything is the same underneath, right? I feel like designers have to do something, anything, to make their crossover stand out from the herd. It’s a bbbbbbb jm jhjhhi0ol,kki

    1. mve Avatar
      mve

      My wife’s toe decided to say something there. Don’t ask.

      1. Sean McMillan Avatar
        Sean McMillan

        your wife and my cat have similar tendencies.

  19. MattC Avatar
    MattC

    I agree with Maymar’s post. Nissan’s styling is both. There are some interesting styling cues but as a whole I feel Nissan is sort of directionless. I also feel that the styling direction is too busy to have any sort of redeemable staying power.

  20. wunno sev Avatar
    wunno sev

    i have to refrain from comment until I actually start seeing newer Nissans on the road. too many times have i condemned styling before seeing it work in person. i suspect that’s how i’ll feel about the Maxima. and i actually like this Murano even in the image here.

  21. dukeisduke Avatar
    dukeisduke

    So what happened to Disqus on Friday?

    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      +1. Disqus just needed a weekend off? Good to see that this time around, the comments came back.

    2. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar

      It was an Olympic fail. Something threw the Disqus.

  22. DisTurbo Avatar
    DisTurbo

    Dear Nissan,
    We hate you.
    Sincerely, Auto body shops everywhere.

    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      I agree! With styling like that you’ll never know if you have a dent, therefore you’ll never take it to the body shop.

  23. greasem0nk3y Avatar
    greasem0nk3y

    The new maxima front-end looks like Mater with his tongue out. Also lots of exaggerated body lines like an older Hyundai. Needless to say I’m not a big fan.