These Cars All Got Uglier After Their Redesigns

Subaru’s legendary WRX was finally brought to the U.S. as a rowdy, raw, somewhat unrefined yet purpose-built sports sedan that won the hearts of countless rally fans. With the 2008 redesign of the WRX, Subaru took that recipe, doused it all in gravy and microwaved it for too long. The new WRX was too fatty and too mushy — it gained weight, had much less distinctive styling cues, and didn’t get any extra horsepower.

Chevrolet must have thought they were breaking new ground with the 2019 Camaro redesign, and they kinda did — it definitely broke into previously unexplored levels of ugliness. The real issue with this redesign was the grille. The 2019 Camaro SS’ gaping maw was pretty universally hated, and Chevrolet acknowledged that by re-redesigning the Camaro for 2020. The ‘19 model’s bowtie was a bit too low in the grille and made the design look disjointed. Thankfully the rapid redesign fixed it right up.

This one’s personal. I absolutely loved the styling of the first-generation BMW 2 Series, and when the second generation was unveiled, I was immediately disappointed. My biggest issue with the second-gen 2 Series is that the styling went from visually widening the car to visually adding height. Taller headlight clusters and a taller-looking greenhouse make this 2 Series look too much like the old clownshoe Z3, and it just doesn’t speak to me like the original 2 Series.

NI’m actually in the minority here because I really like the look of the 2013 SL, but I have yet to meet anyone else who agrees with me. Legend (a 2011 MotorTrend story) states that when Mercedes showed off the 2013 SL to a group of 15 U.S. journalists before it was publicly unveiled, the room went silent because nobody liked the design.

BMW seemingly stopped the world when it released the 2021 4 Series. It seemed like public response to this new design was universally negative. The new iteration of the brand’s iconic kidney grille more closely resembles a rodent’s front teeth than an elegant, sporty luxury coupe.

The F56 Mini Cooper was a better built, more solid hatchback than what came before it, but one that grew in size and really showed that growth in its bulbous styling. I own a Mini of this bodystyle and let me just say I didn’t buy it for the looks. The clumsy blacked-out front bumper bar that slices through the grille makes it look like the car has a fat lip, and pedestrian safety standards required Mini to add more space between the engine and the hood causing it to look more awkward.

The Jeep Cherokee was revolutionary when it was first introduced, and soldiered on as a handsome enough car through the Liberty years, but the 2014 Jeep Cherokee really departed from the Cherokee’s angular and rugged style. The 2014 redesign made the Cherokee look more like its pavement princess crossover competition and distinctively less Jeep, and the split headlights proved to be trend-setting but very controversial.

The Hyundai Elantra was never regarded as a beacon of style, but prior to the 2019 facelift, it at least had a respectable amount of visual refinement and class. The 2019 update feels clumsy and somewhat disjointed. I don’t hate this Elantra, but its wild triangular design theme doesn’t scream elegance.

The first two generations of Acura TL were understated and handsome, but the 2009 redesign certainly made a statement. Acura’s shield grille of the early 2010s was a questionable design theme, and the 2009 TL looks clumsy overall to me. It’s like an older person trying to keep up with the youth by wearing trendy clothes, and it just feels a bit incongruous.

My qualm with the new BMW 5 Series is similar to my qualms with other newer BMWs. The brand’s designs used to be handsome but never shouty, and the new designs just feel confused. The front of the new 5 is busy and dramatic; it doesn’t convey luxury or classiness, and it could look like any other brand if you took the giant kidney grilles away.

Redesigning a classic is never easy, but when Mazda redesigned the Miata for its third generation, it went a bit sour. It feels like Mazda tried butching up the Miata with big shoulders and the potent wheel arches, but also retained the NB Miata’s roundness. Another redesign that ended up feeling incongruous.

Subaru was always a quirky brand, but started making pushes in the late 2000s to appeal to the mainstream car buyers who went for Toyota RAV4s and CR-Vs. The oddball Forester used to be the most car-like compact crossover, but the 2009 redesign saw the Forester move toward the mainstream by growing much bigger, taller, and more SUV-like. It sure worked out well, though, since Subaru just keeps gaining fans.

The 2003-2012 Maserati Quattroporte was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful sedans ever produced, so the redesign had some hulking shoes to fill, and it simply didn’t carry the torch with the same grace. The 2014 Quattroporte doesn’t look bad, it just doesn’t have the same visual drama as the previous version. It’s not as striking, and it’s doesn’t look nearly as special.

The fried egg headlight design of the 996 Porsche 911 was immediately controversial, and it remains controversial nearly thirty years later. Porsche, and especially the brand’s legendary 911, face a unique challenge with styling: how can a brand modernize a cult classic without marring its heritage? The 996 911 went too far for many folks, leaving Porsche to ditch the amorphous headlight design and return to a circular one with the 997 911.

The tenth-gen Honda Accord was a styling revelation for mid-size sedans, and when the eleventh generation was unveiled, I wasn’t convinced. It only grew by a few inches, the styling makes it look much bulkier and longer. There’s a lot of metal, and the rear end looks droopy. Again, the 2023 Honda Accord isn’t an ugly car, but the tenth generation just looked better.

I’ve loved the original Mercedes-Benz CLS since I first saw it, but the second-generation CLS lost the fluidity that initially won me over. The first-gen CLS looks like it was designed by dropping liquid headlights onto the body in a wind tunnel, and the rest of the design followed suit. The second-gen CLS lost that design synchronicity for me; adding hard edges onto the fluid bodyshape just wasn’t as successful.