[Arabay]

has Audi solved the age old question of income inequality through simple design monotony? You could easily convince an uninformed that your Q3 is in fact a Q7

Who's who?

 

[Otto]

You are right its pretty hard to tell the difference between them all from the front. I certainly can't.

I think Audi is going to try to move away from this in the future. They'd like to give each model a bit more of its own personality instead of each model looking 'same same but different.'

There are slight differences in the headlights though. i'm sure you could tell me the difference with those if you knew which was which.

 

[audifanatic]

BMW is like this too

So is Mercedes in a way

But Audi takes the cake though

Their cars really do all look alike. But thats what Audi shoppers expect almost. Its not a problem to them.

 

[Otto]

BMW is like this too

So is Mercedes in a way

But Audi takes the cake though

Their cars really do all look alike. But thats what Audi shoppers expect almost. Its not a problem to them.

I don't find it to be that bad with Mercedes. They have some variance. Just look at their SUVs compared to their sedans. There is a clear difference.

BMW doesn't have really have much variance as far as the front end of the car goes, but I agree in the end that Audi takes the cake.

I don't see why Audi customers would like this. in the end it shouldn't really matter what the other cars in the Audi lineup look like, it just matters what the car you purchase looks like. In fact, it would probably be nice to feel as though you had a bit more options at the Audi dealership.

i also find with Audis that even the rear end of the vehicles are pretty similar across the different models. Sure the SUVs are different from the sedans, but the hatches have basically the same rear as the SUVs. They just changed the size of the vehicle really.

 

[Quatto]

BMW is like this too

So is Mercedes in a way

But Audi takes the cake though

Their cars really do all look alike. But thats what Audi shoppers expect almost. Its not a problem to them.

at least when you buy Audi you're getting one of the more dependable luxury german vehicles on the market.

 

[Arabay]

I don't find it to be that bad with Mercedes. They have some variance. Just look at their SUVs compared to their sedans. There is a clear difference.

BMW doesn't have really have much variance as far as the front end of the car goes, but I agree in the end that Audi takes the cake.

I don't see why Audi customers would like this. in the end it shouldn't really matter what the other cars in the Audi lineup look like, it just matters what the car you purchase looks like. In fact, it would probably be nice to feel as though you had a bit more options at the Audi dealership.

i also find with Audis that even the rear end of the vehicles are pretty similar across the different models. Sure the SUVs are different from the sedans, but the hatches have basically the same rear as the SUVs. They just changed the size of the vehicle really.

The reason I think *SOME* Audi customers might like this is because their cheaper Q5 looks like the expensive Q7, in a day and age where most people have no clue if they're driving a crossover or a refrigerator it makes all the difference to the image Whole value of the image over value of the object...

Here's the rears for comparison...

the Q3 and Q5 are much more similar than the Q7, but I think that might come down to the age of the Q7's design, but its clear they all share the same clamshell hatch, and the lines leading into the greenhouse are nearly identical...

 

[audifanatic]

they are all very similar

many folks wont be able to tell the difference

the same goes for the BMW X vehicles.

 

[Quatto]

they are all very similar

many folks wont be able to tell the difference

the same goes for the BMW X vehicles.

I think even mercedes is guilty of this.

seems like a lot of car makers do this, keep their design similar across all models and just alter them slightly from model to model

 

[Arabay]

they are all very similar

many folks wont be able to tell the difference

the same goes for the BMW X vehicles.

yea the X's are bas as well, but you know that Audi really takes the cake. At least the X's can be differentiated from the sedans from the front ends, Audis not so much.

Heres an X compare.

and from the front:

 

[audifanatic]

you can kind of tell based on the ride height

 

[Otto]

I think that the back end of Audi's have a bit more of an acceptable level of variance than the front end. I think that Audi likes people to be able to recognize their cars easily as an Audi, but that should be possible without having quite so much design 'monotony' as you said.

Companies like Ford, or even Lexus are able to have more design variance while still uniting all their models under a certain look. I think that is a more interesting route to take.

Do you think it has something to do with European vs. American cars? Or is it just the top end luxury brands that are the culprits regardless of where they are from?

 

[Arabay]

I think its ease, path of less resistance. lets face it, styling a vehicle is hard, so Audi in their infinite wisdom seems to of decided "well if it didnt offend them on X then it shouldnt offend anyone on Y". Its the cookie cutter method to acceptance it seems like.

I want the days back when there was no such thing as a design language. Every car a manufacturer made had its own distinct look and that was that. Design language is a recent phenomenon that has contributed to the copy of a copy of a copy approach to design we're currently stuck with..

 

[audifanatic]

I agree

That seems to be the way of many manufacturers

If they find a design that works

They change it and make it work for all their other cars.

 

[Arabay]

I agree

That seems to be the way of many manufacturers

If they find a design that works

They change it and make it work for all their other cars.

I'm not sure who to be more upset with, the manufacturers who behave this way, or the people who buy them. I suppose its a bit of chicken vs egg thing. I'm betting the manufacturers figured out long ago people would buy anything so long as you made them think someone else wanted it

 

[audifanatic]

take what works and run with it right

 

[Quatto]

it's a bit of both, consumers and the manufacture

 

[audifanatic]

well i dont think consumers design cars

but their buying decisions tell the manufacturer what works and what does not