[hummer]

The SUV that I hated initially was Renault KOLEOS. It looked ugly, unconventional, understated design for a SUV from the French major Renault that too with a heavy price tag.

When I reviewed it again recently to buy as a pre-owned SUV, I was impressed by the same quirky unique looks, just about right size for city, 4x4 AT, safety features, excellent ride quality and the host of other features.

I know there are many who still hate the way it looks, but now I just love it.

[nuew]

Quite an interesting thread. I guess our outlook towards a design changes over a period of time based on familiarity, general acceptance, appreciation of other qualities of the product, presumptions, exposure etc.

The 2005 Swift, for example, was seen quite quirky, bulbous and unconventional by many when it was launched. It was quite big for a hatchback in those times and pretty rounded unlike the boxy cars of the era. Swift lit the sales charts on fire once the initial shock and awe subsided and the rest is history. Once the Mini Cooper resemblance was drawn, it looked even more appealing. My personal view of the Swift was pretty much the same. Still remember that red Swift with a bit of mods, the first car I ever owned. Thought the next generation lacked that tight hot hatch looks, the newest iteration looks even hotter.

The same could not be said about recent quirky Ignis. It’s been nearly 3 years and it still hasn’t grown on me. The same goes for the Pre-Crysta Innova. Though it looks much more palatable with familiarity and all the merits for its practicality, I never quite liked the bottom feeder fish like design.

Many cars have been turned around in the looks department with face-lifts and updates. As many have pointed out, the S-Cross is a prime example. Unfortunately, there are many cars that lost its charm with updates like Safari to Safari Storme, City to the Dolphin City etc. But that's for a whole different thread.

From my personal view, Nano is another one that got much better with updates. The first gen was quite an oddball. As both the Nano and I grew over a decade older I started liking it quite a bit to the extent that we ended up getting three in the family. Working in the design industry, the Bangalore traffic, increasing traffic in my hometown and spending a few years abroad turned around my liking for big cars into compact hatches. In the meantime, Nano had grown into a proper car too.

A few others before drifting away from the topic.
Brio - The unconventional chopped hatch looks much better than the initial days.
Santro Xing - Looks have got much better with time. Though the same couldn’t be said about the previous gen and the current gen.
Original Baleno - The sedate lines that made it look boring has kept it timeless and the possibility of turning it into a sleeper car has something to do with the preference.
Skoda Fabia - The Mini Cooper resemblance had something to do with it for sure.

[Haren]

When I first saw the Ignis, my reaction was quite mixed. While I liked the front looks, the rear was repulsive, especially the shape of the hatch.

Now that I own one, :-), I have figured out how the rear is supposed to complement the overall shape of the car. Loving every bit of it!

[DDiSLover]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Somehow, I didn't like one of the most successful car from Maruti, back when it was launched : The swift! ...

I was wondering where the Swift would make an appearance! It's the original "I HATE THE LOOKS to I LOVE IT" story!

[arindambasu13]

The Honda Brio. When it was first launched, like many others, I did not particularly like the sharply cut rear end with that huge glass boot door.

However, I did quickly warm up to it, and today, after owning one for several years, I can't help but appreciate the quirky but clean lines which result in a meaty, planted and streamlined stance! The glass boot door feels very solid and closes with a nice thunk, and does result in fantastic all round visibility.

One can see that all the design quirks were aimed at making the Brio one of the easiest cars to punt around and park in chaotic city traffic. It is my go to car when I need a stress free driving experience in peak hour traffic.

[gauravanekar]

1. First gen swift:
It looked oddly shaped in my then school child eyes. Later I started loving it.

2. Baleno hatchback:
Initially I didn't like it. Now it looks good in my eyes.

[Mr.501]

A common trend that most of you might have picked up is that most of the cars that were initially disliked by the particular Bhpians, ended up in their own garages later on!

[Guna]

This has to be the new Swift for me. I felt it to be plain ugly when it was launched compared to the previous Swift but more I look at it, I am beginning to appreciate the design. Probably new Swift design is one of the most youthful and sporty design around.

[noo.b]

1. The original santro - hated its guts, slowly gre on me
2. Ritz - the rear was really odd , but over a period of time i started liking that very thing
3. fiat uno - hated its looks but as i saw more i couldnt figure out why I started liking it
4. S cross facelift - not to say i liked the earlier one too, but i have started liking the too blingy grill and stance
5. 1st gen dzire - started "liking" it after seeing the 2nd gen monstrosity
6. Etios - hated its looks, think it looks mature and quite alright with subsequent updates
7. the old rapid - ended up owning one

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Just an observation, no matter how bad a car looks, once you start spotting them more and more on the road, you develop some sort of affinity towards it. A bad looking flop car in market will continue to look bad whereas bad looking hit car will look atleast acceptable with time. Qualis, Santo are good examples of bad looking cars that went on to become a hit.

Fiat Multipla would be a strong exception to this rule.

[am1m]

Well, not that I disliked the design, but I'm very surprised by how cool the Premier Padmini looks when I catch a sight of one these days. Never thought they were anything special back then when they were often seen, but these days I always take a second admiring glance.

Also surprised by how dated the very popular supercars of the 80s/90s seem to me these days. The F40 and the Diablo were my idols, look really boxy to my eyes these days.

[roy_libran]

A) Designs that I didn't like THEN, but now find acceptable:
- Ignis
- Wagon R
- i20
- Brio
- Jazz
- New Amaze
- Sunny
- Yeti
- Nexon (I own one now)
- XUV500

B) Designs that I couldn't like THEN, NOW, or FOREVER:
- Indica
- Indigo
- Ritz
- Alto
- Celerio
- Zen Estillo
- i10 Grand
- Xcent
- KUV
- TUV
- Verito Vibe
- BOLT
- Thar DI (The CRDe has/had beautiful stance from Day 1)
- B-Class

[Mr.501]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

B) Designs that I couldn't like THEN, NOW, or FOREVER:
- B-Class

Oh yes! The B-Class
I wouldn't be caught dead in one
The proportions are way off!
On the other hand a slight modded Thar looks pretty sweet to me (it is a little plain Jane stock though).

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by noo.b

1. The original santro - hated its guts, slowly gre on me
2. Ritz - the rear was really odd , but over a period of time i started liking that very thing
3. fiat uno - hated its looks but as i saw more i couldnt figure out why I started liking it
4. S cross facelift - not to say i liked the earlier one too, but i have started liking the too blingy grill and stance
5. 1st gen dzire - started "liking" it after seeing the 2nd gen monstrosity
6. Etios - hated its looks, think it looks mature and quite alright with subsequent updates
7. the old rapid - ended up owning one

Agree, there are exceptions but from the list you mentioned most of them achieved decent success in market, which means you probably started liking after seeing more and more of them on road.

[nickatnite]

Originally Posted by Guna

This has to be the new Swift for me. I felt it to be plain ugly when it was launched compared to the previous Swift but more I look at it, I am beginning to appreciate the design. Probably new Swift design is one of the most youthful and sporty design around.

I had the same misgivings too about the new Swift design initially and even when signing on the check but after almost a year of owning one i absolutely love the funkiness of the design now. I can't stop turning back and looking at my own , below, ever so often.

[pavi]

It may be a surprise to the bhp community but I just HATE the new Dzire (most out here rated it very good looking). Mostly the front view is horrible in my opinion. It looks like a hunkered down, ugly Ambassador shape to me, but don’t take me wrong I love Ambassador. I find the chrome blessed grille and the headlight combo very weird. I very much understand about personal taste now, because almost all my friends and colleagues like the new Dzire and they don’t understand when I say I hate it.

The new Swift is a little ok to me, but I still love the previous gen Swift which looked awesome from all directions. Basically old Swift is a cheap Mini Cooper (performance aside, classy interior aside, and definitely safety aside).