3 Mar 2016 – Driven To Write

It Exists

As a blog with a bit of design focus, it’s always a pleasure to show something that’s interesting and good….

…and not complain about it. First, I was unaware that Touring Superleggera were still in business. I was not paying attention. With a badge as evocative as theirs I’d be falling over myself to find an excuse to put it on a production car if I was a major manufacturer. Second, this car is lovely in its own right and is vastly better than the car it’s based on. The squared-off wheel arches are nicely handled and I like the flat top to the front arch. Bonus points accrue for that colour blue they chose. Continue reading “It Exists”

2017 Ford Ka+

There’s a gap in Ford’s range which the Ka Plus is going to fill. We hoped it wouldn’t happen but it did.

The Ka Plus is promised to be more than a low-price five-door car, filling a gap in the constellation of price points connecting the Ka to the Fiesta. According to reports the Ka Plus is built on the Fiesta platform which makes the car really a Fiesta Minus, doesn’t it? The design for the Ka Plus originated in 2013, aimed at conservative buyers in developing countries.

The Ford explanation is that the Fiesta is going to be replaced in 2017 and in so doing will Continue reading “2017 Ford Ka+”

2016 Renault Scenic Reconsidered

Yesterday we reported on the new Renault Scenic. I can see what inspired the shape of the side glass, a concept car from five years ago, the R-Space.

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That car has a suicide rear door (not unlike the Lancia Appia we had on a while back). That made the precise character of the shutline feasible: a curve over the rear wheel intersecting at a point with the curve of the side glass of the front door. The way I see the actual production car, it’s a wobbly line and when the window rubbers at the B-pillar begin to become unmoored as they always do it’ll look appalling. So, I revised it. It would be nicer for kids sittting in the back.