May be beating a dead horse here.... With everybody mad at Mitsubishi’s vaguely recent descision to make a fastback crossover called the Eclipse, I decided to do a bit of research on other offenders of the unwritten don’t-badge-a-crossover-with-a-legendary-nameplate rule. (Photos at the bottom) Our first offender..... the Nissan Skyline! It’s an Infiniti EX35 with a 3.7, and not the legendary RB powered mosters of the 90s. Our second.... The Chevy Blazer. It’s not as bad, since it was a SUV before, but it has lost it’s purpose. The original one was a manly, body on frame, V8 powered stump puller, and not some awkward mashup of a Camaro and an Equinox. It is a nameplate was always an SUV, but it was a whole different animal. Future: The Ford Mach One Apparently, this will be a electric lifted Focus. A far fall from the big, powerful mustangs of yore. Which is the worst offender? Discuss.
I totally agree with you! The one that stands out to me is the blazer. Here's the old: Here's the new: Then there's some ugly ones in between. Sure, I am not a big chevrolet fan, but I LOVE their old classic blazer. I wasn't too happy when they said that they were going to make it a crossover. I think it's a little over designed, but I (surprisingly) like it better than the 90's and early 2000's blazers. It's those ones from the 60's and 70's I absolutely love. That would be the only Chevy I'd own. As for the so-called "Eclipse", I like the crossover, but I don't like how Mitsubishi slapped the classic "eclipse" name of a sports car on to a crossover. How pathetic! Come on guys! (Ignore the ones from the 2000's...) It's over-styled. eww...
For the Eclipse, they did it because the Eclipse was a compact, and so was this SUV. But this doesn't fit the name-plate at all (unless it means I'm gonna get blinded). While for the Blazer.... I just hate that they just slapped the name-plate on another crossover just to get attention of Blazer fans. The 2019 model personally is by far the most horrendously designed Blazer I've ever seen.
What’s next? BMW calling the X2 the 2002? --- Post updated --- The trailblazer, while not amazing, was far from bad. At least it was body on frame and sounded decent. The new one though..... no. Just no.
Yeah, but it wasn't truly it's original name. The only vehicle that would always be referred as a Maverick was the 70s compact.
Well, the times have changed a bit, and now people want crossovers. Does that mean it is acceptable? Absolutely not. Also, there was a new nissan Z crossover concept a while back. Why.
Now THAT is probably the worst offense. The Z has always been a sports car, and a cool one at that (IMO). Making a crossover with the name is a terrible idea.
Well, it has "crossover" added to it, the normal Skyline name lives on as the Infiniti G35, G37 and Q50.
The Skyline has consistently been the same thing for the last six decades - an entry-level luxury sedan (and sometimes coupe, wagon, liftback, etc.), kinda like a Japanese Saab 99/900/9-3, BMW 3-Series or Cadillac Seville/STS. What you mean is the Skyline Crossover. Generally, I think it's historical justice - these coupes of the past were the same thing modern lifestyle crossovers are, which is repackaging a mundane sedan/hatchback's mechanical bits in a fancier, more expensive bodywork. --- Post updated --- When you're 186 cm (6' 2"), it's not just acceptable, it's desirable.
Generally, coupés sold well of the basis of lower weight, lower cg, and higher structural rigidity. SUVs neuter any of those attributes with alarming efficiency. If you are going to argue that a BMW 335i and an X3 are equally fun to drive, look for a trout in the mail to slap yourself back to your senses with. The X3 is an excellent car (I spent a week driving one long-distance) but it does not come close to a coupe in driving pleasure. If you are 6’2, there are still PLENTY of coupes that will fit you. Sure, sitting in a Diahatsu Copen would be a little tight, but many cars are much bigger than that. Seat adjustments exist. Use them.
And they also sold well on the basis of appealing to the market's sense of coolness. There were and are folks who bought Capris because they were more rigid and Edges because they are easier to enter, but there also were/are folks who bought them because they were/are cooler than a Cortina or Mondeo. Adjust the roofline.
I'm not saying that it is as fun, but it is the same basic ideas - using a different body to sell a family sedan at a higher price.
