QOTD: Are Any Next-generation 2018 Vehicles a Styling Slam Dunk?

It’s an “eye of the beholder” kind of thing. Like in the Twilight Zone episode of the same name, sometimes a great-looking vehicle stands out as a freak in a world of uglies. Some models we just don’t appreciate like we should. We grow accustomed to a singular form of beauty.

We’ve turned our critical gaze on past and current models before, but this time we’re asking you to to focus on new (or refreshed) for 2018 models. There’s no shortage to choose from. Honda’s all-new Accord; the heavily (and questionably) revamped Toyota Camry; the frowny-face Ford Mustang; the glitzy rolling mass of the newly sculpted Lincoln Navigator. Throw the Kia Stinger in for good measure.

You’re in good company for this question. However, is the Class of 2018 a bunch of lookers, or is it just a pack of duds?

Despite being a die-hard Camry fan — I’ll refrain from regaling you with more wistful tales of my ’94 Coupe love affair — the 2018 Camry doesn’t do it for me, aesthetically.

In sportier trim, the front fascia seems too complicated, too flimsy. The fairly upright greenhouse clashes with the pseudo-sporty fake vents in the rear bumper. Overall, the design makes this viewer yearn for the clean-yet-conservative flanks of the previous generations (and pine for that long-lost beige love — I’m sorry I traded you in).

In contrast, the new Accord’s coupe-like profile, appearance of length, and simplified face scores more marks for style, at least in my books. It’s just a far more cohesive design. No one at the back of the room piped up, “Maybe we should add some extra vents…. Yeah!”

Still, there’s controversy in the new Accord’s design. That massive chrome unibrow up front could easily turn off buyers. I’m not sure what I think of it, frankly — will it grow on me, or will I just end up ignoring it? As well, the junction of the beltline and C-pillar is weird, and the Civic (especially in coupe form) has the same problem.

The refreshed Mustang? Ford got it right in 2015, let’s just say. As for the hulking Navigator, I’m not going to complain about this model donning a new set of clothes.

Does this leave the 2018 Kia Stinger in the running for the best-styled 2018 car? It may just be at the top of my list. That profile! I could quibble about a busy front end, but there’s nothing seriously controversial going on either fore or aft. Thumbs up, Kia.

Actually, we can add Kia’s revamped Rio to that list, too. A pair of former TTACers waxed poetic about the previous generation Rio’s design, especially in hatchback form. It’s something I could never figure out. Sorry boys, but the Germanization of Rio is a good thing.

What say you, Best and Brightest? Keeping the magnifying glass solely on 2018 models that have gone under the knife, which new car or SUV got it right?

[Images: Honda, Toyota, Ford, Kia Motors]