When Nissan released the newest Z car, I had an early opportunity to check it out. The display model they had brought was a hypnotizing blue color that drew my eye. The body lines flowed so much better in person than they had in the release photos. My gaze followed the racing stripes up the hood to the windshield, and then I saw it. They had painted the entire roof black and then continued the stripes onto the hatch. It wasn’t a convertible or any kind of special tinted glass. It was just a completely different color. Why? Who asked for that?
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the design contrast. Cars have always been about more than getting from A to B, but it feels like something has shifted. Lately, it seems like manufacturers are leaning heavily into superficial touches like two-tone roofs, massive screens, and fake exhaust tips instead of giving the market what it craves. There is a void in the way of performance, usable tech, and other features that improve the driving experience. We don’t want your fake hood vents. What we want is some soul.
Who Raised the Roof?
This is, by no means, a new fad. The Mini Cooper brought back the roof contrast in the early 2000s. A few other retro-styled models, like the FJ Cruiser, also leaned into it. It was cool back then. It was a statement, a way of saying, “We’re cool and fresh, but we know where we came from.” Now, it’s everywhere. Compact crossovers, hatchbacks, and even some family SUVs are leaving the factory floor with “floating rooflines” in contrasting colors. It’s become more of a gimmick than a statement of anything.
It makes sense when you think about it from a general sales standpoint. A two-tone roof makes a car look “premium” without spending time and money reengineering anything. It’s a cheap way to signal that you’ve purchased a higher trim. If you’re interested in anything past “A to B” transportation, it doesn’t give you butterflies. Nobody is pulling up to their local cars and coffee meet saying, “Yeah, but check out the color of my roof.”
Theater Screens and Costume Jewelry
The roof is just the tip of this iceberg. Manufacturers keep loading cars with features that look cool in a brochure, but ultimately weigh down the experience behind the wheel. Here are a few of my anti-favorites.
Oversized Screens Everywhere
Don’t hear what I’m not saying with this. Technology can be great, and I usually welcome it. But when every climate control, heated seat, and radio mode option is buried in some menu, it really kills the flow of driving. That’s not to mention laggy systems and constant updates that make you long for three knobs and a slider.
Fake Exhaust Tips
Exhaust tips should connect to the exhaust pipe. They should not be chrome squares glued to the bumper with nothing but hot air and shattered dreams behind them. If the exhaust doesn’t exit there, don’t put trim there. People are laughing.
Fake Intake Vents
This really gets under my skin, particularly on performance-based models. If you’re going to go through the trouble of making it look like it’s channeling air somewhere, just go ahead and cut the hole. The chances are that it’s going to benefit the engine or aerodynamics in some way, or you probably wouldn’t have designed it to look like it was going to.
Artificial Engine Noise
Pumping artificial noise through the speakers feels like the automotive equivalent of lip-synching. Give me the real exhaust note, even if it’s quieter. I’ll make it louder if I see fit, and the chances are I will.
“Sport” Modes That Just Aren’t
If “Sport Mode” only sharpens throttle response a little and turns the gauges a different color without adjusting anything else, then it’s just costume jewelry. Give us a little more power, a little more noise, and a sharper steering response. Make the car actually more sporty than just feeling a little bit zippy.
All That Glitters…
Unfortunately, this stuff sells. Most of the market isn’t made up of weekend warriors hungry for a track day. It’s everyday buyers looking for something new, stylish, and with the newest, brightest bells and whistles. A two-tone roof, or an iPad integrated into the dashboard, is much easier to market than a locking differential, or on-the-fly adjustable suspension. It looks better, is obvious in commercials, and is cheaper to implement.
Then there’s the hierarchy of trim levels. Making the rungs of that ladder desirable depends heavily on visuals. Automakers want buyers to feel like they’re getting more with every step up, and a black roof or a flashy badge gets them there at a glance. Performance upgrades cost more money and require countless hours of research and development. They just don’t see the right kind of value there.
We, the Car People
Marketing teams may be blind to it, but there is a market for what we’re craving, and it’s a rather large one. As enthusiasts, we aren’t impressed by your roof paint or iPad-laden dashboards. We’re looking for factory performance packages that go beneath the paint and some uncomfortable seats. We’re looking for lightweight builds instead of piling in more modules and gadgets, real limited-slip differentials instead of brake-based imitations, and affordable, track-ready trims that don’t require us to leap into the six-figure luxury class.
Take Mazda’s old Mazdaspeed line, or Chevy’s older SS stuff, for example. Those were trim packages that delivered noticeable, mechanical improvements straight from the factory floor. We didn’t have to dig through some menu or change the mode of the car. You felt the difference the minute you turned the key.
Best of Both Worlds
Contrary to what we’re often told, style and substance don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Several examples from over the years knock both out of the park while remaining affordable. Most of those cars, regardless of their age, are pulling premiums these days because they’re what we’re looking for, and we aren’t finding them at the dealership.
Toyota’s GR line seems to be the primary “diamond in the rough” today. The Corolla GR, for example, strikes the perfect balance of bold style, impressive performance, and relative affordability. That balance used to be something nearly every manufacturer excelled at in their own way, but it has become an anomaly over the last decade.
If You Build It, We Will Come
When it’s all said and done, I’m not upset with anyone’s two-tone paint schemes or oversized screens. Fake exhaust tips don’t even get me that upset. I just don’t want all of those things to come instead of the things that matter. If you’re going to ask enthusiasts to care, at least give us a little something to care about. There’s a massive void in the market, and it doesn’t seem like anyone is rushing to fill it.
My suggestion to automakers is to listen to all of your buyers. Offer trims with oversized iPads, other trims with adjustable suspension, and maybe even a little extra boost here and there. Stop painting over the enthusiast side of the market.
