BORG Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) It seems every Crossover and SUV has decided to adopt this headlight notch thing, which as far as I can tell started with the 2011 Ford Edge (but certainly could have origins somewhere else). Ford also implements it on the Escape and now MKC. It also appears on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, Buick Encore, and even GMC Acadia. Edited January 14, 2013 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LX302 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) At least on the Edge it didn't looked filled with a plastic piece.What I hate of the new GC is that it looks like they just tried to fit 300's headlights in the previous headlights holes. Edited January 14, 2013 by 92LX302 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 At least on the Edge it didn't looked filled with a plastic piece. What I hate of the new GC is that it looks like they just tried to fit 300's headlights in the previous headlights holes. It's pretty horrible, pretty sure Chrysler has completely lots its design mojo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex D. Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I believe the origins of this "headlight notch" can be traced back even farther to the 2008 Focus, IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 I believe the origins of this "headlight notch" can be traced back even farther to the 2008 Focus, IIRC. Ugh, I guess you're right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LX302 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) And the wheels in the model you've shown could've been taken of a tarted up Dart or Journey. The interior shown on Autoblog.com looks surprisingly good however, way better than the '13 Long Horn a friend's father bought the other day. Speaking of Dart's, the local dealer is still stuck with the two first (and only) one they received. An orange one and a bleached grabber blue one.Back on the headlights, here's what comes to my mind when I see that: At least the Ford/Lincoln's offering have turbos which could be fed by such intake haha... Edited January 14, 2013 by 92LX302 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) I remember it appearing on the Saturn Vue as well, although not quite the same execution. Edited January 14, 2013 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Funny you mention this - I was looking at pics of the new Grand Cherokee and thought the same exact thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) Funny you mention this - I was looking at pics of the new Grand Cherokee and thought the same exact thing! It's particularly gratuitous in this implementation. It's not enough to shrink the headlights and fill the excess space in with plastic, they also had to notch the headlights and add yet more plastic. I just hate the sloppiness of this design, they did it by adding more parts and skewing the scale of everything. I'm just so annoyed by it, bunch of idiots over there. The Jeep GC was one of my favorite modern automotive designs, I was just waiting for an interior update and I'd seriously consider one...but not when they do this to the fascia. Edited January 14, 2013 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 It's particularly gratuitous in this implementation. It's not enough to shrink the headlights and fill the excess space in with plastic, they also had to notch the headlights and add yet more plastic. I just hate the sloppiness of this design, they did it by adding more parts and skewing the scale of everything. I'm just so annoyed by it, bunch of idiots over there. The Jeep GC was one of my favorite modern automotive designs, I was just waiting for an interior update and I'd seriously consider one...but not when they do this to the fascia. Yeah, I'm with you on liking the older design better. The headlights are looking too slim for a vehicle that size. Oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 The new Grand Cherokee lights look to be lifted straight from the Chrysler 300... an odd instance of parent company, not brand, synergy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 OMG the Jeep Cherokee looks Horrible now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetang Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 That jeep looks, well, like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 The new Grand Cherokee lights look to be lifted straight from the Chrysler 300... an odd instance of parent company, not brand, synergy. They aren't the same headlights, but are in the same design family to be sure. ....and yes, the new Grand Cherokee front end looks like ass. 1/10 would not buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Ugh, I guess you're right. Say what you want about the styling, but a friend of mine has a '10 Focus...it's rock solid, no issues whatsoever. other than a flat tire and oil changes it's never been to the dealership in 17K miles. SYNC works great, it gets great MPGs, it's quiet and comfortable. Easy to get in/out of (it's tall). I drove it all last week, loved it. I want one to go with my Miata. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Harbinger Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Ugh, I guess you're right. Hey, that was one of my favorite design elements on that car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Then there's the Asians, with their strange notches: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txtenor Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Ugh, I guess you're right. Say what you want about the styling, but a friend of mine has a '10 Focus...it's rock solid, no issues whatsoever. other than a flat tire and oil changes it's never been to the dealership in 17K miles. SYNC works great, it gets great MPGs, it's quiet and comfortable. Easy to get in/out of (it's tall). I drove it all last week, loved it. I want one to go with my Miata. Hey, that was one of my favorite design elements on that car! I still own one of these...in exactly that color with exactly that trim level...it's kind of interesting to see it sitting next to the Fusion in my driveway...you can tell they are related, but then all you see are the differences. It is indeed a great little car and it has held up well thus far...has around 60K on it I think. (I rarely drive it because it simply doesn't fit me well...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) I have one beef with the Focus of that front was the grille should have joined the bumper. It leaves IMO a dead space from one headlamp to the other. I wasn't a huge fan of the lights in the beginning either. I still feel on the Edge it looks like someone chiseled a piece of the lamp but it blends with the front. The aft portion of the Focus lamp I feel sweeps too far back. On the Escape, that has been resolved and the space underneath the lamp works. On the Lincoln, the unit looks sealed and it flows with the grille. I like the grille here and on MKZ. The twin lights look like they are shared from the upcoming 2014 Golf/Tiguan. That's not a bad thing BTW. Edited January 14, 2013 by Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 The notch on the new Grand Cherokee houses the headlight washers. Source: Allpar.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 Headlight washer is a feature Ford has never done, unlike the other Detroiters (and the world). Why is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Headlight washer is a feature Ford has never done, unlike the other Detroiters (and the world). Why is that? I honestly don't think they're all that necessary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 (edited) I honestly don't think they're all that necessary. They are more useful in Winter climates for salt spray and and snow build-up. Certainly makes sense on a Jeep. Ford probably has reasons for it, not enough customer interest or it's a technical/reliability challenge, perhaps they aren't that effective in most cases, who knows. They do have them or have done them in the past on European Fords, like the Focus. Lincoln is one of the few luxury makes not to have them. Edited January 17, 2013 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbalek Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 They are more useful in Winter climates for salt spray and and snow build-up. Certainly makes sense on a Jeep. Ford probably has reasons for it, not enough customer interest of it's a technical/reliability challenge for a company that has never done it before. Because Ford owned brands within PAG that had such premium features common on foreign brands. They didn't want their "lesser" brands to step on their premier brands! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I honestly don't think they're all that necessary. I have to clean my headlights all the time in the winter. They get to be a hot mess from the salt and dirt spray during the winter months. I've never owned a car with this feature, so I can't vouch for their effectiveness, but I can definitely see a use for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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