Blind eye to visibility, blame it on the Murano

I say it’s all the Nissan Murano’s fault. By “it” I mean the annoying design trend that makes car stylists feel the need to add large, visibility-challenging, upswept C-pillars and small side windows to everything from small cars like the Mazda 3 to SUVs like the Mitsubishi Outlander, Jeep Compass, Toyota RAV4, and others. 

Of course, it could be argued that the 1970 AMC Gremlin is really to blame: It sported the look 35 years before it became fashionable. But the Gremlin can probably be let off the hook because other designers at the time wisely saw no need to pick up on the pillar or, for that matter, any other bits from AMC’s hacked-off small car. Once the Gremlin was put out to pasture, rear seat passengers and drivers who prefer to know what they’re merging into were given a reprieve--at least until Nissan trotted out their sporty, trend-setting SUV in 2003. It’s been downhill ever since, with a diminished view of the hill to boot. And unfortunately, unlike the Gremlin, this time the look isn’t showing signs of going away.

In other visibility news, even while carmakers have been busily making windows smaller, more and more models are being offered with lane departure warning systems and rear view cameras. While Consumer Reports applauds these efforts, particularly rear view cameras, which can help prevent backover accidents, why not let us simply see out, too? Well-placed windows do wonders for visibility. Who decided that visibility is passé?

--Jim Travers

Note: Both vintage Gremlin photos are from the Consumer Reports archive. For more on the topic, read our recent blog post regarding the Scion xB's visibility.
 

Comments

[David]

Yeah, one more reason to buy a convertible: visibility with the top down. :)

[Gene]

I am also worried about visibility in many modern sedans whose hoods are so high that one simply has no idea where the front of the car is beyond the visible apex of the hood. This is particularly an issue for short drivers like my under-five-foot wife (seeing her behind the wheel of a rental new Mustang elicited some laughs). The low trim lines defining the bottom of windshields and side windows of cars like yesteryear Honda Civics are sadly also features of the past, perhaps lost permanently to stow space for front and side airbags.

[Rich]

At least the small C-pillar window on my 07 CRV is DOWNSWEPT, which gives a bit more visibilty along the rear beltline than the UPSWEPT style.

[pnxdtr]

I completely agree with you on this new trend. The other annoy design (I don't think it is a trend yet) is the design of the Toyota FJ Cruiser and new Scion xB. Who puts a wall on the side of the car to block the view. The previous xB had much better visibility, but that was done away with. What was Toyota thinking?

[Derrick]

That's too funny. But in Nissan's defense--or further damnation depending on your point of view (assuming you have any view left)--the Sunny/B-210 coupe of the early '70's had a similar, though less severe, roofline. I'm thinking that's probably what Nissan's designers were paying homage to more so than the Gremlin. I'd note that the major improvement from the Gremlin sedan to the replacement Spirit were improved quarter and rear hatch windows. Maybe Nissan will see the logic in that when the Murano gets a redesign. It looks like the Rogue's slope at least isn't quite so steep.

[Farshlufen]

I'l rather drive a full size cargo van with custom cut out rear windows.

[Ryan]

Funny that in your picture you show the Murano's pillar blocking the view of a Volvo 240, one of the highest-visibility cars I've ever driven.

I own a Honda Fit now, which has a mercifully low beltline and pretty good visibility, but I only need to park next to an old Civic wagon to see that, twenty years ago, visibility was better still. Is there some safety reason that all cars seem to be moving in this direction? Is it easier to engineer stronger doors for side impacts if the beltline is higher? Or is it just because people think it makes the car look cool? Why on earth are people buying cars they can't see out of?

It's a very disturbing trend that I think will precipitate more easily preventable accidents like parents backing over children in the driveway.

[Jesus Santos]

One of the reason we purchase a Honda Pilot SUV is visibility. I check the Murano and look at others as they pass in the free way. The small windows in an angle didn't reasure me that the drivers were able to see the other driver as they try to change lane before the horn sound. We are very please with the Honda Pilot. We can see to the right and the rear window is big and let me see clearly back. I prefer safety than style.