QOTD: What Car Looks Better in Person Than in Pics?

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

The Acura Integra has been generating a lot of conversation since it launched. I finally scheduled one for a test loan, and I am excited to drive it, even though it will be a while before that date (we often schedule cars at least a month out, and two months out is not uncommon).

That said, I haven't been enamored with its looks, at least in pictures.


Nor has at least one other staffer, whose name rhymes with Morrie. But here's the thing -- I've also seen the Integra up close a couple of times now. Once at a local event back in December, and a few times on the street. I find it much, much better looking in person, especially in A-Spec guise with dark gray paint and blacked-out wheels. That's the color combo on the one I saw at the event -- and I think it's the exact car I will be testing.

This happens a lot in this business. Sometimes you see a new car for the first time in photos, not in person -- we can't make it to every shrimp-filled launch event -- and think it's an uggo. Then you get a chance to see it up close at an auto show or on a dealer lot, or one shows up at your door, and you realize it looks much better in person.

The opposite also happens, but not nearly as often. It sorta happened to me with the new Prius -- I dug it in photos but was a bit underwhelmed seeing it in person a couple of months ago.

Anyway, I am sure this has happened to you, too, as a consumer and/or car enthusiast. This phenomenon isn't limited to automotive journalists, though maybe we notice it more.

What car gave you the creeps in photos but turned your head in person?

Sound off below.

[Image: Acura]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • L.Hutz L.Hutz on Feb 10, 2023

    Lexus LC500. In photos, it gave me SC430 vibes, which was an absolutely hideous car. When I saw the LC500 in person for the first time, I was stunned at how beautiful it was.

  • Allamericanred Allamericanred on Feb 15, 2023

    As a 2 time Acura owner I was disappointed when I saw the TLx pics but in person I love it every time I see it on the road.

  • Olivehead The Honda Civic wins on looks and interior material quality and style. The Civic looks like a scaled down "real" car (i.e., midsize) while the Corolla never lets you forget what it is-a compact car, harkening back to the Tercel, etc. No comparision either in the interior materials of the Civic (a notch below Acura level) and general layout. There too, the Corolla comes off as a compact runabout. The Civic hatchback is especially cool.
  • Mike Beranek While the product may appear to be "better", only time will tell. The American automotive environment can chew a car up and spit it out. Will these Chinese EVs survive like a quarter-century old Cavalier, or will they turn out like VinFast's "cars"?
  • Mike Beranek This police vehicle will be perfect for when the State of Florida starts tracking every pregnancy.
  • Dave M. The Highlander hybrid, a larger, heavier vehicle, gets better mpgs. Why? Also, missed opportunity - if Toyota had made this a hatchback, they could have scooped up the "want a Tesla S but not ready for a full EV" crowd, however small or large they may be....
  • TheMrFreeze Difficult call...the more the mainstream automakers discontinue their more affordable models and only sell crazy overpriced EVs and trucks, the more appealing the idea of letting in cheap imported cars becomes with the buying public. If the government is going to impose tariffs on Chinese vehicles, at the same time they need to be getting with the Big 3 and telling them to fill the void with affordable models and not use the tariff as an excuse to simply raise prices. Otherwise, public pressure could see the tariffs withdrawn.I seem to recall the last administration put a 25% tariff on Chinese steel, at which point the US manufacturers immediately used the opportunity to raise their prices 25%...that needs to not happen.
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