[DESIGN] Updated bodykits

[Evman]

I'm sure HSV is well aware of the thread started by the members of LS1.com.au that had a pre-release tour of HSV and the E2 models. In the thread, and in several other E2 threads, there has been quite a lot of criticism about the new look that HSV has gone with, with major issues being that most of the styling cues can be traced to cars already in production. I myself was one of the most critical I think. Although I haven't yet seen an E2 in the flesh, from the pictures I've seen the E2 models seem to come across as overdone and to be very blunt, cheap. This is very worrying to me and seems to be true for many others as well!

My question is;

Why did HSV make such a dramatic change from the E1 styling that has proven to be so popular? While the new styling is certainly more eye catching, a surprisingly large percentage of us seem to be of the opinion that it's for all the wrong reasons.

[korrupt]

Semi-related question. What was the reasoning behind having the E2 Senator share the same rear bumper as the GTS and R8, when the E1 Senator had a unique look ?

[HSV]

First thing you need to do saturday morning is go and visit your local HSV dealer and see these great machines in the flesh!

We have producing E Series since the middle of 2006 - we wanted, with E2, to update the brand identity of HSV and modernise the look of our range. There are significant eng improvements and we wanted to signal these, by changing the look of our cars. Car design is constantly evolving and while we recognise the passion many LS1 posters have for our older product it is important for us to stretch the identity of our brand, in order to keep it looking fresh into the future.

When you see an HSV on the road this Christmas it will still look exciting and you'll want to be in the drivers seat experiencing all those people on the street staring at your beast.

[HSV]

Re E2 rear bumper, we look at our budgets and thought that changes to the front of the range would give us more effective differentiation. We also invested in a polypropolene front bumper which offers superior quality for E2.

[Evman]

First thing you need to do saturday morning is go and visit your local HSV dealer and see these great machines in the flesh!

Well, I did go and see the E2 in the flesh. I saw red, white and black models (the black one was a GTS) and I here is my opinion based on pictures and backed up finally by seeing it iwith my own eyes; I find there is no flow front to rear and I still believe the puffy cheeks effectively lengthen the front from most angles, ruining the blunt nose that suits the VE shape. Going without a rear diffuser takes away the sportiness of the entire rear of the vehicle. This accompanied with the faux vents on the back and the frowning face appearance cheapens it dramatically. I do however very much like the exhaust tips on the sedans. I find the tips on the E Series and the E2 Maloo to be far too small for the size of the car. However as an overall visual package, the E2 in my opinion is still a mixed bag of other manufacturers' designs and is a huge step backwards. I found myself disliking it more and more the longer I looked at it.


When you see an HSV on the road this Christmas it will still look exciting and you'll want to be in the drivers seat experiencing all those people on the street staring at your beast.

No actually, I wont. As I've said previously about the E2, change for the sake of change is not always a good thing, and seeing the cars in the flesh has cemented this in my opinion. HSV wanted maximum differentiation, yet visually brought nothing new to the market. Go figure.