[spectrum1234]

You're okay with ugly exterior though?

[whafro]

Everyone differs here, but I think the X is actually pretty ugly at the front. The hood and grille just seem like a fussy child's face.

I still love the look of the S, and think it's aging pretty well, but I couldn't bring myself to get the X in part because of the exterior design. I ended up with a 2018 XC60.

[kabdib]

The T8?

[whafro]

It wasn't available when I ordered. I had a time constraint, so got the first one off the boat into North America (allegedly), so it has a T6. But all things being equal, I'd love a T8 in there.

[SystemOut]

On a mid-range or long-range trip with the family I don't really care about the exterior unless we're talking Aztek level ugly. Minivans are super useful and they've been focusing on family oriented interiors for a long time. I can take the seats out and haul a ton of stuff back there too. They also beat SUVs for the utility aspect in most situations.

[toast0]

Why care about the exterior? You don't see it when you're driving.

[singingboyo]

To be fair, the older Odysseys were really damn ugly. Newer ones are slightly better, but not amazing.

Of course, interior wins over exterior every time, but I do admit to some confusion as to why anyone bought the old ones.

[jedberg]

I didn't even think about the exterior when I bought it. It's for my family, so all I worried about were features that will make my family comfortable while giving me a good driving experience.

I suspect that's why all those old vans were bought too -- you don't get a van for its styling. :)

[singingboyo]

That's true, you certainly don't. Honestly, it's true of any car - if something looked like a PT Cruiser (to pick a stereotype) but did what I wanted far better than anything else, I probably would have gotten despite the exterior. Though that is absurdly hard to imagine, so it's hard to be sure what would happen.

In any case, I think exterior certainly comes into play at a subconscious level after looking at a bunch of different models for a month... and if two vehicles are otherwise very similar, I might opt for a slightly nicer exterior over, say, 3-level vs 2-level heated seats, or rain-sensing wipers. (On that note, I've never found a rain-sensing wiper system that I liked...)

For context, though, I'm in Vancouver, and as a city we're rather snobby about car appearances.

[jedberg]

> I've never found a rain-sensing wiper system that I liked...

Me neither, they're always too aggressive. I end up doing by hand, which would be super hard on Model 3 from what I hear.

> For context, though, I'm in Vancouver, and as a city we're rather snobby about car appearances.

I grew up in Southern California. I doubt you will find a place more snobby about their cars. :)

[secabeen]

Right, and Teslas are the best cars on the market today for auto-steer and adaptive cruise control, which contributes significantly to driving experience. As for family comfort, the Tesla seats are pretty good, and I don't really want any other comfort features than a good seat or two, and a cup-holder. Most everything else I want for family comfort/entertainment is delivered better via tablet or phone.

[greedo]

99% of buyers care about a cars exterior. Otherwise the Pontiac Aztek would be a bestseller...

[jedberg]

That would only be true if the Aztek were a stellar car other than its look. But it isn't.

[youngtaff]

With Tesla's there's something weird about the line where the hood meets the windshield that you don't see in other sports cars

[secabeen]

That may be the deep cut under there that the wiper lie in. It's for maximum aerodynamics.