8 Automotive Redesigns That Dramatically Improved on the Original Model
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It’s hard to get everything perfect on the first try, especially when designing something as complex as an automobile. Shifting customer priorities, changing technologies, and pricing considerations can all lead car companies to make decisions the first time around that they don’t get a chance to correct until it becomes time to tackle the second-generation model.
With that in mind, we took a look at eight vehicles that, while impressive in their original form, took things to a new and better level after that initial redesign. Here are our picks for eight cars that dramatically improved when moving from their first generation to their second generation.
BMW 3 Series
When the BMW 3 Series made its first foray into the North American market, it took a few years to truly hit its stride. The E21 generation that debuted the 3 Series badge proved that the automaker was capable of taking the elements that had made the 2002 popular and broadening their appeal beyond the small group of enthusiasts that had embraced that model. Still, it wasn’t the car that made the roundel logo the familiar badge of conspicuous consumption that it was destined to become.
That honour fell to the E30-generation 3 Series, which arrived in the early 1980s. Boxier than its predecessor, it featured a more modern range of powerplants and an upgraded interior that hinted at the premium lifestyle that decade’s young urban professionals sought for themselves. Available as a coupe, sedan, and convertible, and featuring a host of high-performance models (not to mention that homologation-special M3), the E30 spent nearly a decade polishing BMW’s reputation among entry-level buyers — and in the process, built a pipeline for the automaker that funnelled 3 Series graduates behind the wheel of larger, more expensive models when the time came to trade-up.
Dodge Viper
The original Dodge Viper was a barely disguised concept car when it hit dealerships in 1992. How rushed was the Viper from the auto show platform to the showroom floor? It didn’t even have windows or exterior door handles, forcing owners to deal with floppy plastic side panels when caught in the rain (and to reach into the cabin to pop the latch when entering the vehicle). The first two model years didn’t even include air conditioning, which guaranteed being baked alive by the vehicle’s notoriously hot V10 drivetrain.
When the second-generation Viper arrived in 1996, it brought with it a number of creature comforts, including roll-up side glass, a solid targa top to replace the futzy canvas unit in roadster models, and a new GTS coupe that made it easier to leave the car parked in public. This was on top of a bump from 400 horsepower to 450 horsepower in the GTS, sleeker styling, and airbags for both driver and passenger.
Altogether, the Gen II Viper was a more complete package that illustrated what Dodge’s designers were capable of when not rushing what was essentially a prototype (the Gen I car) to market. These updated second-generation cars are also much easier to own from a parts perspective: for the first several years of production, the Viper saw a series of running changes made to various features and equipment, which, combined with the lack of support from the Stellantis mothership, makes it very difficult to locate replacements if needed.
Toyota MR2
The Toyota Midship Rear-drive 2-seater (MR2) was a breath of fresh air at its 1983 auto show debut in Tokyo. By combining bits and bobs from various pages of its parts catalogue, Toyota was able to cobble together an attractive-looking wedge of a sports car whose lightweight design made the most of its 112-horsepower, 16-valve, 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine. A T-top and an eventual supercharger (boosting output to 145 hp) eventually added more flair to what was an affordable break from the norm for buyers on a budget.
In 1990, the Toyota MR2 Mark II made the most of the cash pouring in from Japan’s bubble economy with a redesign that went much, much further down the performance rabbit hole than its predecessor. While a naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine was still in the cards (producing 130 horsepower), the now-heavier MR2 was best enjoyed in turbocharged form, which gave drivers 200 horsepower from a 2.0-litre unit that was a better match for its 1,360-kg (nearly 3,000-lb) curb weight. Quicker than before, and featuring sheet metal that looked far more exotic than the doorstop angles of the first-generation car, the Japanese market eventually saw 240-horsepower editions of the MR2 before the country’s economic renaissance collapsed and the model was cancelled.
Cadillac CTS
When the CTS was unveiled as a 2003 model, it charted a brand new path for the luxury automaker. For the first time, here was a luxury sedan that featured a balanced, rear-wheel-drive layout, the availability of a manual gearbox to go with its variety of V6 engine choices, and, eventually, a BMW M-baiting V-Series model with a 400-hp V8 and a suspension tuned on the Nurburgring.
These were all important steps for a company trying to shake its encroaching irrelevance and do battle with European premium brands on their own terms. It was the second generation of the Cadillac CTS, however, that truly showed how much things had improved in Detroit. Available not just as a four-door but also in wagon and coupe body styles, the revised CTS was even easier on the eyes, offered the availability of all-wheel drive, and came with a much-improved interior. Then there was the CTS-V, which could be had in any body style, offered the choice between a manual and an automatic gearbox, and boosted output from its supercharged V8 to an astonishing 556 hp. The redesign transformed the CTS from fresh face to the backbone of Cadillac’s passenger car lineup, and became its first credible threat to European sport sedan hegemony.
Volkswagen Golf Mk2
As with the original BMW 3 Series, the Golf was a transitional vehicle for the German automaker in the 1970s, with the Mk1 model pushing past the long-running Beetle as the entry-level vehicle of choice for European drivers. Infinitely more modern than its predecessor, its hatchback design was also exceptionally practical, and its GTI model proved that it was possible to engage enthusiasts with a well-balanced, lightweight chassis without needing to overpower them on the spec sheet.
The Mk2 Golf arrived at roughly the same time as the E30, and it achieved nearly the same goal, albeit at a lower price point. The redesigned Golf was ideal for drivers on this side of the Atlantic, with slightly larger proportions and a better focus on creature comforts compared to the original. And yet, despite growing in stature and weight, it never lost the key components that made the first Golf such a winner: it was still eminently useful, very affordable, and in its even more potent GTI trim, just as much fun to drive. The Golf was Volkswagen’s Trojan horse for Canadian buyers, and it cemented a foundation on which the brand would build for the next four decades.
Chevrolet Corvette
Would it surprise you to find out that the Chevrolet Corvette — a vehicle that has evolved into a world-conquering, near-exotic in its modern form — debuted with a six-cylinder engine under the hood? The original roadster, which hit showrooms in 1953, was equipped with a modest, 150-horsepower “Blue Flame” straight-six that didn’t exactly wow the competition when it came to straight-line speed. It wasn’t until three model years later that a V8 option became available with the car.
In fact, it’s easy to argue that the modern Corvette’s image was first defined not by the original edition of the vehicle, but rather the Stingray, or C2 generation that arrived in 1963. The Stingray introduced iconic styling cues like the split-window coupe, round tail lights, and side pipes, and under the hood, it banished any engine with fewer than eight cylinders, making use of a vast array of V8s (including Chevrolet’s mighty big blocks). The C2 Corvette brought Chevrolet into the muscle car wars guns blazing, and despite a few emissions-related power dips here and there, it never really left.
Toyota Prius
Simply put, the original Toyota Prius was a bit of a joke, at least if you were going by the reaction of both the media and the general public when it arrived on Canadian shores in 2000. Alongside the Honda Insight, it was the first taste of hybrid motoring most people had ever experienced, and although its fuel efficiency was fantastic, the dowdy wrapper cinched around its drivetrain made it tough for Toyota to generate much interest in the model outside the halo of early adopters.
When the second-generation Prius was unveiled three years later, it was a completely different story. Now presenting as a sleek hatchback instead of a cheapo sedan, the Prius was suddenly practical in addition to being frugal at the fuel pump. It was also more powerful, provided a more efficient commute (thanks to much better aerodynamics), and proved to be bulletproof in terms of reliability. The second-generation Prius did more to advance the cause of electrification during those early days than any other model, and it remains an icon to this day.
Porsche Boxster
Porsche had a checkered past with presenting entry-level sports cars by the time the Boxster arrived at the end of the 1990s. Whether it was the 914 or the 924, the previous two decades were littered with examples of the automaker’s faithful turning their collective noses up at vehicles they felt didn’t meet Porsche’s high standards.
The Boxster was something different. Not only was it a Porsche-led design from the ground up (unlike past attempts at courting the entry-level market), it was also a mid-engine roadster with fantastic balance and respectable speed from a flat six-cylinder engine right out of the box. Although no threat to dethrone the Porsche 911 in terms of outright lap times, the 986-generation Boxster was a chance to sample a different side of Porsche that prized handling and fun above all else.
A little less than a decade later, the 987 Boxster closed the gap between it and the 911 considerably. Maintaining its mid-engine credentials, and adding a closed-roof coupe body style called the Cayman, the new version of the sports car proved that Porsche had spent the past several years researching exactly where the Boxster needed to improve. Power was up (passing 300 horses in S-badged models), handling was even more glue-like, and special editions like the Boxster Spyder and the Cayman R proved how much potential the platform had when pushed hard on a road course.
