Have you noticed how many cars these days come with high waists and narrow, gun-slit windows? And how some feature massive, in-your-face grilles? Or how automakers still try to distinguish themselves with outdated wedge-type styling?

We're in a design era that ranges from downright diabolical to absolute awful, with just a few exceptions. Those high-waisted cars in particular are annoying. Driver and passengers feel like they're sitting in a claustrophobic tub. Visibility is limited, especially for people jammed into the back seat. What the industry calls the greenhouse (the windows) should be renamed the bunkhouse. As for the big grilles, they're as elegant as a rhinoceros face and almost as intimidating. And the wedge, which arrived as a solution to aerodynamic problems decades ago, is pass�.

I'm not yet sold on BMW design director Chris Bangle's flame surfacing and rear decks but I admire the steps he's taken to move BMW away from, and ahead of, the mainstream. And no, I'm not suggesting the return of wraparound windshields. Though it's something to think about.