The Color and the Shape - 5 Best Modern Cult Car Designs

Success in the car industry is usually measured through sales numbers, but is it the only criterion that truly matters? What about cars that didn't hit magic numbers but still managed to strike a chord with many car lovers? What about cars with designs that true-blue car enthusiasts can't seem to get enough of? Can one still deem them successful?

Creating a beautiful design is about the realization of an inspiration. A perfectly designed product can make the biggest impact and deliver the right message, and this is no truer than in cars that have managed to achieve what can best be described as 'cult status.' Naturally, color and shape play a huge role in the overall look of a car, and for some reason, a certain color works well for the car's specific shape than others. Below, you'll find a list of five cars along with that one particular color that we at Carmudi think make them rank among the best cult car designs.

5. FJ Cruiser and the Cavalry Blue

The FJ Cruiser is one of Toyota's most capable vehicles when the pavement gives way to rough terrain, and considering that Toyota also has the Land Cruiser, 4Runner, and Hilux, that's really saying something. But more than the FJ Cruiser's off-road capabilities, its retro-styling is what gives the vehicle its oozing presence. Designed in California, the Cruiser's design harkens back to the design of the original Land Cuiser, the FJ40. It's worth noting that the FJ Cruiser has remained practically unchanged from its release in 2006 to its discontinuation in 2014.

The FJ Cruiser contains some of the best chosen hues on this list, with each available option complementing the Cruiser's beefy bruising shape quite nicely. Choices include French Vanilla, Sandstorm, Hornet Yellow, Red Fury, Ebony, and Cavalry Blue. For us at Carmudi and the people who created this thread however, Cavalry Blue is the one shade that represents the Cruiser best.

4. Subaru Crosstrek and the Tangerine Orange Pearl

Subaru decided to discontinue Tangerine Orange Pearl for the Crosstrek starting 2016, and you can tell the car maker made a huge mistake on that decision when people are openly voicing out their disapproval here, here, and here. The good news is that there are still 2015 Tangerine Orange Pearl models lingering in various Subaru dealerships nationwide. There's even one here in the Subaru showroom near the Carmudi headquarters in BGC, so if you've been looking to get your hands on a Tangerine Orange Pearl Crosstrek, this could be your last chance to do so!

3. Nissan Juke and the Solar Yellow

You know that the Solar Yellow is a definite win for the Nissan Juke when the Japanese carmaker decided to release limited edition of the vehicle that comes in—you guessed it—Solar Yellow. The Nissan Juke's Stinger editions by Color Studio are available in Solar Yellow with black highlights and vice versa. As the name suggests, these limited run Jukes are made to look like bees, sweetened even further with dealer-installed accessories.

2. Ford EcoSport and the Kinetic Blue

There's just something about the EcoSport Kinetic Blue that feels electrifying. Once this car gets in your peripheral vision, you can't help but notice it, and sure enough, you'll soon catch yourself ogling at how pretty and shiny it is. If that doesn't perfectly define the term eye-catching, then nothing will. Many may believe that the color lends itself more toward a flashy style, but we at Carmudi think 'sleek' and 'elegant' are better descriptions.

1. Mazda 2 and the Soul Red

“The KODO Soul of Motion” is Mazda's latest design philosophy. On their website, Mazda describe KODO as catching “the very instant energy becomes motion,” adding that KODO is “the muscular beauty you see when an animal pounces, or when a human leaps into action.” It's a pretty advanced design approach, and to truly bring it to life, only a concept color will do. And so Mazda gave birth to Soul Red.

Describing their concept car color, Mazda's website reads:

Soul Red has a unique mix of translucence and depth of color. To realize this mix, the engineering team devised a novel coating structure. A semi-transparent paint layer was coated on a reflecting layer comprised of regularly arrayed aluminum flakes. A clear layer that emphasizes translucence was coated on top of the paint layer. To reproduce the color intensity of soul red faithfully and keep the color perfectly universal on the whole of the body surface, the thickness of the coating on every part was meticulously controlled.

The 'KODO – Soul of Motion' design direction has shaped the dynamic style and premium presence of Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda6, Mazda CX-5, Mazda CX-9 and Mazda CX-3, but we at Carmudi feel that the former CAGI car winner, the Mazda 2, best exemplifies the perfect marriage of KODO design aesthetics and the uniqueness of the Soul Red concept car color.

So what can you say about our list? Granted, this it consists the personal opinions of Carmudi's car experts, but do you agree or disagree with their choices? Perhaps you have another model that you'd like to add? Sound off in the comments below.