Its a really strange trend… “I want something sporty looking but I want the capacity of an SUV”… so you get something that has to make so many compromises that you end up with neither?
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Since “traditional” SUVs are so ubiquitous now, it’s the people who are desperate to be…
#notlikeothergirls or
#notlikeotherguys
Yeah, Liam, that X4 makes you so different from your X3-driving brother.
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I have friends who like them, but I really do not get the appeal. Uglier versions with less utility, with a higher price and no gains in performance. But there’s more and more and more of them every year.
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Just to address these, you’re definitely going to see more small/subcompact SUVs, I expect. They’ve become the new entrance way to new cars, replacing compact cars or even subcompact cars.
As for touchscreens, frankly, a number of automakers have replaced the control knobs with touch screens (Audi in particular) and a large reason for this is the smartphone integration systems (CarPlay, Android Auto) which lend themselves to easier usability with a touch screen. I would expect the horrendous systems from Lexus and others to eventually get replaced with a touch screen.
So I’m afraid things are going the other way!
IMO Mercedes does this the best by far. Redundancy is the best option and I find it hard to believe that it is terribly costly to implement. Give people a couple of different ways to use the system. I can’t stand having to mess around with a touchscreen while I’m actively driving. At least Android Auto is helpful with voice commands, but you can’t do everything with them.
I think there’s a distinct difference between “fake” engine noise… and just engine noise being delivered through the speakers. I’m NOT ok with fake engine noise. However I totally understand piping the actual engine noise into the cabin, with how insulated modern cars are. Without that you probably won’t hear much at all.
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I really like those, especially the previous gen glc coupe.
They all used to have a really round rear end which, I cannot lie, I have an affinity for.
The most recent iterations of those come to more of a shelf-like point in the back, I dont like those as much.
They’ve always been polarizing designs, you love em or you hate em.
I’m a tall guy and love hatchbacks and small cars. I cannot fit comfortably in smaller cars (lord knows I’ve tried for 10 years).
I absolutely abhor crossovers, but to me a cross coupe is palatable and I like the way many of those are styled. In a practical daily driver I don’t need a massive mid or full size crossover, but the compact coupe crossovers really make a world of difference for my driving comfort.
There, I said it. I like crossover coupes. I just love slanted D pillars.
I also hate the new engine-naming conventions
Who tf knows what an Audi A6 “40” or a Q7 “45” has under the hood?
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Enlarged BMW grills. Ewww…
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I would agree with enlarged grilles in general. It’s certainly an issue now across multiple brands - BMW, Lexus, Toyota, Hyundai, Audi, Kia etc. It’s an ugly aesthetic which is also bizarre as EV’s become more and more popular which…don’t have any grille at all. So its’ either no grille or ALL the grille. I hate it.
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Next thing you know they’ll have SUV coupes with even lower roof-lines. AKA…sedans.
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I’m okay with SUVs with lower roof lines…
The alphabet soup game. There are so many alphanumeric car names on the road today, I miss the days when they actually had a name
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Was Lincoln the worst? Everything MK… and no rhyme or reason to it.
Yeah. I’d rather be driving an Acura Legend than a TL or RL or TLX. There is no way the market research came back saying people would prefer alphanumeric names to real names.
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Volvo and other wagons have some utility to them.
The severely raked D pillar on the X6 kills whatever utility it was supposed to have as a SUV
Formerly known as sport utility vehicles
AKA hatchbacks, actually. 
Aside from all the stuff that’s been mentioned, I don’t see why cars need to get wider and wider w/ each iteration. I realize by prob isn’t common, but I park in tight spaces. I want a narrow-ish car that still feels like a real car and not a cartoon car (hence me driving a Golf wagon).