I say it’s all the Nissan Murano’s fault. By “it” I mean the annoying design trend that makes car stylists feel the need to add large, visibility-challenging, upswept C-pillars and small side windows to everything from small cars like the Mazda 3 to SUVs like the Mitsubishi Outlander, Jeep Compass, Toyota RAV4, and others. 

Of course, it could be argued that the 1970 AMC Gremlin is really to blame: It sported the look 35 years before it became fashionable. But the Gremlin can probably be let off the hook because other designers at the time wisely saw no need to pick up on the pillar or, for that matter, any other bits from AMC’s hacked-off small car. Once the Gremlin was put out to pasture, rear seat passengers and drivers who prefer to know what they’re merging into were given a reprieve--at least until Nissan trotted out their sporty, trend-setting SUV in 2003. It’s been downhill ever since, with a diminished view of the hill to boot. And unfortunately, unlike the Gremlin, this time the look isn’t showing signs of going away.

In other visibility news, even while carmakers have been busily making windows smaller, more and more models are being offered with lane departure warning systems and rear view cameras. While Consumer Reports applauds these efforts, particularly rear view cameras, which can help prevent backover accidents, why not let us simply see out, too? Well-placed windows do wonders for visibility. Who decided that visibility is passé?

--Jim Travers

Note: Both vintage Gremlin photos are from the Consumer Reports archive. For more on the topic, read our recent blog post regarding the Scion xB's visibility.