The history of automobiles is littered with styling faux pas and cringe worthy looks. Most, however, have been archived to the annals of automotive history.

Gone are the days when a car was first seen just before it went into production. Now a modern car goes through an intense process of testing and multiple concepts to gauge people's opinions and fine tune some of its more homely features.

However, even in this modern age there are still a few, er, mistakes that slip through the cracks and make it to the showroom floor.

Ssangyong Stavic

Ah Ssangyong, what kind of list would this be if it wasn't included. The South Korean brand's Stavic people-mover has long been the butt of the motoring world's styling jokes.

That butt is exactly where we will start, its rear facade really is a head scratcher.

Its boxy design and liftback style rear windows makes lovers of sweeping lines and classic good looks cower in fright. And, we must admit, it's a much better looking car than its predecessor which is promising.

But there seems to be enough buyers out there looking for a large family-hauler at the right price, Ssangyong sold 360 Stavics in 2015.

Honda Odyssey

The previous generation Honda Odyssey was a smart looking vehicle, which is not easy for large cars made to accommodate a large brood.

However, the Japanese brand moved away from the wagon-style Odyssey of old and instead seemed to make it more like a conventional people-mover, bloating its proportions and taking away one of its big positives.

The new Honda Odyssey is a big lump of metal and resembles the mini-bus that it is.

Nissan Juke

The Nissan Juke has often been referred to as quirky, which is a nice way of saying weird looking.

The hatch-cum-SUV has a certain Pokemon look to it, with a cartoonish quality about the jagged front end and bug eyes that sit on top of the bonnet.

Its big wheel arches give it an overblown look that seems a bit out of place on a city SUV.

However, for all those that dislike its styling, there are more than enough that enjoying its stand-out-from-the-crowd looks. Australians bought more than 2600 Jukes in 2015.

Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius was a groundbreaking car in many respects; the first mass produced hybrid vehicle that started off a chain reaction of how the car industry looked at its reliance on fossil fuels, and it brought low emission driving into the public consciousness.

The Prius, too, was groundbreaking in its design, albeit not in a good way.

The Japanese hatchback has a weird mix of sharp angles, sweeping lines and thin headlights and tail lights that curve off in different angles.

Let's be honest, Toyota has never set the world on fire with its designs, relying mostly on a reputation for no-fuss motoring. The Prius, though, moved away from the safe styling of other Toyotas and while the new-generation is better than the original, it still doesn't appear quite right.

BMW 5-Series GT

If you are noticing a common theme here, you'd be right; designers are pushing the boundaries of what a conventional hatchback should be. Why the Bavarians thought it would work on a large, luxurious limousine with jacked-up suspension is still bewildering..

The end result is the 5-Series Gran Turismo, and slapping a hatch back on a large sedan blows the proportions of the vehicle and ruins the classic BMW design.

It's not really a sedan and it's not a hatch nor a SUV, but its trying to be a little bit of everything - and ends up being a frankencar.

The BMW 5-Series sedan on the other hand is a good looking luxury mid-sizer.

Infiniti QX80

When you buy a luxury SUV you expect the latest and greatest gear and some complementary styling to go with a $100,000-plus purchase.

The Nissan Patrol,no sorry, I mean Infiniti QX80 really has a face only a mother could love.

The repurposed Patrol-based luxury off-roader has front-end styling that is all kinds of wrong. All its facial features hang too low and its large grill and small low set headlights resemble a rhino grazing the Serengeti.

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