5 Times Facelifts Worked Brilliantly

I’m going to come out and say it: I’m rather fond of the way the newly revealed 2018 Ford Mustang looks. The changes have sharpened up the car nicely without wrecking the whole retro homage thing, and I can’t wait to see it in the metal. But, not everyone is as keen.

The mixed reception to the 2018 ‘Stang got me thinking. Facelifts that have ‘ruined’ particular cars is a subject that’s been visited plenty of times, but what about mid-life refreshes that deserve to be celebrated? It’s not something you see happen all that often, so without further ado, here are some automotive facelifts that get a nod of respect from us.

Note: all facelift cars appear on the right of each image

2017 Nissan GT-R

Let’s start off with a recent one. Revealed at the New York Auto Show last year, critics were quick to lambast the 2017 Nissan GT-R’s facelift as being barely noticeable. But they were missing the point: the changes were subtle, but very effective.

The new side intakes got rid of those chubby-looking ribbed sections on either side of the front bumper, while the larger grille upped the aggression nicely.

BMW E46 3-series

Yep, once upon a time BMW actually did facelifts that were noticeable to the naked eye. A prominent example was the E46 3-series, which received a well-judged nip and tuck which included the addition of sleeker headlights and larger, more shapely kidney grilles. The pre-facelift cars are looking quite dated now, but the updated cars still look fresh even today.

Jaguar XF

The pre-facelift Jaguar XF wasn’t exactly ugly, but changes in 2011 freshened up the 5-series rival considerably. This was mostly thanks to the original, goofy headlamps being chucked in the bin, replaced by a much slimmer set that brought the XF’s design much closer to that of the C-XF concept.

The XF R’s transformation was the most dramatic, with the shouty super saloon gaining a radically altered front bumper with chunkier intakes.

Peugeot 306

Like the pre-facelift XF, the ‘Phase I’ 306 is still a handsome thing, but its headlights and slatted front grille firmly linked it to Peugeots of the past. The Phase II brought the styling in line with the curvier 406, with a new grille, bumpers and curvier headlights.

The Phase III update was more minor, but it resulted in the 306 GTI-6 lending its fancier front bumper to ‘lesser’, sporty-ish models like the D Turbo XSI. Isn’t that generous?

Mazda MX-5 2.5

After the ‘Mk2.5’ facelift the second-generation MX-5 was still a cutesy-looking thing, but a new front bumper, new-ish headlights and some new wheel options freshened the car up while adding a little dash of aggression. The Mk3’s design dropped the cuteness levels even further, but the 2.5 that came before it was certainly a step in the right direction.

What other successful facelifts can you think of? And do you disagree with any of our choices? Comment below with your thoughts!