As you may have heard, tomorrow is the huge Galpin Car Show, and I’m here to help represent The Autopian in our little microcar-filled corner, so I’m here in lovely Los Angeles, the City Of Angles, obtuse and acute. As David and I were driving around town, possibly fighting crimes, we were driving behind this particular Jaguar I-Pace, and noticed something significant: that car has too many badges. Now, I didn’t have a hard and fast rule about the number or amount of badges that were acceptable on the back of a given car, but this I-Pace definitely crossed the line. You can just feel it.
Let’s just look at it, and figure out what pushes it too far: there’s a leaping chrome Jaguar, but in case that’s not clear enough, the name JAGUAR is spelled out below it. Then on one side we have the model name, I-Pace, the other side says EV400, commemorating Jaguar’s four centuries of building EVs (I assume), and then under that is a little AWD badge, and then, finally, mounted dead center, is a FIRST EDITION badge.
It’s the FIRST EDITION one that I think pushes it over the edge. Things were already borderline, with five separate badges on that tailgate, so the addition of some big chrome typography is definitely not helping. To be fair, I’m not sure the FIRST EDITION badging was factory; that looks like something maybe an overeager dealer installed, or an owner tired of people not understanding that this I-Pace is, edition-wise, first.
With anything that’s overdone, it’s fun to imagine it being more overdone, because once you cross that line, why not keep going, right? I mean, why not do this:
People have a right to know what’s going on in your car, spelled out in chrome! If there’s no DOHCs or Turbos or injection of fuel to crow about, you just have to be more creative!
Anyway, the important thing is I feel like now we have a baseline: One to four badges, okay, five badges, borderline, six and up: too many badges.
Amazing Adventures In Car Badges: The Times That Volkswagen Took Their Own Name Off Their Cars
Here Are All (Well, Most Of) The American Cars With Illuminated Badges, Which Should Have Been More Of A Thing
I Am Completely In Favor Of Re-Badging Your Car However The Hell You Want
The “FIRST EDITION” might be a reference to the ID.4? Their first model year had trim called the “1st Edition” with OEM badging to match. I can’t really imagine why a Jaguar owner would want to make a favorable reference to a VW, though.
But they did save a lot of paper since Monroney stickers are no longer needed.
Seriously, if Jaguar had a thimble’s worth of identity all they would need is the cat, ala Mustang’s going away view.
3 badges max. Any more is tacky.
My old MB actually had a badge delete from the factory and it’s better this way.
Mercedes 4Matic and any tesla with “dual motor” always strike me as being pretty bad in this regard
The first edition is absolutely autozone junk badging. Someone took the time to do that.
I just realized I’ve missed an opportunity all these years. I was the first addition (and only) to my parent’s marriage. I should have gotten a face tattoo to showcase this fact.
Torch’s over-the-top needs some “WOW” and “OMG IKR” and “SO MONEY” and “MUCH FAST”.
I think you’re right about it not being factory — it doesn’t even look centered!
Is this just a classier American who did not feel the need to put tacky bumper stickers on their car to make it unique? What is it with America and bumper stickers?
Travel the world and no one else seems to put a sticker on their car telling me which purportedly posh school their kid is attending.
That about the Toyota Tacoma PreRunner V6 SR5 TRD Off-Road?
OMG you guys! fIrSt eDiTiOn!!! Are you jealous?!
* Subaru has entered the chat * https://www.cars101.com/subaru/badgeofownership25.JPG
I saw a Tesla with a chrome “V E G A N” badge across the entire tailgate.
I can only bet whoever went to the trouble of custom ordering that is just fascinating at parties!
Was there a C R O S S F I T badge below it?
And a n obnoxious “13.1” sticker?
How can you tell if a person at a party is a Vegan? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you… agin and agin.
Jason, maybe it would look better if all the elements were centered, like the text in a greeting card?