Thesketchmonkey

Thesketchmonkey Cars, review, design & sketching. Hey I'm TheSketchMonkey and I make content about cars

New Audi A2 looks like it’s been punched in the face but I kinda like these proportions. However the DRLs look completel...
09/07/2026

New Audi A2 looks like it’s been punched in the face but I kinda like these proportions. However the DRLs look completely out of place, the lower half of the front has some rough transitions and the rear reminds me of a BMW.

I think Audi already had the perfect design for the 2027 A2 in the A2 e-tron concept from just a couple of years ago.

Clearly inspired by the original yet still very much 2027. When we have such a unique design to begin with, not a lot is necessary to modernize it.

Facelifted 2027 Lexus NX. I like it. The graphic elements of front end in the old NX felt disconnected from each other. ...
09/01/2026

Facelifted 2027 Lexus NX. I like it. The graphic elements of front end in the old NX felt disconnected from each other. No flow between them. The grille needed a wider foundation for the big, black volumes in the lower half of the grille. Nicely done with the refresh although too bad we lost the signature “L” DRLs.

Thankfully, no bumper headlights here.

Thr side view remains mostly unchanged, normal for a facelift. That’s a good thing because I’ve always been a fan of this Lexus “origami” design. Mixing calm surfaces with a few razor sharp lines.

Heavier body volume over the rear axle gives it a nice forward motion when sitting still.

The rear end is a bit tricky for me. I do think I prefer the taillights on the old. Lexus also added an external plastic blade in the lower corners that makes it look cheaper.

14 inch center screen integration in the only way we know in 2026 - lazy.

No framing, no connection to the rest of the interior. Just a digital island. Touch buttons are not better in any way over physical dials. The interior overall is not an improvement from a design standpoint.

Happy to see there’s still an automotive vibe to this facelift and not a consumer electronics design as in the new ES. But that will probably change for the next gen NX 🤷🏽‍♂️

Is Audi heading in the right direction with its design? Well if the right direction involves monolithic blocks of graphi...
08/26/2026

Is Audi heading in the right direction with its design? Well if the right direction involves monolithic blocks of graphics and volumes then yes, I’d say so.

This is happening for 90% of automotive brands today. Gone are the days of soft, elegant lines and surfaces and in comes brutalist designs and volumes.

Peak R8 to me was the 2013 facelift. Subtle changes to the headlights, taillights and grille to make it a bit more modern without losing the spirit of the original.

This was a slow, gradual transformation that I feel has evolved quicker within the past three or four years.

I wonder where this will take us 🤔

The new Lamborghini Revuelto SV is a bit surprising to me. It doesn’t look bad, it just doesn’t look as wild and differe...
08/25/2026

The new Lamborghini Revuelto SV is a bit surprising to me. It doesn’t look bad, it just doesn’t look as wild and different from the regular Revuelto as I would have expected.

Maybe the original car already looks wild enough that it was difficult to push that language further? Maybe they are saving it for an SVJ?

Still, this things looks like an absolute animal and I always thought the regular Revuelto needed a park bench in the rear.

The Lambo DNA is still intact with the hood lines going from wide at the bottom to narrow as they meet the windshield. The single curve roofline is there and the extreme location of the A-pillar over the front axle.

Not bad.

Quick redesign of the 2026 BMW M2. A little less industrial, a little more automotive.
08/24/2026

Quick redesign of the 2026 BMW M2. A little less industrial, a little more automotive.

New 2027 Hyundai Tucson looks ready for war 📐
08/20/2026

New 2027 Hyundai Tucson looks ready for war 📐

I did not think 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘆 was going to be able to top the S1 LM but here we are. Bespoke V12, 6-speed manual and a d...
08/16/2026

I did not think 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘆 was going to be able to top the S1 LM but here we are. Bespoke V12, 6-speed manual and a design that is a masterclass in modernizing a legend.

Slightly tighter tolerances thanks to modern manufacturing methods, slight curvatures in key areas and simplified graphic elements. That’s all that is needed to bring a classic back to life.

The interior is minimalistic but still retains personality.

It’s a piece of art 🤌

I don’t think many people understand just how important of a car the new McLaren McL 6GT really is. Not only is it the r...
08/15/2026

I don’t think many people understand just how important of a car the new McLaren McL 6GT really is. Not only is it the return to a proper human/machine connection with its authentic manual transmission and hydraulic steering but just look at this design. Perfect modernization of Mr McLarens’s unfinished project of the 60’s.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said the way we fix today’s car design where nothing is allowed to have a personality, nothing can offend anyone in any way, is by looking backwards.

The cars we all remember. The organic, emotional design, the time cars felt like living, breathing beings.

Because what do we get if we look at the design of the 60’s? We get elegance, timelessness, craftsmanship and sophistication. It was a time manufacturers were actually proud of what they were building and the driver being the priority.

This design is absolutely stunning. Just by looking at the cars coming out of Monterey car week and the fact that the Mustang and Camaro are both returning with V8’s and manuals, I have a sense the cold, sterile, bland and totally uninspired era of automotive design is slowly coming to an end.

Bugatti has joined the dark side. I’m trying to figure out how a client would pay millions of dollar for a Solitaire one...
08/14/2026

Bugatti has joined the dark side. I’m trying to figure out how a client would pay millions of dollar for a Solitaire one-off Bugatti and not want the absolute peak of craftsmanship in every single detail, instead optioning for a screen. A screen?!

I understand the Destrier is based on the track focused Bolide which does have a screen. But come on, I’m sure they could have at least added a version of the Tourbillion gauges which are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.

But who knows, maybe the client was more of a tech guy 😑

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