August 1, 201213 yr I have a Dodge Caliber as my rental for a few days with 40k miles on it. It is an absolute pile... the best thing Dodge could have done is take it out back and shoot it. But that got me thinking, even just since the Caliber, the quality of vehicles has improved dramatically. So sound off, what are the worst new cars in production and on sale today?
August 2, 201213 yr i would concur in the caliber and versa! they don't sell the cobalt anymore,..........
August 2, 201213 yr caliber must have got shot. caliber. gun. can we put the avenger / sebring in there? Edited August 2, 201213 yr by regfootball
August 2, 201213 yr I think we have to look at it from the standpoint of what cars are not all that they ought to be given current market conditions. Corolla, not what it should be. Bland Focus and fiesta automatics, and along with them Ford information and entertainment systems.
August 2, 201213 yr Other than the FRS, which is sort of really is a Suburu the whole Scion lineup sucks. IQ gets horrible reviews, ex bee and ex dee are dated, slow, and ugly. Not what Scion needs to gain youth market. Maybach is gone, but was overpriced, poorly marketed, and just a rolling joke for what it was supposed to be. VW reliability on anything other than the Wolfsburg, Germany built TDI and GTI golfs is a joke, and should be a national embarrassment for Germany. Honda Civic is actually worse for the refresh, and I've heard lots of people, not just "car people" not happy with what Honda has done. Hyundai Veloster has back seat headroom issues with the hatch that are just awkward and unacceptable for a production automobile. BMW has become bland IMHO in their styling, and while this is just a personal thing, I'm going to put it here. Lot of cars have become needlessly complex. Some cars are now using speakers to amplify/produce engine sounds for driver enjoyment...really....your going to use speakers rather than tuning the exhaust? The whole Chinese car thing, with really crappy products that will possibly be sold here at some point...yuck. Mazda dropping the ball with the whole smiley face thing on their product line....not acceptable IMHO. They need better design if they are going to survive in our uber competitive marketplace.
August 2, 201213 yr Toyota FJ cruiser has horrible visibility when you drive one. Worse than my old Mustang fastback, and that's saying something. And crappy real world fuel economy...not to mention reliability issues. Acura ZDX, misses the mark styling wise, sells like crap, why is it here. A really decent car, but over priced for what it is...ILX Acura with the 6MT. Caddy Cruiser will disagree, but 30K for a Civic SI with nicer sheet metal and a better interior...really?
August 2, 201213 yr Acura needs the same kind of emergency rehash that the Civic is getting 18 months after it's intro. Styling still really is not a drawing card with these cars like ti should be IMHO. Current Mustang and Camaro are wayyy to freaking heavy for what they are. Like I've said, we thought long and hard about both a Mustang and a Camaro before we bought the MINI. We'll be buying another car in the next couple of years, and I'm interested to see what Ford and Chevrolet are going to do with these two cars. Have I peeved everyone off yet...probably and I am sorry. But these are my current frustrations/sore spots with the current production automobiles.
August 2, 201213 yr Horse, I could not agree more on the whole weight thing. The problem is is that EVERY CAR these days is overweight by at least 500 pounds. Most Trucks could stand to drop 750-1000 pounds easily. Safety matters, but so does fuel economy. Compared to 25-30 years ago, every car seems too heavy nowadays. Somethng has to give. The first automaker that can make a safe car and have it weigh 500 pounds less than the competition AND not be overpriced will have almost everyone beating a path to their door.
August 2, 201213 yr Somebody already took mine--the Toyota FJ Cruiser. Just looking at that thing pisses me off. But they sell like crazy around here. So it's probably just me.
August 2, 201213 yr Just about all the asian eco box cars are in this list to me. They are dull, plastic bad interiors which remind me of piss poor american cars of the 90's and just about any BMW or MB as they just cannot seem to stay out of the shop for repairs. Do not get me wrong, I think the design language of BMW and MB is very nice, just their quality sucks. Chrysler has it's own issues with the 200, Sebring, Caliber, etc Even the mini van has gone down hill in my opinion.
August 2, 201213 yr a complaint i hear a lot from customers is that the cars they are driving are too light for winter. cars like the altima, mazda3, etc. you never really hear a GM owner complain that their car is too light. I think ford has fixed the dual clutch problems on the focus for awhile now. I drove a new one that shifted great. I have an acquaintance who has one and he said a tranny flash took care of all the gremlins on his. Although ain't it funny, the fusion is not dual clutch. If i believe reviews, the new Versa sedan is the worst new car on the road.
August 2, 201213 yr I'm also not a fan of hybrids. Again, it's just me being old school. But contrary to the self-righteous attitude of some people who drive 'em, those things don't save the world--streets still need to be paved for the car to be driven in, parking lots still need to be built, tons of plastic needs to be molded to fit the interiors, all kinds of nasty metals go into the battery pack--and in the grand scheme of things, they really don't "save fossil fuels" at all. But at least they are more complex than a vehicle with a regular powertrain, and you have the added benefit of spending several thousand dollars more to purchase all that complexityin the first place. Sorry I blew up. Edited August 2, 201213 yr by NeonLX
August 2, 201213 yr I'm also not a fan of hybrids. Again, it's just me being old school. But contrary to the self-righteous attitude of some people who drive 'em, those things don't save the world--streets still need to be paved for the car to be driven in, parking lots still need to be built, tons of plastic needs to be molded to fit the interiors, all kinds of nasty metals go into the battery pack--and in the grand scheme of things, they really don't "save fossil fuels" at all. But at least they are more complex than a vehicle with a regular powertrain, and you have the added benefit of spending several thousand dollars more to purchase all that complexityin the first place. Sorry I blew up. Agreed, the heavy Green tree huggers seem to always ignore the fact that 10 years worth of green house gas was pushed into the world for the production of your battery pack and lets not forget all the increased gas created by the coal burning power plants to give you the electricity to charge your 40-80 mile limited car. At least I can go anywhere with my car, even CNG if better than Electric. No need to apologize for what is fact.
August 2, 201213 yr I have no trouble with Hybrids, and no trouble with small cars done right. But I do agree CNG needs to get more press... Maybe we could get some Hollywood types to get all smug and self righteous about CNG? Smart Car +1000 Agreed, see my post...x10000
August 3, 201213 yr Honda Crosstour Chevrolet Colorado/ GMC Canyon Smart Car Kia Forte the smart car i drove was junky. colorado and canyon, hate to say, pretty junky also. Edited August 3, 201213 yr by regfootball
August 3, 201213 yr The new Malibu seems to be far from the car it should have been. Vera of course. Smart car probably takes the award. It may be incredibly safe for such a small car, but it's terrible transmission and pathetic fuel economy for something so small puts it near the top of the list for worst cars I think. I hated the Colorado but then I drove a brand new Ranger and mother of god that is a pile of garbage, especially with the 2.3. So in retrospect the Colorado at least has some guts and doesn't sound like the engine has marbles in it, has some actual legroom and has decent steering.
August 3, 201213 yr Smart Car +1000 Agreed, see my post...x10000 ...Oh yeah, and the Smart car. Add in my ^2. (squared, for you non-math types )
August 7, 201213 yr How could I forget: The Honda Enema...er, Element? That's not dead yet? They sell bazillions of them around here. That, and the Ridgeline.
August 7, 201213 yr I thought both the Element and Ridgeline were dead products as you cannot find them on the Honda lots here in the Seattle area. Course they never were that popular here. Edited August 7, 201213 yr by dfelt
August 7, 201213 yr another consumer of mine made a comment about $h!ty the Versa was yesterday! LMAO......
August 7, 201213 yr How could I forget: The Honda Enema...er, Element? No longer in production, but dismal none the less. GM walked out of the midsize cargo market when they discontinued the HHR Panel and Astro cargo., GM needs another mid sized cargo type vehicle, IMHO.
August 7, 201213 yr another consumer of mine made a comment about $h!ty the Versa was yesterday! LMAO...... I pretty much would rather be bitten by a rabid dog than drive a Versa.
August 7, 201213 yr I'd rather be taking refuge in a Pinto from a rabid dog, than drive a Versa. rented one once on a business trip, albeit, one from the previous generation. worst. car. ever. of all time.
August 7, 201213 yr Speaking of a Pinto and Versa...my sister's first car was a Pinto, and a couple years ago, she had a Versa rental here when both her Mercs were in the shop...I rode in it...strange little car.
August 7, 201213 yr Speaking of a Pinto and Versa...my sister's first car was a Pinto, and a couple years ago, she had a Versa rental here when both her Mercs were in the shop...I rode in it...strange little car. Agreed, I think someone at Nissan has a significant other that works in the narcotics department. I think Nissan cars are pretty much a good example of borrowing a few samples from the evidence closet.
August 9, 201213 yr Sorry to be a year out of date with my dissing of the Enema and Ridgeline. Sux to be old.
August 9, 201213 yr Don't worry about being out of date, just glad to see you back at the site posting.Speaking of new cars, have you checked out the Dart? Might be a nice replacement for the Maax you ahve now...
August 10, 201213 yr Don't worry about being out of date, just glad to see you back at the site posting.Speaking of new cars, have you checked out the Dart? Might be a nice replacement for the Maax you ahve now... Believe it or not, I haven't been in one yet. I have seen a couple on the road; they certainly look nice. I dearly love the Maxx but I sure wish the front suspension was a bit sturdier. Say, before I forget--the lastest issue of Collectible Automobile Magazine has the Malibu Maxx SS as its "Cheap Wheels" feature! How cool is that?
August 10, 201213 yr Chrysler 200 is on the list. They may have improved it but the car still sucks. Not a fan of any of the Kia line. Just because any of these cars sell does not mean they are good cars.
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