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Forbes took data from multiple sources and put together a photo list of the 15 new cars they deem worst. See the whole list here and tell me if you are surprised by any.
I was a little more surprised by brands not found on the list. Using resale and valuation criteria it stands to reason that several luxury vehicles are found here, but not a singe Korean model is on the list. Jeep made the list several times, as does the Dodge Journey. Nissan is well represented on this list of losers, as is Mitsubishi. Honda and Toyota are not found here. (One Scion represents a Toyota creation.) GM as a whole fares well, with only one dated luxury model on the list.
Forbes took data from multiple sources and put together a photo list of the 15 new cars they deem worst. See the whole list here and tell me if you are surprised by any.
I was a little more surprised by brands not found on the list. Using resale and valuation criteria it stands to reason that several luxury vehicles are found here, but not a singe Korean model is on the list. Jeep made the list several times, as does the Dodge Journey. Nissan is well represented on this list of losers, as is Mitsubishi. Honda and Toyota are not found here. (One Scion represents a Toyota creation.) GM as a whole fares well, with only one dated luxury model on the list.
Any thoughts on what they got right or wrong?
Well, Nissan's Titan/Armada (pretty much the same vehicle, btw) are severely outdated, so I'm not surprised to see them on there. Not to say they're bad vehicles; they're just in need of a new design.
I don't think the Mitsubishi Mirage belongs on this list. Complaining about its lack of power is ridiculous. One buys that car KNOWING it has a 3-cylinder. One buys it mostly to do inner-city driving, which it will more than adequately do. Yet their major complaint is its lack of power...
I'd put the Chevy Cruze and Spark on this list. I recently test-drove them, and they are BEYOND awful.
No real surprises. Fans of the Wrangler will surely disagree with its inclusion on the list. People buy the Wrangler for its tough image (lifestyle) and potential offroad capability even if most are never more than 100 ft. from pavement.
Smart Fortwo: This makes sense to me. Smart cars are anything but smart. They are very expensive, get poor fuel economy and not practical
Scion Iq: See Smart Fortwo.
Nissan Titan: No comment. It's a pickup. Most people "need" a pickup to commute to work and never haul anything.
Nissan Armada: Some people want giant SUVs
Mitsubishi Mirage: Magazines hate these simple, cheap, honest cars because they are what we NEED to be driving. Cheap, reliable, affordable, economic ... sure, they don't have the ride of a luxury car and performance of a german car ... who cares. It gets you from point A to point B, cheaply.
Mitsubishi Mi-Ev: Electric cars don't make sense for 99.99% of people. It also had a sale of 1 in January 2014
Lincoln MKT: Ugly. And expensive. Justa expensive(r) Ford Flex.
Linkoln MKS: Ugly. And Expensive. Justa expensive(r) Ford Taurus.
Jeep Wrangler: Excellent for it's niche market. Unless you're an off roader ... you don't need this.
Jeep Patriot/Compass: Chrysler tried to build a Subaru on their horrible Caliber platform. It failed.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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The only surprise is the BMW. Most of those are either tiny or giant vehicles, which have limited appeal anyway, and Chrysler products which are poor quality in general.
Smart Fortwo: This makes sense to me. Smart cars are anything but smart. They are very expensive, get poor fuel economy and not practical
Scion Iq: See Smart Fortwo.
Nissan Titan: No comment. It's a pickup. Most people "need" a pickup to commute to work and never haul anything.
Nissan Armada: Some people want giant SUVs
Mitsubishi Mirage: Magazines hate these simple, cheap, honest cars because they are what we NEED to be driving. Cheap, reliable, affordable, economic ... sure, they don't have the ride of a luxury car and performance of a german car ... who cares. It gets you from point A to point B, cheaply.
Mitsubishi Mi-Ev: Electric cars don't make sense for 99.99% of people. It also had a sale of 1 in January 2014
Lincoln MKT: Ugly. And expensive. Justa expensive(r) Ford Flex.
Linkoln MKS: Ugly. And Expensive. Justa expensive(r) Ford Taurus.
Jeep Wrangler: Excellent for it's niche market. Unless you're an off roader ... you don't need this.
Jeep Patriot/Compass: Chrysler tried to build a Subaru on their horrible Caliber platform. It failed.
I'm considering a Mirage of all things, mainly because I am getting sick of driving my large V6 sedan in gridlock traffic every day. I need a small, reliable econo-box for when I am alone in my car going to work. No sense driving big machines going to and from the office.
Mitsubishi Mirage: Magazines hate these simple, cheap, honest cars because they are what we NEED to be driving. Cheap, reliable, affordable, economic ... sure, they don't have the ride of a luxury car and performance of a german car ... who cares. It gets you from point A to point B, cheaply.
I bought an '11 Dodge Journey new. This was after the big revamp. The only problem I've had with it is the CD player died 1 year after I bought it. It has recently needed new tires and a battery. Otherwise it runs like a top.
It's a 4 cylinder, 7 seater with the mid-level options and cost $21,500. Over several years there are still no documented problems with this drivetrain (2.4+40TES). It gets 21/25 mpg and insurance is cheap. The interior is actually pretty nice and has held up fine. After it reaches age 9 I'll get rid of it... or maybe not.
Some magazines like this hate it, but I can't figure out why. I've driven other similarly sized vehicles slightly above this price point and they are all similar. You may skimp here and beef up there, but in the end it's all about what balance you prefer.
Consumer Reports (CR) stopped being of any value to me over 15 years ago. CR has become irrelevant. Forbes basically re-hashed CR and JDP data in their article. I get much better research results on anything they review via actual consumer reviews posted at Amazon or a myriad of other sites that allow purchasers to post reviews.
When I bought my first Wrangler back in 1995 I looked at CR and although somewhat informative, I didn't gain enough insight to make a buying decision until I actually test drove some vehicles. Since then and now on my second Wrangler I can say that CR can take their opinion and shove it. I just don't care and I know that most Jeep owners don't either. Jeep resale values are among the highest of all automobiles, and they are plenty comfortable for me and my family and friends. In terms of reliability, my friends and I laugh at the ratings because we all do our own work and component upgrades and haven't seen any problems arise we couldn't handle/make better.
Obviously there is a cultural divide, Wrangler fans vs non-fans. I have little to say on that except that I recommend you try one out before you cast judgement; there's nothing like having a Wrangler with one of the new premium soft-tops; in 5 seconds I can be in a open-air mode to look at the stars/moon or to get some sun.
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