The 17 Worst Cars You Can Buy

Edmunds.com

The 17 Worst Cars You Can Buy

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empoweredbc

When the "worst cars you can buy" list includes cars like the Lexus LS, and the Ferrari California, the current state-of-the-art when it comes to automobiles is pretty sweet! You are living in good times, my friend!

The only cars truly worth hating on here are the Avenger, Smart, i-MiEV (Just for the name alone), and the Ford brothers, Taurus and MKS. Knock this list down to 5 cars, and you are righteous!

agentorange

"The number of small trucks on sale has fallen to a mere three choices as the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Dodge Dakota,.." So what are the Toyota Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier? Either the author is error or what he intended to write got sub-edited into this nonsense.

se_riously

For worst sports car, I would have given the title to the Honda CR-Z before the Lotus Evora. At least the Lotus is actually sporty, while the CR-Z is not that fuel efficient, nor actually sporty.

quadricycle

@agentorange: The Tacoma and Frontier are medium sized trucks, and have been since 2005 when they were redesigned. If you compare the generations of each one, you'll see that they grew significantly.

patinthecity

I think Dodge should come out with an Avenger Marvel Comics special edition with either a Captain America red/white/&blue, Hulk green/purple, or Iron Man red/yellow interior/exterior color themes. No mechanical upgrades, just pure stupid fun adding insult to injury. Yay!!

compressor

Honda Ridgeline?

Oh yes, in US we need our trucks to be big manly man trucks even if all we really need is an open bed to carry smaller potentially dirty things like a kids dirtbike or lawnmower.

The Ridgeline basically the modern El Camino or Subaru Baja replacement given that these are seen as even less "manly". It is a great vehicle if you don't need to tow or carry a heavy payload and don't want to put up with the compromises of that make doing so on a regular basis possible (poor ride/handling)

lions208487

For once I agree with everything Edmunds.com stated in this article.

lions208487

One of my friends has a Ridgeline (poor guy), and I thought the cabin was designed by Ford of the early 1990's. It's not very fuel efficient, nor is it really practical. The Tacoma is really the only solid small/ medium truck on the market.

zimtheinvader

"and you get to tell your friends that your truck is based on a minivan" --- yes, because it is all about covering up your insecurities with a truck that can haul and tow more than most will ever need. ---- "Its ride and handling are also superior to its Nissan and Toyota rivals, while the quality of its roomy and comfortable cabin is a cut above." --- yep, wouldn't want those features if you can't impress your friends with how much it 'can' tow and how much 'can' fit in the bed

zimtheinvader

First you say "The number of small trucks on sale has fallen to a mere three choices as the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Dodge Dakota" then you say "to its Nissan and Toyota rivals" To me the Colorado and Canyon would be small trucks and the Nissan, Toyota and Honda would be midsized. --- That being said, how on earth did the Colorado beat the Ridgeline?

engineer_mba

I am surprised that the Honda Accord Crosstour did not make the list. I think the styling is "aesthetically debatable" and it seems to occupy a strange niche between the Accord sedan and the Pilot pseudo-SUV.

330i_zhp

Good thoughts on this list... I was surpised by the Ferrari, but your arugments makes sense. Also... "If you think that's a good deal, then perhaps we should introduce you to this Nigerian prince we know" - very clever!

ab348

You left out "Worst Car Website Design". Give that one to yourself, Edmunds. RIP, Inside Line.

bc1960

"The cargo area is meager for a vehicle its size", but larger than a similarly-sized Infiniti FX, e.g. But the FX37 is less expensive and has a bit more power and a bit less weight, so maybe the ZDX still trails in criteria.

awyseguy

But a few that made it obvious that you were writing this to see what responses you can get. 1) on minivans Toyota & Chrysler have the market wrapped up.. The Honda os OK while it lasts, the quest makes the Sedona look like a good idea.. and the Sedona has been sorry since day one.
The Leaf would be a close competitor for the Mitsubishi. Both POS's..
Since when is the Ridgeline been downsized to a small or even midsized truck.. It's marketed against the Avalanche and the rest of the full size trucks. . IT is just the worst excuse for a pickup truck period.
IQ is the worst hatchback because we have a lot of Crown Vic's and Suburbans?? I'm sure the 500 or Mini will take a hit from a Suburban so much better than the IQ will..
Tribeca.. 3rd row only large enough for children.. Naturally.. That is the 3rd row in all crossovers.. Including the CX-9.. If there are that many adults, they'll at least take a minivan or full sized SUV.
OK.. now Altima Coupe.. Camaro, Challenger, Mustang are irrelavent in that conversation.
The Taurus, Lincoln, Lancer, and Smart were right on the money though.

awyseguy

The Colorado, Canyon, and Dakota were all the size of the Tacoma and Frontier.. I still say why was the Ridgeline even in that line up.. It's sorry enough to take the title for ALL trucks..

stovt001_

Everyone complaining about the small trucks entry misread what he wrote: There are 3 small trucks because the Canyon, Colorado, Durango, Equator, and Raider all are discontinued. There used to be 9, now there are 3, those 3 being the Tacoma, the Frontier, and the Ridgeline. I haven't looked at the Tacoma recently, though I recall it being very, very good. My father-in-law just got a Frontier and I was pretty impressed by it. It didn't ride like truck, the engine wasn't completely unrefined, and the interior, while full of hard plastic, was well laid-out and surprisingly roomy. I've always been pretty negative towards trucks, but if I ever pull together the money and space to own my own kart, as well as a kart for my kid, that wouldn't make a bad choice for a tow vehicle.

stovt001_

It is sad to see that the Sedona is being left to grow obsolete without any improvement. I was on security staff at a service/outreach trip campsite in Mexico back in 08 and a rental Sedona was our vehicle. On the trip down and back up again I noticed it was a pretty good minivan, and while we were down there the empty dirt field that was the campsite by night made for a mighty fine dirt-track autocross course by day. The Sedona did remarkably well in our rental-car agility test. It was a fine vehicle back then but all those years without update sadly leaves it at the bottom of the list. How strange for a brand like Kia that has put so much effort into completely overhauling its lineup to be top in class.

awyseguy

@stovt001
1) None of those people sound like the misunderstood the small trucks section, Small trucks became midsized trucks, and are now reduced to the Tacoma & the Frontier. The Ridgeline is still larger than the trucks that have gotten so large t

stovt001_

@awyseguy: I don't think any distinction is being made between small and midsize trucks - there was no midsize truck category on this list. I think James broke trucks down into two categories - large, like the Silverado, Sierra, Ram, F150, Tundra, and [non-permissible content removed]

awyseguy

My point was that even Honda wants to compare the Ridgeline to the full size trucks; and despite the rest getting progressively larger; the Ridgeline is still more in line with the size of the Fullsize trucks, not small or midsized. I actually had a customer years back was considering the Ridgeline for pulling HORSE trailers. Because Honda markets it as fullsize.

bgp001

"The number of small trucks on sale has fallen to a mere three choices as the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Dodge Dakota..."

You realize that all three of these are out of production. The two remaining are the Tacoma and the Frontier, neither of which you bother to mention.

Quality automotive reporting.

bankerdanny

@bgp: Riswick's writing skills are certainly better than your reading ones. If you read the words that you replaced with the elipse you will see that those were a list of small (or at least smaller than full-size) trucks that no longer exist. "... ha

quadricycle

Well with that many thumbs down, I really wish someone would actually tell me where I'm wrong... I assume it has to do with calling the Tacoma and Frontier midsize pick-up trucks. Until then, let me qualify what I said. Between 2004 and 2005, the Tacoma (four door) grew 4.3 inches in width, 5.2 inches in length, 5.9 inches for the wheelbase, and 2.6 inches in height. Hardly insignificant numbers. V6 models for 2005 can also tow 1500lbs more than 2004 V6 models. This new 4.0L V6 also produces 14hp MORE and 10 ft-lbs less than the 4.6L available in the, wait for it, 2005 F-150 Crew Cab. Talk about blurring the lines between full-size pick-ups and small pick-ups. Obviously we can't call the light duty Tacoma a full size, but it sure isn't "compact" or "small" either. Calling it medium size seems to make a lot of sense, but apparently only I think so.

stovt001_

@quadri - I explained in my post(s). To have a medium size, you have to have something bigger AND something smaller, and as big as the Taco, Frontier, et al have become, they're still the smallest trucks you can buy in the US market.

agentorange

Oops. Reading comprehension fail on my part. Must stop posting to forums late at night. :-)

fortstring

LOL this is hilarious and for nearly all accounts spot on (especially that Altima Coupe, yeeech). Thanks for this, Riswick, this brightened up my dull day.

threxx

agentorange,
You need to reread what he wrote. The Colorado, Canyon and Dakota are being axed. The Tacoma, Frontier and Ridgeline are the three remaining.

Although one nit-pick you could make is that the Colorado only took a one year (or so) break... they sold a 2012 model and the all new 2014 model will be out very soon.

kyree_williams

Excellent points all around....although the majority of these "worsts" are significantly poorer than their competitors. I can't even believe that they still make the Subaru Tribeca (they should have stopped after the B9). And as for the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, I think it will be crushed by the upcoming Chevrolet Spark EV.

bdaugherty

to argento rage. The toyota tacoma and the nissan frontier after 2005 were considered midsize trucks. not small like they were before then. Plus you cant put them in the same class. They are just to good to be put against these trucks.

ncjks

How stupid do you have to be to write crap like this, particulary about the Dodge Avenger. If you don't like the four, the V6 gets dual exhaust, fat-city sway bars, about twice the power of the best Fusion and just look how ugly the Ford is? And you're a moron if you're going to disqualify a car because of a lack of a back up camera, the "Ultimate Idiot Light." The Fusion, Camry, Malibu and Accord are all slugs. The Avenger looks great, handles great, it's got 18" alloy wheels, great sound, it was relatively cheap and, best of all, the wife LOVES it.

Car people like power, handling, style, sound. Punks like rear view cameras and wimpy four bangers.

mpbrog61

Ford do have a large RWD sedan that would compete with the Chrysler 300. Unfortunately, it isn't sold here. I guess we are lucky that the Ford bean counters protect us from buying a V8 RWD family sedan in this country!

ajac03

@agentorange, he phrased it somewhat oddly, but he said that those trucks have all been "put out of their misery", in other words, there are three choices, and those trucks aren't any of them. (Tacoma,Ridgeline,Frontier)

gchambers3

Actually, the Honda Ridgeline is based on the Pilot, not the Odyssey. It's in effect a Pilot with the third row and cargo area turned into a small pickup bed.

pvev

I can't believe the bad reviews on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. I can't find where the shortcomings are true.

Rough Ride? My i-MiEV rides smoother than any other vehicle I've ridden in, including Cadillacs and Teslas.

Spartan interior? It has heat, AC, radio, digital instrumentation, and heated seats. I find the interior to be very functional in real life. A car like this doesn't need a nav radio with its range. If you don't know your way around in a 35 mile radius (round trip on one charge), you better already have a Garmin, a map, or shouldn't be driving.

Slow? I very often beat cars off the line without trying in ECO mode. I also find myself hitting the speed limit way before I anticipate, it just accelerates that well, without flooring it. Punch the accelerator and you are gone, freeway speeds in no time at all. No problems hopping on the 70 mph highways to get across town in a hurry. In rush hour traffic moving at 65-70 mph, I get range similar to driving 35-40 mph on surface streets. On seamed concrete, you do get a little teeter, but it is nothing compared to the bobblehead effect you get in an SUV.

Cramped interior room? The i-MiEV has more interior room than many larger cars. There is no shortage of headroom or legroom in the front or back seats. Cargo capacity with the back seats folded down is truly impressive. Two tall guys and an electric road bike have no problem fitting inside (friend of mine sells electric bikes, we were heading to an event).

Sure, it's not going to be as luxurious as a Tesla Model S. It was never meant to be a luxury car. It was designed to be a low-cost, everyday driver that saves the owners money, and it does that very well. It is the workhorse of the EVs that just happens to be very fun to drive, handles well, and rides very smooth.

If it is such a bad car, why do the owners love them, and why have I had so many people wondering where to get one? I would truly like to know what vehicle car reviewers test prior to getting into the i-MiEV. There is nothing on the road so comparatively wonderful that makes the i-MiEV look like garbage. If you are interested in the i-MiEV, do not listen to car reviewers. Go find one at a dealer and drive it. Most likely, you'll take it home with you.

I am in no way affiliated with Mitsubishi other than being a satisfied owner of an i-MiEV that in my mind, is a much better deal than the LEAF and Focus Electric.

mlucas1

Nice way to draw eyeballs to your site. Except it seems this writer hasn't actually driven these vehicles and only is comparing writeups to what he likes or does not like. For example, I drive the i-MiEV - I don't really care that some people don't like it - it works for me. But it doesn't take that long to recharge the car, 4-5 hours is the most time I've spent recharging it from empty. It's got more features than my Nissan Versa with items like ASC, Automatic Headlights, Automatic Climate Control and reclining rear seats. A Nissan Leaf can't have reclining rear seats because it has the 'hump' and you can only drive it 7500 miles a year according to Nissan. Besides, our i-MiEVs aren't overheating in the southwest either. Maybe the writer should re-review the worst EV and look at the true facts.

parade

Wow! I didn't know Andy Rooney was posting on Edmunds under the pen name "James Riswick". That's exactly how I read that article. Overexaggerating his complaints, making big issues out of small ones, and just being a whiny little teenaged girl.

The market will decide which cars are good and which cars are bad. Your viewpoint is neither interesting nor compelling.

nuevue

Yes, this list is laughable, and astute readers do snicker at your so-called ratings, wondering if you have even been near some of the vehicles in question. However, I do find it truly embarrasing when my i-MiEV beats Corvettes and Z71 poser trucks across the intersection, causing them to fishtail in pursuit of their remaining dignity (which they recover around the 1/8 mile mark), and it does so in absolute silence for less fuel cost than one throaty rev of those guzzlers. Going down a steep hill with enough regenerative traction to prevent any use of the brakes is more enjoyable than even the most melodic downshifting, and cornering in a car with a center of gravity that feels lower than the axles is a wake-up call to what driving should be.

benswing

I-MiEV is a good car. I've enjoyed driving mine as a daily driver on local roads and on highways. Drives very smoothly and has similar power to the universally acclaimed Honda Fit.

rabidlizard

2013 Smart Fortwo- This car is anything but a performance car, you got that part right, but that isn't really the point of the Smart. It's a city car. It's cheap, okay on gas and easy to park. I would never buy one, but as a cheap city car it gets the job done.

Worst Compact Sedan: 2014 Mitsubishi Lancer- It's no Evo, of course, but it's cheap, it handles well and it still looks sporty, even if it is underpowered. CVT does suck, but you can avoid it by buying a manual. Overall, it's a nice alternative to a Civic or a Sentra.

Worst Midsize Sedan: 2014 Dodge Avenger- Well, it uh.... It has air conditioning? Okay, you got one right... I don't think this one actually has any good qualities...

Worst Full-Size Sedan: 2014 Ford Taurus- I don't like the taillights, but I actually think the Taurus is a fairly good looking car. It does look pretty awful in your pictures, but any car would look bad in that color. It is a heavy, slow car, but it has some very nice comfort features like a heated steering wheel. It also rides well and has gotten excellent safety ratings. It's not a bad car at all, in fact it's pretty good.

Worst Luxury Sedan: 2014 Lincoln MKS- While it's not as good as the E-Class or 5 Series, the MKS isn't bad at all. It's nice looking car, not flashy but not quite boring either. It has a very nice interior, the seats are comfortable and the cabin is quiet. With 304 hp in the base model and 365 hp in the Ecoboost model, this thing is a real sleeper. It's heavy, yes, but it has more than enough power to get it going and you can order it with AWD. It's also one of the safest sedans money can buy. The only problem I'm seeing with this car is that it's pricey, but it's far from the worst.

Worst Convertible: 2012 Ferrari California- Are you kidding me? Why on earth would you pick this over something like the awful Murano Cabriolet? Anyway, this car is definitely not the fastest or prettiest Ferrari, but it is the cheapest. It handles well, it's practical enough to be daily driven and it's pretty quick. It goes from 0-60 in just 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 193 mph. There are much better Convertibles for the price, but saying it's the worst convertible is just plain stupid.

Worst Coupe: 2013 Nissan Altima- I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of this car, but it's not the worst coupe you can buy. It's not a great looking car, but it's lighter and it handles and rides better than the sedan. It's also packed with technology. CVT sucks of course, but it's a comfortable, cheap car. Not a great car, but far from the worst.

Worst Hatchback: 2014 Scion iQ- Again, like the Smart this is a city car. I'm not really sure why this made the list, as your only complaint was "it doesn't feel safe". This little car is packed with safety features and did decently on the safety test. It's cheap, reliable and has more than enough space. You may not like it, but this little thing is a great city car. Again, why would you put this on the list and not something like the Dodge Caliber?

Worst Sports Car: 2013 Lotus Evora- Really? This is even more ridiculous than the Ferrari. The Evora is very fast, it has unbelievably good handling and for a sports car, it's not bad on gas. And, well look at the thing; It's a stunning car. In other words, this great car shouldn't touch this list with a 10 ft pole. So what if it has a Toyota Engine? That means it will probably last longer than your average sports car and you can't argue with how quick this thing is. Yes, the backseat is ridiculous, but who cares? It's a sports car, it was made to go around corners fast, not take the kids to school.

Worst Luxury Crossover: 2013 Acura ZDX- Yeah... I'm gonna have to agree with you on this one. This car is pretty awful.

Worst Five-Passenger SUV: 2013 Land Rover LR2- Not the best Land Rover made, but it's still a decent luxury SUV. It wasn't really made to be an off roader, but it's still good for less extreme stuff. You could still have some fun playing in the mud with this car. It's much better looking than the X3 and the SRX, plus it's a bit cheaper and more capable offroad. It is also very nimble for a SUV and its Turbocharged engine is lots of fun. The LR2 has a great interior and a very spacious backseat. It may not be the best car out there, but I'm failing to see what's so awful about it.

Worst Seven-Passenger SUV: 2013 Subaru Tribeca- Big Subie fan here, so this may be biased. This is possibly the most boring 'Roo out there, but it's not bad. It does have 265 hp and AWD which makes it a decent performer. Despite having 8.4 inches of ground clearance, it offers car-like handling and ride comfort. It has lots of space in the 2nd row, but the 3rd row is a bit cramped. It is also one of the safest crossovers you can get. The Fozzie and Outback are still much better cars, but the Tribeca isn't the worst by any means.

Worst Small Pickup Truck: 2013 Honda Ridgeline- Again, I'm gonna have to agree with this one. The Ridgeline does suck pretty bad.

Worst Large Pickup Truck: 2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT- Now, the EXT is Ugly, Thirsty and overpriced. There's no doubt it is a bit awkward looking, but it has 400+ Horsepower, plenty of luxury options and a much smoother ride than most pickups. It's not nearly as capable as an F-150 or a Silverado, but it is luxurious.

Worst Minivan: 2014 Kia Sedona- Minivans in general are pretty terrible, so it's hard to come up with anything good about them. With 269 hp, it is decently fast as far as minivans go. The ride is very comfortable and with the EX luxury package you get some nice features like a sunroof and rain sensing wipers. All in all, it's a Minivan.. what more can you say? You'd probably be better off with a Odyssey or a Sienna, but the Sedona isn't that bad really.

Worst Electric/Alternative-Fuel Vehicle: 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV- Okay, it's hideous and slow. I'll give you that, but it's cheaper than the Nissan Leaf, it can seat four adults and like the Smart, it's easy to find a parking space. This thing is pathetic compared to cars like the Tesla Model S, but it's also much cheaper.

Worst Hybrid Vehicle: 2013 Lexus LS 600h L- Okay, this car is ridiculously overpriced, but it's also loaded with technology and luxury features. The ride is very comfortable and you get massage seats and a Blu Ray player. Plus, this car is one of the most powerful in its class making 435 hp. The only real problem with this car is the outrageous price, a base 600h L costs more than a BMW M6 which is a little bit insane.

Sorry for the giant wall of text, just wanted to share the good parts of the cars you listed. There are some excellent cars on this list.

commentguy

The Lotus is SO much better looking than ANY Porsche will ever be and it handles better than any car there is. I hate authors like this who randomly choose their pet peeves as the "worst".