Mitsubishi Mirage
Car culture is as American as the 2nd amendment and apple pie, it’s a force to be reckoned with in our United States. Just last year 17.6 million cars were sold in the US alone (a 0.1 million increase than the previous year)! Now unfortunately with that many cars being put onto the road each year, not all of them are going to be good. And some of them are just… down right terrible.
You would think that the 100+ years that the modern auto industry has been around, auto manufacturers would know better by now, right? Wrong! Here are 20 cars that should avoid ENTIRELY in 2017.
Now at face-value, the Mitsubishi Mirage seems like a great deal: an economical compact car with pretty good gas mileage (37mpg). But if you take a test drive, you will see that MANY corners were cut making this car. For starters, the car is extremely underpowered. The car has a lousy 0-60 time of 11.7 seconds, making the acceleration on this car atrocious. Couple that with is 3-cylinder engine that vibrates a little more than it should, this car has a very uncomfortable ride.
Mitsubishi i-MiEV (lowest-rated Compact electric/hybrid)
You will also notice from your test-drive that the interior is very… plastic-y. While this is common for budget cars from all manufacturers, this car goes the extra mile by putting the bare-minimum amount of amenities in the cabin. The Mitsubishi Mirage? Hard-pass.
The cheapest all-electric car on the market today, the i-MiEV seems like a great choice for those wanting to jump into the Electric Car realm without breaking the bank. But I implore you to think again.
Fiat 500L
The i-MiEV boast the lowest range of any electric car (59 miles per charge) and the longest charging times of any electric car (21 hours on a standard 110-volt charger). If that is not a deterrent, the car has a pretty low safety rating and is considered one of the most underdeveloped cars of 2017.
The Fiat 500L may look like a nice compact car on the outside, but unfortunately the car suffers from a low rating due to some major design flaws. The road-test score has a low rating due to its stiff ride that it offers to drivers.
Chrysler 200
It also is scored very poorly in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety small-overlap frontal test. Couple that with very poor reliability scores, the Fiat 500L leaves much to be desired.
A more competitively priced alternative to the Chrysler 300, the Chrysler 200 is a hot mess. Boasting a backseat only fit for small children, the 200 performs terribly with messy handling, a finicky transmission, and a 4-cylinder transmission that is blown out of the water by every other vehicle in it’s class.
Toyota Tacoma
Out of all overall scores for cars currently on the market, the 200 came in last.
Toyota has recently been known for producing high quality compact pick-ups in recent years, but unfortunately they took a few mis-steps with the recent iteration of the Toyota Tacoma. Due to the new Atkinson Cycle engine, which was supposed to provide better acceleration and reduce cabin-noise, the vehicle actually now has a slower and noisier ride! Add that to the fact that the vehicle rides a lot rougher than previous iterations, the car is just straight up uncomfortable.
Mercedes-Benz CLA250
The cabin is also uncomfortable as well, with the seats sitting really low to the ground and the amount of visibility lacking. Last but not least, owners of the Tacoma have been reporting that the 6-speed auto transmission is constantly shifting, usually at opportune times. This is not only annoying, but is dangerous and causes unneeded wear on the engine.
Marketed as the “affordable” Mercedes-Benz, the CLA250 has been fraught with mechanical issues from the get-go.
Maserati Ghibli
Aside from some major engine design flaws that cause the car to be taken in for repairs about 50% more than other Mercedes, owners are reporting issues with the audio system and the power windows, as well as strange squeaks and rattling coming from the body.
While Maserati is something that is usually synonymous with “quality” and “out of my price range” , the Ghibli unfortunately isn’t up to snuff this time around. Boasting an extremely weak 15/25 mpg fuel economy, the engine also emits a loud squealing noise when accelerating.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
The interior is lacking as well with a backseat that is cramped and cabin controls that feel cheap and don’t emit the “luxury” feel that Maserati is known for.
When you think Land Rover, you think: sporty, luxury, and unbounded ability to drive anywhere. And while the Discovery Sport fills in two of those expectations, it unfortunately is not very luxurious or sporty.
Cadillac Escalade
The interior is the main qualm here, with a cheap interior and lack of amenities that leave the purchaser with little to be desired. The 3rd row seating is also so small that even small children are saying it’s cramped.
While the Cadillac Escalade has been the king of SUVs for years, it seems like it has recently fallen from grace.
Lincoln MKS
The current iteration of the Escalade boasts a stiff and bumpy ride, a second row that’s too low to the ground, a third row that doesn’t have enough leg-room, and a technology set that is too confusing to use for those that are not computer-savvy.
Lincoln, the king of big and luxurious automobiles, has dropped the ball with this years MKS. It feels as if that they just didn’t put as much effort into this auto as they did with their other releases this year, making the MKS feel outdated and lacking in many areas. For starters, the MKS feels like it’s made with materials that are cheaper than recent years, leading to the MKS receiving the lowest scores on consumer-rated reports for the 2017 midsize luxury category.
Dodge Journey
For the amount you are going to pay for an MKS, you can also spend your money on something more comparable and get a better bang for your buck. There are also rumors going around that the MKS is getting discontinued and that this is the last iteration.
While Dodge has made some great SUVs over the years, this is not one of them.
Smart for Two
Ranked the lowest family SUV in consumer reports, this car suffers from extremely poor gas-mileage, a second row that has barely enough leg room, and a harsh ride that consumers have described as shaky and uncomfortable.
The Smart for Two is trying to hit the gas-to-electric, but it just completely misses the mark.
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
The Smart series being a poor offshoot of the Mercedes-Benz company in the first place, the Smart for Two suffers the usual gamut of issues that Smart cars usually have, but on top of that, the Smart for Two suffers from painfully slow acceleration and a very bumpy ride.
Usually the king of the rough-and-rugged automobile, this year’s iteration of the Wrangler Unlimited suffers from poor handling, a rougher-than-usual ride, and a crash test fail.
Chevrolet Spark
The third point alone should steer would-be off-roaders away.
While the Chevy Spark does offer a lot of benefits as far as amenities goes, the uncomfortable interior and low MPG makes this car a daily drivers nightmare.
Jeep Compass
Imagine sitting in hours of traffic in an uncomfortable chair.
Another Jeep, another poor vehicle. Unfortunately Jeep’s 2017 lineup is a little lackluster, with the Compass boasting an underpowered engine, cramped cabin, an uncomfortable cabin, and an unreliable transmission.
Nissan Versa Sedan
Couple that with a pricetag that is just a hair too high, this car is one to be avoided.
Normally the Nissan Versa line is synonymous with quality and reliability, but this year's iteration misses the mark.
Scion tC
Suffering from a noisy engine, cheap interior quality, and severely low consumer reports, the Nissan Versa Sedan should be avoided.
While the Scion tC is a nice little sporty car that is on the affordable side of the spectrum, the tC suffers from one major issue: a super loud exhaust. And while some consumers might be into this, it gets really old really quick.
Jeep Patriot
So if you are looking for a discreet sporty sedan, this is not your car.
There are so many Jeeps on this list, I feel like they should get a medal.
Mitsubishi Lancer
With the Jeep Patriot, you are going to get a car with an outdated feature list, a cheap-feeling interior, poor gas mileage, and slow acceleration.
While Mitsubishi has some nice cars in it’s lineup, the Lancer is still in serious need of an update. The 2017 iteration of the Lancer is severely outdated, feeling like something that was released in 2014 or 2015.
The car’s cabin is also lacking a lot of modern instruments and amenities that other cars in it’s class come with standard. It is no surprise that is the final release of this model.