QOTD: What's The Most Disappointing New Car You've Driven?

"Aloha Milkyway" (alohamilkyway) 09/08/2014 at 06:25 • Filed to: None

4

41

Modern budget cars are supposed to give you a feeling that you're NOT missing out. The new Mirage is the opposite of that. Yes, it's better equipped than my current car but the Mirage simply exists to serve as basic transport and does it in a mediocre manner. I don't mind the cheap plastics. After all, you get what you pay for. What made me disappointed with the car was the way it drove. Zero steering feel. Vague clutch. Thin padding on the seats. Odd ride and handling combo. It's weird. It's wallowy at slow speeds yet harsh at about 60 kph. You expect more from a brand like Mitsubishi. I can honestly tell you that a Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10 feel better. While still having an interior that slabs of plastic, those two make an effort to at least give you a car that won't make you feel left behind by superminis and compacts. The Korean pair reminds you that you can expect something good from a budget meal. The Mirage constantly reminds you that this is only what your money can give you. You expect more from the company that gave us Galant VR-4's, Mirage Turbos and the oddly lovable Montero/Pajero

duurtlang > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 06:37

0

I've driven very few new cars, so my perspective is limited. But my answer is: 2013 VW Touareg. It was a detached somewhat wallowy rolling couch that couldn't be parked without driver aids. Not what I'm looking for in a vehicle at all.

Aloha Milkyway > duurtlang 09/08/2014 at 06:40

0

Would you much rather have a Montero/Pajero/Shogun? They drive like trucks but have bags of character

duurtlang > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 06:42

0

I've never driven a vehicle like that, I believe the Touareg is the only SUV I've even been a passenger in.

GhostZ > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 06:51

3

First Camaro I was ever in (2013 and later 2014 SS). Hated everything about it.

Aloha Milkyway > GhostZ 09/08/2014 at 07:07

2

Can I just say V6 Camaros sound like Civics with bigger exhausts?

Thunderbee - Has the engine that kids like > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 07:10

2

Ford Fiesta ST. I'm sorry Oppo!

Flavien Vidal > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 07:15

0

Desappointed? I can't say I've ever been desapointed by a car yet... I hated driving cars I knew I would hate and loved driving cars I knew I would love... But desappointed, nope, I sort of knew what to expect every time.

My citroen won't start > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 07:15

0

Kia Forte. I hated it, sea of plastic and not a single redeeming feature.

NonDriftingS13 > GhostZ 09/08/2014 at 07:26

1

The biggest problem for me was the visibility. Other than that I thought the V6 auto I drove was ok.

GhostZ > NonDriftingS13 09/08/2014 at 07:29

2

The SS didn't feel fast. It was so heavy you had to weight for it to grunt to move, and it handled worse a Sonic or a Spark despite having far more expensive suspension. Visibility was abysmal, and the interior was geriatric. Transmission was tempermental too (auto, never drove the manual).

I did like the Heads Up Display. That was cool.

NonDriftingS13 > GhostZ 09/08/2014 at 07:42

0

The HUD was a nice surprise but I agree about the transmission. Especially in manual mode it left a lot to be desired. The delay between gears seemed like a lifetime coming from a manual car. I never really drove it a lot in auto mode though.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 07:43

0

New Altima. The seats felt as if they were out of a 2000 Impala. which made sense in a 2000 Impala. Also the steering was odd. Sometimes heavy other times really light.

Jayhawk Jake > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 07:45

2

The FR-S. For all the hype I expected way more.

Tripper > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 08:08

3

I had to drive a friends brand new (at the time) 2012 corolla from CT to Philadelphia. Worst ride of my life, it felt like I was sitting higher up than any person ever should in a car so small and going 60 mph in the corolla felt like going 150 mph down a hill in a red wagon!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 08:13

0

Non-turbo veloster with the dual clutch. Terrible car inside and out. Lots of legroom but the interior is just as bad or worse than my Fiesta ST, the dual clutch is both jarring and slow to shift, the engine is just okay, and the chassis isn't that rigid despite how modern the car is supposed to be. A 10 year old nissan versa has more composure and that is NOT saying that a nissan versa is "composed".

njp1589 > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 08:14

2

I got one of these as a rental;

I was expecting some kind of redeeming quality since they sell about a bazillion of them. I got vague steering with a massive deadzone, a gutless engine with an odd accelerator feel, and on/off switch brakes. The interior was boring. Ergonomics were odd.

I'm sure being a rental had something to do with some of these, but I have trouble understanding the appeal.

DoYouEvenShift > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 08:16

1

I get to drive a lot of new cars on a regular basis. So many come to mind. But theres a few that stick out.

Mainly these two, I got out feeling like, meh! I guess people people hyped them up so much.

 V8 Rustler > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 08:19

0

A6 Jetta 2.5 with an automatic. Steering feel sucks and the transmission upshifts by itself even in manual mode. That and quality of the materials on the interior are very bad. At least the engine sounds good and seems to have good torque.

 V8 Rustler > GhostZ 09/08/2014 at 08:22

1

handled worse a Sonic or a Spark

NervesOfThrill > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 09:04

0

Fiat 500.

Without a doubt. That is really saying something given how many cars I rent and drive a year and over a lifetime and the Fiat 500 base model we had during our vacation in Hilton Head wins by a mile.

At one point while trying to pass someone, on a 25 mph street, and it felt as if it would vibrate itself to death, my wife managed to stop laughing long enough to ask "Is this even a real car!?!?!?".

NervesOfThrill > GhostZ 09/08/2014 at 09:06

1

Me too. While my car was being repaired I rented several cars over those 6 weeks and at one point was given an upgrade to a convertible 2014 Camaro.

Instant hate. Wide, bloated, handled exactly like a Tahoe with no turn in sensation at all, etc. etc.

Übel > NervesOfThrill 09/08/2014 at 09:46

0

I haven't driven one, but when I sat in an Abarth I was blown away by how incredibly bad the interior felt. It looked nice, but the buttons and shifter action were mushy and unsatisfying, and everything was made out of cheap plastic. Legitimately the worst-feeling car I have ever sat in, it's a damn shame.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 12:00

0

Honestly? 2012 WRX (sorry OPPO).

Thought it might be my next car at the time, but the interior and shifter were so much worse than my '05 Mazda 3s hatch, it was pretty much immediately off my list.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 12:02

0

http://oppositeblog.kinja.com/

EjiSixo > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 15:42

0

every new car, lol

OPPOsaurus WRX > GhostZ 09/08/2014 at 18:52

0

I sat in one in the showroom. That was eight for me. -10 points for being an auto.

GhostZ >  V8 Rustler 09/08/2014 at 18:59

0

Ugh, Kinja won't let me edit. I meant "handled worse THAN a Sonic or Spark"

Still, given that I got to drive both of them back-to-back at moderately fast speeds, it was pretty obvious which one was easier to corner quickly in.

I'm sure the Camaro might have a higher top cornering speed, but that isn't handling . That's just tire grip and electronics. Having higher skidpad ratings mean nothing if you can't easily reach those higher levels.

The Spark and Sonic (RS, not the sedan, the sedan can burn in hell), on the other hand, despite I'm sure having lower peak cornering speeds, were much more controllable at 30-60% cornering (which almost ALL camaro owners will be in, if that, because no one who buys a camaro really goes 10/10ths in it around a corner unless they're modifying it anyway) and FASTER, because going 60% in a spark is faster than 30% in a Camaro, and the spark is still predictable at 60%, the Camaro isn't.

In other words, if you're not reaching the grip limits of the tires, the Camaro is complete pig.

It's a lot easier to turn a small car quickly than it is to drop anchor and turn a massive boat, no matter how much tire grip you have.

I've driven Z cars, Corvettes from C3 to C5, Mustangs, and a Lotus Elise, and can honestly say that the Camaro SS was by far the least communicative car I have ever driven.

T5Killer > njp1589 09/08/2014 at 19:52

0

I had a Versa rental that I felt the same way. I figured they are cheap is why they sell.

Steve in Manhattan > Aloha Milkyway 09/08/2014 at 20:01

0

Lexus LS400 - had an '87 300D, and that meant I could test drive whatever I wanted. The Lexus dealership had just been built, the GF at the time was a Mercedes service writer, so we both wanted to try it. Recognized some pieces that were in a Camry I owned, and dynamically it should have been a lot better. The bad? handling, handling, handling. The good? Build quality and the utter quiet when underway. The 300D, if you flogged it a bit, was entertaining in the corners. The Lexus just sort of mild understeer, like it didn't understand what you wanted it to do.

 V8 Rustler > GhostZ 09/08/2014 at 21:29

0

Aren't you referring to manoeuvrability? I've never driven a Camaro, but I can imagine it being difficult to get around town and by parking. But that doesn't mean it is bad handling car, because it isn't. SS and 1LE can put down some impressive numbers on the skid pad.

GhostZ >  V8 Rustler 09/08/2014 at 21:55

1

High skidpad numbers mean fast cornering but may not mean good handling . That's the whole point of my earlier comment.

Handling is about how easy it is to corner near its limit. The Camaro is shitty at that. Even at low speeds it bumbles along the ground numbly and has to lurch at every moment.

For example, a Lotus Elise corners slower than an F1 car, but the Elise has much better handling because it's far easier to corner at its peak. You don't have to be Michael Schumacher to reach close to peak lap times/cornering speeds.

A GT86/FRS/BTZ is a GREAT handling car. Likewise, an NA miata or AE86 are also far better at handling than the Camaro. Sure, their skidpad speeds are much lower, but you can jump behind the wheel of a GT86 and take it beyond its limits and back without difficulty.

The Camaro is terrible at handling because it feels wobbly, uncommunicative, and almost dangerous when cornering quickly. It doesn't matter that it CAN corner super-fast, it can only do that with someone really experienced behind the wheel.

Maneuverability is a whole different concept, and it sucks at that too. Maneuverability is being able to easily get in and out of tight spaces or change orientation easily (parking).

 V8 Rustler > GhostZ 09/08/2014 at 22:08

0

Now I understand your point.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > DoYouEvenShift 09/08/2014 at 22:45

0

As with many products, expectations play a huge part in our final analysis. Even more so with cars like FiST, FoST, Toyobaru because, as an example, they are both fan and writer favorites on jalopnik. So anything less than excellent is instantly "disappointing," and in extreme cases, "bad." Well now that I've wasted this much time reminding myself that water is wet, I'll just be cutting my losses here.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > NervesOfThrill 09/09/2014 at 01:26

0

That's funny, the last couple 500s I sat in were actually pretty well built. Heck, a used model still had that fit and finish after 40K or so miles.

njp1589 > T5Killer 09/09/2014 at 08:49

2

I guess it's that Carolla's aren't really cheap anymore. THe average price for one is... what, probably $18,500? Look at the focus for that much. Totally different car.

BlurpleToyotaDishwasher > Aloha Milkyway 09/09/2014 at 16:16

0

It's rare that I drive a new car and when I rent cars I go for the cheapest thing they've got, so I'm rarely disappointed as my standards aren't that high.

So, of those three, I really liked the Citroen DS3 I had for a couple of days, the Suzuki Swift was pretty reasonable, but with some down-sides (lots of road noise and the steering wasn't as good as I'd heard, although this may have been down to the winter tyres. Some of the interior materials felt a little cheap, but it was very well put together) and the Opel Astra was competent but the kind of car that was perfect for people who don't like cars (or Jalopnik readers as it was a brown manual diesel wagon).

So even though I quite liked the little thing, probably the Swift.

Dunnik > Aloha Milkyway 09/09/2014 at 18:40

0

The Mk6 Jettta

kalabaddon > Aloha Milkyway 09/15/2014 at 14:26

0

The Chrysler Crossfire. but I shouldn't of been surprised...

DemonOfTheFall > GhostZ 09/16/2014 at 22:41

0

I'll second this, 2014 V6 here, I felt like I was sitting in a bucket. Cheap plastic all around me and everything felt unnaturally tall with short windows and awful visibility. You would think I would feel right at home since I DD a Toyota FJ Cruiser but I absolutely hated being inside that car.

DemonOfTheFall > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/16/2014 at 23:23

1

Ha, I did the same thing. Had an 05 3s hatch (KW Variant 3 coilovers, RX-8 Shinka wheels, Willwood BBK) and though for sure I was going to pick up the WRX (Had an 04 STi briefly so I thought I knew what I was getting into). Ended up just traded up to the Speed3.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > DemonOfTheFall 09/17/2014 at 08:37

0

Wish I could have gotten a Speed3 when I got my '05. All I did with mine was put on lightweight Miata 10-spokes and get a CAI. Drove it for 7 years and 90k miles - great car. Went big when I sold it off (to a friend), and got into an '08 E90 M3.