"Mike Farber" (mikefarber)
03/14/2016 at 16:18 • Filed to: list, Kia Borrego, Saab, Saab 9-4X, Kia
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"Mike Farber" (mikefarber)
03/14/2016 at 16:18 • Filed to: list, Kia Borrego, Saab, Saab 9-4X, Kia | 1
| 4 |
Cars can be considered household names as well. Camry, Civic, Mustang, Corvette. Nobody needs to have driven any of these cars to know what they are. That’s because they have been around for longer than many of us can remember. The ‘Vette and the ‘Stang have even been around for more than half a century. But there are some models that haven’t made the cut. Some that many forget; probably because they only were in production for one model year. I have two listed here. See if any of these jog your memory.
1. Saab 9-4X (2011)
Given that this car started production around the time when Saab started showing telltale signs of desperation, just before the company went defunct, the 9-4X was their jab at the ever-competitive luxury crossover market. Unlike its Cadillac SRX cousin, the 9-4X didn’t explicitly show off any upscale features that made it worthy of its price point. While heated leather did come standard, navigation was only optional, and the interior looked on par with the likes of the Chevrolet Equinox and Ford Edge, but not much more than that. The worst part was that the top-of-the-line Aero model ran upwards $50k. In 2011, that was far too expensive when people knew that they could lay down $10k less for a far more luxurious SRX, RX, RDX or MKX. (Did I just now notice that all luxury crossover model names sound the same?) And, brace yourselves, only 267 were sold nationwide!
2. Kia Borrego (2009)
It was a shame that Kia decided to release their full-size SUV entry just as the automotive industry crisis hit the United States. The Borrego, itself, was by no means a bad vehicle. It had all the right appeals for its predicted clientele—families. 10,530 examples were sold during its model year, which was a good start for an all-new model that had yet to become a household moniker. It had sufficient features and it was also reasonably priced. And along with that came the 10 year 100,000 mile warranty that Kia’s famous for—and depreciation, which was only worsened by the bad timing, the cause of this truck’s demise.
Remember anything else that only lasted a year? Tell me in the comments below.
Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> Mike Farber
03/14/2016 at 16:42 |
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I saw a 9-4X on the road coming out of Snoqualmie last weekend. I think my girlfriend thought I was nuts because I pointed out that it was a unicorn (humorously, she was the first to notice it because it was a Saab SUV, which she didn’t realize existed). Cars that people in my circles consider unicorns are downright common compared to one of these. That’s, what? ~5 per state. Probably more than half live in CA or New England, though, leaving something like 1-2 for the rest of the country.
LongbowMkII
> Mike Farber
03/14/2016 at 17:33 |
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I’ve seen a fair amount of borregos. Hell i may even price one out.
gin-san - shitpost specialist
> Mike Farber
03/14/2016 at 17:47 |
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I won't say it's my favourite but I do love the fact that it was made: the GMC Syclone. 1991 only as far as I know - nothing wrong with a small pickup and turbo-six power.
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Mike Farber
> LongbowMkII
03/14/2016 at 21:51 |
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Yeah, for a car that’s only been around for so long, I see a ton of them. Like I said, it was a great car, just not a great time to be a carmaker.