Big No-No Modern Car Designs Over the Last 15 Years
Modern cars are some of the best vehicles you'll ever drive, but not every latest model is a masterpiece. In fact, many have been huge disappointments. Keep reading to discover 35 modern car designs released since 2010 that sadly missed the mark.
2023 Tesla Cybertruck
You probably expected to see the Tesla Cybertruck on our list, so let's get it out of the way. This futuristic vehicle could have been an unmatched triumph, but its overly ambitious design, faulty tech, and poor build quality let it down in practice.
2010 Lincoln MKT
In 2010, the Lincoln division of Ford released the MKT, and it has been the subject of ridicule ever since. People regularly call the design “ugly”, likening the large front grille to a baleen whale and the long body to that of a hearse. This design was simply too much.
2021 Hyundai Elantra
Though it has been around since 1990, the 2021 Hyundai Elantra has one of the most disappointing designs of the last few years. It’s not exactly unattractive, but many people find it too harsh and angular, so the redesign team definitely missed the mark.
2017 Mercedes-Benz X-Class
In 2017, Mercedes-Benz had a prime opportunity to design a vehicle that would put them at the forefront of the modern truck market. However, the X-Class was a mighty failure, thanks to its poorly styled build, which looked very different from the concept model and disappointed audiences.
2011 Mini Coupe
It feels sacrilegious to criticize a car as dependable as the 2011 Mini Coupe, but we can’t ignore its, frankly, awkward design. From the sloping roof to the excessively wide rear, the Mini Coupe had a rather underwhelming design, especially compared to the more attractive Cooper.
2021 Volkswagen ID. 4
We’re not saying that the Volkswagen ID.4 is a bad car, but it’s just not exciting enough to make a lasting impact. On the outside, it looks like the typical sleek SUV, but the inside is quite boring and offers nothing new.
2023 Lexus RX 350
It seems as though every older vehicle has been forcibly modernized in the last five years or so. Take the Lexus RX 350, for example. Its 2023 facelift was intended to be bolder and more innovative, but many drivers disliked these changes because the car became less user-friendly.
2023 Chevrolet Blazer
You may not know the ChevyBlazer, but it’s actually one of the brand’s longest-running models. For 2023, Chevrolet decided to spice things up and redesign it with better tech and wheels, but lots of drivers found the result underwhelming and too modern for a Blazer.
2010 Buick Verano
The 2010 Buick Verano was manufactured as a luxury sedan to compete with top players like Audi and Mercedes, but it never fully took off. It was overpriced for what it was, with the brand completely missing the point of creating an affordable luxury vehicle.
2010 Honda Crosstour
You probably won’t recognize this 15-year-old Honda because the Crosstour was discontinued after just five years. It combined sedan and SUV styling, which should have given it an edge, but it failed to fully nail both aspects of the design and make its mark.
2021 Toyota Venza
Speaking of sedans crossed with SUVs, the 2021 redesign of the Toyota Venza was another disappointing modern offering. Interestingly, critics mostly dislike its design because it’s not as wacky as that of the original Venza, so the mistake was attempting to be too “mainstream modern”.
2023 BMW XM
We truly want to love the BMW XM, but it’s definitely one of the most polarizing cars released in the 2020s. Its styling is overly aggressive, with a lack of cohesion between the headlights and grille. The modern crushed velvet interior option was also a poor choice.
2011 Chrysler 200
The 2011 Chrysler 200 is a classic example of a car that threw out ‘90s practicality for the sake of modern style. It was far too compact and uncomfortable, with limited interior space and a poorly laid-out center console. Everything about it missed the mark.
2016 Mitsubishi Outlander
The Mitsubishi Outlander may be over 20 years old, but our issue is with the 2016 design in particular. Mitsubishi attempted to modernize the car, but it used cheap materials, which failed to deliver the initial vision. The interior tech was also not up to snuff.
2017 Infiniti QX30
You might be wondering if the 2017 QX30 really is an Infiniti because it’s so lacklustre, and that’s precisely why it’s on our list. There were so many opportunities for this SUV to do something different, but it played it safe and lacked the trademark sense of Infiniti luxury.
2015 Fiat 500E
The Fiat 500E may be a relative of the classic 500, but it’s not quite as iconic. In 2015, Fiat made a rare misstep by redesigning the 500E and making it look like a plastic toy car. It was a gorgeous retro car that didn’t need a modern upgrade.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E
Speaking of classic cars that didn’t need a modern redesign, what was Ford thinking with the 2021 Mustang Mach-E? It missed everything that made the original Mustang so iconic, resulting in a car that looked like any other modern vehicle.
2013 BMW 4 Series
The 4 Series was a good new move for BMW, but its biggest flaw was how utterly forgettable it was. It looked like any other compact car around, with none of BMW’s charm or character, and it also failed to exceed the 3 Series.
2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
If there’s one thing we can say about the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, it’s that its design went down like a lead balloon. It couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a convertible or an SUV, creating two missed opportunities, and the styling was disproportionate and awkward.
2014 Toyota Mirai
Where some modern cars are too conventional, the 2014 Toyota Mirai suffered from the opposite issue. It tried to be too new and different, which isolated a large chunk of its audience, and sacrificed elegance for poorly thought-out innovation and quirkiness.
2022 Maserati MC20
The 2022 Maserati MC20 is nothing short of spectacular to look at, and that remains its biggest problem. It used cheap materials, and Maserati fans felt that it had no substance, so they weren’t as excited for it as previous, more thoughtful models.
2016 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider
The 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is a collection of glorious conflicts on wheels. It has a low-slung, sporty design, yet the handling was often erratic, and its fun, racecar-esque interior was nowhere near as comfortable as it should have been. The design lacked thoughtfulness.
2014 Chevrolet Spark
It’s rare that a Chevy receives an overwhelmingly negative reaction, but the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Spark was particularly bad. It was intended to be a reliable commuter car, yet failed to do anything new with the interior, which was as dated as its boring exterior.
2010 Acura ZDX
When Acura released the ZDX in 2010, it was met with instant controversy. Many drivers didn’t like its styling, particularly the coupe-like SUV shape and cramped interior. The ZDX was designed as a new luxury car, but it just came off rather bland.
2016 Honda Ridgeline
While the original 2006 Honda Ridgeline was fine, the second-gen version was designed to be a more modern and luxurious pickup truck. However, while it looked good, the design didn’t really account for how a truck should drive, so it didn’t perform well off-road.
2010 Lotus Evora
The famous Lotus Evora is another car that only just made our list at fifteen years old. Back in 2010, it had a flawed design that impacted driver engagement and made it particularly difficult to work the pedals with ease. Luckily, it has been much improved since.
2014 Jeep Cherokee
The Jeep Cherokee has long reigned as one of the best SUVs around, but the fifth-gen design was a bit of a letdown. It looked good enough, but the new automatic transmission and weak throttle were so bad that many people were put off buying modern Cherokees.
2018 Lamborghini Urus
Perhaps this is a lesson in why it’s good to stick to what you do best. The 2018 Urus SUV was an interesting choice for Lamborghini that, sadly, didn’t pay off. Lambo fans felt that it lacked anything original, and it was too mainstream for such a cool brand.
2020 Land Rover Defender
Next, we have another example of why you shouldn’t mess with a good thing. In 2020, Land Rover redesigned the Defender, but many drivers felt that the new modern look tried too hard to be conventional, taking away the character of the old design.
2023 Dodge Hornet
The Hornet is one of Dodge’s most recent cars, and it just missed the mark. Dodge is known for its powerful, muscle-car style vehicles, yet the Hornet played things very safe in an attempt to appeal to broader modern audiences. Ultimately, it was a bit boring.
2015 Lexus NX
The Lexus NX has just turned ten, so let’s look back at why it made such a modest impact. Its main problem was that it didn’t offer drivers anything new to really excite them. It looked good, but focused more on modern tech than creating a unique vehicle.
2010 Nissan Juke
Though many people love the more recent Nissan Juke, its original design was quite an odd choice. Some people likened it to a frog, and the car got a long-term reputation for being ugly. Thankfully, Nissan has refined the design over the years to redeem it.
2013 Peugeot 2008
In the early 2010s, there was a growing demand for modern SUVs, so Peugeot hopped on the trend. However, the 2008 was a missed opportunity because the end design was rather bland, and it was also a bit awkward to drive.
2012 Ford EcoSport
The original EcoSport did well, so Ford decided to redesign it in 2012. They smoothed out the ruggedness of the original, but this only served to make the new EcoSport a nightmare to drive on off-road terrain. The design also forgot to account for comfort.
2013 Toyota Avalon
The long-running Toyota Avalon has had many highs and lows, but the biggest low is probably the fourth-gen design from 2013. It dipped in quality from the third-gen design, using cheaper materials and robbing the Avalon of its presumed modern luxuries.
