Ford Edge
The Edge is the only Ford model to make this list, mostly due to its outdated design and underwhelming performance that doesn’t quite line up with its price tag.
Chevrolet Suburban
The Suburban has been around for decades and is one of Chevrolet’s most popular vehicles. At one point, it offered unparalleled amounts of space in comparison to others in its class. These days, however, the competition is a lot stiffer, and the Suburban is also much more expensive than most are happy to pay.
Subaru WRX
The WRX is still probably Subaru’s best vehicle in terms of design and performance. Its problems don’t have as much to do with the actual mechanics of the vehicle so much as its age - specifically, the WRX hasn’t seen any major updates for years, ultimately making for a disappointing, lackluster vehicle despite its premium price tag.
SmartEQ ForTwo
Let’s face it: the Smart ForTwo was never the most impressive vehicle on the market even when it was released. Back then, however, it at least had the novelty of being a tiny, compact electric vehicle that could save you in ownership costs. These days, though, almost every other EV is safer, more efficient, and more reliable.
Nissan Titan XD
Pickups are especially popular in the US, but although the Titan is a solid vehicle, most drivers still prefer to buy American. It’s often seen as outdated when compared to its rivals, and has been fighting an uphill battle since it was first introduced. Now, with more and more electric pickups hitting the roads than ever before, the Titan seems even more long in the tooth.
Mitsubishi Mirage
The Mitsubishi Mirage is a vehicle seemingly locked in the early 2010s. While cheaper, more economically-friendly cars are absolutely necessary, you’ll almost always be better off with any car other than the Mirage. Despite its outdated style and lackluster performance, however, it remains a popular vehicle.
Land Rover Discovery Sport
Although the Land Rover badge will always have a place in the hearts of many, it’s pretty hard to ignore their reputation for unreliability at this point. The Discovery Sport may have a luxury badge (and a luxury price to match), but its mechanical fidelity and reliability are “eco” at best.
Jeep Renegade
In contrast to Land Rover, Jeep has managed to maintain a somewhat respectable reputation, even if they have released a few misses over the years. The Renegade should have been a hit, a more fuel-efficient Jeep for urban dwellers, but its issues with reliability have left a bad taste in the mouths of many drivers.
Fiat 500X
Much of the Jeep Renegade’s issues began with the Fiat 500X, the crossover that served as the basis for that vehicle. However, the 500X’s flaws go much deeper, mostly due to the overall lack of refinement inside the vehicle. It feels decidedly rough around the edges, which is especially disappointing since Fiat has largely been praised for their sense of refinement.
Fiat 500L
Sadly, Fiat’s woes don’t end with the 500X. The 500L is a worse car overall, mostly due to the fact that its design has hardly been altered since 2014. It’s one of those vehicles that feels like a used model even if you buy it brand new. It was also the recipient of Consumer Reports Worst Car of the Year “award”. Go figure.
Dodge Journey
A decently sized crossover marketed towards families, the Journey has been around for a while - and has been left largely unaltered since its debut. For such a long-running nameplate, it’s truly baffling how little Dodge seems to have supported it over the years. You would likely be better off with any other crossover instead.
Alfa Romeo Giulia
An Alfa Romeo with reliability issues? No way! Indeed, the Alfa Romeo brand has always been associated with questionable reliability. Most people, however, are more than willing to look past that for the chance of owning one of these truly stunning cars. Sadly, while the Giulia is one of Alfa’s best-looking vehicles, it’s among the brand’s most shoddy in terms of reliability (but we guarantee you people will buy it anyway).
Acura RLX
As Honda’s own luxury brand, Acura is surprisingly modest in terms of style and performance. The RLX is among the most underwhelming luxury vehicles you can buy, but it remains popular for one simple reason: it’s extremely cheap for a supposedly premium ride.
Cadillac ATS
In all fairness to Cadillac, the ATS is one of their more obscure models, but is especially popular with rental companies. Despite stunning good looks, the ATS provides a lackluster driving experience overall due to cheap interior materials and subpar performance.
Infiniti Q50
The Infiniti Q50 used to be a great car, essentially a luxury alternative to BMW and Audi models. Unfortunately, whereas those brands have continued to innovate and iterate upon their previous releases, Infiniti has neglected the Q50 to the point where most people would likely be happier paying extra for another luxury brand.
Nissan Pathfinder
The Pathfinder was once one of the few SUVs to really give Jeep a run for their money. Once rugged and solid as an oak, the Pathfinder now looks like any other crossover SUV, but with added CVT issues and questionable build quality.
Jeep Cherokee
Before Chrysler’s acquisition of the Jeep brand, the Cherokee represented the very best in off-road design. Unfortunately, Chrysler’s own issues with reliability have begun to infect the Jeep badge as well, and the Cherokee can no longer be considered a king of the off-road.
Jeep Compass
Speaking of lackluster Jeep models, the Compass is probably still worse than the Cherokee by virtue of the fact that it was based on a Dodge model. All the same issues with reliability are present here, albeit in an arguably uglier package.
BMW 7 Series
BMW has a reputation for “precision engineering”, and the 7 Series used to be reflective of that. However, despite strong sales figures and initial love for the car and its badge, the 7 Series is actually pretty terrible when it comes to reliability, mostly due to baffling electrical issues… which may have been easier to forgive if the price wasn’t so damn high.
Cadillac XTS
Cadillac used to be one of the most prestigious brands in the industry, but they’re a shadow of their former selves these days. The XTS has a lot in common with the ATS… including a complete lack of refinement, performance capabilities, and whatever secret sauce Cadillac used to inject into their vehicles.
Jeep Wrangler
Look, we know we’ve given Jeep a hard time throughout this list, but it’s only because we want the brand to get back on track. The Wrangler still holds a firm place near the top of the off-road pile, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that many newer models are often better equipped… and better priced.
Lincoln Corsair
Like Jeep, Chrysler, and Cadillac, the Lincoln name used to be held in high regard, but the brand has struggled to reach the heights it once enjoyed. The Corsair, while not a bad vehicle, does nothing to really cement Lincoln’s status as a true luxury brand, and lacks certain refinements other SUVs provide.
Mitsubishi IMiEV
The iMiEV has one thing going for it: it’s dirt cheap. Sadly, the rest of the vehicle is worth as much as dirt, too, including its lackluster performance and sad, outdated design.
Nissan Armada
The Armada is Nissan’s flagship SUV, a large vehicle that shares a platform with the Titan. Like that vehicle, the Armada actually isn’t a terrible car on paper. However, when stacked up against the competition, it falls slightly short, and its fuel efficiency is rather terrible.
Maserati Ghibli
Maserati remains one of the world’s premier luxury brands. Their success can largely be attributed to the Ghibli, a Ferrari-powered sedan that has been around for years at this point. Its design is timeless - and that’s exactly what’s wrong with it. The Ghibli is still a great car, but a design overhaul or update would go a long way to making it amazing.
Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 has been around for over a decade at this point, but has seen almost no major updates since its initial release. It’s a budget-friendly urban crawler that won’t wow or amaze anyone, and if you plan to do more than city driving, you’re better off with another vehicle.
Acura ILX
Based on the seemingly indomitable Civic, the Acura ILX is pretty much that car with a few fancy amenities and a premium price tag. The fact that it’s basically just a Civic isn’t a bad thing by itself, but it certainly doesn’t justify its high price.
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
If you were expecting a sports car from the Eclipse nameplate, you would likely have been sorely disappointed by the Cross, which suffers from a severe lack of identity, appealing to neither crossover fans, nor Eclipse enthusiasts.
Mini Cooper
Although the Mini Cooper remains one of the nicest looking compact cars on the market, its premium price tag makes its issues with reliability all the more apparent.
Toyota Avalon
The Toyota Avalon is essentially a rebadged Camry with a higher price tag, whose status as a more premium car is totally unearned, especially since the Camry provides you with more or less the same for a cheaper price.
Subaru Impreza
Much like the WRX, the Impreza remains one of Subaru’s most consistently impressive cars, but is in dire need of an update. Fortunately, that’s exactly what Subaru intends on giving it - for now, however, it’s worth avoiding.
Nissan Leaf
The Leaf will always hold the distinction of being one of the very first mass-produced EVs to really make an impact, but with EVs as a whole becoming more and more sophisticated, the Leaf’s shortcomings are all the more noticeable.
Chevrolet Malibu
The Malibu nameplate has had a long and extensive history that current generations of the car struggle to live up to. It’s expensive, only moderately good-looking, and suffers from reliability issues.
Volkswagen Passat
Despite impressive performance and a comfortable ride, the Passat was never one of VW’s most successful models, mostly due to it being in direct competition with the smaller, more reasonably priced Jetta.
Infiniti Q60
Despite its attractive, premium appearance, the Infiniti Q6 is another victim of Infiniti’s uncertain place in the market. It’s good looking enough, drives decently well, and offers almost nothing else that you couldn’t find in another, better luxury model.
