 |
| It's sad this applies to almost all advertisements now! |
Anyone who's ever seen a big mac on the
McDonald's advertisements knows that is not what you get when you
order the sandwich at the restaurant. Nearly all advertisements
employ this tactic, including the automotive industry. With the
increased production and reduced quality of vehicles today, you
wouldn't know the shortcomings of most vehicles by their commercials.
These ads all post how well the vehicle does in their own
“inspections” and “tests”, but they are rarely compared to
other vehicles. These companies also advertise mostly on the volume
of sales, instead of the quality of the autos.
Below is a list of the 10 vehicles that
are built the worst, and their quality is not reflected by the price
you have to pay on several of these big-name brands. I implore you to
skim over this list before you start auto shopping, as you may be
paying more on your car insurance because you couldn't avoid an
accident or your vehicle totaled itself out in your skirmish with the
ditch during a rainstorm.
10. Toyota FJ Cruiser
 |
Hope the blind spots don't put a
nasty spot on your car insurance! |
This vehicle starts the list because of
its rankings from Consumer Reports road tests, which conclude it has
some of the worst blind spots, along with bad marks on riding, fuel
economy, vehicle handling, and accessibility.
9.Smart ForTwo
While this vehicle was rated the best
at parking it basically anywhere, and they loved how tight the
steering is, it has several glaring weaknesses that put it on this
list. Namely the awful acceleration, poor transmission, bad ride and
horrible handling. It may seem like a great thing that it has amazing
fuel economy, but that is moderately offset by it requiring premium
fuel. Not very smart for a smart car if you ask me.
8.Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
 |
| Great off road, bad on road |
This vehicle is designed for off road,
and it does that job very well. The drawback to not living in an area
that requires constant off road travel will be a rough ride and bad
handling on the pavement. This vehicle's worst statistic is it's
comfort and convenience for that very reason, and its a small price
to pay if you need a sturdy box that can handle the toughest road
conditions. As long as it isn't a paved road.
7.Jeep Liberty
 |
| You got big shoes to fill, Liberty... |
For a vehicle that was supposed to be
the successor to the Jeep Cherokee, this vehicle isn't up to snuff.
This vehicle ranked at the bottom of its class in fuel economy, but
was the number one in horsepower. People with big feet beware, one of
the main complaints was that the foot wells were too narrow. Among
other peeves on the car was it's braking, handling, and uncomfortable
front seat.
6.Jeep Compass
 |
| Not the worst, but not good |
As with most vehicles in the “bad,
but not horrible” range of consumer reviews, this vehicle has most
of the same problems that its peers possess: bad engine noise,
braking, handling, rear visibility, and driving position. Strangely
it also has lackluster front seat comfort, which is strange
considering of all the seats that should have comfort, you'd think
that the front seat would be the most comfortable...Maybe they just
don't want you to fall asleep at the wheel, or get a slipped disc,
there's really no telling with car companies now.
5.Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel
 |
| This is the big jock of the car world |
It's getting to be a hard life for the
heavy-duty pick up trucks, which have a bad rap for being the most
problematic vehicles on the road today. This truck is unfortunately a
member of that club, despite having great towing and payload
abilities. This is probably attributed because of the vehicle's low
scores in ride, handling, transmission, reliability, and cost. One of
the more unique complaints I heard of this vehicle is its height, and
I can only imagine some smaller framed person having to leap into
this vehicle to step in to it effectively.
4.Dodge Avenger
 |
| Poor Avenger, always beat by big bro |
This more affordable option to getting
a Charger may not be worth the savings. There are several issues with
this mid-size sedan, including its engine noise, acceleration,
braking, transmission, fuel economy, and rear visibility. This car
has very poor fuel economy, ranking lowest in its class, but it is
top 9 in horsepower. With great power, comes great deficiencies in
most all other facets of your abilities seems to be the mantra of
this second-banana to the other muscle cars that have come out this
year.
3.GMC Yukon
 |
| Are you good if you're the 3rd worst? |
This vehicle has almost the same specs
as the Cadillac Escalade, so it is very similar in pros and cons.
However, it is improved upon the Cadillac model by having superior
fuel economy, while maintaining 9 passenger seating and up to 9,600
pounds of towing power. This vehicle's position being in the top 3 of
the worst built new cars of 2012 is not good, but it's not the worst
of the new range of vehicles that hit dealerships around the nation.
2.Chevrolet Colorado
 |
Nothing says "heavy duty"
like a 5-cylinder... |
Despite being one of the most
affordable entry level trucks on the market, the Colorado suffers
from a myriad of shortcomings. Even the extended cab is more compact
than its competition. Even though this is a supposed, “heavy duty”
truck, the smaller 3.7-liter 5 cylinder engine is nowhere near as
powerful as a V6. There are a number of nuisances as well that
customers have complained about, namely the acceleration(from the
smaller engine) braking and accident avoidance, which isn't a good recipe for your
car insurance. There's also an issue
with the quality of the ride and unsettling engine noise that makes
you want to reconsider owning one of these vehicles.
1.Cadillac Escalade
 |
Famous people may like it,
but they're rich! |
While this vehicle may be one of the most well-known and popular SUV amongst the rap moguls and movie stars, word of mouth can only go so far. While it may have awesome horsepower and size, this beast of a vehicle has some of the worst braking and the second-to-last in fuel economy. It also has poor handling and tanked its crash avoidance tests. This pricey SUV makes a statement, but there are more practical options if you don't need the size and power this vehicle provides.
All of these vehicles may sound or look good from their advertisements and "personal testing" they have done. With most things now we are seeing that peer reviews and comparisons are becoming a more popular and less biased way to determine true vehicle value. Always do your research before you go out and buy that new vehicle because someone famous drives it or it has sold so many. It may be selling so many because it doesn't last very long. No matter how safe a vehicle may appear to be, make sure you keep
auto insurance as it is required now in most states, and can save you a ton of money on repairs and liabilities.
Leave a comment if you know of another badly built car that came out this year, or if you have had good experiences with the vehicles mentioned here!
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