You ever read a car review a few years down the road and think, "Boy, the booze must have been good on that press drive!" I do it all the time. Just because a car gets a positive review or some kind of "prestigious" award doesn't mean it was really any good, then or now.
Fun fact: Did you know that the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu once scored the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award? Yes, the Malibu, a perennially uninspiring rental car that really hasn't been anything to write home about since the 1960s, was deemed the very best car on the market that year! Here's what they said at the time:
Our evaluation regimen of track testing, urban commuting, and mountain driving revealed that with either the base 2.4-liter/150-horsepower four or the premium 3.1-liter/155-horsepower V-6 there's never a power shortage. And refinement, a word rarely associated with a car in the "affordable" price class, can be used with abandon in describing the '97 Malibu. From nose to tail, inside and out, the new Chevy family sedan looks, feels, and drives like a more expensive car. It's for these reasons, and many more, that we named the Chevrolet Malibu Motor Trend's 1997 Car of the Year.
Well, shit. Sign me up!
That's our question of the day: What amazingly-reviewed car actually sucked? It can be something old or newer, so go nuts. Just because an automotive writer says it doesn't mean it's true.
Hat tip to Adam on Facebook!