Here Are The Most Interesting Cars Not Sold In America

The new Nissan Juke. The 2nd generation of it is sooo cool looking. It looks like if they took the original Juke, made it cool, and designed it to look like a spaceship.

Granted it doesn’t come with the 1.6 turbocharged engine anymore (it comes with a 3 cylinder turbo making around 115 hp) but it comes with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DCT which is miles better than the CVT the old model came with. But America doesn’t get that or the new Note (Versa Note in the US) either.

Nissan decided to kill 2 of its most interesting and great selling cars for a boring dull blob known as the Kicks, which is basically a taller sitting, worse driving Versa Note that happens to be even uglier and slower than the Juke it also replaced.

I would love to drive this thing.

Suggested by: Phillip Franklin (Facebook)

Pretty much every version of the Fiat Panda 4x4. All of the strengths of the Suzuki Jimny (yes, even reliability), and as the grand tour showed in Columbia, it really can go toe to toe with a Wrangler.

My personal choice would be the stylish 2010s Cross, which puts a Defender on the... er, defensive.

Suggested by: TGRIP

I’ll say it 1000 times: the VW Up! GTI.

It is as much car as most people need, it’s easy to park, seats 4, comes in 2 or 4 doors, manual or auto, with 117 HP it’s faster than plenty of cars already sold here (0-60 in 8.8, about the same as Fiat 500 or a full second faster than a 2019 Prius) but MOST importantly it gives everyone what they want: a straightforward, easy place to mount their phone and no BS infotainment system that will look dated in just a few years, let alone when you can finally import one in 2043.

Suggested by: OnceInAMillenia

There’s a market for small trucks in this country. It has been abandoned by everyone, and Ford’s new Maverick still isn’t filling the niche as much as it’s providing another sport-cute, with an open cargo area.

The Montana is sold by Chevy in Latin American markets. It’s a true compact truck. If you were to measure it against the Ford Maverick, it’s a full 22 inches shorter.

Suggested by: Elhigh

I’ve always been a fan of the Lada Niva. I’m sure they’re everywhere in Europe, and I know I’ve seen in books claiming it as one of the worlds worst, but I still like it.

Lada still sells this thing, and even with updates it still looks 20 years old.

Suggested by: @Tom_Zizzo (Twitter)

Golf GTE. A fun, sporty hybrid? Yes please. Don’t think of this as a hybrid GTI, think of this as a GR Prius.

Imagine a GTI that makes a combined 242 horsepower, can get to 60 in 6.7 seconds and can go up to 36 miles on electric power alone? All while costing just $4,000 more than a regular GTI? That’s the GTE. Keep imagining though, it’s never coming to the U.S.

Suggested by: Carbon Fiber Sasquatch

Quite possibly the best car in the world, built exclusively for a handful of executives in just one country. Also, far more quiet and civilized than those gauche Rolls Royces and Maybachs and such with noisy leather seat.

That said, I lust slightly more for the V12-powered 2nd gen (which are already available here in Canada).

Made for three long generations (The first-gen was made from 1967 to 1997), the only way you will probably ever see a Century is if you import one, or go to Japan.

Suggested by: Maymar

Granted its no longer available, but I think the Holden Commodore Ute fits the bill.

A Chevy SS with a pickup bed? That’s what the Holden Commodore Ute was. Made from 2000 to 2017, you could get these things with everything from a base 3.8-liter V6 all the way up to a monster 6.0-liter 362 hp V8 tuned from HSV. GM almost gave America a Ute in the form of the Pontiac G8 ST, but it was canceled in 2009 when Pontiac was killed off.

Suggested by: @ChadSHelms (Twitter)

I hope Stellantis brings over Citroens and Peugeots to bolster the somewhat depressing product lines of Dodge and Chrysler. That said I don’t know if the Peugeot 508 wagon would be in that list. Probably just boring stuff like the crossovers.

Unfortunately, Stellantis canceled plans to bring back Peugeot to the U.S. as the company wants to focus on the brands already offered here. And the only way to get a Citroën in the U.S. will be the small Ami city car which will be available to rent.

Suggested by: Citric

I get all the love for the Yaris GR but you guys forgot about the new A110. I know it lacks a manual but apart from that it’s awesome.

With its small 1.8-liter 252 hp turbo-four and a curb weight (2,381 lbs) that’s 22 lbs less than a Miata, this thing is a blast to drive. Unfortunately it also costs nearly $61,000 in the UK and production numbers are low.

Suggested by: Texa