Every so often we like to look back at few models you may have forgotten about. No matter if they’re good or bad, now that these cars are gone, it’s cool to reflect on them sometimes. Mostly though, it’s fun to shit on just how bad some of these cars really were. We’ve done this before and we’re doing it again. So here are a few more cars you probably forgot existed.
Hyundai’s second attempt at a sports coupe, the Tiburon was around for two generations. The first generation debuted in 1996 and lasted until the turn of the century, and the second gen debuted in 2004 and lasted until 2009. The Tiburon was unique in that it was one of, if not the only sport coupe of its size that offered a V6 engine, a 2.7-liter 172-horsepower unit. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by competitors like the Honda Civic Si and Scion tC. If it wasn’t for the Tiburon, though, we probably would have never gotten cars like the Genesis Coupe, Veloster or any of Hyundai’s N cars.
The excellent current Audi RS6 Avant wagon and V10-powered C6-gen RS6 often overshadow the excellent C5 generation, the first RS6 that Audi created. This thing was packing a twin-turbo 4.2-liter V8 with 450 hp in 2002. Sending all that power to all four wheels, Audi claimed it could hit 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds before topping out at 174 mph. This made it faster than the Mercedes E55 AMG of the time. If you have deep enough pockets to cover the maintenance on these things, they could be found for dirt cheap now.
For those grandparents that wanted a little driving excitement to go with their cushy ride, Buick would sell them an Electra T-Type in the late 1980s. The Electra was Buick’s full size sedan before the automaker switched to the Park Avenue; before that the Park Avenue was a trim of the Electra. Buyers going for the Electra T-Type would get a 3.8-liter V6, a firmer suspension that was marketed as Grand Touring suspension, black-wall radial all-season tires, black trim, bucket seats, a floor shifter and a leather-wrapped wheel.
For a while near the end of its existence, Pontiac tried its hand at a performance line of vehicles dubbed GXP. While certain models like the M5-fighting G8 GXP, V8-powered Grand Prix and Bonneville GXP, and super rare Solstice GXP showed that the brand was actually trying, the Torrent GXP came across as sort of lazy. Based on the equally forgettable Torrent crossover, the Torrent GXP gained a 264-hp 3.6-liter V6, “paddle shifters” (Pontiac called it tap up/tap down), 18-inch wheels and a performance tuned suspension. Chevy also gained a version called the Equinox Sport that was mechanically identical.
Lexus says the HS was created in response to customers wanting them to offer a dedicated hybrid model; none existed in Lexus’ lineup before then. Because of this, Lexus brought over the JDM Toyota Sai and turned it into the HS for the North American market. While it was faster than a Prius, which it shared its hybrid tech with, that came at a sacrifice in fuel economy. The HS got non-hybrid four-cylinder fuel economy numbers, barley breaking 34 mpg on the highway.
Over the years Hyundai has experimented with the Elantra lineup, creating random variants that don’t last too long. There were three different versions of the wannabe hot hatch Elantra GT, an Elantra coupe in the early to mid 2010s, and the MPV-like Elantra Touring you see here.
Introduced in 2009, the Elantra Touring was based on the Korean-market i30 hatchback. However it was longer than the i30, resulting in 65 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats folded. It didn’t last long and was dropped for the 2012 model year when Hyundai decided to bring back the Elantra GT.
The Infiniti M was one of the first models to go on sale when the brand was introduced to the U.S. in the early 1990s. It was essentially a more posh and rebadged Nissan Leopard, a JDM sport coupe. Power came from a 3.0-liter V6. Along with its available convertible body style, it was cheaper than competitors like the Acura Legend. It wasn’t designed from the ground up as a convertible, however. Nissan shipped M30s to American Sunroof Cooperation, who then converted the coupes into convertibles. The M30 was dropped in 1992 when the J30 sedan was introduced.
Remember when Nissan made interesting stuff that wasn’t just the Z or GT-R? Back in the early 2000s, if you wanted a bit of oomph while you were off-roading, Nissan had you covered. You could get a supercharged V6 in both a pickup or tough SUV. Made exclusively for the U.S., Nissan slapped an Eaton Roots-type supercharger onto its 3.3-liter V6, resulting in 210 hp and 245 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately the engine was dropped in 2004 when the Frontier and Xterra received a redesign.
Volvo may have thrown people for a loop when it introduced its V8 engine in 2005. Built by Yamaha in Japan to Volvo’s specs, the 4.4-liter V8 made 311 hp. Initially it was only available in the first generation XC90, but it somehow made its way into the second generation S80 sedan. The engine ceased production after the 2010 model year.
Designed under Mitsubishi’s “Project America” program, which aimed to create more products specifically for the U.S. market, the Endeavor’s design was based on a 1999 concept called theSSU. While that concept got a twin-turbo V6 and all wheel drive, the Endeavor debuted with a 3.8-liter V6 with 225 hp. As a replacement for the Montero Sport, Mitsubishi predicated it would be a hit, forecasting 80,000 sales in its first year. But the Endeavor flopped hard, selling just over 32,000 its first year. Sales went down from there every year through 2011 when Mitsubishi replaced it with the Outlander.
The Buick Rendezvous was a doozy. Not only was it related to the equally visually jarring Pontiac Aztek, its mechanical bones were... interesting. GM thought it would be a good idea to base a crossover on a minivan platform. That meant engines that saw minivan duty too. In this case the Rendezvous got a 185-hp 3.1-liter V6 and a four-speed automatic. What made all of this worse is GM had the gall to showcase this thing during Buick’s “The Spirit Of American Design” era. This is when the brand was using actor John Diehl as legendary designer Harley Earl in its commercials, making it seem as if Earl had returned and was designing Buicks again.
Towards the end of its run the Rendezvous gained GM’s 3.6-liter High Feature V6 that gave it a much needed power increase. It was still ugly, though, and was replaced by the Enclave in 2008.