Here Are The Cars That Didn't Live Up To Your Expectations

Honda CR-Z.

Terrible performance as a fuel-sipping hybrid. Terrible performance as a low-priced sport coupe. It failed at being both.

[...]

Came out of the gate with 121bhp - only 4bhp more than the cheaper Fit and even NB Miatas snickered at. Only got 30s -ish MPG, again on paper it was marginally better than the Honda Fit... but often lost in the real world. And then the Honda Fit was a lighter vehicle too... with a back seat and usable trunk.

The only saving grace of the CRZ was the manual (and later supercharger) but if you are only in it for the manual, then Fit.

Finally, if you just wanted quirky, the base Veloster launched a year later would offer everything better than the CRZ for about $2-4K less.

Submitted by: FutureDoc

The new Supras problem is that it’s ugly in pictures and ugly in person.

Submitted by: BunkyTheMelon

And a counterpoint to the initial prompt...

[“Try as it might, Toyota just couldn’t win over all fans of the Supra.”]

When the Supra was announced, I said I’d buy one, by only if it came in a manual. When the MT was confirmed, I marked the date ordering opened in my calendar, and was at the dealer that morning to secure one. Then I anxiously waited five months for it to be delivered.

I’m won over. Toyota is still selling every unit they could produce. The Supra hasn’t seen that drop off in sales over the years that every other model suffers from.

[”exceeding the expectationsThat is, the GR Supra hasn’t been widely hailed as living up to and of its fanbase.”]

In what way? The community seems pretty enthralled to me. People love the tunability of the B58. There’s at least one guy out there running 8s on a car he still drives on the road. And plenty are in the low 11s with some tires and bolt ons.

I’m guessing your talking the millennial equivalent of the boomer talking about how the 1960s had the fasted cars ever.

Personally, I’d say the Supra wildly exceeded my expectations. It has the straight line power of a muscle car, and instantaneous steering of a exotic car, while being quiet and refined enough that my wife enjoys riding in it. The thing is a ninja on back roads and I really can’t image what car could ever replace it, maybe a 911.

Submitted by: put-some-turbo-in-meeeee

And another valid counterpoint...

As someone that was alive when the Mk4 was around, I don’t like the new Supra because when I sat down in it I realized I’m too old to be driving a Supra. It’s not Toyota’s fault that I can’t climb in and out of sports cars anymore, but I still blame it for the way the universe works.

Submitted by: epochellipse

I might get some hate for this one, but ALL Luxury brands... at least the more common ones like BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Cadillac, Acura, Infinity and such. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a luxury brand that actually felt like it was worth the extra money over what is available from “more affordable” brands. This might be due to regular cars having more features these days and the days of cheap barebones cars almost completely gone, but luxury brands really seem like a pointless waste of money.

Submitted by: SlickS30r

People are going to think I’m nuts for this one but the 5th generation 4Runner. After having a couple of 3rd gens I figured the current model in the Off-Road Premium trim would be a keeper. Sure it’s a great truck but I found it larger than it needs to be and so smooth that it seemed detached from the driving experience. Plus it is utter bullshit that a $45,000 white truck has a single-stage paint (no clear coat) that makes you have to basically buff the paint every time you wash it just to get rid of the dark marks from rainwater mixed with road dust.

Submitted by: 17 Seconds

The 2007 Mazdaspeed6 GT

Hyped as a bargain M3 by the auto journos, I drank the cool aid and bought a brand new one for the price of a new 328xi/A4 quattro.

Turns out to be a thirsty understeering pig with a very narrow power band, numerous quality issue and the reliability of a 1990's Jag.

Traded it in after 3 years/50K miles and the car was already trash at that point.

Never drinking the cool aid again.

[...]

Submitted by: Margin of Error

The FRS/BRZ twins:

[...]

Touted as the AE86 successor it failed to deliver the same light/fun/rev happy nature of the original.

It was a car I was extremely excited for, had one on order, then immediately cancelled the order after driving a couple. It just felt dull and boring, even when pushed to it’s limits. The engine’s 1k rpm powerband is annoying and feels labored in the high rpms where it should shine, the handling felt disconnected and lifeless, it just felt boring.

While it may be “better” than the AE86 in every way, it lacks the soul and character that made the AE86 so perfect.

Submitted by: ThatVanGuy

And...

for me it was the FRS/BRZ. Id been following it since the first concept which said it would be light, over 200hp, and very inexpensive. But then i watched as each new concept made it uglier and the price rose way over their initial claims. So after waiting years i realized a used S2000 has all the things i was hoping for in the BRZ with the price point i wanted. Then the BRZ came out and i was right it was no where near as enjoyable as id hoped and the S2000 was way more enjoyable

Their original concept was great. the final not so much

Submitted by: boneheadotto

C8 Corvette for me. I as many lusted over the idea of a midengined corvette for most my adult life, but when it finally came to be... it just felt like it lost the plot. Even looking past the warmed over C7 styling and dimensions that don’t quite feel right, the fact that they didn’t offer it in a manual means they’ve really lost connection to the spirit of the car. Yes I’m aware the automatic c7 outsold the manual nearly 3:1. Yes I’m aware the automatic is faster. But in a day and age where 99% of gas cars will be slower than someone’s grocery getter EV who cares that the automatic is faster? When your “exotic” sports car is slower than tens of thousands of family sedans, you’re not selling the car based on speed anymore, but you can still sell on driver engagement. I’m not saying they shouldn’t offer an automatic, of course they should, it prints money. But 10 years from now when <3second 0-60 sedans are parked in every other driveway, I guarantee you the last manual corvettes will be as coveted as air cooled 911s.

[...]

Submitted by: Atomic

I’m still of the opinion that the WK2 Grand Cherokee is a better modern day Wagoneer than the Wagoneer we actually got. I’m sure it’s plenty good, but the design isn’t an all-time classic like the original (the WK2 at least feels a little more at home just about anywhere, while the new Wagoneer is screaming to be parked in front of a McMansion).

Submitted by: Maymar

And...

Yeah, there’s something visually very off-putting about the new GWs. They just ain’t right, super disproportionate, strange sizing, ungainly— nothing cool looking about them.

Submitted by: Crafto

Toyota FJ Cruiser.

[...]

“Remember how cool out Land Cruisers were? Yeah...this ain’t it.” — Toyota

Submitted by: Urectum

I’ve ridden in several rental Camrys and not once have I ever felt grounded to the ground.

[...]

Submitted by: Wulf92

I Ordered a 2016 Subaru WRX Limited and checked every box on the order sheet at the dealer. The manual transmission was lousy, everything squeaked and rattled and it was always in the shop (bad brakes, clutch and oil leaks). After the transmission became unbearable to drive and multiple negative experiences with my local Subaru/Hyundai service department I traded it in for a new Golf R that had zero issues in 3 years of ownership.

[...]

It’s crazy to think at the time I cross shopped the WRX and a GTI and went with the WRX because of VW reliability concerns. My flat bill was too tight and the vape juice too strong.

Submitted by: Koshapig

And...

Had a ‘15 and had similar hell of things constantly going wrong. I think that car was in the shop for almost 15% of my ownership. Also, how does a car come from the factory with all those rattles? Legendary Subaru reliability, my ass.

Submitted by: TheSchrat

2016 Audi S6. Leased it brand-new.

Fast, sure. Fit & finish- pure garbage for a “premium” vehicle. Everything broke. Cup holders, truck latch, MMI system (repeatedly), wipers squeaked you name it. Even had to replace the center console because of the damn broken cupholders.

Submitted by: President Zod

Chevy Impala SS, the 2006-2009 version. Put a 325 HP V8 in a floaty FWD family car and change NOTHING ELSE about it. No upgraded brakes, no upgraded shocks, no bolstered seats. It was a car that was bad at everything.

Submitted by: SumGai77556

[...]

With that said, my biggest disappointment in cars lately is the new Acura NSX. As a budget P1/LaF/918, it worked well. But the best looking version was the Type S, that they didn’t build until the last year. And the number of Type S’s bought and spec’d by dealership owners just to sit in the showroom for a year until they are allowed to sell them are non-trivial. The original NSX was a hard-top for 4 years before releasing a targa / spyder version, I was waiting on that to buy one. It never came.

Point being, Acura’s final year of this car was less a gift to the fans than to the dealers. Want to know what’s a better NSX than the actual NSX? The C8 Corvette.

Submitted by: jimmy-buffett

Many years ago, I drove a friend’s early year 5th-Gen Mustang GT convertible and was surprised at how much closer it felt to a personal coupe/convertible like the Sebring than an actual muscle car. I was never much of a Mustang fan but I expected it to feel faster and be more fun to drive than a boring FWD coupe. The body felt about as rigid as a sheet of paper (you could feel the flex over uneven pavement) and the V8 didn’t feel special and my slightly modified Legacy GT Spec.B felt significantly faster in a staight line.

The current Mustang, while still more of a personal coupe than muscle car (excepting the special edition and track-focused packages), feels so much better, even in turbo-4 form, than its predecessors.

Submitted by: oddseth

For me it was the 9th gen Honda Accord Sport (6 spd). Having owned various Hondas with manual transmissions over the years, I expected a well put-together car that I could chuck into corners and wring every RPM out of the VTECH engine. Problem was, by then the Accord had grown into a veritable land yacht, and any attempt to take corners faster than “leisurely” would elicit loud screams of protests from the wheels despite their 18" size. Sure, the gears were still fun to row, but it was more of a highway cruiser than anything. Unfortunately, it was also dogged with the cut-rate interior from the base-model LX and, at least on mine, it sounded like the window wasn’t fully closed at speeds over 45 MPH.

I sold it after a short while and bought a Camry (gasp!) because I actually thought it felt smaller and more fun to drive (gasp!).

Submitted by: paradsecar

And...

I’m surprised to see this. IME, Accord enthusiasts tend to think their cars are the best thing ever. The only people to ever tell me that their car could “smoke” mine have been Accord V6 drivers.

They are nice enough cars, but people seem to put them on a pedestal.

How are you doing with recovery?

Submitted by: put-some-turbo-in-meeeee

My flying car? Where is it. I expected it two years ago...

Just never delivers.

Submitted by: skeffles