There are crap cars with great engines (Grand Cherokee SRT8) and great cars with crap engines (Wrangler). We're not sure which combo we despise most. What's the worst car-engine combination?
Going back in time to the swinging 1990s, Nissan offered a car most of us would purport to like: hatchback/fastback, RWD, small, cheap and equipped with a powerful little fourbanger under the hood. It was perfect... except we lied about the "powerful little fourbanger" part. Through its two generations, the US-Spec 240SX featured a four-cylinder engine designed for use in small trucks and not cars. Though tough, the engine was never truly up to the task of powering a fun RWD coupe, which is why most cherished 240SXs on the road have some form of SR20DET conversion or now serve as portable grills. Eunuched by insurance concerns, it's a prime example of wasted potential. In many ways, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe is the 240SX we never got.
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Photo of a V8 Citation