Let’s face it, not every modern car produced is going to be a winner. Many, in fact, are going to be downright hated, either for a technical gremlin that immediately sinks the vehicle without trace right out the blocks, a design flaw that just doesn’t sit right with its target audience, or, and this is probably the biggest culprit, a powerplant that just doesn’t get the job done. Plenty of vitriol has been levied at the electric automotive industry for, what many term, a ‘soulless’ running gear, after all. Indeed, the fact that most, but not all, of the models on this list have been discontinued speaks volumes.Still, there have been plenty of times when a sports car, sedan, or SUV has received an unfair amount of hate mail only to rebound and become, if not beloved, then at least well-respected. Porsche's 'sell out' Cayenne springs to mind here, as does the Mazda MX5 Miata, the original ‘hairdresser’s car, to some. We wouldn’t be surprised then if the below models, listed in no particular order, get a second shot at redemption in the years to come. 2023 BMW M2 2025 BMW M2-1M Division’s most compact model quickly fell foul of all-too familiar jibes when it landed in 2023, namely that it was too big, too heavy, too expensive, and “urgh, what a face.” Criticisms that the slightly lighter, more powerful M2 CS managed to get away with, interestingly. Not that such gripes have hurt sales, of course, as the M2 was the best-selling model in a 14th consecutive record-setting year for M division in 2025. Moreover, with a 473-horsepower 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six under its overly-stylized hood as of 2025, plus perfect balance and one of the last six-speed manuals BMW still offers, the M2, like the reviled Z3 M and, yes, even the Bangle Butt E65 7 Series, will surely be a collector’s item in the future. Such is the allure of both that M badge, and what is just a damn fine sports coupe. 2020 Toyota Supra gr supra main“How can Toyota revive the Supra with a BMW engine?” came anguished cries from Toyota sports coupe fans the world over. That said GR Supra was, to many, a ‘re-badged BMW Z4,’ and didn’t even feature a six-cylinder from launch, was even worse. Unsurprisingly, many JDM fans welcomed news of the Supra’s retirement in 2026, ahead of a brand-new all-in-house replacement, with open arms. Still, the GR Supra hung on gamely for six years, much of that down to competitive pricing, modern ‘swoopy’ styling, and a genuinely engaging drive, thanks in no small part, ironically, to that gusty Bavarian turbocharged straight-six. True, this ‘re-badged BMW’ is likely never hit the vaunted likes of 1993’s A80 Supra, but there’s little doubt it will eventually be remembered, if not forgiven, as one of the finest examples of the breed in the years to come. 2017 Acura NSX 2022 Acura Honda NSX-2Man alive, the second-generation NSX had massive pressure on its shoulders when it landed in 2016. And, from a technical standpoint, Honda/Acura didn’t let us down. The front-mounted twin-turbo V6 chucked out a robust 573 hp in 2016. The handling was sublime. It certainly looked the part. Honda even revived the Type S badge for a 350-unit limited-edition farewell run that sold out in 2021. It wasn’t enough though. The second-gen NSX wasn’t game-changing, like its legendary predecessor. It lacked the evocative Ayrton Senna connection (brown loafers, white socks, anyone?), as did its predecessor. It even – gasp! – had the audacity to feature electric motors, an ‘insult’ to its lightweight predecessor. Strip the ‘NSX’ badge from the rear deck, however, and only the truly obstinate would argue that this wasn’t an otherwise excellent supercar. One that time will eventually forgive. 2025 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance 2023 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance front, sideWhat was AMG thinking? Affalterbach’s most revered gas-swilling lunatics, which put itself on the map in 1971 with the truly bonkers 6.8-liter V8 ‘Red Pig,’ had seemingly cut the legs from beneath arguably its most popular performance model by binning the ferocious, naturally-aspirated V8 in favor of – whoa boy! – a hybrid, four-cylinder. Yes, it was the most technically advanced, and, crucially, most powerful example of the C 63 range to that point with 671 hp on tap. But the added girth – the E Performance weighed close to 4,800 pounds – and a soundtrack that, far from plucking the heart strings, put them to bed with a warm glass of milk, did not go down well. At all. So much so that Mercedes' hybrid four-cylinder has already been jettisoned for a less powerful, but pure ICE six-cylinder for the upcoming C53 AMG. Who knows though? In time-honored “wait, AMG actually built that?” tradition, the highly controversial C 63 E Performance could be a curious fascination in the future. 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack-2As will this, certainly the most contentious entry on our list. Dodge’s Daytona Scat Pack, the most technically advanced Charger of them all, set pitchforks aflame by jettisoning a HEMI V8 for an all-electric platform for 2024. And yet, it’s probably the closest thing to a de facto ‘muscle car’ currently on Dodge’s line-up. Straight-line acceleration, for example, is brutal, with the 670 hp Daytona Scat Pack clearing the quarter-mile in just a hair over 11 seconds. The steering is heavy and slightly lifeless, rather like a muscle car, and the additional weight from that EV drivetrain means, unlike the new gas-fed Sixpack, there’s less composure through the corners.Again, as you would expect from a classic ‘muscle car.’ Fuel efficiency – or range, in this instance – is a weak spot, as on a muscle car. The front end can go light at speed, like classic muscle cars. And the quality of the interior has been criticized, much like… okay, you can see where we’re going here. Like it or not, the Charger Daytona might yet win ‘muscle car’ fans over. 2019 Chevrolet Camaro Turbo 1LE 2019 Chevrolet Camaro Turbo 1LE-1Ironically, while the four-cylinder C 63 will be remembered as a cautionary blip on AMG’s radar, and most of you are probably still cross about the Charger, Chevrolet’s four-cylinder Camaro will likely be celebrated as an underrated classic. Introduced exclusively at first for the higher-spec, V6 and V8-powered sixth-generation Camaro, Chevy’s 1LE Track Package brought with it sport suspension, bigger Brembo brakes, a beefier cooling system, and performance tires among other upgrades.Rather than taking the easy route and simply injecting the turbocharged four-cylinder – which already boasted a suitably muscular 355 hp – with yet more grunt, the 1LE package instead highlighted the performance potential of that Alpha platform. Suddenly, the powerful, less revered, but considerably lighter four-pot Camaro was an equal, on-track, to its V6/V8 brethren. And for less than $31,000 too. A future classic? Why not? Other muscle cars with less than eight cylinders have established similarly glowing reputations, after all. 2017 Jaguar XE 2017 Jaguar XE 20d DieselSadly, Jaguar’s answer to BMW’s 3 Series, Mercedes’ C-Class and Audi’s A4 was never a big hit, in either the US, where it was discontinued in 2020, or even Europe, where it was put to bed alongside pretty much everything else in 2024. The XE had the British charm expected of the leaping Big Cat, plus a great look and surprisingly sharp handling. But it struggled to match Germany’s Big Three as a ‘premium’ sedan, a serious black eye that even a host of upgrades for 2020 couldn’t cover. Ditching Jaguar's cacophonous supercharged V6, and with it, a much-needed dose of character, didn’t help either. Still, with its bold EV reinvention just around the corner, the supercharged XE sedan might still be remembered, even celebrated, for what it truly was: a bold, characterful, albeit flawed, effort to claw its way back to the top. For the British motoring fans amongst us, fingers crossed they get it right this time. 2025 Volkswagen Golf R Mk8.5 2025 Volkswagen Golf R 8.5 Blue Front Angled ViewWhile far from a disaster, fans were left disappointed by Volkswagen’s Mk.8 Golf R, many feeling that the latest version of arguably the best hot hatch on the market was too heavy, too expensive, and, in terms of cabin switchgear, needlessly complicated. That the Mk.8 followed the universally beloved Mk.7 certainly didn’t help. Volkswagen reacted quickly, hastening the upgraded Mk8.5 by introducing updated controls, a refreshed design, anti-lag turbo tech, and a 12 hp hike for the all-wheel drive, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder.The Mk8.5 was, in-short, better in every way than the Mk.8, but burned Golf R fans were still skeptical. That the anniversary edition Golf R 20 Years introduced nearly three years earlier seemed a better all-round option was particularly humbling. VW will, in time, be forgiven, as will the Mk8.5. Even if it isn’t the Mk.7. 2018 Porsche Panamera 4S Sport Turismo Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo-2Given that it disappeared with the most muted of whimpers in 2023 in the wake of slow sales, it’s easy to forget just how much buzz Porsche’s Panamera Sport Turismo caused when it debuted. The vitriolic response to the Panamera by purists had softened by 2016, thanks to a heavily redesigned exterior and a gruntier engine range. So much so that a Porsche wagon that could hit 60 mph from standstill as quickly as a BMW M5, and at a time when Audi’s RS6 and Mercedes’ E63 were keeping the premium performance wagon dream alive, sparked significant interest. It didn’t last long, sadly, and by 2023, even the range-topping, 690 hp Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo was playing only a “minor role” in global sales. Still, for the flashiest of flashes, the Panamera, and a wagon variant, no less, struck a nerve. 2020 Lexus RC F 2020 Lexus RC F top viewWhile many mourned that ‘yet another’ V8 sports car – and a naturally-aspirated one, to-boot – was being discontinued after 2025, oddly, few fans were that distraught to see the Lexus RC F make its way to the gallows. The 5.0-liter V8, after all, packed a mighty 472 hp, and, even in its Final Edition guise, was capable of 60 mph from standstill a far from shoddy four and a bit seconds. That the Lexus ultimately lacked the precision and premium feel of BMW’s M4 and Audi’s RS4, despite being slightly cheaper than either of its rivals, meant it could never find a solid foothold in the premium sports coupe segment. And yet, both the RC and the RC F managed to hold their own for close to 10 years before finally being given the boot. A lineage Japanese sports car fans will want to celebrate when affordable, second-hand models emerge in due course.Source: Respective automakers