Photo: Jeremy from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Psychologists and philosophers will debate sunup to sundown about whether our perception shapes our reality. Here at Jalopnik, though, we’ve got proof for one side of that fight: Carmakers you all perceive as bad, and the reality of their truly incredible cars. Last week, we asked for the best cars from automakers you hate, and today we’re peering through your answers.
Photo: IFCAR, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Pontiac failed entirely at building any actual excitement for generations. Then they made this on the way to the grave.
They should have been rebadging Opels the whole time.
The Saturn Sky Redline, sure, but the Solstice? The Solstice Coupe?
Photo: Audi
I’m the furthest thing from an Audi fanboy. The cars just seem so sterile to me and are always in some dull shade of blehhhh. But god help me, money no object, I’d be all over an RS6 Avant in a “go fuck yourself” colour like Vegas Yellow.
Regardless of brand or pedigree, the love of Fast Wagon someday comes for us all.
Nissan ‘Toys’ Commercial
There isn’t a brand that I hate, but I’m leery of Nissan after the issues I had with a ‘92 Maxima SE I owned a couple of decades ago. That experience is a big part of why I have never and likely will never own a Z32. Such a cool looking car that hits me right in the nostalgia, and it had the best television commercial ever.
Don’t let your fears stand in your way. Get that Z32, with its tiny engine bay and complicated vacuum hose routing. You will certainly not regret this.
Photo: Genesis
I was burned horribly after buying a brand-new Hyundai-family product (Kia, specifically) that was an absolute lemon and had a terrible dealership experience trying to get it fixed (shocking, I know). It left a bitter taste in my mouth that had me swearing off their products and run crying back to my Honda and Toyota safety blankets.
However, and they don’t sell it in America, but if they did, I might not be able to resist the achingly beautiful Genesis G70 Shooting Brake. To my eyes it is approaching the levels of Lexus LC500 beautiful, and a whole lot more functional to boot. Maybe Genesis dealers are better? I’d roll the dice…
Unfortunately, this isn’t really a shooting brake. Fortunately, it’s still a cool-as-hell wagon. That’s enough.
Photo: Alf van Beem, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
How the company that made this exquisite work of art, could go on to make hideous garbage from the ‘70s through the early 21st century, is beyond me. I really hate Chevy as a company, but by God I do love the ‘63 split window.
Remember: The company that made this now makes the Blazer EV. In case you needed something about which to weep in the witching hours.
Photo: Hyundai
I wont get into the reasons that I dislike Hyundai/Kia, but suffice to say I’ll never own one. However, the Ioniq 5 is just the COOLEST car, and I would probably own one if I didn’t have my bias against that company.
Sometimes, our biases really do hurt us. The Ioniq 5 is genuinely that cool, and it’s a shame to miss out on one.
Photo: Tesla
Obvious answer: [Model S photo]
Honestly, this may be a hot take, but I think it’d get old after a while. How many 0-60 pulls can you manage on your way to work?
Photo: Andrew Basterfield, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Ferrari 250 TR
I can’t stand anything Ferrari. Enzo was a prick who cared more about his reputation than his drivers. Once he died, the people who took over, decided to make the company the most up-its-own-ass brand in existence. Heck, they make Apple look humble in comparison!
But, I cannot deny that there were a few models that were beautiful. With the 250 “Red Head” being one of the best.
Classic European race cars are the weak spot in my automotive knowledge. I can ramble all day about the Toyota 2000GT and Hakosuka Skyline, but the main thing I know about the 250 TR is that it’s red. Boy, is it red. This is how I manage to avoid lusting after them.
Photo: Stellantis
My RAM Promaster. I can’t stand FCA, now Stellantis, because of their blatantly shitty quality, their dealer network’s horrible (and well earned) reputation, and of course their insistence on catering to the worst of people with their rather obnoxious marketing and their screw-the-earth Hellcat all the things product strategy. But the Promaster is a proven platform, with real advantages over other full-sized cargo vans mostly stemming from the pragmatic decision to make it FWD and boxy.
Lower cargo floor (so more interior height without making it ridiculously tall), the ability for a 6'1″ person to sleep sideways in a camper conversion without having to spend thousands on bump-outs, easier upfitting (for commercial purposes) or buildout (for conversions) due to the relatively plum walls (there’s that boxy thing again). Pricing a few thousand less than gas transits, and of course lots more less than diesel Sprinters, with a reasonably ubiquitous minivan drivetrain (so repairs are easily done anywhere, and parts are cheap), and no hassle with ever-finicky diesel emissions systems.
Mine was the most reasonable way to get myself the adventure van I wanted to build, in a reasonable footprint (the long wheel base but not extended version is just under 20' long – so no insane surcharges on the Washington and BC ferries), with better gas mileage than a Tacoma. With good tires, it even has reasonable traction on dirt roads and in snow (unless you go nuts on the buildout and move the weight bias too far aft).
Oh, and insanely comfortable seats if you get the factory swivels (which are German commercial van seats designed for drivers in an environment where they take occupational safety and ergonomics very seriously).
I really don’t like FCA/Stellantis, but this one they got right.
Bonus points for actually owning the exception to your Stellantis-hating rule. The company built a car you like, and you put your money where you mouth is on it.
Photo: Lexus
While hate is a pretty strong word, I don’t particularly care for Lexus/Toyota. They’re just a manufacturer that exists as far as I’ve always been concerned. But damn if I don’t badly want a convertible LC500. I’m genuinely on the fence over selling my current car, one that is absolutely perfect for me now and that I absolutely love, to buy an LC500 in the spring. I have never imagined being a Lexus owner but, here we are.
The LC truly shows what Lexus can do, when its talent and engineering prowess are all working at their best. When they’re working at their worst, you get the RZ.
Photo: MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Probably the Buick GNX. Buick had been a company known for making old person cars that weren’t very exciting for several years before the GNX came out. It blew everyone away that Buick, a company that hadn’t been cool since 1970 (Buick GSX) could come up with a turbo monster that could run with a Corvette.
Plenty of people have made the argument that the GNX was really McLaren’s doing. It takes true honesty to admit that the Grand National beneath was good all along.
Photo: Cadillac
For me, and I suspect for many people of a certain age, it’s Cadillac. Growing up, every Caddy was a ridiculously-oversized dinosaur that sickened us kids who liked cars. Every Caddy driver also seemed to be oversized, acted like a total douche, and was always dressed in ridiculously-patterned and -coloured clothing. They were dinosaurs built for dinosaurs. They had a couple of brief highlights over the ensuing years, but nothing that could come close to overcoming my disdain for the brand. But now, I would do many unspeakable things to get my hands on a Blackwing.
Have Cadillacs gotten better? Have you simply aged into a period where you like Cadillac? Both? Neither? Ponder this next time you look in the mirror, tracing each line in your face with your eyes.
Photo: JoachimKohler-HB, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
I’ve always been leery of Fiat.
Growing up, I heard the joke “Fix it again, Tony” many times from my friends.
As a teenager, one of my neighbors owned a Fiat Strada that essentially turned to rust within two years.
A colleague of mine bought a Fiat 500X which turned out to be a terrible little car and she traded it in for a Rav4 about a year later.
But… I really want a Fiat 124 Spider
Yes, i know it’s a Miata under the skin, but the Fiat is better looking than the Mazda IMO, and prices for used ones seem pretty soft right now.
The 124 is a Miata under the skin, but that’s not a bad thing — Italian styling and Japanese engineering is pretty much the ideal combo for a car.
Photo: Porsche
Porsche’s 911:
I don’t know…pick whatever of the infinite 911 versions that’s the “best” of the bunch—I don’t follow Porsches that well.
Why? It’s just that 911 is stupefyingly engineered, but to me it’s still just a squashed Volkswagen Bug—now water-cooled. Ovoid, bug-shaped? Check. Rear-engined? Check. Air-cooled? Was—check. Bug-eyed headlights? Check. And this is the uber-sports car?
It’s just that the idea of engineering a platform that sucks ass for performance—rear-engine—until it does perform extremely well is the antithesis of what automotive engineering should be to me. Start off with a platform that makes sense for a sports car: front and rear mid-engine especially. But to start off with the worst config of the bunch? WTF? (And I understand Porsche has been scootching the engine more forward over the decades—whatever.)
I’ve ridden in an air-cooled 911. That flat-6 made the noise of rocks rattling in a coffee can—I didn’t get the appeal and still don’t. But now there are those mega-expensive Porsches that are capable of performance even Dr. Porsche never envisioned—”good” for them. Still don’t care for the cars or the company.
This one is an interesting pick, given that the1969DodgeChargerFan confesses to not really following Porsche (rather than hating the company) and hating the 911. Still, they seem to be professing the objective, technical prowess of the 911, so I’ll allow it.
Photo: Volkswagen
Can’t say hate a brand besides Tesla but they don’t have anything I want so will go with one I have no trust in. Volkswagen. I don’t trust them one bit, have known so many people burned by them, yet they keep making cars I want. The best two of late were the Arteon and ID4 (really like the ID5 but not sold in the US). The Arteon is just a good looking car that feels premium and is super practical. The ID4 is a solid EV for the price point, it doesn’t scream EV, is a good size for us, has acceptable range, and feels very well assembled. Yet I cross them, and Audi, off every time as cannot bring myself to trust them enough to spend tens of thousands of dollars with them.
This, more than any other answer, fascinates me. Volkswagen — the company of the GTI, Golf R, Cabrio, Scirocco, and more — is loathed, except for a compact crossover widely panned by reviewers. I want to study your mind, CitronC.
Keyword: These Are The Best Cars From Brands You Hate