The WORST vehicles available today-The 2005 AutoSpies.com BLACK LIST.

2005 AutoSpies.com BLACK LIST

Just like Mr. Blackwell's 'Worst dressed list' the Spies compile their version of the duds out there in the automotive marketplace.

The cars do not necessarily have to be BAD from a mechanical standpoint although some are.

We judge these infamous losers by a number of factors...design, market acceptance, concept and street vibe.

It is REALLY, REALLY hard to make this list.

But it is not a list, you want to be on!

And this year's winners (i mean loser's) are...ranked from worst to awful

10. Buick Lucerne-Kissing your sister is a 'sizzling' experience compared to this exercise in boredom.
9. Jeep Cherokee- After seeing all those gorgeous groundbreaking concepts at the auto shows teasing us with their design expertise, HOW could they have decided on this, as the final design? The front end could be one of the worst in the business! Bring on the Nitro and BLOW this thing up!
8. Ford Five Hundred- Yuck! Let’s hope it only lasts 500 days on the market!
7. Mitsubishi Galant- The WORST car I’ve ever test driven…more flex than Suzanne Sommer's thigh-master
6. Chevy Impala- Back to the drawing board for the hundredth time! Could it have LESS personality? What an insult to previous proud Impala designs.
5. Cadillac XLR- Or should we call it the Allante II? This thing is deadsville in the marketplace. Looks like a door stop with dual nightlights on it!
4. Acura RL- Feels like the whole car's drive system has been shot with Novocaine. The most over priced car on the mainstream market.
3. Honda Ridgeline- With national leases already at $199 per month, this thing (maybe they should have called it, the Honda THING) is sinking fast! Thank GOD!
2. Hummer H3- The Hummer thing is just SOOOOO over. And we predict there is no comeback in sight. Even Steve Jobs couldn’t figure out how to bring this brand back! Sorry Liz...
1. Jeep Commander- Whatever over paid slacker at DCX green lighted this piece of trash, should be removed from his or her command! The only thing missing is the ‘Body designed by YUGO’ on the side panel.

Do you agree with us?

What would be on your list?

Can't wait to see the comments in our blogs below!

Matthew1 - 9/8/2005 11:55:18 PM

+1 Boost

Goes to show Americans can't build cars.

rand0m - 9/9/2005 1:10:34 AM

+1 Boost

I only disagree with Cadillac XLR and Acura RL being on your list. Those cars are reasonably nice IMO.

My list:
10)Chevrolet Cobalt
9)Chevrolet HHR
8)Chevrolet SSR
7)Chevrolet Monte Carlo
6)Chevrolet Impala
5)Chevrolet Colorado
4)Chevrolet Uplander(and all its variants)
3)Hummer H3
2)Pontiac G6(and variants)
1)Saturn VUE

Didn't make the cut:
Ford Freestyle
Ferrari 612 Scaglietti-The dullest Ferrari ever
Chrysler PT cruiser
Dodge Neon
Dodge Charger---this is a Charger?? weak.
Dodge Durango

YES they all suck but GM especially sucks

vdiv - 9/9/2005 1:56:23 AM

+1 Boost

I disagree about the Ford 500. Maybe my expectations from Ford are not that great to begin with, but I consider the 500 a major leap forward for Ford (compare to Taurus). The shape of the car and the conservative styling remind me of the previous gen. Passat. This car was not meant to be a shocker or a revolution, it was meant to be a sure, reliable, pleasing and comfortable family sedan. The car comes fully equipped including AWD and galore of comfi features for less than $30k -- that's a deal for many people and if such, it will prove to be a success.

swarmteams - 9/9/2005 6:51:58 AM

+1 Boost

Intriguing list, but as a longtime MB owner, I would add at least a symbolic representative from the 3-pointed star. The electrical and maintenance issues are a disgrace and merit a lifetime achievement award.

agent0000 - 9/9/2005 8:51:57 AM

+1 Boost

001,

I can't agree with you more completely!!! UGH on the new Jeep Commander - - What were they thinking!!!!

MercBasher - 9/9/2005 9:59:24 AM

+1 Boost

Hummer sales in the US (despite increases in the price of gas)
August up 165%
Eight months, Jan-Aug up 76%

Not bad for a brand that's SOOOOO over!

TagMan - 9/9/2005 12:43:56 PM

+1 Boost

I'll bet that if the Ridgeline had started out with a "normal" truck bed, and a lower price, it would have been in the ballgame. Too bad Honda didn't see this coming because there are really so many credits to the vehicle that are simply overshadowed by a couple of stupid and possibly fatal mistakes. As far as the Jeep Commander is concerned, a Chinese shoebox manufacturer must have designed the damned thing. And to think what it COULD have been. What a waste!

Echo3Sky - 9/9/2005 1:13:38 PM

+1 Boost

The Hummer H3 was designed to travel off-highway yet be tolerable on-road. There is no Hummer 'thing'. It's a brand designed to do what Jeep does, nothing more. It's not about 'image' or whatever. Certain individuals need to get over this and accept the brand for what it is. Because it's apparently pretty darn good at travelling to the middle of nowhere and back, and the brand is selling like there's no tomorrow.

Design-
Works like a mountain goat, as intended.
-Where's the fault there?

Concept-
Go where any Hummer can go in a smaller package with better fuel economy.
-Where does that go wrong?

Market acceptance-
Besides extreme liberals who hate anything that's not human powered, it's selling very well.
-Can you find a fault in that?

Street vibe-
Aside from people who have never driven a Hummer and automatically hate it, this car is probably the most capable stock vehicle on the road in this category, period.
-Is there anything wrong there?

I could do that to most of the cars on this list. But I chose the one I like the most.

hdogan - 9/10/2005 1:02:47 PM

+1 Boost

Guys I think RL should be a case study for car manufacturers,

it's a very well built car, with wrong badge and wrong price,

a Honda RL with < 40k fully optioned would sell ,
actually they sell RL in other countries as Honda RL at least the prev. generation.

Mark - 9/10/2005 9:17:23 PM

+1 Boost

001 - It is really bad when you read down these posts and people actually click the "AYC" button before really reading what they typed. I could right just a few paragraphs on most of the posts...though I am not going to touch Echo's or Joan's. They don't deserve any retort, I'll just shake my head at stupidity.

Though I would agree with a certain bias with this site. It would be nice to see you do a worst list from each geographical area [American cars, Asian Cars, Eurpean, etc....] and then make a final list from each of those. It is so hard to make a 10 worst list of AUTOMOBILES, which come from all points of the world, and only include or say that America makes the only cars to grace your list.

Let's all sit back and relax and see if 001 can do that. THEN.....you all can rip him apart. I would love to see what 001Buster would say.

Mark - 9/10/2005 9:18:29 PM

+1 Boost

It is really late...more coffee I guess.

I meant to say write, not right.

JUGNU - 9/11/2005 3:29:52 PM

+1 Boost

In this 70 % cars are AMerican and 30 % are Japanees.

But i have an objection against the Japanees black list cars,other americans r ok

1)I don't think Acura RL is overpriced.To which cars it is competing, it is much cheaper than that.I heared the rumours that new RL will be very dashing and great and will go face to face with Lexus GS and M45.

2)Mit Galant is also right in it's place.What much u want from a 20K car.

JUGNU - 9/11/2005 3:29:52 PM

+1 Boost

TagMan - 9/12/2005 1:24:32 PM

+1 Boost

Amother criteria for black listing vehicles could be if it turns out they were designed to KILL people! Sure you should black list cars for being ugly and overpriced, but another criteria for black listing vehicles should be if they are safety nightmares that might kill us if we drive them. Such as the Range Rover vehicles which all have potentially explosive fuel tanks! But we all know that AutoSpies LOVES the Range Rovers and wouldn't think to put them on the black list, even if they are deadly vehicles. Safety should definately be a criteria for a bad vehicle.

TagMan - 9/12/2005 7:12:21 PM

+1 Boost

Johnny,
You'll be glad to know that the mutant car known as the Mercedes c coupe will not be returning after this year. Even Mercedes finally realized it was Frankenstein.

TagMan - 9/14/2005 12:10:51 AM

+1 Boost

The title of the article is the WORST vehicles available today. Nobody has mentioned the Chevrolet SSR! This vehicle is practically useless! Huge money for a mutated 2-passenger gas-guzzling truck-type "thing". Not to mention that they've attempted a spin-off called the HHR, which resembles a Chevrolet version of a PT Cruiser? C'mon . . . someone out there has to agree that the SSR "truck" is one of the worst vehicles available. And to think that AutoSpies is picking on the Ridgeline and the Acura when this SSR freak machine is running loose. The AutoSpies list is so biased, it's just too obvious.