Does It Get Much WORSE Than This? Can YOU Name FIVE Other All-New, Redesigned Cars That Went AWFULLY Wrong?

You know, once and a while I'll be driving home from work when a story idea pops into my head. It's a rarity, however, sometimes I surprise myself. Today was one of those days.

I was cruising down the main boulevard trying to get to the major artery so I could home when I was sitting a red light. Typically I look around to see if there's any hot wheels. There wasn't.

What I did notice though was the Chevrolet Malibu parked on the street. This Malibu is the current-gen and even features the facelift it received right after it was on the market for one year. Oh, and the interior sucked too. If that wasn't a bad enough sign, frankly, the new car drove worse than the last one.

The last-gen Malibu was arguably one of the great mainstream products General Motors put out. It looked great and somewhat premium, its interior wasn't half bad and it drove great at high speed. So how did the company digress in just one generation? It's a remarkable feat!

This, of course, got me thinking: has ANY other automaker made a WORSE all-new car from the previous generation?

The reason I ask is because I can't seem to come up with one more that was worse than its predecessor. Can you?

ricks0me - 3/20/2014 11:41:20 PM

+2 Boost

Any Lincoln, Acura, or Mitsubishi.

JDMUSMuscle - 3/21/2014 12:03:49 AM

-4 Boost

BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Lamborghini, Ferrari and hmm...oh ya, Land Rover.

cidflekken - 3/21/2014 2:01:00 AM

+6 Boost

I think the last gen IS to the current gen IS, the G37 to the Q50, the 3G TL to the 4G TL, and the prev gen Highland to the new Highlander weren't steps in the right direction, but I wouldn't call them "awfully wrong".

Maybe the front-end of the previous 4Runner to the new 4Runner can be considered pretty bad.

jeffgall - 3/21/2014 7:03:12 AM

+4 Boost

Jeep Cherokee

jeffgall - 3/21/2014 7:03:39 AM

+5 Boost

And every new Lexus

ExGC - 3/21/2014 7:27:50 AM

+6 Boost

I agree with @jeffgall. Every time I see a new Lexus from the front, I see a Cylon from the original Battlestar Galactica. The grill makes them all hideous.

Need4Speed - 3/21/2014 5:00:05 PM

+1 Boost

I couldn't help but find that true and funny at the same time +1.

Need4Speed - 3/21/2014 5:01:30 PM

+2 Boost

Driver: Tune Radio to 103.5

Lexus: " By your Command ! "

TomM - 3/21/2014 7:53:39 AM

+6 Boost

When FORD went from the First and similar Second Generation Taurus - through 1995 - to the OVAL shaped Taurus of 1996 - they did the same thing

Chevrolet did the same thing going from the stylish 1973-77 Monte Carlo - with that Rococo shaped downsized thing they brought out in 1978

In fact - the downsizing of the industry in the late 70's brings lots of examples to mind - pretty much decimating Oldsmobile (Cutlass, 98, 88) - for example.

And How about the Downsizing of the Mustang to the Pinto platform in the 70's as well.

The more recent example of the Honda Civic was well published here too.

Lincoln has gone Downhill since the Continental of 1961 - the Fox based Lincoln of 1982 was abominable - but then - so was the Fox Based Thunderbird as well

trmckin - 3/21/2014 8:24:19 AM

+2 Boost

There are tons of examples. Most recent that come to mind are Lexus IS and toyota tundra. Go even further back when vehicle tech wasn't changing much, there are countless examples.

leej - 3/21/2014 8:26:26 AM

0 Boost

To correct one of the posts above, the Infiniti Q50 is not the next gen G37. The G37 Sedan will continue to be produced and will be renamed the G40.

Models that have gone backwards...I think the current Camry design is not an improvement over the last...hate those taillights that look like quotes. I do not think the new Corolla is an improvement over the last design...and still even has only a 4 Speed available on the Automatic.

The Honda Civic is just a total mistake today.

BMWs all look the same...with the proliferation of new models, the lineup is getting to similar and there is not enough differentiation in price points. Total fail.

MicrosoftUser - 3/21/2014 10:04:46 AM

+2 Boost

I totally agree with you on the Camry. Toyota has just gotten really desperate redesigning it with those goofy awkward looking taillight, fake ducts, boring conservative body and cheap interior and materials. The new Corolla just came out and already looks dated and boring. Lexus models for sure is just getting keeps uglier and uglier especially because of that awful front end predator grill.

cidflekken - 3/21/2014 12:41:43 PM

-2 Boost

"To correct one of the posts above, the Infiniti Q50 is not the next gen G37. The G37 Sedan will continue to be produced and will be renamed the G40."

The Q50 was originally designated as the replacement for the G37, but it was later decided to keep the G37 and rename it eventually to the Q40 (not G40). Frankly, and to digress a bit from the subject, I think this is another indication of Infiniti's poor planning and strategy. If they truly wanted an entry-level luxury car, they would have been well into development of such a car and wouldn't have the need to keep the G37/Q40 around for a few extra years.

MattDarringer - 3/21/2014 8:43:06 AM

+2 Boost

Stylistically the new Mustang

mre30 - 3/21/2014 12:02:22 PM

0 Boost

The BMW X5 - its ugly, its really not much different from the old gen (which was better looking)..and did I mention its also painfully ugly.

vdiv - 3/21/2014 12:45:44 PM

0 Boost

"So how did [GM] digress in just one generation?"

By allowing the bean-counters to save money by sharing one platform on drastically different cars. That previous generation Malibu was done during the Old GM with Bob Lutz in charge. It was a mistake to push him out.

bnilhome - 3/21/2014 1:05:37 PM

0 Boost

I agree with many posters above that some of the new BMWs are taking a step backwards. I also agree about the new Camry...not feeling that one.

t_bone - 3/21/2014 7:50:53 PM

+1 Boost

Too many to enumerate. The list of designs that have actually improved would be a more reasonable assignment.

Larrybel2000 - 3/23/2014 8:06:06 AM

+1 Boost

In the early 80's when GM decided to take a Chevy Cavalier and redecorate it. The Cadillac Cimarron was born.

Larrybel2000 - 3/23/2014 8:08:05 AM

+1 Boost

Back in the day when Ford took a pinto and put a Mustang body on it.