Everyone loved 1982. Michael Jackson was ruling the music scene and radio with ‘Thriller’, which became the best-selling album of all time. We got to see E.T.’s phone home, and the first CD player was released by Sony! One thing that wasn’t so great, was the Cadillac Cimarron. To this day, this car is considered the absolute lowest point in the company’s history, due to its low sales, poor performance, and ill-conceived badge engineering.
It was quickly discovered that the Cimarron was just a refurbished version of the Chevrolet Cavalier, with worse performance and a hideous all-around build. The car was quickly scratched and taken off production. But not before almost ruining the entire company’s brand, which had already established itself as one of America’s premier luxury carmakers. I’d call that a fluke.
1961 Chevy Corvair
While some cars are bought specifically for their rear-wheel drive, the Chevy Corvair wasn’t one of them. When people buy a Chevy, they’re mostly looking for features like reliable and safe, and since this is not a BMW, the American carmaker couldn’t pull off the appeal for owning a car that could easily spin you out of control into oblivion (or the nearest curb).
The Corvair was mired in controversies and legal problems due to an accusation of poor handling ability. The car was heavily scrutinized in Ralph Nader's 1965 book "Unsafe at Any Speed". It was eventually found in 1972 that the Corvair wasn't any less safe than other contemporary cars of the same type, but the damage was already done and the vehicle wouldn't survive to see itself produced past the '60s.
Toyota C-HR
Edmunds didn't give a favorable review for the 2019 Toyota C-HR, with a disappointing combination of a lethargic and downright sleep-inducing acceleration coupled with pervasive road and engine noises. This Nissan doesn't stand well on its own wheels when compared to the much better Honda HR-V or the Mazda CX-3. While we bashed Consumer Reports for being a bit on the negative side, we can’t blame them for putting this one on their 2019 “least satisfying” list.
One of the main complaints this car received was not having an all-wheel-drive option, which is standard practice in the car’s category. It was also berated for having “horrendous” rear and side visibility. Edmunds took offense to the car’s super-slow acceleration, saying that “Acceleration is characterized by a long hesitation between a pedal stomp and any forward motion. This is true whether you're stopped or trying to pass slower traffic on the highway.”
1957 King Midget Model III
The King Midget was a microcar produced between 1946 and 1970 by the Midget Motors Corporation. The car was mostly promoted through small ads in popular magazines with the slogan "500 lb. car for $500.00". King Midget I could only fit a single passenger inside it, although the next versions were slightly more accommodating of more people.
Fuel economy was on everyone's mind in the early 1950s, much as it is today, so King Midget’s claim to fame was its 50 mpg fuel consumption and ease of repairs. We don't know about you, but if our car was more like a huge Lego block than an actual vehicle - we'd probably prefer to get to our destination by taking the bus or going on a nice bicycle ride.
Chevrolet Trax
Chevrolet is mostly known for making reliable and tough cars, but the Chevrolet Trax betrayed that reputation. The car has been consistently criticized by Edmunds for having a choppy ride quality on freeways, slow acceleration, an underpowered engine, high fuel consumption, and less cargo than expected. Blue Book’s expert review gave the Trax a 3.9 out of 5 ratings, while US News & World Report gave it a 7.2 out of 10.
Car review magazines were less thrilled about the car; Drive Magazine even gave it just a mere 2.5 out of 5.