Most Disappointing Cars of the Decade!

[Shining Star]

So far, we've had the best and worst cars of the decade discussions here at GCF...but I want to know...what was the most disappointing car of the decade for you? Remember, it doesn't necessarily have to be a bad car, just a car that was much below your expectations when it was unveiled.

 

[CarGuy]

 

[Gullwing]

Agree

Plus the R class

 

[Sunny]

Both are huge hits for respective companies sales wise, so I doubt either are complaining.

 

[Gullwing]

Both are huge hits for respective companies sales wise, so I doubt either are complaining.

Toyota sells tons of Camerys but if I got one I would be disappointed by it. Just because they sold a bunch doesn't mean it isn't disapointing to some

 

[Mr Robert]

Toyota sells tons of Camerys but if I got one I would be disappointed by it. Just because they sold a bunch doesn't mean it isn't disapointing to some

No, you would not. Why? Because you knew what was comming. When there is a discrepancy between what you thaught you would get and what you got, then there is disappointnent. A car that all driving enthusiasts knew was to suck ended up sucking one can, really, not talk about disappointment..

 

[Monster]

The SLR Mercedes Mclaren.




It had all the ingredients to be an excellent car, but Mercedes treated the car like a super SL instead of a true supercar. As a result, the things that really matter to the driving experience, like the feel of the steering and brakes, and chassis tuning, weren't the top priorities.

The fact that the less costly Ferrari 599 achieved what the SLR failed to achieve proved that the SLR was a disappointment.

 

[coligny]

For it was this:



I was hoping for a wonderfull revival of the gullwing design.

What we got was a chimera of RX8-Suzuki capuccino-ferrari headlights with hastily fitted gullwings. (Who on earth thought putting the door handles that low was a good idea ? they will end up covered in dog wee every other day)

Don't know how it handles, would rather be seen in a Smart Fortwo. Because the Benz screams "I'm a tool with more money than taste".

Hope the design team get fired, lapidated or send to work in a chinese charcoal mine.

 

[Shining Star]

The most disappointing car of the decade for me has got to be the new Audi A8.

Honestly, I don't know what happened to the Audi exterior design team. I'm sorry, but I don't see any actual design in this car; it is a 95% copy paste rear from the A4 and a very unappealing front. I know many people like this car, and I've tried to think of some way that I can like it, but I just can't.

 

[LaArtist]

^yep A8

 

[ateekt]

Imo, it's Lexus Sc-430 roadster!

 

[Kowalski]

Definitely the Audi S6

Audi had all the ingredients to make the S6 something truly remarkable. They had the expertise and access to the V10 engine of the Lamborghini Gallardo, the S6 should have been brilliant; a serious rival for the BMW M5.

But unfortunately the car that resulted is quite pointless. It's not a rival for the M5 and certainly isn't a rival for the 550i, then what hell is it?

The ingredients were all there... and they just wasted.

 

[DaSilva]

Definitely the Audi S6

Audi had all the ingredients to make the S6 something truly remarkable. They had the expertise and access to the V10 engine of the Lamborghini Gallardo, the S6 should have been brilliant; a serious rival for the BMW M5.

But unfortunately the car that resulted is quite pointless. It's not a rival for the M5 and certainly isn't a rival for the 550i, then what hell is it?

The ingredients were all there... and they just wasted.

Well that same old story goes for all the Audi S models...
They are pointless.

edit. S1 does not count! S1 is tha king!

 

[Kowalski]

Well that same old story goes for all the Audi S models...
They are pointless.

edit. S1 does not count! S1 is tha king!

Not all S models are pointless, the S4 and S5 can give the 335i a very good run for the money.

You know come to think of it, the outgoing S8 was quite disappointing. The S8 was supposed to be the most powerful model of the A8 range and yet it produced exactly the same power of the A8 W12, then what's the point?

And while in the Audi subject, the Q7 is quite disappointing too. It's oversized and it doesn't have the same off road abilities of the VW Touareg and even the Porsche Cayenne. The S3 is too expensive and it suffers of too much turbo lag, the A4 Allroad and TT-S are pretty much irrelevant and the new A8 looks too much like a king-size A4.

 

[ree]

For me this car is the paragon of the "Green" hype! Probably no other car is more inefficient then this one. Great for city driving but a fail when using on long distance and country roads trips. Underpowered, noisy on Autobahn speeds, uncomfortable.

The Concept of the Hybrid is fantastic, but sadly the realization was(!) miserable…

 

[jack]

For me this car is the paragon of the "Green" hype! Probably no other car is more inefficient then this one. Great for city driving but a fail when using on long distance and country roads trips. Underpowered, noisy on Autobahn speeds, uncomfortable.

The Concept of the Hybrid is fantastic, but sadly the realization was(!) miserable…

on the other hand the prius was the first on the hybrid train, it took years for the others to follow (some still haven't made it). the first shot is never the best one, even volkswagen admitted that they studied the prius because they hardly had a clue about hybrids.
i am not a particular fan of hybrids or toyotas, but the prius showed western car makers that their superior role in technology is in danger.
so in my opinion this one belongs in the other thread, its not a beauty but cars don't always need to look as if they go 400km/h.

 

[Centurion]

What car: Maybach.
Why: Great concept, poor and compromised execution.
Lesson taught: How not to revive an ancient brand.

 

[Mr Robert]

Not all S models are pointless, the S4 and S5 can give the 335i a very good run for the money.

But with a bit of equipment, it costs just a little less than an M3. Great car, nontheless and most certainly not pointless or disappointing.

 

[ateekt]

How can we forget this disappointment..?? The Merc R-Class!

 

[coolraoul]

For me, the most disappointing car of the decade is the SLR McLaren. Offering a ompromised handling and driving pleasure (for such a car, of course, i don't mean it's less fun than a normal car) are pretty much the worst that can happen to a supercar.

As close second comes the Maybach. It's such a departure from the legendary Grosser Mercedes (770, then W100 600), both of which representing the absolute best mankind was able to offer in terms of vehicle at the time... While the Maybach is few more than an inflated old-gen S-Class with a rather uninspiring interior design...


The Prius is an outstanding car. It's imo one of the cars that will mark the decade. It's no E-Class, never intended to be. It's a rather small, not very handsome, but highly technological car and imo still represents the best an hybrid can offer.