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You. The Road. Nothing else.
Although it might still feel like summer in most of the country, another year is about to wrap up – at least for the new car industry.
The 2013 models are rolling into showrooms for most automakers right now, which means that there are probably some great deals on leftover 2012s. But if you’re really a bargain hunter, you might want to pick up one of these 14 vehicles that won’t be returning to United States showrooms next year. Most of them are being replaced by a new-and-improved model, but not all of them. Read on to find out why these cars are officially being removed from our buyer’s guide.
And if you’re a budding automotive historian, you’ll want to check out last year’s Dead List.
Will you miss any of these?
The Dead List: 14 Cars you won’t be able to buy for 2013
Acura RL. Acura’s flagship was one of the most invisible cars on the road was also one of the market’s most advanced when it hit the road for 2005. Combining an ultra high-tech (at the time) torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system with a sophisticated interior, it was nonetheless almost entirely ignored by buyers.
Its replacement? Set to be a technical tour de force on its own, the next Acura flagship will be based on the thinly-disguised RLX show car. Despite its evolutionary styling, the RLX will use a hybrid all-wheel-drive system with electric motors sending power to each individual wheel.
Audi A4 Avant. Audi kind of exits the traditional wagon market in the United States with the departure of its A4 Avant. Wagons were long a part of Audi’s lineup here, but buyers have slipped away over the years in favor of tall-riding crossovers like the Q5 and Q7.
Its replacement? Audi revives its allroad moniker for 2013 with what’s essentially a jacked-up, facelifted A4 Avant. A few new details inside are joined by unpainted plastic cladding and a taller suspension to create a “rugged” wagon Audi hopes will catch on like an upmarket Subaru Outback.
Dodge Caliber. There’s not a car we’ll miss less than the Caliber, a genuinely miserable compact five-door. While its basic design was pretty impressive, in theory, the execution was downright depressing. A cheap interior and grumbling powertrains were joined by a floppy chassis. The torque steer-happy SRT4 was a highlight, only because of how ridiculous it was to drive.
Its replacement? The vastly-superior Dodge Dart has made the Pentastar’s volume brand a worthy competitor on every level of the compact car class for the first time ever.
Ford Crown Victoria. Consumers haven’t been able to buy new Crown Vics for a while, but this venerable fleet queen has finally been killed off for police and taxi buyers. Its spec sheet was hardly impressive, but everyone at Leftlane has a soft spot for the old girl thanks to her old school values like body-on-frame construction, bench seats, solid rear axles, underwhelming V8 power and gigantic but poorly proportioned trunk. Trivia: The Crown Vic was briefly offered to rental fleets after its Mercury Grand Marquis bit the dust last year.
Its replacement? Ford wants police buyers to step up to the Ford Taurus and Ford Explorer, while taxi shoppers are being ushered into Ford Transit Connects. Those might be better vehicles overall, but they lack the je ne sais quoi of Queen Victoria.
Hyundai Elantra Touring. Hyundai’s often-overlooked small wagon/hatchback was a bit of an outlier in the brand’s portfolio since it was designed primarily for buyers in other markets. But we generally liked it anyway, even though it was a bit more bland Hyundai of yore than engaging Hyundai of today.
Its replacement? The Hyundai Elantra GT is more of a five-door hatchback than a wagon, but it boasts big improvements over the Touring, including an innovative three-mode steering resistance controlled by a spoke-mounted button.
Hyundai Veracruz. Almost as rare as the Acura RL, the three-row Hyundai Veracruz was undoubtedly a flop for the stylized H brand. It’s hard to say whether the snouty looks or the ho-hum driving dynamics were its biggest fault.
Its replacement? A totally reinvigorated Hyundai Santa Fe now comes in two wheelbases, including a three-row version that replaces the Veracruz. Moreover, a refreshed V6 for the three-row version offers much improved performance and fuel economy.
Infiniti G25. Infiniti sought to move a little downmarket with its short-lived G25, which substituted a screaming 3.7-liter V6 for a sewing machine-smooth 2.5-liter unit. We actually loved how smooth the 2.5 operated, but it just wasn’t cheap or fuel efficient enough to make much sense compared to the Infiniti G37.
Its replacement? For now, Infiniti is simply sweeping this one under the rug.
Jeep Liberty. A victim of former Chrysler overlord Daimler’s relentless cost-cutting, the second-generation Jeep Liberty simply stank. Designed to be boxy in the style of the venerable Cherokee, the Liberty had few positive attributes when it hit the market for 2008.
Its replacement? A new sub-Grand Cherokee SUV based on an Alfa Romeo car platform is set to bow this auto show season. It’s hard to say whether it will live up to the Jeep name off road, but it will certainly be an improvement on pavement.
Kia Sedona. Kia’s bargain-basement Sedona minivan was a smart choice for many buyers, even though its basic design left a lot to be desired compared to efforts from other brands. Like Kia of yore, value pricing trumped all else, but the Sedona was actually quite roomy and smooth-riding.
Its replacement? A new, unnamed Kia minivan will hit the market next year.
Lexus HS 250h. How did this one seem like a good idea to Lexus? The HS 250h netted decent city fuel economy (35 mpg), but it was a stinker on the highway (34 mpg). Looking and feeling more like a Toyota than a Lexus hardly helped its cause, either. We can’t imagine why anyone bought one.
Its replacement? Boasting five doors, a lower price point and superior fuel economy, the Lexus CT 200h makes far more sense in the automaker’s portfolio. Moreover, it’s actually a delight to drive thanks to its nimble chassis. We can see why it is proving to be something of a hit.
Mazda CX-7. Mazda’s first homegrown midsize crossover offered many of the automaker’s strong points: A taut suspension, excellent steering and a comfortable interior. Where it failed was in its powertrains: The Mazdaspeed3′s turbo four was poorly matched to a six-speed automatic and a late-introduction non-turbo four was smoother but much slower.
Its replacement? The dynamically excellent Mazda CX-5 is one of our favorite small crossovers, but its pint size dimensions might also prove a problem for some buyers since it’s still not exactly roomy inside.
Mitsubishi Eclipse. How the mighty have fallen! The Eclipse was a staple import performance coupe during the 1990s, but Mitsubishi decided to make it a lot more mature (and a lot less interesting) for its last two generations. The final model was particularly bad.
Its replacement? We’re not confident that Mitsubishi will still be on these shores in a couple of years, so it shouldn’t be very surprising that there is no sporty coupe on the horizon.
Mercedes-Benz R-Class. Often confused with the Chrysler Pacifica at its launch, the R-Class was one of Mercedes’ first attempts at filling every automotive niche imaginable. For sure, was a great people hauler, and there was even an AMG version, but it never really fit into the three-pointed star’s lineup.
Its replacement? Returning R-Class shoppers will be directed into one of three vehicles: An M-Class midsize SUV, a GL-Class full-size ‘ute or the perpetually endangered E-Class wagon.
Maybach (all). What’s not to like about a car that costs more than a house but looked like a tastelessly modified 10-year-old Mercedes-Benz S-Class? The Maybach was highly sophisticated at its launch, but it grew outdated very quickly. Unfortunately, parent Mercedes-Benz never redesigned the Maybach during its 10-year run. Just 2,100 or so were built from 2003 to 2012, a cumulative total that equalled Maybach’s initial annual sales estimates.
Its replacement? Mercedes-Benz will revive its Pullman nameplate for a special upmarket version of the next-generation S-Class. The earlier Pullmans were favored by everyone from John Lennon to all of the “great” dictators of the 1970s.
