TTAC's Ten Worst Awards 2008: Voting Still Open

Frank Williams
by Frank Williams

You’ve seen the list of TTAC’s Ten Worst nominees and discussed their merits or lack thereof. Our crack team of freelance writers have surveyed your list of losers and narrowed it down, from 119 crapmobiles to 23. (There was a four-way tie for position 20.) Make the jump to savor the list of finalists. And then, the moment of truth. Click at the link at the bottom of this post to select your ten choices for TTAC’s Ten Worst Vehicles for 2008. [Multiple voting or clever geeky cheating will result in a permanent site ban.] Other than not buying these machines, this is your best chance to send their creators a simple message, as espoused by Roomful of Blues: “that will never do.”

Buick LaCrosse


Cadillac Escalade


Chevrolet TrailBlazer / GMC Envoy / Isuzu Ascender / Saab 9-7X (GMT-360)* **


Chevy Aveo* **


Chevy Cobalt/ Pontiac G5


Chevy Colorado / GMC Canyon


Chrysler Aspen / Dodge Durango* **


Chrysler Sebring / Dodge Avenger*


Dodge Caliber


Dodge Nitro*


Hummer H2* **


Hummer H3 / H3T*


Jeep Commander


Jeep Compass* **


Kia Amanti


Lincoln Mark LT**


Pontiac Torrent


Saab 9-5


Scion xB


smart fortwo


Suzuki Forenza


Tesla Roadster


VW Routan

*2007 Ten Worst Winner


** 2006 Ten Worst Winner

This year’s choices range from the minuscule (smart fortwo) to the monstrous (Escalade, H2, Aspen/Durango). There’s high tech (Tesla), low tech (LaCrosse), no tech (Colorado/Canyon). Just to show that those who don’t learn from their mistakes are condemned to repeat them, every previous winner that’s still in production made it back for another round (save the Subaru Tribeca née B9). The Detroit Three seem to be getting their act together– or the competition is getting worse. This year marks the highest number of foreign nameplates in our third annual TTAC’s Ten Worst finals.

A couple of things about the list may catch your eye. First, the dismally Daewooian Chevy Aveo is listed, but the Pontiac G3 is nowhere to be found. That’s because the G3 won’t go on sale in the U.S. until spring of next year (if Pontiac lasts that long); it’s ineligible for this year’s award. Also, the Aspen/Durango Hybrids are combined with the rest of the Asparango lineup because they received about the same number of votes. Why choose between one or the other, when they’re both what the bull left in the barnyard?

The rest of the list is pretty straightforward. So which of these excrable vehicles deserve to be called TTAC’s Ten Worst of 2008? Click on the link below, jump to the poll and vote for your favorite (least favorite?) nominee. Voting closes at midnight EST Sunday, December 14th. The winners will be announced toward the end of the week. Thank you for your participation.

Vote here

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  • Alex Nigro Alex Nigro on Dec 12, 2008

    I voted. Where's my sticker to put on my cap? But seriously, the Aveo... I hope the Ford Fiesta is a smashing success and exposes the Aveo as the little NSFWbox we all know it to be. Who's with me on that assumption?

  • BlueBrat BlueBrat on Dec 15, 2008
    ferrarimanf355: Sadly, GM has improved the Aveo, believe it or not. Compare it to the Nitro which hasn't improved since it was debuted. I couldn't honestly check off the Aveo as a bad car because the Nitro sits on that list.
  • Carson D At 1:24 AM, the voyage data recorder (VDR) stopped recording the vessel’s system data, but it was able to continue taping audio. At 1:26 AM, the VDR resumed recording vessel system data. Three minutes later, the Dali collided with the bridge. Nothing suspicious at all. Let's go get some booster shots!
  • Darren Mertz Where's the heater control? Where's the Radio control? Where the bloody speedometer?? In a menu I suppose. How safe is that??? Volvo....
  • Lorenzo Are they calling it a K4? That's a mountain in the Himalayas! Stick with names!
  • MaintenanceCosts It's going to have to go downmarket a bit not to step on the Land Cruiser's toes.
  • Lorenzo Since EVs don't come in for oil changes, their owners don't have their tires rotated regularly, something the dealers would have done. That's the biggest reason they need to buy a new set of tires sooner, not that EVs wear out tires appreciably faster.
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