The TWATs Keep Chugging Along

Our preliminary shortlist for the Ten Worst Automobiles Today award ended up garnering even more nominations, and some questions about the process. In the interest of transparency, we’ll tackle some of those below, as well as post an updated list.

1) One of the best questions raised by the readers is how to deal with cars that are rebadged versions across multiple lines, or variants with changes that are substantial enough that they bear little in common with one another. For the first example, think of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. For the second example, think of the Mitsubishi Lancer and the Evolution. One reader raised the possibility of a car like the Lancer potentially being on both the Best and Worst car lists this year, when arguably, only one variant deserves the respective honor. For the sake of clarity, I will allow nominations based on whether the car is listed on a manufacturers website as part of a broader product range, or as a separate line. For example, the Lancer and Evo are listed individually on Mitsubishi’s website, while Ford lumps all Mustangs, from the lowliest V6 to the baddest GT500, as one range. Will some models get caught in the crossfire by this rule? It’s possible. However it is the most equitable and neutral way to draw the line, without any undue accusations of bias or favoritism.

2) Since we last published the our preliminary list, 18 new nominations have been added, for a total of 53 vehicles. We need to pare this down to 20 finalists by December 1st, and it’s up to you, the Best & Brightest, to get us there. I will post the revised list below, and finalists will be determined based on your well-reasoned arguments. We want to hear why this car is a standout in a crowd of generally competent vehicles. Saying “it’s boring” is not a real reason. Plenty of people like boring. Is it a vehicle with no discernible reason to exist? Does it lag behind every single competitor in its segment? Is it outrageously overpriced? The more detailed and well-reasoned answers will be given precedence over the one-line snarky comments.

2a) DO NOT ask for a vehicle to be removed from the list. If you feel it doesn’t deserve to be given a TWAT, don’t vote for it and make your case for another vehicle.

3) Polls open on December 3rd. At that point, the editors, at their discretion, will have selected a short list of 20 vehicles, with your input being the determining factor for what makes the final list. On December 10th, voting will be closed and we will prepare out in-house polling software for voting. You will be able to vote starting December 3rd, with polls closing on December 10th. Winners will be announced shortly after.

Here’s the list, including new nominations

Acura ILX