QOTD: What Is The Most Misunderstood Vehicle On The Market?

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Reader Summicron manages to both praise Jack’s review of the Dodge Avenger while also bringing up a very interesting point. Summicron writes

Baruth does the best job I’ve ever seen of answering the question:

“What does this hardware actually do?”


versus:


“What will snobs think of me if I buy it?”

This immediately made me wonder what vehicle is most unfairly maligned by the auto press and popular opinion?

The Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger are most frequently singled out by the automotive media and armchair auto execs as some of the biggest stinkers for sale right now, but as Jack’s review shows, they really don’t deserve the bum rap they get.

My own nomination is “any crossover”. The amount of hate that this segment gets is, in my opinion, totally unjustified. I was at a launch event not too long ago where I overheard a fairly prominent journalist (in terms of access and audience, not necessarily talent) bragging that they “did not review crossovers, because who gives a fuck”. When I published a fairly positive review of the Infiniti JX35, which is guilty of being a CUV with a CVT, there were legions of negative comments decrying my fairly positive assessment. Such a vehicle was evidently a capital crime against all that car guys stand for. Meanwhile, the notion that some people want a CUV for any sort of rational reason seems to dumbfound a very vocal minority. Clearly, millions of consumers each year continue to make the wrong choice and must be re-educated. I still think the CR-V is brilliant (but boring to drive, yes).

But my real nomination will come as a shocker to many of you who insist that TTAC is nothing more than a propaganda arm for a nefarious anti-GM conspiracy. Are you ready for it? It’s the Chevrolet Malibu. I had the chance to drive the 2LTZ with the 2.0T engine and, well, it wasn’t bad. I wouldn’t say it’s top of the class, but there’s no way that it deserves the absolute dog-piling that the critics gleefully participated in. The 2.0T powertrain was quite powerful and dare I say smoother than in the Cadillac ATS, MyLink was simple to operate and it made a comfortable cruiser along I-95. The back seat was a bit small, but not enough to upset my brother, who is 6 feet tall and wears a size 48 suit jacket. And the trunk was certainly generous. I generally concurred with Michael Karesh in thinking that it was a pretty good car. It seems like the Malibu just became the unfortunate whipping boy for a journalistic corps that couldn’t tell human excrement from Swiss chocolate. The again, I haven’t driven the other versions, and Karesh was none too impressed with the eAssist. But who cares what I think? Let me know in the comments.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Otaku Otaku on Apr 27, 2013

    I would nominate the 2008 thru 2011 Ford Focus for at least an honorable mention here. That car was mercilessly bashed by virtually every magazine and website on the planet (with the exception of JB), just because it didn't adopt the second gen Euro chassis, it wasn't sporty or swoopy enough for the so-called enthusiasts, and it lacked dashboard materials finely crafted from hessian wall-weave. BFD... Right around that time a friend of mine rented one for a few days and I found it to be a rather pleasant little car. Despite all the haters, I was so impressed that I decided to trade up to an '08 coupe. Why you ask? Well, turns out that it's solid, dependable, and delivers fuel economy comparable to just about all of its compact car peers. IMO it was quieter and smoother riding with more comfortable seats than the either the Civic (especially noticeable on the highway) or the Mazda 3, while it offered slightly more front seat passenger space and a larger trunk for thousands less (after some haggling with the dealership). As far as I'm concerned it does exactly what it was designed to do.

    • CriticalMass CriticalMass on Apr 28, 2013

      I agree. There was something about the simplicity of that design that I admired, and noticed, when it went by. A few rentals later and what I think I saw in it was some kind of design honesty (overblown I know but I appreciate simplicity). And it met its brief of providing transportation just fine, no apologies.

  • CriticalMass CriticalMass on Apr 28, 2013

    I felt the last iteration of the Malibu was very well proportioned and, in those versions with some limited chrome, looked more upmarket than what it was. The redesign robbed it of that as well as grafting on those skin cancer tail lights. Now, it just looks stupid, never mind the silly back seat. When I see one, old or new, I often wonder if they messed with it to "reposition" it downmarket. Perhaps they needed to get it out of the way of whatever the "new Impala" will be in the end. But that's just me.

  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
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