QOTD: Which Vehicles Sucked Compared to the Previous Generation?

On Monday, I asked you to tell me about vehicles that improved greatly compared to the prior generation; new models which were instantly and vastly superior to their predecessor.

Today, we’re going to flip it and talk about generational failures. Which vehicles were downgrades compared to the previous generation?

The failure may have been in the sales charts, where a new generation entered into a market that had moved on to other competitors, or a different type of vehicle altogether. Maybe quality fell off a cliff, or powertrain options were not as robust or as plentiful. Or perhaps the styling was so bad as to be off-putting to the consumer.

I thought long and hard about the example I’m about to give you. Here’s the last of the good Chrysler Fifth Avenues.

In 1989, you could purchase the last model year of the rear-drive M-body version of the Fifth Avenue/Diplomat/Gran Fury. The brown beauty pictured here is an ’87, because I can’t find great pictures of an ’89 model. Just as well, as the landau top grew for 1988-1989 and looked ill-fitting. Check out the interior.

Luxury, solidity and comfort abound, and the ancient Torqueflite automatic will get you there and back. The reliable Slant Six (until 1983) or 5.9-liter V8 powering these big beasts might suck down fuel through a carburetor (as late as 1989!), but don’t worry about that. You’ll be comfortable in the rich, plush environment. An environment which indeed was still available in Boudoir Rouge Velvet or Corinthian Cow or whatever. It even had an airbag (1989 only, not pictured)!

Then the calendar flipped to 1990, and the M-body was past its sell-by date because it was not a K-Car variant. Here’s what you ended up with that year:

Look at it — it’s awful. The trim looked like it was falling off straight from the factory. This Fifth Avenue was joined only by the Chrysler Imperial sedan on the large Y platform (the Imperial died in coupe form back in 1983). The Y was, of course, a very stretched K-Car underneath all the wood panel and landau. Let’s look at what you lost between 1989 and 1990.

• A full eight inches of length
• Rear-wheel drive
• Reliable Torqueflight
• Build quality
• V8 option
• Dignity

And, to add insult to poverty, the price increased by over $2,000. At least a red (lower quality) velour interior was still available. Happily, the Y platform luxury vehicles died after 1993, when they were replaced by the much-improved LH Platform New Yorker and LHS.

I’ll stop myself now, so you can give your own examples of vehicles that failed between generations.

[Images: eBay; Classic Cars Mark]