QOTD: Which Current Vehicle Has the Fewest Redeeming Qualities?
Even for a dyed-in-the-wool fanatic of a particular car, said fanatic is likely reasonable enough to see one or two flaws somewhere in their beloved ride of choice.
Conversely, the biggest consumer of Haterade for the very same car is often able to see a couple of good qualities or features in the vehicle they despise. Other times, the losers and haters passionate individuals on either side of the automotive aisle (road?) can come together and agree certain vehicles are just not that great, overall.
Today we ask: Which current vehicle has the fewest redeeming qualities?
Though it seems easy enough on the surface, today’s question might take some critical thinking to answer. The popular phrase to throw around — “There are no bad new cars today!” — is generally true. We are living in a time of reliable, affordable, safe, powerful, long-lived, and efficient vehicles across the board (notice I did not say beautiful there). Picking a vehicle worthy of your disdain is much more difficult than it would’ve been in, say, 1980, when the obvious correct answer would be the awful Ford Thunderbird, specifically in top Town Landau trim.
But I digress. It’s time to get the ball rolling with the vehicle I’ve selected in response to today’s question.
And there it is, the Hyundai Veloster. To my mind, the Veloster doesn’t have many redeeming qualities. It’s not very good looking, it’s not spacious, it’s not comfortable, nor is it particularly sporty. Starting at over $18,000, it isn’t cheap, and its 35 mpg highway rating isn’t great for such a compact car. The exterior and interior are both dated, having gone through only minimal changes since its introduction in 2011. You can check out the Veloster for yourself at your local Hyundai dealer (where options will likely have it up to $24,000), or in parking lots of whichever stores still sell white sunglasses.
What’s your pick for least redeeming vehicle on sale today?
[Images: Ford; Hyundai]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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Juke Nismo. Ugly, cramped not much faster than a regular Juke. On the way out. Add Sentra Nismo. Surely the 21C Chevette S?
Dodge Journey. Anything that says "Fiat" on it.