Hooniverse Asks- Do You Concur With Forbes 10-Worst Cars List?

Robert Emslie

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This morning, Forbes.com released their list of the Worst Made Cars on the Road as a public service to perspective car – and car company – buyers. While they titled the article the worst cars, is turns out that, based on their criteria, almost all the worst are trucks. What’s even worse for the worst is that almost all are GM products. What could be worse for America’s Car Company?Forbes based their decision on several statistical criteria gleaned from Consumer Reports magazine research on reliability, safety and performance. They then cross referenced the bottom dwellers there against JD Power’s Vehicle Dependability Study, and the winners (or losers, as it were) were tabulated from the vehicles which had the lowest combined score.

The list, per Forbes, is the following dealer lot of lack:

Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Aveo (the only actual car on the list), Chevy Colorado, Dodge Nitro, Ford F250, GMC Canyon (same thing as the Chevy Colorado, that’s just being mean), and finally, Jeep Wrangler.

Now lots of these cars have been sold, and it’s unlikely that all their owners are ruing the decision to purchase, but according to Forbes, Consumer Reports and JD Power, a statistically relevant portion of them are. Consumer Reports publishes an annual compendium of car ratings, and most people feel their stomachs sink when they see their vehicle of choice appear with a line of red circles next to it, indicating lower than average ratings. After all, who wants to be, or be associated with, lower than average?

Of course, the cars that CR usually rates highest are the ones that driving enthusiasts typically rate lowest on their fun scales, so there’s probably a trade-off there somewhere. Still, you can’t have driving fun, if the damn thing refuses to run.

Based on your observations, or direct experience, do you think these vehicles identified in the Forbes article suck ass as much as they say they do? Or, do you have your own list of craptacular cars and trucks that are TBAAAC (To Be Avoided At All Cost)?

Image sources: [cargurus.com, thetorquereport.com]

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Robert Emslie

Robert Emslie

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43 responses to “Hooniverse Asks- Do You Concur With Forbes 10-Worst Cars List?”

  1. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    I'm perfectly okay with a Wrangler being a little quirky – it helps weed out the owners who really should've bought a Liberty with the Skyslider roof.

    Reply
    1. Lisa Graves Avatar
      Lisa Graves

      I own a Cadillac Escalade Ext I have driven this Vehicle to Florida from Vermont about 6 times since since I bought it in 2006. I love my escalade and would not trade it for any other vehicle. I have owned the Eldoado and still have a STS Also. I do not see where they are the worst cars I have not had to spend for upkeep and maintenance $700.00 since I've owned it. BOOO on your ratings.

      Reply
      1. Roderick Houston Avatar
        Roderick Houston

        I agree. Because Cadillac is the best ever made vehicle

        Reply
    2. Garry Avatar
      Garry

      who really thinks forbes knows cars. i'm from australia and am amazed you guys even considered their (Forbes) article as readworthy whenthey didnt even mention any vejicle with the useless, leaky ford V4 as used in thelegendry malfunctioning Transit van. or the ford capri V6 where even I managed to incur a broken crankshaft. and what i know hen I've owned over 300 cars in 40 years of motoring. Long live he Nissan 4.2L pATROL DIESEL AND THE 6bt cUMMINS 5.9l TURBO dIESEL AND EVEN THE tOYOTA 2cv TURBO DIESEL AS LEGENDARY STAYERS pLUS THE 5MGE mK3 SUPR A EVEN WITH THE INDESTRUCTIBLE 1jz IN LINE 6 DONK. iN YANKEE LAND i'VE HEARD mUSTANGS BAGGED FOR YEARS BUT MAYBE CHEV BOYS DONT APPRECIATE TRADITION EITHER. DID THE EDSELGET A MENTION. BrING IN HYDROGEN BOOSTING IN ALL CARS.

      Reply
  2. Clashtastic Avatar
    Clashtastic

    I feel like the F250, Wrangler and Escalade are all pretty good cars…is Forbes just rating cars poorly b/c they get bad gas mileage?

    Reply
    1. JeepyJayhawk Avatar
      JeepyJayhawk

      The 10 can even get 21mpg if your really good at eco driving.

      Reply
    2. engineerd Avatar
      engineerd

      I thought the same thing, but it seems to all be based on Consumer Reports' and JD Power's quality rankings. The big question for me is how far back does this go, and are current products getting short-shifted because of issues with past product? For example, I can see where there were issues with the last generation F250 and it's diesel engine. Ford dumped Navistar, their diesel engines were noisier than GM's, etc. However, the new 6.7L is a very competent engine and compares pretty favorably with GM's diesel offerings.

      Reply
  3. bzr Avatar
    bzr

    You know what Forbes is? Forbes is the kid in middle school who always wanted to hobnob with the cool kids over the latest fad. When Tamagotchies were big, he went out and bought three to train. When everybody started getting into Tech Decks, he bought the plastic jumps and halfpipe set. When yo-yos got big, he went out and picked up a Yomega X-Brain, but can't even Walk the Dog. Does he know how to do tricks? You bet your ass he couldn't. But he still wants to chill with the cool kids, the ones that do know what they're actually doing. That's what Forbes is in relation to the auto media industry.
    Also, picking on the Dodge Nitro at this point is like getting angry at a mentally disabled kid for not finishing a triathlon.

    Reply
    1. Tim Odell Avatar
      Tim Odell

      Yomega X-brain reference sets a benchmark in commenting excellence.
      Spot on.

      Reply
  4. JeepyJayhawk Avatar
    JeepyJayhawk

    I must be missing something, If these cars are such turds why are they selling?
    I thought the Canyon/Colorado while a waste of a S-10 replacement is a reasonably good looking vehicle, but have never driven one so I couldn't say it was crap or put together like so.
    The new Wranglers '07 up have what in my mind is a horrible engine choice (who wants a minivan motor) but at the same time it should be a fairly reliable engine that seems to refuse death judging by the millions of Caravans roaming the roads. Having sat in a few and driven the six speed tranny around, I'd say they seem better put together finish wise than my current Wrangler which I am very happy with. Sure, Jeep made some assembly decisions I don't like, added some trim levels that are not that great, but they put a hell of a transfer case and some bigger meaner axles under it.
    Forbes list seems to be beating on iconic vehicles to stir the pot. While the Aveo is not something I like, beating an economy car for being a fairly effective economy car isn't fair. The others are just less efficient, body on frame vehicles I wouldn't think appeal to the Forbes set.

    Reply
    1. mgrinshpon Avatar
      mgrinshpon

      There's economy and there's masochism. The Aveo is the latter. If you've ever sat in it, it's the worst piece of shit in the world.

      Reply
    2. ptschett Avatar
      ptschett

      I test-drove a Colorado after already narrowing my choices to the Ranger and the Dakota. "You think you hate it now, but wait till you drive it" might have been invented for this vehicle, at least in 3.5L I-5/4-speed automatic/4×4 extended cab trim. The engine needed about another two gears in the tranny, or about 50 more lb-ft of torque so the tranny's gear choices didn't seem so stupid. The rest of the vehicle was OK but not compelling enough for me to seek out a manual. At the end of the drive the salesman seemed to think I didn't know what I wanted, and my response was "maybe I don't know what I want, but it isn't one of these."

      Reply
  5. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    This just in … Forbes makes Alfisted's "10 Worst Business Pulications" list.

    Reply
    1. Smells_Homeless Avatar
      Smells_Homeless

      I presume Consumer Reports and JD Power and Associates (do they even have a magazine?) occupy spots on that list as well?

      Reply
  6. Juliet C. Avatar
    Juliet C.

    – Jeep Wrangler – NO. Its rough and noisy. So what? It's abso brill at what it is intended to do: go over rough terrain……NOT go shopping at the mall. The fact that CAN go to the mall with a rough ride and lots of noise should be a plus, not a negative.
    – Ford F250 – IDK enough about it to have an opinion.
    – Escalade – don't know, maybe. Pretty douche in any case.
    – Aveo – Colorado/Canyon – Nitro – HELL YES!

    Reply
  7. joshuman Avatar
    joshuman

    I have never driven or been in any of the vehicles listed. Either I have good taste or I don't get out enough. Either way, I dislike nearly all the lists by Forbes for one reason or another.

    Reply
  8. Jeff Glucker Avatar
    Jeff Glucker

    I spent nearly 900 miles in the driver's seat of a Hybrid Escalade… it is a guilty pleasure that I would happily indulge again.

    Reply
  9. Kraig Avatar
    Kraig

    I'd have no problem with the cars listed here being on the Worst Made Cars on the Road list but I want to add the Smart It scares people away from small cars when it should be bring them in. Lets hope the iQ is more fun.

    Reply
  10. FreeMan Avatar
    FreeMan

    Hate to be the picker of nits, but I'll do it anyway…
    There are only 7 vehicles listed here. Is that a faux pax in copy/pasting or did Forbes screw that up, too?

    Reply
  11. Tim Odell Avatar
    Tim Odell

    F250's based on the Powerstroke debacle, which is certainly earned. Ok trucks, but when a significant portion of the engines go bad…that's a big deal.
    The Nitro had no reason to exist.
    The Colorado/Canyon get a bad rap…that's partially deserved. On the upside, did you know you could get a Colorado with the 5.3L V8 now?
    Aveo's a terrible car, but that's what it was meant to be. Someone's gotta eat store brand cheese.
    The Wrangler…hmmm…the biggest problem with the current Wrangler isn't what it is, but what it could've been. Chassis-wise, everything but the engine is great…but that engine choice is an epic fail. Could've gone diesel, or could've offered the 4.7L V8, both of which would've been great.

    Reply
    1. engineerd Avatar
      engineerd

      Your assessment of the Aveo is spot on. Yeah, it's a hateful car, but it's not supposed to be anything earth changing. It's supposed to be a cheap people mover. Almost a disposable car, if you will. GM isn't going to spend much on the car, because they actually, surprisingly, seem to want to make a little money on them.

      Reply
      1. Tanshanomi Avatar
        Tanshanomi

        Yes, but GM charges as much for the "downright horrible" Aveo as Nissan does for the "pretty good" Versa.

        Reply
    2. Tomsk Avatar
      Tomsk

      It's a shame the V8 Colorado/Canyon are extended cab or crew cab only. A regular cab shortbox would probably be capable of doing donuts on its own axis.

      Reply
    3. HDCS Avatar
      HDCS

      I am reserving final judgement on the Wrangler until after Chryco/Fiat gets their new V6 in there. That's all we can hope for as they'll never ship with a V8 and they'll probably never be stateside with a diesel.

      Reply
      1. Tim Odell Avatar
        Tim Odell

        The 4.7 would be a perfect match for the Unlimited, which is at least as big and heavy as the Grand Cherokee in which is debuted. Besides, that engine in a normal Wrangler would probably get better mileage that the crap minivan mill.
        If not that V8, why not the 3.7 from the LIberty or the 4.0L V6 from the Pacifica and Nitro?
        Re: Diesel…yeah…I know it's a long-shot, but it's a solvable problem if you want it to be. They sold diesel Liberties and Grand Cherokees…why not the Wrangler?
        Hence the "what it could've been" frustration.

        Reply
        1. Maymar Avatar
          Maymar

          After spending about a week being asked by about half the population of Vancouver why there are no diesel Jeeps, I've gone to the default answer of blaming America. However, at least with the Liberty, the VM Motori engine supposedly wouldn't pass emissions, and the GC's Daimler engine can't be used for obvious reasons. I'm not sure if there's anything in the Fiat lineup that's compliant at this time otherwise. I've got no answer for not using the 3.7 though.

          Reply
  12. engineerd Avatar
    engineerd

    The 6L Powerstrokes had issues, but they were replaced with the 6.4L Powerstroke in 2007. They had one recall to recalibrate the computer because of an issue with the DPF. They are now replaced on all 2011 F-series trucks with the new, all-Ford 6.7L Scorpion. It seems the sins of the father are being brought to bear on the son. That's the most disappointing thing about this.
    Forbes is showing a lack of integrity in these rankings with their lack of reasoning other than "That's what JD Power and Cons. Reports said!" They are not distinguishing between previous and current products. They also fail to tell why the F250 is on the list, but not the F350 or larger F-series. They all share the Powerstroke engines. It seems Forbes sent their finance weenies on a statistical hunt without any real world knowledge to back it up.

    Reply
    1. CaptainZeroCool Avatar
      CaptainZeroCool

      Don't the E Series Vans still have the 6L engine?

      Reply
      1. engineerd Avatar
        engineerd

        I don't think anything has the 6L any more. IIRC, Navistar stopped making them in '06 or '07 and switched to the 6.4L. For 2011 (the F-series are already on sale, I'm not sure about the E-series) are using the new Ford-built 6.7L.
        The 6L is why Ford no longer buys their diesels from Navistar. That engine was a major debacle. The only reason why they bought the 6.4L from Navistar was to give themselves time to develop a new diesel engine in house, something Ford hadn't done in almost 30 years. They had lost a lot of the knowledge base and had to relearn a lot. Navistar actually sued Ford for breach of contract when it was learned they were developing their own diesel and would probably be pulling Navistar's contract. The issues with the 6.4L only pushed Ford further into wanting their own diesel line-up.

        Reply
  13. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    Tomorrow on Hooniverse – 2010's 10 Best Mid-Cap Equities.

    Reply
  14. Corvette Poncho Avatar
    Corvette Poncho

    I don't particularly think that any of these cars/trucks are especially bad enough to make the list. Seems to me like a couple publications have an axe to grind with American manufacturers. Which bring me to my real gripe…who the he77 really listens to these pubs when it's decision time on a new car? Yes, there are a few lemings that will, but c'mon! I've owned 40+ cars and every purchase was a decision based on want/need, test driving and inspection, not some lame list.

    Reply
  15. soo΄pәr-bādd75 Avatar
    soo΄pәr-bādd75

    I trust Forbes to advise me of what vehicle I should buy about as much as I'd trust Popular Science to recommend a good Italian restaurant. 'Nuff said.

    Reply
  16. Tomsk Avatar
    Tomsk

    The Aveo and the Nitro I kinda get, but how can they not include the Sebring/Avenger? Or the Caliber?

    Reply
    1. Maymar Avatar
      Maymar

      I'm assuming because, as much at they're thoroughly mediocre like the Aveo, they're more reliable – just enough that, in spite of them being common petrolhead punching bags, they'll make someone happy.

      Reply
    2. Tanshanomi Avatar
      Tanshanomi

      The Caliber, Patriot and Compass are actually rated as "above average" in reliability by Consumer reports.
      The Seb/Avenger I have no answer for.

      Reply
  17. Tanshanomi Avatar
    Tanshanomi

    Every time I see someone in a Nitro, I think…"Did you not DRIVE that thing before you signed the bill of sale?"

    Reply
  18. dragon951 Avatar
    dragon951

    I'm pretty sure they couldn't be looking too hard at the JD Power study, cause their choices don't really match. Cadillac is even above average. Oh Forbes, you irrelevant bit of tripe.
    <img src"http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/JDPAContent/CorpComm/News/content/Releases/charts/2010034-1.jpg"/&gt;
    Also note who's #1. Oh yeah, Porsche FTW! I knew I was overpaying for some reason…

    Reply
    1. engineerd Avatar
      engineerd

      Porsche has been #1 for at least the last 4 or 5 years. Which impressive because they sat near the bottom for several years before that.
      The one that always gets me is how low MINI is.

      Reply
      1. Tim Odell Avatar
        Tim Odell

        My impression with Mini is that 1 in something like 10 or 20 is an epic lemon, but the rest are mostly fine. My dad just bought a used '05 S with 50k on the clock. We'll see how it works out for him.
        I had a roomate who bought an S when they were relatively new, and he had about a year straight where stuff wouldn't stay fixed. Basically a never-ending cycle of replacing various traction control/tire pressure monitoring electronic components until finally they gave up and replaced one of the 2 main computer modules that run the car (something like a $3000 unit). He almost lemon-law-ed it because the same stuff kept breaking.
        It was all done under warranty, but losing half a day at a time to drop off/pick up the car was getting costly.

        Reply
        1. dragon951 Avatar
          dragon951

          I guess the new German overlords wanted to instill that classic British electronics feel in the new Minis.

          Reply
      2. Maymar Avatar
        Maymar

        I might be wrong, but I think with these numbers, customer demographics play a big part in it – notice that with the exception of Porsche, all the successful brands are fairly middle of the road, while some of the more niche oriented brands score poorly (likewise, Mini scores a fair bit behind parent company BMW, in spite of having less to go wrong).

        Reply
  19. drummerboyofjax Avatar
    drummerboyofjax

    Check out the all new Japanese built Infiniti QX56. It's incredible!

    Reply
  20. Timika Swestka Avatar
    Timika Swestka

    How fast does the 2011 Chevy Camaro go?

    Reply