{"id":1904479,"date":"2026-04-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1904479"},"modified":"2026-04-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T21:00:00","slug":"here-are-53-cars-that-you-shouldnt-like-but-secretly-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1904479","title":{"rendered":"Here are 53 cars that you shouldn&#8217;t like (but secretly do)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Sibling car to the equally abysmal fourth-gen Jeep Cherokee and just as poorly screwed together as everything else Chrysler was churning out in the 2000s, the Dodge Nitro is almost a cartoon caricature of an American SUV, but one that Dodge felt might succeed in Europe (spoiler: it didn\u2019t). It\u2019s far from a good car, but we can\u2019t help being slightly drawn in by its silly name and frontiersman looks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The Rover 75\u2019s biggest issue is perhaps that it arrived bearing a 1950s village fetes and cream scones attitude to what a British car should be, right as the country was in the midst of the exciting, metropolitan Cool Britannia era. If you can look past its rural vicar vibes, though, you\u2019ll discover that the 75 was a spacious, comfy car with decent handling and a strong range of engines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is a vast, wasteful, ostentatious method of transport for the one per cent that looks like a cartoonish London taxi. It embodies a lot of things we dislike about the modern luxury car market, but you\u2019d be kidding yourself if you looked at that gorgeously appointed cabin and felt the effortless progress offered by its V12 and didn\u2019t immediately want to drive it to the very top of Scotland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>A two-door coupe the long-forgotten Hyundai S-Coupe may have been, but sporty it most certainly wasn\u2019t. If you went for the earlier 81bhp automatic version, you\u2019d be waiting at least 14 seconds to top 60mph and be entirely out of puff at 99mph. It was also perhaps the least stylish coupe on the market. However, in our current two-door-starved world, we\u2019d take more slow coupes over no coupes at all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>1989\u2019s reborn Lotus Elan had three things against it. One, it was Lotus\u2019 only front-wheel drive car; two, the engine came from an Isuzu Piazza; and three, it was revealed within months of something called the Mazda MX-5. All this pretty much sealed its fate, a shame because despite its humble engine and drivetrain, the M100 Elan was still a Lotus sports car, and therefore still absolutely superb to drive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The first car produced by MG under its new Chinese ownership in 2008 was a lightly tweaked MG TF roadster \u2013 a car dating back to 2002, and really just a facelift of the MGF from 1995. Shockingly enough, there wasn\u2019t much appetite for a 13-year-old car when the still-fresh NC Mazda MX-5 could be had for less money, but now? We\u2019ll take whatever affordable mid-engined sports cars we can get.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>For a company renowned for building knee-tremblingly gorgeous cars right across its history, the Aston Martin Lagonda is, erm\u2026 distinctive. However, it\u2019s still a V8 Aston Martin, and one that could now genuinely be called a pioneer \u2013 way back in 1976, the Lagonda was the first production car to get digital instruments, which you\u2019ll now find in pretty much every new car. Yeah, okay, they broke a lot, but still.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>We\u2019re talking about the dying days of the long-lived C3 here. Wheezing along with a range of underpowered, emissions-strangled V8s, its once-elegant late \u201960s lines had been tarnished with all manner of overblown early \u201980s aero bits that made it look like a kit car. It was undoubtedly the low point of the Corvette\u2019s 73-year history, and yet that underdog status means we can\u2019t help but be charmed by it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The Mustang Mach-E caused the internet equivalent of a full-on, pitchforks-out riot when it was unveiled, and it\u2019s easy to see why \u2013 the name of one of the world\u2019s most iconic performance cars being slapped on an electric crossover is going to rile certain people up. Clever move from Ford, in some ways, because at least it got people talking about what, name aside, is a very competent family EV.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>It\u2019s not often a \u201990s BMW serves as an enthusiast punching bag, but that\u2019s what the 3 Series Compact \u2013 the pre-1 Series entry-level Beemer \u2013 was for so many years, mainly thanks to its gawky looks, made worse by the weird face BMW decided to saddle the E46 version with. Thankfully, as a relatively cheap way into a lightweight, rear-wheel drive car, people are finally starting to appreciate the Compact.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>You may be wondering why something with Bertone badges on its flanks looks like, well\u2026 that. That\u2019s because the legendary Italian carrozzeria didn\u2019t actually style the Volvo 262C \u2013 only built it. Still, if you can\u2019t appreciate its awkward, boxy proportions, even in an ironic way, then there\u2019s one way in which the 262C will always be undeniably cool: David Bowie owned one. Take that, nearly every other car in existence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Contentious one, this. For everyone who loves the new Supra, someone else will inevitably trot out the \u2018just a BMW\u2019 line. Fair enough, it\u2019s true. But has being based on a BMW ever really been a bad thing? The fact is, the Supra wouldn\u2019t have come back at all if it wasn\u2019t for the Munich partnership, and in an ever-shrinking sports car market, we can forgive it some familiar underpinnings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The original Hummer H1 was a truly ridiculous vehicle, but the H2 upped the ante by basically just being a Chevy Suburban school run bus wearing a set of army surplus fatigues. It\u2019s the gas-guzzling poster child of the anti-SUV sentiment that ran wild during the 2000s, and had an interior made from America\u2019s flimsiest, scratchiest plastics, but we still find ourselves inexplicably drawn to its overgrown Tonka truck looks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Although flawed, the V8-powered Lexus RC F only grew more likeable throughout its long life. That wasn\u2019t the case for its unloved hybrid sibling, saddled with a four-cylinder engine and a CVT gearbox. While it\u2019ll always live in the shadow of its V8 sibling, though, consider this: it was a stylish, well-made, refined and efficient hybrid coupe, a decade before the reborn Honda Prelude won praise for being just that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The original Cayenne is the car that made sports car makers realise there was lots of money in building posh SUVs, igniting the ire of legions of internet commenters over the last couple of decades. Also, it wasn\u2019t a looker. It was, however, good to drive, genuinely capable off-road, and helped fund all those brilliant GT department 911s that have come since, so we should probably give it a break.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Nobody could accuse the third generation \u2018Fox body\u2019 Mustang of being the worst \u2019Stang ever \u2013 that (dis)honour goes to the weedy Mustang II that came before \u2013 but it\u2019s certainly not the best, and is probably the most\u2026 mullety. Anyone who\u2019s been around Clapham lately will have noted that mullets are cool again, though, as is the Fox body, which nowadays offers up cheap, accessible V8 thrills for US enthusiasts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The Nissan Juke has become such a de facto punching bag for the modern petrolhead that it\u2019s easy to forget that Nissan once built one with some genuine enthusiast appeal. The Nismo RS\u2019s 1.6-litre turbo motor packed 215bhp, it had a reinforced body, a limited-slip diff and lots of racy red bits; and it was genuinely good fun down a wiggly road. Granted, it still looked like a Juke.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Ah yes, the car that looked like it was staring at a pencil held very close in front of its face. The early Aero 8, Morgan\u2019s attempt to drag itself into the 21st century, is certainly a challenging thing to look at. What lay beneath was undoubtedly appealing, though: a brand new bonded aluminium chassis, racy rose-jointed suspension and a gutsy BMW V8 sending its power to the rear. Lovely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>A curious attempt to reverse the trend of Buick showrooms increasingly resembling retirement homes, the Reatta failed to lure people away from their Mercedes SLs and Jaguar XJ-Ss because it was front-wheel drive and only came with a four-speed auto and an anaemic V6. A flop in period, there\u2019s now some real appeal in its crisp styling. It was even one of the first cars to feature a touchscreen display.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>We don\u2019t know what Renault was thinking when it cooked up the Avantime, but we\u2019re glad it did. There\u2019s no real reason a high-riding two-door people-carrier-stroke-coupe should appeal so much, but the Avantime just oozes cool. Maybe it\u2019s that gloriously airy interior, or the fact it\u2019s so wilfully different from any other car. Either way, we always applaud the driver on the rare occasion we encounter one in the wild.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>For a certain generation, six words will be forever associated with the Citroen Xsara Picasso: \u2018Do you know who I am?\u2019 Stop and look at it, though, and this humble family hauler turned transportation of choice for angry Hullensian ex-boxers pulls the challenging trick of combining proper practicality with \u2013 although this might be a hot take \u2013 a bit of genuine French chic. Still not sure who Ronnie Pickering is, though.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>It\u2019s a convertible Astra. That\u2019s literally it. And it\u2019s named after a naff Eurodance group. We can\u2019t explain why we like it. Maybe it\u2019s the fact that it was one of the last genuine attempts at an affordable mass-market four-seater convertible, or because it\u2019s actually quite a pretty thing. Maybe it\u2019s because thinking about it gets \u2018Everytime We Touch\u2019 stuck in our heads, and we can\u2019t deny that\u2019s a banger.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Another case of Renault Avantime syndrome \u2013 something so conceptually bizarre, we have to be glad it exists. Part two-seater convertible sports car, part pickup truck, part retro \u201950s pastiche, all fever dream. We have no clue how this thing ever got past product planning, but we\u2019re happy it did, especially in manual, 395bhp form. It\u2019s unquestionably kitschy, but maybe it\u2019s time we all stopped trying so hard to be cool.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The Fiat Multipla could have gone down in history for its hugely flexible seating layout that made it perhaps the ultimate family car of the \u201990s. But of course, it didn\u2019t, because Fiat took the bold but commendable decision to put it into production resembling some sort of alien life form. It was certainly divisive, but it was interesting, which is more than you can say about the facelifted car.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Six years on from its launch, we still can\u2019t get on board with the beaver-toothed look of the latest M3 and M4. Then there\u2019s the fact that, in Britain at least, it\u2019s the first M3 we can\u2019t have with three pedals. Ultimately, though, neither of those facts take away from the fact that it\u2019s an astonishingly complete, capable and involving performance car \u2013 and that it finally comes as an estate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>You forgot this existed, didn\u2019t you? The C-Class Sport Coupe and later CLC were Merc\u2019s bizarre attempts to market a premium small car before the A-Class morphed into something more conventional. Like the 3 Series Compact, they were essentially larger saloons with a bit lopped off the back, resulting in awkward styling but rear-wheel drive and some gutsy engines. Some markets even got a rare 354bhp C32 AMG Sport Coupe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The Honda Jazz has garnered a bit of an unfair reputation because it\u2019s traditionally been found en route to the bowls club with Radio 3 on the stereo, merrily bumbling along at 42mph in a 60 zone. And sure, it comes with a strong whiff of Werther\u2019s Originals, but who says you need a state pension to appreciate a small car that\u2019s practical, well-made, decent to drive and unerringly reliable?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Ah, the \u2018poor person\u2019s Ferrari\u2019. Ignoring the fact that that\u2019s a slightly elitist viewpoint and that you\u2019d still need healthy savings to actually run a cheap used Fezza, the four-seater Mondial\u2019s reputation is still mostly undeserved. Despite being derided for its slowness, it was packing a healthy 300bhp by the end of its life, and it brought a new dimension of practicality and day-to-day usability to the Ferrari stable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>An all-too-frequent staple of \u2018worst cars ever\u2019 lists, the Allegro\u2019s biggest issue was that it was built by British Leyland, an organisation dogged by Byzantine management structures and industrial strife that massively compromised its products. Had it emerged from another company elsewhere in Europe or maybe Japan, we\u2019re convinced it would today be hailed as one of the most forward-thinking cars of the \u201970s. We will die on this hill.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Psst. Come here. Look, me and you know that kei cars are cool. But the truth is that to most other people outside of Japan they\u2019re just oddly-proportioned, miniature novelties. That\u2019s especially true of the Copen, with its bubbly and weirdly symmetrical cartoon ladybird styling. Our advice? Ignore the haters. The Copen is a fun-spirited, friendly little roadster that packs some very clever engineering into that tiny folding metal roof.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The Chrysler 300C was almost universally laughed at when it launched in Europe for its wannabe Bentley styling, dated Mercedes underpinnings and interior that appeared to be assembled from melted down wheelie bins. But 20 years on, surely even the snobbiest of enthusiasts find the idea of a big, comfy saloon with V8 power, rear-wheel drive and imposing mafia boss styling somewhat appealing. If not, they\u2019re probably lying to themselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Why would anybody have bought a Trooper over a Toyota Land Cruiser, or even a Mitsubishi Shogun? Well, for a few good reasons, actually. It may not have the badge clout or legendary reputation of Toyota\u2019s 4&#215;4, but the oft-forgotten Trooper was nearly as capable and dependable, and is a lot more affordable these days. Plus, there was a JDM version which \u2013 we\u2019re not kidding here \u2013 had a Lotus-tuned chassis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The arrival of the original Freelander in 1997 might have been perceived by diehard Landie fans as the brand gone all soft and lifestyle, and it\u2019s since garnered a not undeserved reputation for catastrophic reliability, but ask yourself this: is the chunky-looking Freelander with its fun colours, genuine off-road capability and convertible option not a more appealing proposition than the scores of bland crossovers that fill its market niche today?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Like most Alfas of its era, the little MiTo wasn\u2019t brilliant to drive. Unlike most Alfas of its era, it wasn\u2019t particularly pretty either. All that meant it fell well short of posh supermini rivals. But for all the flaws they can have, you kind of have to love an Alfa, and nowadays, the MiTo serves as something of a gateway drug into the highs and lows of Alfa ownership.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Part of an early Noughties upmarket push for Volkswagen \u2013 an ironic move, given what its name translates to \u2013 the original Touareg never quite hit the spot compared to rivals like the Land Rover Discovery or Volvo XC90. But retrospectively, its reputation is rescued by some real off-road chops and some of the outrageous engines it came with, including a turbodiesel V10 and, in certain markets, a flipping 6.0-litre W12.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The term \u2018shopping car\u2019 doesn\u2019t exactly have positive connotations among enthusiasts, and few cars sum it up quite as literally as the Suzuki Wagon R+, some versions of which had an actual removable shopping basket stored under the passenger seat. Still, when lots of new cars are trying hard to be something they\u2019re not, it\u2019s hard not to be charmed by a car with such an unapologetically utilitarian, practical remit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>When the fourth generation Maserati Quattroporte launched in 1994, its Biturbo underpinnings were already 13 years old, and the styling, although led by the master Marcello Gandini, could politely be described as \u2018interesting\u2019. Perhaps it\u2019s the rarity, though, or the serious M5-bothering pace, or just the growing enthusiast appreciation for all things boxy, 1990s and slightly obscure, but the unloved Quattroporte IV just seems to grow cooler by the day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>When the Toyota Yaris Verso arrived in 1999, it must have seemed as painfully uncool as cars got. You\u2019d have been just as well carrying around a big sign saying \u2018I\u2019ve given up on life\u2019 than driving this supermini\/van mashup. Oh, how the tables turn. What was once an uncool and deeply unstylish symbol of ennui now looks to us like an unpretentiously utilitarian, dependable and enormously practical runabout.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>In terms of utilitarian cars, though, they don\u2019t come much better than something literally named after the most practical shape of them all. The Cube was always going to be a tough sell to European audiences, especially since Nissan opted to up the weirdness by giving it asymmetrical styling but \u2013 we\u2019ll say it again \u2013 we wish more cars were this unapologetic in eschewing traditional notions of style for sheer usefulness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The original A-Class is one of those cars that\u2019ll be forever linked to one particular moment \u2013 namely, when it fell over during a Swedish magazine\u2019s \u2018elk test\u2019. Its one-box looks were a bit much for many people too, and build quality was patchy. What its reputation ignores is that it was one of the most cleverly engineered cars of its era, packing astonishing amounts of space into a compact footprint.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Eurgh! Look at it! Subaru\u2019s short-lived (in Europe) attempt at building a posher SUV is best remembered for its unfortunate snout, which was controversial enough on the Hawkeye Impreza but near unpalatable here. Exclusively available with six-pot petrol power, it was always destined to flop in Europe, but that rarity \u2013 and the fact that it\u2019s one of a handful of non-Porsche cars with a flat-six \u2013 is precisely what appeals now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Another bout of hallucinatory weirdness from early Noughties Renault, the Vel Satis aimed to tempt buyers out of the likes of A6s and E-Classes. <em>Those <\/em>looks meant it never stood a chance, though, as did its sub-par handling and remarkably un-French firm ride, and it was a predictable flop in Britain. Like so many other failed attempts to peddle big French barges to Brits, though, we\u2019re inexplicably drawn to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>You knew this was coming, didn\u2019t you? The Aztek spent years as a punchline, frequently derided for its looks, its rubbish engine and its lack of real off-road ability. And yet\u2026 it was decades ahead of the lifestyle crossover trend that now permeates every corner of the new car market, and in the age of the BMW XM and Audi Q8, the shock value of its looks has unquestionably dimmed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>The early Lincoln Navigator is everything we in Britain like to poke fun at about turn-of-the-millennium American luxury \u2013 unsophisticated truck underpinnings, brash, chrome-laden styling, a thirsty yet underpowered engine and a cabin full of shiny leather and fake wood. It was a car for early Noughties Premier League footballers and New Jersey mob bosses, which makes it all the more embarrassing that we secretly quite like the way it looks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s just a Mondeo underneath\u2019 is the jibe endlessly levelled at Jaguar\u2019s first attempt to take on the 3 Series, C-Class, A4, et al. Which ignores one crucial thing \u2013 the Mondeo is a notably well-received car, so what exactly\u2019s wrong with that? Nobody seemed to mind that the A4 was basically just a posh Passat, and using the Ford\u2019s proven underpinnings probably did the X-Type a lot more good than harm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Nearly all the discourse around Mini\u2019s short-lived two-seater duo revolved around the styling, especially the Coupe, with its backwards baseball cap roof (seriously, that\u2019s what it was meant to look like), and looks aside, few people were in the market for an even less practical version of an already impractical car. Nonetheless, with so few affordable sports cars around nowadays, we think it\u2019s time these two got a second look.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Most of the hardtop coupe-cabrios that started emerging around the turn of the millennium are rightly remembered as ungainly mistakes, but we think it\u2019s unfair to lump the Peugeot 206 CC in with them. Unlike most of its ilk, it was a genuinely pretty car, roof up or down, and it wasn\u2019t the usual shuddery, floppy mess to drive. It was even decently quick with the 206 GTi\u2019s 138bhp motor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>If you can get past its froggy looks, it only takes a quick browse of contemporary road tests to show that the little Matiz was a far better car than most people probably imagine at first glance. With its surprisingly sophisticated drive, near non-existent running costs and spacious interior, it\u2019s arguably a surprise it\u2019s not mentioned more often, a la Panda and Twingo, in the pantheon of great small cars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>It was saddled with an underpowered V6 and a rubbish four-speed auto, and its retro hot rod-inspired styling didn\u2019t really work, but despite all that, the Plymouth Prowler is a proper guilty pleasure, a symbol of a time when car companies were more willing to throw a bit of money at an unquestionably niche product. Also, Prince owned one. If that doesn\u2019t make it cool, we don\u2019t know what will.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Like the Allegro, the TR7 was more a victim of BL\u2019s 1970s difficulties than anything else \u2013 that, and the fact that roadster traditionalists used to the old-school looks of the earlier TR cars definitely weren\u2019t ready for its radically wedgy looks. But now, you have to admit, it looks fantastic. The build quality, we can\u2019t defend as much, but that\u2019s part of the fun with an old British car. Right?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>Nissan\u2019s brief attempt to sell cars from its posh, America-oriented Infiniti brand in Europe already feels like a weird dream, but it definitely happened. Of all the cars it attempted to peddle here, the drop-top G37 was among the oddest and least successful, but it looks a bit of a used bargain these days when you consider it\u2019s a rear-drive convertible cruiser with a meaty V6 and typical Nissan reliability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>A hilariously slow mish-mash of whatever bits the Volkswagen Group could find lying around, the Skoda Roomster made no effort whatsoever to be stylish, sporty or luxurious. That, along with some unfairly lingering preconceptions around the Skoda badge, probably turned a lot of people off it when it was new, but it\u2019s precisely what we like about it today. That, and its name. Roomster! Try it, it\u2019s fun to say.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"HtmlContent\" class=\"MarkUpWrapper-sc-t20i90-0 hQwWlJ\">\n<p>There are many good small electric cars, but the GWM Ora 03 is not one of them. It\u2019s small and electric \u2013 just not very good, which might be why GWM seems to have quietly removed it from its UK website without telling anyone. Nevertheless, we can\u2019t help being endeared by its doe-eyed looks and underdog status. We preferred it when it was called the Funky Cat, though.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sibling car to the equally abysmal fourth-gen Jeep Cherokee and just as poorly screwed together as everything else Chrysler was churning out in the 2000s, the Dodge Nitro is almost a cartoon caricature of an American SUV, but one that Dodge felt might succeed in Europe (spoiler: it didn\u2019t). It\u2019s far from a good car, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-1904479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1904479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904479\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1904479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1904479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1904479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}