Some people like cars, other people like boats. “Why not grab both markets in one swing?” This is what car the makers of the 1961 Amphicar Model 770 were probably thinking when this idea first came to their minds. Due to the technical limitations of the ’60s and also because this is not James Bond in “The Spy Who Loved Me”, the Amphicar wasn’t a particularly good car, but also not a very good boat.
One of the problems with this car-boat hybrid was its lack of speed in the water. At best, the Amphicar could reach a top speed of around seven miles per hour, or the swimming speed of your average adult, depending on who you ask. Despite its lackluster performance, this car seems to indicate exactly what it’s going to give you from the start. One unlucky owner of the Amphicar summarized it perfectly, “It’s not a good car and it’s not a good boat, but we like to think of it as the fastest car on the water and fastest boat on the road.” Next, let’s have a look at some of the worst cars that 2019 had to offer.
1958 Edsel Corsair
In 1958, Ford launched the Edsel Corsair (which was named after Henry Ford's son). The car was highly publicized, and Ford allegedly spent a calumniated $400 million on the engineering and marketing of the car. Despite containing new features such as self-adjusting brakes and automatic lubrication, which would be adopted across the automotive industry – the car was just too ahead of its time (and had a very, very ugly grill). Edmunds.com ranked the 1958 Edsel as the 7th worst car of all time.
The Edsel had many features that were hated by the public, starting from its push-buttons on the wheel that would make you accidentally change gears when trying to change radio stations, and up to the outer grill which made it look like "a Mercury pushing a toilet seat". Ford is estimated to have lost over $250 million on the Edsel, and the name is synonymous to this day with "a commercial failure". The car was eventually discontinued around 2 years after its launch, and is a painful reminder to all Ford fans, that even the best companies can sometimes make hilariously bad mistakes.
2002 Citroen Pluriel
Originally marketed as a fun car for young people who love having their long hair swaying in the breeze while driving along the sunny beach road, The 2002 Citroen Pluriel was a great car that provided everything you'd ever dreamed of. That is, besides having to manually remove and assemble the roof on your own.
Later editions of the car seemed to fix this problem by making the roof opening and closing automatic. Putting aside the later editions, we can’t help imagining a young surfer stud who just bought the original 2002 version and spent 15 minutes taking the roof off to impress his date, only to ruin his chance at a second date when having to explain to her why they have to soak in the rain while he struggles to reassemble this rooftop.
Nissan Titan XD
Edmunds claims that Nissan's Titan XD is worth a look if you're into having a lot of features and a respectable towing capability, but advises consumers to check out the competition before making a decision, meaning that this car is like many of Nissan’s vehicles, and could be brushed aside without too much consideration since it’s just... average.
Car and Drive were also not the biggest fans of Nissan’s attempt to get into the pickup category, giving it a 2.5 out of 5. They criticized the vehicle for having unrefined Cummins diesel, clumsy six-speed automatic and lowly tow ratings.
Jaguar XE
Yup, Consumer Reports have been extremely generous with their "Worst Overall" list, and as it appears, not even the Jag could escape Consumer Reports wrath this year. This luxury vehicle starts at an affordable price of $37,000 and goes all the way up to real-estate territory at $187,500 for the SV Project 8 build. Yikes!
Praised for sharp handling and steering, and the expected comfortable ride quality, the Jaguar is another staple of the British car maker's standards. Unfortunately, just because a car was made by a luxury brand doesn’t mean it’s the best quality. The Jaguar XE simply falls flat in all other areas. With an abrupt and unreliable engine auto start-stop system, inferior quality of interiors relative to competitors and a cramped back-seat, the car was not without its faults for sure.