While you’d like to think you can’t go wrong with a middle-of-the-road vehicle from a well-known car company, sometimes you’re still not getting the most for your car-buying dollar.

Our colleagues at Consumer Reports recently put together a list of six popular new cars that they have tested out and found that you’d probably be better off avoiding.

Here are some highlights:

• Volkswagen Beetle

For around $21K, the Beetle is a cute car on the (relative) cheap, but CR found that its reliability is below average so repairs could end up eroding those initial savings. It also has a cramped rear seat, a lack of knee room in the front seats, and the view to the rear is restricted.

•Nissan Versa sedan

With a $15K price tag, the Versa is about as little as you’d probably pay for a new car, but even for a car at that price point, CR had issues, saying the Versa “feels slow, and the interior is noisy and looks cheap.”

•Mercedes-Benz CLA

The “affordable” Mercedes will run you around $36,500, but are you just buying a brand? “It’s a cramped compact with a stiff ride and poor visibility,” writes CR. “It’s tough to get into and out of the car, and it lacks the handling finesse and refinement you might expect.”

•Mitsubishi Outlander

While the Outlander can carry more passengers than most small SUVs, that third row of seats is tiny. Add in clumsy handling, slow acceleration and engine noise that “assaults your ears” and you have a hard time justifying spending $27K on this car.

Check out the full list, along with suggestions for better buys, on ConsumerReports.org.

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