10 Cars That Consumer Reports Says Are Not So Great

Image courtesy of Gail Dixon

Our motorist pals over at Consumer Reports Cars review a lot of vehicles, and one of them has to come in last in each category. While it’s good to know which cars came in with the top scores, it’s good to also keep in mind which models came in last and why when you go car shopping.

One reason to keep the low finishers in the back of your mind while car shopping is that some low-scoring models haven’t been all that popular with motorists, either. They might be close to discontinuation due to poor sales or being outdated. That might mean dealers will be pushing great deals just to get the vehicles off their lots. Resist.

If you’re looking for this list’s evil twin, the best cars of the year, you can find that over here.

Make Model Category Overall Score Worst Features
Mitsubishi Mirage Subcompact 34 Depressing and drab cabin, poor small-overlap crash test rating, engine delivers a “raspy chorus of lament.”
Fiat 500L Compact 31 Poor reliability and owner satisfaction, flat seats, poor small-overlap frontal crash test rating
Chrysler 200 Midsized Sedan 51-53 Poor reliability ratings, rough ride, bad handling, “claustrophobic” rear seat.
Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Compact Luxury Car 53 Base model lacks decent features, difficult to get in car’s cabin, unresponsive powertrain, stiff ride, noisy interior.
Lincoln MKS Midsized Luxury Car 59 Small trunk opening, limited outward visibility, unrefined engine, based on the Ford Taurus.
Dodge Journey Family SUV 45 Poor fuel economy for a V6, below-average reliability, poor small-overlap frontal crash test performance.
Land Rover Discovery Sport Luxury Compact SUV 47 Handling not very sporty for having “Sport” in its name. Uneven acceleration, boring cabin, predicted poor reliability.
Cadillac Escalade Large Luxury SUV 44 Stiff ride. Cabin seems small for such a ginormous vehicle. Rear passenger seats are uncomfortable, and entertainment system is confusing.
Chrysler Town & Country Minivan 62 Uncomfortable second-row seats only good if you want to toughen up your kids. Poor fuel economy and small-overlap frontal crash test ratings.
Mitsubishi i-MiEV Green Car 45 Only slightly better than a golf cart. Uncomfortable and loud cabin, slow engine, 56-mile range.

The Lowest-Rated Cars in 10 Categories [Consumer Reports]

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