The conventional wisdom these days is that there are no bad new cars. You can’t buy anything that doesn’t start reliably, drive competently, brake safely, and look respectable. For just a few dollars more, you get an array of electronic helpers ranging from navigation devices to stability controls that used to be the exclusive province of premium brands. And even the flimsiest models have reliability records that as recently as a decade ago would be viewed as exemplary.
Still, some automakers have a clearer vision than others, and some models are better engineered to fulfill their stated purpose. Those that aren’t languish unloved on dealers’ lots, badly designed, badly timed, or badly priced.
In compiling this list of 2013’s most disliked cars, I have been guided by critiques from professional evaluators, reviews by automotive journalists, and sales data compiled by Automotive News, as well as my own driving impressions and industry reporting. I have avoided piling on distressed brands like Mitsubishi and discontinued ones like Suzuki and obsolete models that are already out of production. I have also tried to avoid traditional whipping boys like the Smart fortwo. But, of necessity, my list is highly subjective.