Most people “get” most cars pretty easily. There are very few economy cars that would be mistaken for luxury and vice-versa; anything sporting or muscular tends to announce itself as such; and trucks gonna truck, even if the truck is something weird like a Hyundai Santa Cruz or a Cybertruck.
Then there are the cars that people didn’t (or don’t) get. The AMC Eagle comes to mind first and foremost, and I can recall my Dad musing with the other car guys in the neighborhood about just what the heck AMC was going for with what time would reveal to be the template for modern crossover SUVs.
Another example might be the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, which certainly looks like a very capable sports car by the standards of the era, but was merely dressed as one. I say “might” because I don’t think customers in significant numbers were confused by the Ghia, and VW’s ad is just an imaginative scenario. But maybe?
As usual, I put the word out to The Team in case they wanted to contribute, and Stephen (of Walter Gossin fame) piped in thusly:
I nominate the second-gen Chrysler Sebring convertible as a much-misunderstood car, especially after it took a massive depreciation hit. Here was an affordable “drophead” with full-fat GT body proportions (check out the length of that quarter panel!) and a handsome, sharp design for its time that was mostly ridiculed throughout its life. The Sebring was designed and launched as a near-lunxury GT-styled convertible with top “Limited” trims going for $30K in ’01, but was misunderstood as just another OK coupe, a mere rental car, nothing special.
Not helping: Having lower spec cars with cloth and cheaper interiors, having many sunshine state rental agencies purchase fleets of them when new, and having some oil sludge issues on the 2.7L v6 (only pre-02 cars – they quietly added a heater EGR and altered some internals (supposedly) to fix the problem doomed them from the start, especially with car culture.
When was the last time you saw one at Cars & Coffee? Or just saw one in general that was in good condition and looking like it isn’t about to head to the local Pick & Pull?
The cloth/canvas tops last about 13-15 years in the sun before starting to deteriorate. This lets moisture into the car, which eventually molds and ruins the interior. You literally have to buy a replacement top, or roll on with a ton of duct tape by age 15. Most of the time, Sebring soft top owners just get rid of the car by then instead of investing $2K into a new top on a $2K car.
And now, I put the question to you:
What Cars Did (or Do) People Just Not Understand?
Top graphic image: AMC
In case it hasn’t already been mentioned, I’d would lump the Toyota Solara right along with SWG’s Sebring.
As a life long BMW enthusiast in the U.S.- I would say the BMW 5 GT when it came out in 2009 was a head scratcher for me until I realized it was really a car designed for the Chinese market.
I’m going to go with the MV-1. Not only by the public at large, I’m not sure the company behind it did.
First gen Olds Aurora. Great car for the day with amazing styling and spirited performance for the size…in a showroom sitting next to a Ciera.
I feel like my Honda Element was misunderstood. People would say wow that’s ugly and I would say hell yah it is.
I gotta agree. There’s truly nothing like the Element, and it confused people. We still have my wife’s ’04 Element, and while it could use some paint by this point, it keeps chugging along and doing what we ask of it. We’d happily keep it another 20 years.
The Daewoo Lanos
The Daewoo Nubira
The Daewoo Leganza