I said it right there in the headline, but please allow me to reiterate: a boring car is not necessarily a bad car or a design failure, and while you are free to do whatever you like with your responses, the intention here is not to dump on cars for any inability to excite. We’re pro-car here, always. That said, and OK as it may be, some cars are boring.
Some of the cars I have the most affection for are boring. I doubt anyone thinks a Grandpa-spec Crown Victoria or Lincoln Town Car is exciting, but as very American expressions of restrained “classiness” and no-nonsense car design, I think they’re interesting and fun, and the growing scarcity of nice ones only makes them more appealing
Another boring beaut for me is the Toyota Camry, long despised by try-hard enthusiasts as the dullest, worst thing to drive for a real car person such as themselves (see also: minivans). I happen to like every iteration of Camry simply for being the comfortable, inoffensive, reliable “regular car” that gets one from A to B without fuss or temptation and frequent invisibility to law enforcement, particularly in shades of white, silver, and beige on the most basic wheels offered.
… Which is not to say a Camry cannot excite, as evidenced by its increasingly aggro styling (peaking, I think, with the XV70 version as seen below) and availability of 300+ horsepower trims. It’s also worth noting that new Camrys of any trim are an increasingly rare sight in the crossover-crazy era we live in (at least in my slice of North Texas), so I’m likely to point and say, “Look, a Camry,” when I see one, which makes them not-boring.
As for a car I will never point at, or be moved by in any way? A Tesla Model Y, specifically in white. It’s a perfectly good-looking car, but looking pretty tired even with its refresh, simply because this basic shape has been on roads for so long, and in great numbers. It’s just “an car” to me, though I completely understand it’s a fine automobile, remains a top choice among EVs, and depending on trim, can out-hustle many “exciting” cars. But it does nothing for me; it looks more generic to me than minimalist, and it’s just … blah. To me. In white.
A will say that, in black, it’s a different story. There’s a murdered-out Model Y Premium that I see on the regular (license plate: DRTH VDR) that I think looks downright sinister and not-boring.
Your turn:
What Is The Most Boring New Car? (Which Is Not Necessarily A Bad Thing)
Top graphic image: Tesla
Is this a trick question? As evidenced by all the responses already, most new cars are the most boring new car.
I was just browsing Turo for a work trip next week, and after scrolling through a couple hundred listings without seeing anything even mildly interesting, just gave up and booked the cheapest rental car from a normal company on kayak.
It would be your general rental fleet sedan or crossover SUV. Recently had a Hyundai Elantra hybrid, nothing special, no complaints but it did get over 40 mpg.
most boring brand new car i’m going to nominate the Subaru Legacy. but its boring for all the right reasons. not particularly great at anything but not particularly bad at anything either (unless your trying to tow or carry a bunch of crap) but for a 5 passenger vehicle its got enough of the tech and 4 wheels. just a commuter vehicle in it’s purest form.
Call, and I raise you a CrossTrek. (I haven’t driven a model newer than 2020 but I don’t think they’ve changed much?) I’m not saying it’s a bad car, but it’s the closest to the level of my mom’s 2011 Camry I’ve seen other than an 84 Tercel in terms of scolding you for trying to have a tiny amount of fun.
I wish the CrossTrek were vastly more boring. My wife has one and it has so many stupid features to turn off. The randomly steering when it sees some mark on the road for instance. 18 damn buttons on the steering wheel. Not counting the horn. Out 96 Imprezia was great, nothing got in the way and it was fun. The CrossTrek would be a great candidate for un-pimp my ride.
Probably beige cars we slept on
That one car, what’s it called? Whatever. It probably has a boring name too.
Rav4. There are a million reasons to buy one and all of them could put me to sleep.
Each reason is more effective than counting sheep
All those CUVs in many shades of grey. Have to really stare to see a badge or model name and even then, it’s not always findable or readable at speed or even stop and go traffic.
Suppose they might be good for when you want to be unnoticed.
My mom used to have an X5 in grey, and told me that she used to lose it in parking lots all the time. And she knows the difference in makes/models, my dad is also a car guy and she’s pretty good at identifying cars. She got a Macan in bright red a couple years ago and no longer has that problem. Despite the Macan being smaller, and my mom being very short and unable to see over other vehicles.
I once took my mom’s silver Camry to Lowes for a quick 5 minute trip and on the way back to the car I unlock it, hear the chirp, and hop into the identical Camry parked on the closer side of the Suburban between our cars. Took a while to realize that the key not working and the miniscule amount of trash not being my miniscule amount of trash from 30 minutes ago meant I’m inside someone else’s car.
You already called it: Camry, though a Corolla is probably a close second. The Corolla is available in too many trims that add interest to be entirely boring; it makes the basic no-frills model that much more uncommon and, by extension, less boring.
Although I have noticed that the RAV4 is now even more ubiquitous than the Camry. It’s everywhere and so bland that I cannot tell, at first glance, whether the one I see is indeed a RAV or its slightly buffer cousin the Highlander.
My first thought was a white or silver Corolla LE. It’s what Toyota does best. If the hatchback had 6″ of additional wheelbase at a MSRP around 25k I’d probably be in one now.
F-150. Camry of the truck world. They’re everywhere, I never notice them, they’re good at their job, and they’ve barely changed in appearance in 15 years.
Yes the F-150 is unnoticeable but the chevy silverados are always tailgating me.
They want to be noticed!
I notice them when it’s dark out and they’re behind me casting miniature novas
All of the completely interchangeable CUVs. Inevitably painted some shade of gray.
I agree with the Model Y. We’re on our second and while it is absolutely a fantastic daily driver, it’s still just a rolling iPhone. With snow tires it’s borderline unstoppable on snowy roads while also being quiet, efficient, roomy, and cheap to operate overall. It’s very fast, but also boring in almost all regards. It’s a perfect “car” when you don’t want a bunch of additional B.S. on the reg.
They’re the ultimate car for people who think of cars as an appliance. They go places, they do things, they have no personality or quirks. They’re basically just a microwave: you know what it’s going to do, but operating the wipers is like trying to fix the time on a microwave.
There’s a way to operate the wipers? I thought you had to tweet Elon and ask him to turn them on.
“Elon, I know that you’re the guest of honor at a Klan rally tonight, but I need your help bullying the manager of my local Service Center into replacing my tires for free! My Cybertruck killed my four children and lit my garage on fire, but I love the car!”
Fellow Y owner here. It can dance when the road gets twisty. It delivers exactly as much involvement as desired. Turn on FSD and it’ll do 95% of the driving. Don’t turn it on and drive it. It’s fun on a twisty road with minimal body roll and great braking. Overall a great car.
I’ve developed a kind of face blindness for gray cars. Anything gray is just a boring lump on the road, IMO.
Also, Nissan SUVs. Not only are they boring, but they’re a rolling billboard telling other drivers to cover their brake pedal and prepare for some stupidity.
A Honda Odyssey is boring but we love ours. We can load up all 5 of the grandkids and some stuff and get them where we need to be without issue or excitement.
It just does the job it was designed to do without issue…unless one of the kids crosses the imaginary border between them but that isn’t the Odyssey’s fault.
Nah, Honda Odysseys are awesome and cool.
And if it’s black, it looks like a hearse, so that’s cool.
Black Suburbans give me the hearse ick.
A vtec minivan is cooler than almost every CUV you can buy
the thing about the odyssey is compared to every other minivan the odyssey just feels like your driving a regular sedan. somehow the bulk just shrinks around you. it doesn’t heave and lumber around turns. the torque just propells you forward without any drama.. it is a bizzare experience to drive an odyssey compared to a grand caravan or a sienna back to back. in every other van you instantly know your in a van and every moment you are driving them you are reminded constantly “i’m driving a minivan” the oddyssey you can drive hundreds of miles and then stop for gas and then sudennly .. oh right i was driving a van this whole time! maybe it’s the 500 pounds of weight savings vs every other van or maybe it’s some secret sause that only Honda knows that makes it drive that way. such a surreal experience.
Now I want to try one. It looks like you can haul a lot of stuff, maybe get a beater Odyssey for that one percent of stuff I can’t do in my main car instead of a pickup, plus 8 people if I need that. Maybe I’ll start a band.
I rented one of those things. For a few minutes I was cruising at 95 and it was as serene, composed and non-eventful as sitting in your living room watching television.
The V-6 in Odysseys is a lovely engine. Had a very similar engine in a 2018 MDX after a turbo I-6 in an X-5. And never really felt I was missing out on oomph. And my ’17 Accord V6 also has essentially the same engine. On long trips, it easily gets upper 30s-40 mpg. Around town, it’s pretty thirsty. Especially with short trips and cold starts.
Before the Accord, I put 165K miles on a 2001 Jetta TDI 5M. I kinda miss rowing my own gears, but it’s hilly around here and I’ve broken my right arm a couple of times, so having an automatic has been convenient during recovery.
So, in a sense, the Accord is a boring car, but in a good way. It handles better than a Camry. It’s plenty fast if goaded. And at 75K miles (knock on wood) has required nothing beyond routine maintenance, a battery and a set of tires. And it’s paid off.
Also disagree, compared to anything similar it’s a sports car and has a lot of potential to be turned into a proper track weapon.
If it’s not the Toyota Corolla, I don’t know what is. But it’s one of the few cars I will blindly recommend to anyone. There’s just nothing on it that would unduly break, either the standard version of the hybrid. And Toyota has done a decent job bringing more verve to the styling.
There are three black ones in my apartment parking lot and the owners constantly try to get into not-their-Corolla. Just because they are identical, right down to the dents and scratches.
They have the GR though which at least adds a halo model. TBH styling on the Corolla has held up really well for it being 8 years old.
True, although I consider the GR Corolla a separate model, and–likewise–it’s not as bulletproof or as concern-free, and doesn’t have as low a cost of ownership, as the regular models.
I agree. But I’m thinking that trusty dog like bulletproof reliability for non GR and hoon qualities for the GR make the corolla less boring than say a hyundai or KIA model small sedan (elantra or i30?) – can’t even remember it’s name.
True, although Hyundai has the Elantra N, which is brimming with entertainment-factor and personality.
Most small/midsized SUVs. They’re likely some front-drive/AWD based thing with a transversely mounted four cylinder engine and CVT.
They do not particularly have much outstanding in terms of next-generation technological advancement, nor do they particularly drive in such a fashion as to make them desirable. They are transportation appliances. Which is what the people want.
They follow from a line of descendants than can be traced back through various transportation appliances of yore.
I don’t know, but I’m certain to rent whatever it is the next time I’m in an airport lot.
I had a ZR71 6.2L Suburban this week. It was not boring. Occasionally infuriating, but not boring. 🙂
I had a Kia Soul last month. The last gasp of personality in the segment. Kia insists the Seltos is a direct replacement. No.
Claiming the Seltos is a direct replacement for the Soul is like claiming Ben Stein is a direct replacement for Eric Andre.
A Soul in suburban Toronto was one of my favorite rentals (of many). I had looked down on Kias up until that one and it really made me think that they (and to a lesser degree Hyundai) have gotten their act together. Self-destructing engines and Kia Boyz security issues seem to be behind them now. And I’d take a Genesis over a Lexus these days.
Crew cab F150. I see about 500 a day and they all look the same because they are all Lariat or Platinum trim levels. And they are all dark gray or black so there is little color differentiation. If I see an STX trim I do a double take.
Same, except in my area they’re all white on black Method (or similar) wheels. There’s one for every 10 households.
I see a guy driving one and just think “gender-affirming sedan”.
Current Corolla but specifically a Hybrid Sedan. Doesn’t get the Prius recent power bump, doesn’t have a hatch or AWD to make it go to interesting places or haul large things. It isn’t a tad bit sporty, flashy, or interesting, just “An Car” in the decade of the Hybrid.
One thing I’ve noticed is that the last/current generations of Camry have started to develop massive Big Altima Energy over the last few years. The aggro styling has definitely led to aggro driving behavior.
The ultimate “wallpaper car” to me, at least in this area, has to be the Lexus RX in its various forms.
Yes the Camry does not need all that extra aero crap. It needs to look boring, and that is ok.
It would be greatly improved if it shelved all the “aero” crap in exchange for massive drag reduction and increased fuel efficiency. I want my appliance car to cost as little as possible to operate, and adding stupid styling elements to make it look like it’s something it’s not while adding cost/inefficiency defeats the purpose.
Very well said!!!
The second “exhaust tip” tack-welded to the muffler alongside the actual tip gets me every time. So dumb.
OMG, someone else has noticed this too. A while ago I only noticed it on the “sporty” XSE trim with dual mufflers (but quad tips, with the outer two being clean and shiny and the inners being the real ones). Now it seems pretty much all them have a dual-tip muffler with the outboard one being take. Talk about trying too hard. How much did they possibly save on manufacturing by not actually splicing the pipe to the second one?
The entire Buick lineup of nothing but CUVs – some of which are faux.
The entire Chrysler lineup – of which there is a minivan.
And the entire Ram lineup – which consists of a truck and a van.
Nothing says “wait, those are different cars?!?!” like going to the Buick website.
The naming convention certainly doesn’t help.
EN_ _ _ _ _
I’d like to buy a vowel, Pat.
anything but “ENtertaining”
“Honey – Look! The neighbors got a new Buick Ennui!”
“OK I guess? So what do you want for dinner?”
“Let’s grab dinner on the way, they told me the Buick dealer has Enema’s with a 10K rebate and only 9.9% financing for the next 12 years.”
Honey: Audible eye roll.
Enemas? They look like soppositories to me.
Should we swing by Taco Bell first?
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport??
The whole US Mitsubishi line-up??
Yesterday’s Trax is probably up there. A base spec Corolla is probably near the top of the list.
But I’m going to nominate the Chevy Express, because if you got in it you wouldn’t be able to tell if it was a 2026 or a 2012, except maybe by the radio.
Was the white paint peeling off from the factory? I guess that is exterior and you specified interior.
The white paint peeling from the factory is a feature – it gives you something to talk about while trying to remember what year it is.
Only difference between a 2026 and a 2003 is the rust.
The Toyota Corolla Cross. It’s boring to look at, boring to drive, and too boring to even tell your friends that you bought one. I swear that every one I have seen is white, so I’m not even sure it comes in colors. The upshot is that it is also boring to own. It’s reliable, reasonably priced, and economical. You get to forget you even own the damn thing unitl it comes time to get wherever it is you need to go, which is great if you’re into that sort of thing.
The official car of “why yes, I own a vehicle” 🙂
This is why I want one for my wife’s next car. I don’t want to think about the thing until it needs tires. Anything that I find “exciting” in a car, she’d find annoying or just not care about.
Friends of mine replaced their problematic aging Elantra Hybrid with a used Corolla Cross LE, and it was so boring that they forgot to tell me for like 2 weeks, and I didn’t even notice it despite seeing them several times. It’s been 4 months and that was the last I heard of it, versus the Elantra’s nearly weekly updates on it’s self-destruction. They couldn’t me more whelmed, and I’m glad.
Ha, I wasn’t wrong!
This is 100 percent the correct answer. People bringing up sedans seem to forget that they’re disappearing. And anything low to the ground is more fun than a crossover.
But the there’s the Corolla Cross. First, it’s name starts with Corolla (boring) and ends in the first five letters of Crossover. It’s name is quite literally “Corolla except you know, a crossover”. Exhilarating.
And then there’s the appearance. Dear lord its like automotive anesthetic. If my dentist runs out of Novocaine, I hope he has the smarts to park a grey Corolla Cross in my line of sight. He can just go drilling and pulling and whatever, I’m not going to feel anything. It’s like Toyota hired fucking Colin Robinson to design a car.
And now that’s off my chest, I’m sure it’s a pleasant ownership experience for those who prefer car ownership to be a wet, flavorless gruel.
When I first heard of the Corolla Cross I was kind of excited that there was a successor to my little AE95 Corolla 4wd wagon and actually stopped off at the Toyota dealer to check one and It is so damn neutral “an car” if ever there was one. The interior was even more bland and we can’t get any interior colour other than black here in Australia. The green colour is OK I guess.
The only thing that zazzes the Corolla Cross up, is that green color.
Stretch…yawn…cannot muster comment…too…bored…yet still the most excited person about this question…zzzzz and yes the tesla model y for sure
The Nissan Rouge
I suspect most would agree a Rouge is the poster child for “generic soulless transportation appliance”. They have no style whatsoever, are almost always in some shade of gray, and are about as un-inspiring to drive as they come thanks to a wheezy, rattly engine and belt-based CVT. Throw in below-average reliability, famously awful dealers, and much more compelling options at a similar price point, and you’ve really got strong “IDGAF about cars or driving whatsoever” energy.
Or if you have Big Altima energy, but need to subject a kid or dog to it at the same time, then you get a Rogue (as we all know kids and pets are famously bulky and do not fit in sedans or wagons)
The Juke should’ve had the Rogue name and the Rogue should’ve been named Anautomobile.