Everyone loves to make fun of bad cars, but what if you just so happen to disagree whether or not said car(s) actually do kind of suck? Clearly everyone is entitled to their own opinion, especially so if you're the owner of one of the red flagged cars. But really, what constitutes a bad car these days? Consumer Reports has the answers, thanks to its annual surveys of best and worst vehicles for a given model year. So what are the worst cars (according to CR) for 2015? Check out the Top 5 ahead (ranked from bad to worse), and let the debating begin.
#5 Scion iQ Consumer Reports claims it's "slow, noisy, and uncomfortable." Yep, that's the Scion iQ. Sure, it may be fuel efficient but that's not everything. A good car requires much, much more. Fortunately, the iQ will soon be discontinued. Dry your tears.
#4 Mitsubishi i-MiEV To its credit, Mitsubishi has made a worthwhile attempt at the EV market with the i-MiEV. It's pretty cheap and those who really care about emissions will be happy to know that. But CR describes the golf cart-looking i-MiEV as "slow, clumsy, stiff-riding, and quite utilitarian inside." Just to give you an idea how uncompetitive this thing is, CR believes the Nissan Leaf is a much better choice.
#3 Mitsubishi Mirage Mitsubishi just can't catch a break here. The Mirage isn't a horrible car, but it's just not competitive in its segment. Despite its low cost, CR found that the Mirage is low on power (a three-cylinder engine will do that) and has sloppy handling. What's more, it received a poor rating on the IIHS small-overlap crash test. Point being, the Mirage could potentially kill you.
#2 Smart ForTwo Like any of us here needed a CR survey to know the Smart ForTwo wasn't a good car. If you live in a crowded city then, well, maybe it'd be a smart buy (pun intended). Anyway, CR noted the car's solid fuel economy and parking simplicity, and that's about it. It's slow to accelerate, the ride is harsh, and handling, as expected, is pretty weak.
#1 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited OK, don't get angry. Well, then again, perhaps you should. The worst car CR reviewed was the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. On a 100-point scale, it received just 20 points. The Scion iQ, to compare, scored a 36. Ouch. So what's wrong with the coolest and hot-selling 4x4? Lots of wind noise at highway speeds, a rocky ride, and an uncomfortable, Spartan-like interior. But aren't those the reasons why we love it? CR, however, does point out its poor crash test results and below average reliability. To its credit, CR declares the Wrangler is "better than ever." So there's that.
