Ten Cars That Could Have Been Great But Weren't

Sometimes cars offer great promise, but for one reason or another don't live up to those high expectations.


10. Volvo C30

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The Volvo C30 had great looks and an affordable price tag, but it just wasn't fun to drive, as our man Travis found out.

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Suggested By: Kate's Dirty Sister, Photo Credit: Jalopnik


9. Subaru SVX

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An otherwise great GT car from Subaru, weighed down by a sad 4-speed auto. All it takes is one bad component to ruin greatness.

Suggested By: Turbolence 88, Photo Credit: Subaru


8. Pontiac Aztek

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No, the Aztek isn't exactly the prettiest car to come from GM (or anyone), but imagine the cult following it would have if it was halfway decent off-road. It'd be right up there with the Isuzu VehiCross

Suggested By: VTECkickedinBRO, Photo Credit: Pontiac


7. Plymouth Prowler

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Really Plymouth? A modern hot rod that only came with a boring V6 an automatic? Really?

Suggested By: ezeolla, Photo Credit: CarSpotter


6. Hyundai Genesis Coupe

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It's the car we wanted Hyundai to build – RWD, with either a turbocharged 4 cylinder or a V6, and a manual transmission. Somehow it just didn't add up.

Suggested By: burglar can't heart click anything, Photo Credit: Hyundai


5. Honda CR-Z

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Honda claimed this car was going to be the spiritual successor to the legendary CR-X: cheap, fuel efficient, and fun. It lacked its predecessors spirit, and didn't win over any enthusiast hearts as Sam Smith found out.

Suggested By: The Stig's Rustbelt Cousin, Photo Credit: Honda


4. Fisker Karma

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A gorgeous car designed by the masterful Henrik Fisker (BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9 & V8 Vantage) that wasn't quite ready for public consumption. Hurricane Sandy didn't help Fisker either when it destroyed 300 of their cars.

Suggested By: Green Pig, Photo Credit: Getty Images


3. Chevrolet Corvair

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The Corvair was a great concept for GM, as a lightweight air-cooled, rear-engined car, but it was dogged by its sketchy handling and a man by the name of Ralph Nader. The second-generation car came with a new rear suspension, but the car was forever dogged by the penny-pinching PR nightmare of the early models. Still though, a highly innovative car from GM.

Suggested By: mcseanerson, Photo Credit: Jalopnik


2. Jaguar XJ220

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Customers were promised a car with a naturally-aspirated V12, all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, and a top speed of 220 MPH. What they got was a rear-wheel-drive car with a twin-turbo V6 that could only muster 210 MPH. It was the fastest car in the world, until the McLaren F1 slaughtered it.

Suggested By: Steve Hopkinson, Photo Credit: Jaguar


1. Pontiac Fiero

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An affordable mid-engined car that also got great gas mileage? Sign me up! Unfortunately, the Fiero was killed before it ever reached its full potential.

Suggested By: Arch Duke Maxyenko, no spambot, Photo Credit: Pontiac

Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!

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Top Photo Credit: Jaguar