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25 Cars That Failed To Deliver On Their Hype In 2020

Cameron Eittreim December 18, 2020

24: Volkswagen Atlas

Ever since Diesel-Gate, Volkswagen has been trying to get back on a good footing with consumers. Killing off the Beetle and several other models was the first step, but a new SUV is not the answer. The VW lineup is already cramped with cars that garner questionable sales figures, and the Atlas might just add to the confusion.

The Atlas provides the same kind of exceptional German driving experience that you’d expect, but is it enough to sell? We’re not sure, yet we do know the Atlas hasn’t lived up to all of the expectations. This is just a larger Toureg in a lot of aspects, and when innovation is key, that is not a good thing.

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23: Volkswagen Tiguan

The Tiguan has been around for a while now. The car that was released to much fanfare a decade ago. Unfortunately, time hasn’t been pleasant to the Tiguan and the car just strikes of outdated design. Fuel economy is also a lost cause with the Tiguan, which surprised many owners due to the small size of the car.

A lot of crossover models have hit the market in recent years and the Tiguan now has even more competition than before. While this is usually a good thing, it isn’t for a company like Volkswagen that’s on the verge of losing credibility with consumers.

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2020 Acura MDX - 2013 Acura MDX — via: Acura

22: Acura MDX

The MDX is long in the tooth and the company knows it. Acura is much like the Infiniti brand in that it carries without a clear mission. The MDX is an outdated car and most of the industry has moved on from it. Sure, there are performance versions of the SUV but that isn’t enough to justify its high price tag. With stiff new competition from Cadillac, the MDX just doesn’t fare very well.

2018 Acura MDX - 2019 Acura RDX — via: Acura

Acura used to be the pinnacle of performance and technology, but now the brand has just become outdated. It’s not a bad place to be if you are a value-oriented company, but Acura charges a premium price for their vehicles.

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21: Tesla Model X

It seems like anything with wheels and a Tesla logo gets a fair amount of hype, but the Model X just hasn’t delivered. The odd-ball styling of the car and the gullwing just don’t resonate with everyday buyers who are looking for family transportation. Tesla is alienating a large portion of the consumer market who aren’t into futuristic cars.

The Model X also commands a high price tag and repairs for it are going to run you even more. Nevertheless, with the crossover market becoming increasingly competitive it is no surprise that Tesla wanted to enter the fray.

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Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid - 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid — via: Chrysler

20: Chrysler Pacifica

Chrysler is essentially a defunct brand without a mission. The 300 has been on the market for almost 15 years in the same and the other models have all but vanished. What we have left is a carbon-copy minivan that was supposed to replace the Caravan.

The Chrysler Pacifica had a lot of hype around it but it just doesn’t drive a hard bargain. No one is buying minivans right now and the Pacifica is just one more model to overlook. Aside from that, the price tag is a lot higher than people want to pay, and that’s turned a good portion of buyers off.

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19: Nissan Armada

Car companies come and go, but Nissan has managed to stick around despite controversy and a lack of sales. 2020 was an uneventful year for the automaker and the Armada was another blunder. The large SUV still pales in comparison to other models such as the Tahoe and the Expedition. Nissan is determined not to give up, but there is a lot to avoid about the Armanda.

The large SUV drives like a brick and has the low gas mileage numbers match. The overall design is outdated, especially when you compare it to the current crop of technologically-advanced offerings. The Armada is still using the lethargic V8 engine we’ve seen for over a decade.

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2020 Kia Stinger - 2021 Kia Stinger — via: Car and Driver

18: Kia Stinger

Being the underdog has its advantages and disadvantages, and Kia is well aware of this. The company has been competing against the automotive world for 30 years now, and a paltry reputation has stuck with it. The Stinger is another attempt to try and distance itself from the rest of the automotive industry. With a blazingly fast design, the Stinger had a strong amount of promise.

Mid-size car - Kia Motors — via: Kia Stinger

But a high price tag and early reliability issue tarnished the reputation of the vehicle. The Stinger is a notable exception to the average sport sedan, but not enough to justify the high price tag. There are some cool features, but not enough to justify spending its price tag.

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17: Cadillac ATS

Recently Cadillac hasn’t been able to match the success of other automakers when it comes to luxury sedans. The company just can’t compete on a larger scale anymore, and the ATS is evidence of this. The stale design and lack of comfort made luxury shoppers turn the other cheek when it comes to Cadillac.

A performance version was not as exciting as consumers were hoping for and the lack of a V8 was at the forefront of these issues. The ATS didn’t add up to the steep sales goals of GM, and the car has largely been relegated to rental car fleets. Cadillac might be done with the passenger car market as more automakers turn to the crossover era.

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16: Jeep Cherokee

The Cherokee hasn’t aged well because of a design that consumers weren’t fans of. The oddball styling of the Cherokee was a departure from the earlier style drivers grew to love. For Jeep the goal was simple, to make sure that the car appealed to the outdoors. This rendition of the Cherokee has captivated that audience but nothing else. Standard Jeep models are being sold at such a premium that prices can get up into luxury territory.

For an SUV that was supposed to be the affordable cornerstone of the brand, this is a departure. So what has happened is that a lot of consumers are turned away, and rightly so. Ultimately there are many better-competing models that you can choose from.

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15: Infiniti Q50

Car brands come and go, but Infiniti was positioned to be a mainstay player for a long time. What happened with the company was a fall from grace essentially due to lack of innovation. Infiniti cars were just not that much different from your run-of-the-mill Nissan models. Consumers turned their back on the brand and after a while, sales went into a slump.

via: Infiniti

Most of the Infiniti lineup is nothing more than a fully-loaded Nissan model, whereas Lexus has been innovating since day one. The Q50 failed to deliver on the core principles that consumers look for in a luxury brand, and that caused it to fail.

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14: Volvo XC 90

Volvo cars have largely remained the same for the past 30 years. What the brand builds on is the companies reputation for safety. The Volvo XC 90 was a nice SUV when it first hit the market but the current incarnation is nothing special. A large Swedish driving matching with excellent safety is not enough to boost sales in today’s modern era.

Yet Volvo is okay with just being average and the XC 90 has managed to drudge on. There are much better-competing models on the market that you can get for a lot less. The Volvo XC 90 is a quintessential car of opulence, but when it comes down to it there are more efficient options for the price.

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13: Lincoln Nautilus

Being in a similar spot to famed automaker Cadillac, Lincoln is on its last leg. If this stretch of innovation doesn’t pan out, the brand could unfortunately go the way of Mercury. The Lincoln Nautilus is another attempt to capture market share in the growing crossover market, but here’s the main problem. The design just isn’t exciting and the long roof doesn’t do anything for visibility.

Performance is from the same string of Ford powerplants and you might think the Nautilus looks like a Ford Edge in disguise. Nevertheless, there are some positive attributes of the car but nothing to justify the high price tag.

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12: Chevrolet Colorado

The Colorado was never the pinnacle of success that the S-Series truck was before it. But GM decided to reinvigorate the line for a new generation. Competing with the likes of the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier is not an easy task. GM has added many unique features to Colorado but nothing to justify the high price tag. A new diesel option was supposed to inject some life into the brand, but failed to resonate.

Chevrolet has had a tough time capturing the midsize pickup truck market, and of course, the new Colorado is a good step. But it just isn’t the truck that most are looking for and ended up disappointing in a lot of aspects.

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11: Chevrolet Camaro

When the Camaro hit the market in its current form, the automotive community erupted with joy. An American icon was back and better than ever, but fast-forward a decade later and things have remained largely the same. The Camaro doesn’t offer anything remotely unique and the style has become redundant.

Chevrolet Camaro - Yenko Camaro — via: GM

Retro-themed remakes died off a long time ago with the New Beetle, and the Camaro needs to innovate. Chevy has been pushing the same packages on consumers and the price tag just continues to rise. Crossovers are becoming the new norm and muscle cars are a bit of a novelty item at this point.

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10: Cadillac CT4

This is another sedan that Cadillac released for the 2020 model year that hasn’t fared very well. Consumers just aren’t biting when it comes to Cadillac models and the CT4 doesn’t stand out enough to justify the price. Interior quality is non-existent and the car features the usual mixture of low-end luxury.

It’s not enough to take the thrown from Lexus, and the CT4 is redundant. You can look forward to seeing these at your local Hertz, as most Cadillac models have managed to become rental cars.

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9: Chevrolet Corvette

The Corvette was redesigned for the 2020 model year and featured a distinct change, a mid-engined design. This was the first time in the history of the Corvette that it ever had a mid-engine design. Needless to say, a lot of diehard enthusiasts felt like they’d been shot in the heart. The car is ahead of its time for Chevrolet but was a letdown in a lot of aspects.

Corvette enthusiasts are a steady bunch and the mid-engined sports car might have been too far ahead for its customer base. The design of the Corvette will be tweaked as time goes on but 2020 was not a great year for the automaker at all.

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8: Ferrari F8 Tributo

The Ferrari lineup has evolved a lot over the past few decades, and the F8 Tributo was another new model. The twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 engine is a massive powerplant that has a lot of potential behind it. Ferrari designed this car to be a tribute to past models, although the design of the car was somewhat lauded by the automotive press.

The previous 488 GTB was a great sports car but the Tributo hasn’t made much progress in the long term. Sports cars have a steep bit of competition in the market right now and the F8 Tributo isn’t anything particularly impressive.

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7: 2020 Ford Bronco

Although 2020 was a year that was ripe with issues for the automotive industry Ford decided to release the long-awaited Bronco. The Bronco is an iconic part of the automotive industry, and not just because of the OJ Simpson chase. The market for off-road cars is dominated by Jeep right now and Ford had an ample opportunity to make headway in 2020.

The problem was that the company decided to release the Bronco without a V8 powerplant, which was a staple of the platform. This alienated a lot of enthusiasts who had yearned for a stripped-down V8 powered off-roader like the original Bronco.

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6: Land Rover Defender

Another iconic nameplate that made a return for 2020 was the Land Rover Defender. It has an abundance of features and fits in with the Land Rover product portfolio right now. The problem is that the Defender was nothing like the original model, which still commands an awesome price in the classic community.

The modern Defender was nothing more than a shell of its former self and didn’t even feature the removable top. Sadly, this alienated a good portion of the true die-hard Land Rover enthusiasts who want an SUV they can call their own.

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5: 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400

Mercedes has had a tough time adapting to the crossover market in any meaningful sense, but the EQC 400 is a decent try. Sadly the all-electric crossover came a bit too late in the game and was already overshadowed by Tesla. As most of these automakers try to play catch up with the electric car giant, the EQC 400 is a letdown for several reasons.

The high price tag drives away potential shoppers who are looking to move onto the Mercedes line. With the abundance of technology in the EQC, repair costs are going to be astronomical and at the same time a pain to deal with.

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4: Nissan Sentra

The small car in the Nissan herd has marched on for decades in one form or another. Sadly, the Sentra has never managed to capture the same type of audience as the Civic or the Corolla. It doesn’t mean that the Sentra was necessarily a bad ride, but the competition just offered a better product. This year, Nissan did a full redesign of the Sentra but the car is still lightning years away from the competition.

Noisy CVT transmission and a rental car-inspired cabin have made the Sentra a bargain-basement choice. Sure, it’s a step up from the Mitsubishi Mirage but the Sentra is still lacking in a lot of important departments consumers look for.

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3: 2020 BMW 7 Series

What has been dubbed the Baleen Whale, the new 7-Series is even more ostentatious than the prior generation. BMW has had a tough time marketing the full-size luxury sedan since other automakers began to offer a competing product. The 7-Series has long had a string of reliability problems that can cost thousands to repair once the car is in the secondary market. BMW has tried to give the 7-Series a performance edge but it isn’t enough to justify the price.

With so many exceptional offerings on the marketplace today, the reason to opt for the 7-Series is about zilch. With the high price tag and the lack of features, the 7-Series just seems outdated when you compare it to the competition.

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2: 2020 Cadillac XT6

On the domestic front, Cadillac is still trying to distance itself from the previous decade. The XT6 is a lightweight new crossover that continues to expand the Cadillac footprint. The problem here is that the XT6 has a lack of performance and features that consumers in this price point are looking for. The car just doesn’t stack up to the competition when you look at the whole package, and that is not a good thing.

The XT6 is an upgrade from the Cadillac crossovers of the past, but it still doesn’t justify the high price tag when you look at it. The Cadillac XT6 is a crossover that needs a lot of work in terms of getting it up to par with the rest of the automotive industry.

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1: 2020 Ford Escape

The Escape got a complete overhaul this year, but if it looks familiar it’s because a lot of the styling is similar to the Kia Niro. We’re not sure what Ford was thinking but you can almost mistake the two cars for one another. Aside from that, the Escape has lost a lot of its off-road chops in favor of more road manners. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the Escape used to be a capable off-road companion.

With Ford trying to make inroads in the crossover market, the Escape will remain an instrumental part of this strategy. But the 2020 Escape could have gone in a different direction then the company decided to go with it.

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25 Cars That Failed To Deliver On Their Hype In 2020

24: Volkswagen Atlas

23: Volkswagen Tiguan

22: Acura MDX

21: Tesla Model X

20: Chrysler Pacifica

19: Nissan Armada

18: Kia Stinger

17: Cadillac ATS

16: Jeep Cherokee

15: Infiniti Q50

14: Volvo XC 90

13: Lincoln Nautilus

12: Chevrolet Colorado

11: Chevrolet Camaro

10: Cadillac CT4

9: Chevrolet Corvette

8: Ferrari F8 Tributo

7: 2020 Ford Bronco

6: Land Rover Defender

5: 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400

4: Nissan Sentra

3: 2020 BMW 7 Series

2: 2020 Cadillac XT6

1: 2020 Ford Escape

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