Ten years ago now, the editors of MotorTrend decided to have some Thanksgiving fun by having a go at some of the contemporary vehicles they felt were, well, turkeys. Most have stood the test of time as automotive flops, but a couple we sort of wish we had back. Which of these gobblers would you own today?
While we can’t make seasonal jokes like “these weren’t gobbled up” about every one of these automotive turkeys (because some have sold well enough to live on), we can relay why they deserved to be, well, stuffed and roasted.
Mitsubishi Galant: Midsize sedans are the bread and butter for most mainstream automakers. Unfortunately, the neglected Mitsubishi Galant fell so deep into mediocrity that the automaker decided it was best to lay it to rest rather than let it languish in the bottom of the sales race. Mitsubishi still hasn’t solidified plans for a new mid-sizer, leaving many to wonder about the automaker’s long-term viability in the U.S. Our 2024 take: For the best. Mitsubishi was actually ahead of the game by getting rid of its uncompetitive midsize sedan.
Coda EV: The all-electric Coda car was half-baked from its inception. Based on an aging compact chassis, the Coda suffered from questionable build quality and subpar handling. The company folded shortly after its launch. Our 2024 take: We’d say it was ahead of its time, but the Coda was so bad, we can’t go there.
BMW 5 and 3 Series Gran Turismo: BMW is not giving up on its Gran Turismo. Looking like a cross between a station wagon and a crossover, the Gran Turismo treatment started with the 5 Series and recently made its way to the 3 Series. It’s not much roomier than the sedan, yet it costs more and commands a higher price tag. Its existence has many of us feeling stumped. Our 2024 take: Bad idea, poorly executed. We wanted your wagons, BMW, still do. These were wholly unnecessary. A rare miss by BMW.
Honda Crosstour: Also in the let’s-add-a-hatch-to-a-sedan category, the Crosstour is based on the best-selling Honda Accord. The Crosstour crossover seemed like a good idea when it was introduced in 2009. Sales peaked in 2010 with 28,852 units sold, but that was short-lived; numbers took of nosedive in 2011 with only 17,974 units sold. The automaker added a four-cylinder option to the crossover for the 2012 model year with hopes of increasing sales, and although it helped bring sales up to 20,848 in 2012, the novelty quickly wore off as numbers took a downward turn. Honda sold only 9,984 Crosstours through the first 10 months of this year. Our 2024 take: Like the BMW Gran Turismo experiment, the Crosstour was what crossovers would eventually end up being.
Fisker Karma: Where do we even start? The Fisker Karma was touted as the next big thing in plug-in hybrid sports cars, but it failed miserably. It had a sexy body but arrived with cooling and electrical gremlins. The Karma had a battery just about the same size of the BMW i3. However, it could only travel 32 miles. And then it had its fair share of fire-related problems, which led to the car’s demise shortly after it arrived on the market. Add in that Justin Bieber bought an all-chrome version, and we can hear the turkey sounds from, well, about 32 miles. Our 2024 take: It’s hard to believe that Henrik Fisker kept getting funding for future products after this (see latest failure), but miraculously, Karma’s present Karma, which is essentially this car, lives on.
Dodge Kahuna Concept: We know automakers like to go all-out when designing their concept cars, but this car is just plain bonkers. Debuting at the 2003 Detroit auto show, the Kahuna was a six-passenger minivan targeted at the surfing lifestyle. Complete with maple laminates, a retractable canvas top, and a Sto & Go load floor, this vehicle made an impression—but not in a good way. Our 2024 take: We’re not sure how this got on the list, because we’d rock this right now. Get Stellantis HQ on the line, stat.
Hummer H2H Concept (Hummer H2 pictured): The Hummer brand quickly died out in the mid 2000s with rising fuel prices, but could you imagine what would have happened if the hydrogen-powered H2H took off? This concept car from a decade ago came equipped with a hydrogen-powered supercharged 6.0-liter V-8 internal combustion engine providing a meager 180 horsepower and a range of only 60 miles. That’s definitely not enough to outrun a zombie apocalypse. Our 2024 take: Well it wasn’t hydrogen, but Hummer is back, baby, and it’s EV powered. Still wouldn’t be able to outrun a zombie apocalypse, however, unless you had a big head start and planned your charging station route.
BMW i3: The i3 is certainly not a bad car. The aluminum- and carbon-fiber-intensive EV left a good impression on us for a number of reasons, but none of those had anything to do with the car’s design. While this EV is an engineering marvel, it’s hard to take it seriously with its dopey and frumpy looks. Our 2024 take: Now, the i3 was a car that was ahead of its time, with what amounts to an EREV powertrain for one of its variants, a propulsion system that’s boomeranging back into vogue. Still looks weird, though.
Mitsubishi Lancer: The Lancer Evo, once a legitimate rally-cred competitor to the Subaru WRX, has slowly fallen behind the curve. With its dated interior, unrefined ride, and relatively steep price tag starting at about $35,000, there are far better options in the sports sedan market. Our 2024 take: It’s sad what happened to the Lancer and Lancer Evo, but so it goes with automakers who weren’t able to properly manage their U.S. market business.
BMW X6: In terms of styling, you can’t get much more polarizing than the BMW X6. While some are fascinated by its imposing curves, others just don’t understand. The automaker is known for making appealing performance models, and the proportions for this model just don’t seem to add up, making this sedan-SUV one of the strangest cars on the road today. Our 2024 take: The third BMW on this list is here, like the others, mainly because of its styling. The X6 has survived as a model, which speaks to the fact that it wasn’t all that polarizing in the end. Now, BMW’s new grilles, however, different story.
Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet: Combining a convertible with an SUV may sound like a good idea. But in reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Nissan decided to roll with this idea when it launched the Murano CrossCabriolet for the 2014 model year. Unsurprisingly, we don’t see many in the wild, and with that convertible top, it just looks plain weird. Persistent rumor had it that an executive’s spouse suggested the model, which starts around $42,000. Luckily for the viewing public’s eyes, few have sold. Our 2024 take: What were we thinking? Quite possibly the greatest vehicle to ever roam a U.S. road. Visionary in its design and execution. *sarcasm alert
Mitsubishi Mirage: The Mitsubishi Mirage was the brand’s entry into the ever-growing subcompact segment. However, what makes that segment so popular is the packaging. With a solid list of standard features, good gas mileage, and a decent design, it’s hard to fail. But the Mirage can’t seem to compete and has sold nearly 40,000 units less than its closest competitors. Our 2024 take: It was also easy to pile on Mitsubishi in general and the Mirage in particular back in 2014, but credit to Mitsubishi as the Mirage wasn’t a mirage at Mitsu dealers and just recently wrapped its run. We’d consider that a success.
Nissan Cube: With the initial popularity of the original Scion xB more than 10 years ago, Nissan decided to bring the asymmetrical and aptly named Cube to the U.S. Unfortunately, the Cube didn’t catch on with the young, hip buyers (or anyone else for that matter) the automaker was targeting and won’t live on past the 2014 model year. Maybe they should have used the Juke’s turbocharged 1.6-liter engine and torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system. The Kia Soul has trounced all comers in that upright-crossover market by offering a good-looking car with a ton of features for the money. Our 2024 take: We’re torn on the Cube. It had its charm and had Nissan stuck with it like Kia has with the Soul, it could have turned it into a competitive EV potentially.
Lexus HS 250h: The Lexus HS 250h was intended to attract Toyota Prius owners into the automaker’s premium brand. The Prius features a utility-laden hatchback body and a 98-hp 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder mated to an 80-hp electric motor for a combined output of 134 hp, but the HS 250h used a standard sedan configuration and the Camry Hybrid’s larger 147-hp 2.4-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder mated to a 141-hp electric motor with a combined output of 187 hp. Alas, few were interested. The HS 250h arrived in the U.S. in late 2009 as a 2010 model, and production ceased in January 2012. Our 2024 take: Lexus was desperate to capitalize on the success of the Prius, but like every Japanese automaker’s luxury arm, didn’t want to let anyone know what it was doing. The result was a strange car for the brand that not surprisingly didn’t catch on.
Honda Insight: The original Honda Insight (2000-2006) was ahead of its time, a hybrid two-seater that went all-out for high MPGs. It became a cult favorite of hypermilers, but for most people it was impractical as a daily driver. Enter the return of the Insight in 2009. With a handsome shape (that some said aped the Toyota Prius a bit much—but blame that on aerodynamics), Honda and hybrid fans were excited. But when the vehicle arrived, people found it to be Spartan, and worse, it was slow, with Honda’s mild-hybrid tech providing a meager 98 hp combined. It was priced OK, but the Prius’ far more advanced hybrid tech won out anyway. The Insight joins the millions of live turkeys this year that won’t make it past Thanksgiving, as 2014 was its last model year. Our 2024 take: The sequel is almost never better than the original.
