What vehicle did you absolutely loathe driving?

Lots of sub-par cars in this thread, but I'm not sure how many I would "absolutely loathe" driving.

I hate sitting up high.  I've had a few cars where I do, and they all top my least favorite cars to drive list (although they are useful in other ways).  Sitting up high I always feel like the vehicle is about to tip.  Any body lean is exaggerated due to your position relative to CG and roll center.  Softly sprung tall vehicles will make me feel nauseous.

Give me just about anything in this thread with a roof <58" and I'd rather drive that than any truck or SIV.

I think the car I've owned (ex wife's car really) that I disliked driving the most was a 3rd gen Odyssey.  Tall, squishy, slow, lots of blind spots, terrible transmission for hilly terrain.

My 2012 Focus hatchback. It was a totally fine car absolutely and mercilessly ruined by the automatic transmission. Hitting the gas had little to no bearing on what the transmission would decide to do. Need to get up and go to pass someone or merge onto the highway? Too bad, maybe you'll get a response within 5 seconds of flooring it. It was borderline dangerous. The only saving grace was rush hour traffic in Charleston, SC rarely exceeded 5mph.

91 Dodge Colt 2 door hatch (Mitsubishi Mirage).

I see people around here praising these and I don't get it. It was an all around terrible car. My Grandma bought it new in 91 and it was given to my sister when she was in high school. I drove it for a summer while she was studying abroad. It had no options other than an automatic transmission. No power steering made it a bear at slow speeds (which in theory should have been fine considering overall lightness). It somehow managed to understeer in most circumstances, even in normal relaxed driving. No A/C made it miserable in July/August heat & humidity. Don't get me started on those stupid automatic seat belts. 

Tony Sestito said:

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Are you talking about the 3rd Gen (1989-94) or 4th Gen (1995-99) Maxima? I had a 1989, and still to this day, it's my benchmark for a daily driver. I loved that car. My parents had a 1996 GLE for a long time, and while I liked the refined VQ 3.0 over my VG30, I didn't care for the interior as much. It wasn't as comfortable to drive, and moving to the beam axle made it handle worse. 

3rd Gen.  The seat bolsters didn't go very far out to support your thighs, it felt like riding in an S10, the shifter felt like it was phoning it in, and it was such a disappointment to me.  For being marketed as the 4DSC, I felt like it missed the mark by miles.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Wow, this might be the 1st time I've seen this take! I adored mine, and thought it was a great car. Seats could have been sportier, true, but the handling (even with the automatic) was stellar. And even though the seats weren't bolstered enough, they were still comfortable. Mine also was one of the most reliable cars I've ever had. Made it to 226k before it got sandwiched on the way to school one morning. It would have made it to 300k+ easily. 

Only gripes I really had about mine were that it was an early one with the SOHC V6 and an automatic. The 1992-94 SE with the 190hp DOHC V6/5-speed was a classic!

ShawnG said:

As for GM stuff. Everyone loves to hate the GM Tech4 but that engine will run poorly longer than most engines will run at all.

My brother-in-law has a Kia Soul. I want to hate it but I can't. It's a really, really good car. Particularly for someone who can't even check his own tire pressure. 

The Tech4 in my S10 had a wrist pin knock so loud people thought it was a diesel, and it ran like that for years. Those Hyundai/Kias are just Korean Cavaliers.

This thread exploded! I have a hard time thinking about a car I did not like driving. My friend, back in the day, let me drive his 3 cylinder, 5 speed Geo Metro. The synchros for 2nd gear were gone, so I got to learn double-clutching real-quick. I loved, and still remember, every second of it. Another friend had a Kia Rio, and with four of us in it, it took me a MILE to get it to 65 mph on the highway because the ramp, and then the following 5,000 feet, were all uphill. Loved it. Sometimes a car's worst attributes are what make it interesting.

I don't find rental cars that bad. They're the only car on the planet that can go from drive to reverse without stopping.

dculberson said:

einy (Forum Supporter) said:

4cylndrfury said:

20-teens Jeep compass. Was an "upgrade" when renting a car for vacation. It was a penalty box in every conceivable way. I'm not sure if was a CVT or a conventional transmission, but the thing refused to make up its mind about which gear was required to maintain freeway speed. Accelerator inputs at anything above 55 werr useless unless you pushed your foot thru the floor board. At that point, you engaged the flux capacitor and the buzzbox would scream past the redline with wild abandon. Driver position would make a chiropractor blush, and road noise was insane. The best part of this car was giving it back. It was offensive to all the senses.

Dang .. I am (was?) considering one of these as a third car / beater with some level of debris hauling capability, but have yet to drive one.  Then again, it would be a beater ...

I got a ~2020s Compass Trailhawk as a rental and quite liked it. I hated the lane keeping stuff (it kept subtly yanking the wheel any time I would follow "the line" through a turn) but did figure out how to turn that off. It wasn't exciting or pretty but it was just fine. Also got pretty decent gas mileage; something like 30mpg.

They may have fixed a few things by the 20s, and I'm sure the TH edition added some creature comforts like measurable horsepower and padded seats.

I wouldn't wish a 2013 unit on my worst enemy...

Coniglio Rampante said:

ShawnG said:

 

You're moaning about the lowest, entry level cars from GM's lowest, entry level brand.

Of course they're crap. 

 

I agree; they were crap...for too many generations of entry level cars from Detroit. 

But thanks to such offerings over a long period of time from the Big 3, the Japanese manufacturers were able to take over the low cost, commuter-family car segment and show the consumer (if not the stubborn Big 3) that an entry level car didn't have to also be a bad car.

So thanks, I guess(?) to the Big 3 for inadvertently making the marketplace better for  their competitors and consumers.

Isn't the Cobalt technically an entry level car from Germany?

When that chassis was originally sold here as the Saturn Ion, they "Americanized" it like the Lutz-inspired VW Rabbits.  Softer suspension, cheaper materials inside.  I guess GM didn't learn the lesson from VW.  When they brought the Cobalt, they undid the Americanization, the same way VW did with the last few years of Rabbits.  It's this and other things that give me the impression that GM was using Saturn as a testbed for things to try with their more mainstream brands.

I rather like Cobalts, and the Cruze that followed it.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

Add to that the fact that the Cruzes that replaced Cobalt are from the the same family of global stepchildren...and were Winning WTCC series around the time they were introduced in the US.

As someone who bought a 1.6t/6mt sample new, and actually loved it, the hate is hard to fathom 

4cylndrfury said:

dculberson said:

einy (Forum Supporter) said:

4cylndrfury said:

20-teens Jeep compass. Was an "upgrade" when renting a car for vacation. It was a penalty box in every conceivable way. I'm not sure if was a CVT or a conventional transmission, but the thing refused to make up its mind about which gear was required to maintain freeway speed. Accelerator inputs at anything above 55 werr useless unless you pushed your foot thru the floor board. At that point, you engaged the flux capacitor and the buzzbox would scream past the redline with wild abandon. Driver position would make a chiropractor blush, and road noise was insane. The best part of this car was giving it back. It was offensive to all the senses.

Dang .. I am (was?) considering one of these as a third car / beater with some level of debris hauling capability, but have yet to drive one.  Then again, it would be a beater ...

I got a ~2020s Compass Trailhawk as a rental and quite liked it. I hated the lane keeping stuff (it kept subtly yanking the wheel any time I would follow "the line" through a turn) but did figure out how to turn that off. It wasn't exciting or pretty but it was just fine. Also got pretty decent gas mileage; something like 30mpg.

They may have fixed a few things by the 20s, and I'm sure the TH edition added some creature comforts like measurable horsepower and padded seats.

I wouldn't wish a 2013 unit on my worst enemy...

I have dealt with a similar vintage Compass as a company car, and that was going to be my pick as well.  What a loathsome, hateful automobile.

In reply to 4cylndrfury :

It's funny, at the same time that people were calling the Cobalt just a Cavalier with different body work it was setting records at places like Nürburgring.

I didn't care for the Cruze, I didn't like the driving position and feel, but I had a good friend who was a road racer and national lever kart racer who loved his, and raved about the handling.

Where'd you find a 1.6 Cruze?

Do you mean 1.6t diesel?  I thought the gas engine was a 1.4t and pretty underwhelming for the cruises size/weight.  Certainly not loathsome though.

Any 60s-70s American Muscle car. Made a  lot of noise which no doubt impressed the plebes, but couldn't handle or brake as well as even moderately capable imports.  I actually took a 455 powered car around my local road course and it was total rubbish as far as braking and handling were concerned, although pretty capable as a noisemaker.

We had a couple of guys bring their V8 AMXs to slalom days and they were whupped by everything from my 1950s MG to a guy (who was an excellent driver) in an NSU that could run for FTD due to his driving skill.

I've had the unfortunate experience of getting all sorts of rental cars in all of my travels. 

- I had some sort of Renault CUV in Italy this past summer that was bad in every single manner. From AC barely working, to ergonomics being terrible, driving mannerisms were gross. Just a terrible vehicle. 

- I absolutely can't stand any challenger or charger. The scat packs and up are fast but damn if they don't feel like driving a boat around and they just feel dated. 

- Corollas and Rav4s. While they are solid cars and reliable. They leave a lot to be desired. 

- Chevy Malibu - while it's a bit more peppy than the Corolla/Rav4, you can feel the loathe GM builds it with. It doesn't have that charm of GM W-Bodies of yesteryear with the plush seating and the roar of a 3800 Series II. 

While at the airport, a friend's mom had to run inside for ~30 min, and I had the unpleasant experience of being asked to drive her  2016 Jeep patriot HIGH ALTITUDE EDITION while she was inside. With only ~60k on the odo, it boasted egregious suspension and handling, It felt like sitting on a box, in a box, catching every lick of wind coming off of the planes that were taking off. This car wobbled down the road, it was floaty but you would still catch every jolt in the road. Paired with an anemic I4  (the 2.4L, I can't Imagine what 2.0L would be like) paired to an automatic transmission, led to a significant delay in power delivery, delay only matched by the amount of play in the brake pedal. I can only assume the reason that the had to go into the airport was because she was sick from driving this box of a car. I was not a fan, 2 dashboard ducks out of 5.

wspohn said:

Any 60s-70s American Muscle car. Made a  lot of noise which no doubt impressed the plebes, but couldn't handle or brake as well as even moderately capable imports.  I actually took a 455 powered car around my local road course and it was total rubbish as far as braking and handling were concerned, although pretty capable as a noisemaker.

We had a couple of guys bring their V8 AMXs to slalom days and they were whupped by everything from my 1950s MG to a guy (who was an excellent driver) in an NSU that could run for FTD due to his driving skill.

They're a lot more palatable when you take them down long open stretches of straight roads, like most of America is built. They are lost on curves or in situations where stopping is important. I loved my 66 Bonneville but "floaty and disconnected" is a compliment to describe the handling, and "terrifying" is about the kindest you can get on the 4 wheel drum brakes.

Sent to New Mexico for some field work and got a Dodge Caliber rental back in 2007. Acres of bland plastic on the interior, slow and clumsy on the road. Could not wait to get back to the Tacoma I owned at the time.

When I was in high school, Dad had a '73 AMC Ambassador station wagon. Banana yellow. Complete with the brown spots. Drove it a couple of times when my '65 Buick Riviera was broke down. Drove like an old row boat. 4 wheel drum brakes that made you wish you had a boat anchor. Slick vinyl bench seat, steering box was more like a suggestion box. Don't remember what engine it had, but I'm pretty sure the Briggs and Stratton on the Craftsman lawn mower had more horsepower. Apparently, Dad hated it also. Only had it about six month and traded it for a '74 Coupe DeVille.

TravisTheHuman said:

Do you mean 1.6t diesel?  I thought the gas engine was a 1.4t and pretty underwhelming for the cruises size/weight.  Certainly not loathsome though.

The 1.4t was heavily derated to almost the same power as the 1.8l.  From what I have gleaned, the hardware is all there to bump it up to about 200hp.  As in not only is the fuel system and everything capable of it, but the computer calibrations are already tuned for it, they just stuck limiters on boost/torque/airflow and stuff.

This is a tough one for me, as most of the horrible cars I  drove were when I was young, and I was just happy to be driving anything at all. We are spoiled by how well modern cars drive. They definitely have their faults- electronic nannies and poor visibility- but they are still much better than many 80's and older cars that drove like ox carts by comparison. 
 

Only a couple stick out to me. A rental F350 box truck. Crazy long wheel base paired with steering that only turned a few degrees in each directing. If felt like the real life version of a cheap RC car that barely turns. I've driven much bigger trucks that turned much sharper. Early 90's F250 4x4. It was just horrible the way it moved down the road, felt like driving a tractor. Mid 2000's Chevy Impala. Horrible ergonomics and visibility, it was like they weren't even trying. Late model Chrysler Pacifica. Overall not bad, but for some reason they stuck the mirrors well back from the A pillars, closer to the middle of the doors. Almost even with the steering wheel. If I sat in an otherwise optimal seating position, I could not glance at the mirrors without turning my head. Never got comfortable driving it like that. It's like they never sat someone in the driver's seat before they put it into production.
 

I thought of another one:  Nissan Altima.  I was visiting some friends in CA last year and rented a subcompact... for which they gave the example of a Sentra.  When I picked up, they were out of the cheapies, so they put me in an Altima.  It was brand new with something like 125 miles on it, so I doubt it had been flogged.  The steering was what I hated most.  On the highway, the tiniest movement of your hand on the wheel caused you to dart all over the place.  It was overboosted, and the ratio was too high.  I kept making my passenger carsick because it just darted around.  The brakes were inadequate, but not awful, but what really made me curious was the complete complexity of things.  I tried in desperation (because of the darty steering) to turn off the downright frightening lane departure alarm, but I couldn't figure it out.

I'm hoping it was a lemon from the factory, because I can't imagine the millions of Altimas out there were as bad as my experience.

~2008-ish Jeep Commander. Got it as a rental for a service trip to a substation. Woof, just awful all around. Huge but no interior space, drove awful, slow, etc. The real kick was that the trunk area was so small with the back seats up it couldn't even fit a tool box.

Also ~2008-ish Dodge Magnum. I can't remember if it had the V8 or not, but cheap, plasticky, poor handling, and the driving position and view out of the car was awful to boot.

I'm one of those guys who will answer this with something like "Almost everything made in the last 20 years". If it has a screen, DBW, annoying nannies, etc, I need to be convinced it doesn't suck.

One egregious offender: 2024 Subaru Outback, turbo. I have fairly high expectations of function for a vehicle, but I honestly can't believe the general public is buying these turds. Everything about it felt cheap and artificial; the most serious was the entire powertrain felt made of a block of rubber, followed by the horrendous loud crashy ride. This was a showroom-fresh example on a dealership test drive. Walked away disgusted.