Cars that paved the way to greatness

It sometimes takes a disappointing car for an car maker to get back on track.

Motorists are outspoken critics. They’re among the most difficult group of consumers to satisfy and they don’t hesitate to boo a company off the stage when it loses the plot. Through sometimes harsh, this feedback helps point automakers in the right direction as they go through the difficult and open-ended process of re-inventing a nameplate for a new generation.

Here are some of the cars whose questionable design, outdated hardware, shoddy quality or uninspiring driving dynamics showed automakers they were doing it wrong – and how to improve:

Škoda 105/120 (1976)

Czechoslovakia-based Škoda had precious few incentives to modernise its line-up during the 1980s. Its cars were largely distributed in eastern Europe, where they didn’t have to compete against vastly more modern models made by Volkswagen, Renault and Ford, among others. And yet, the company decided its 105/120 (sold in some markets as the Estelle; pictured) deserved an up-to-date replacement because they were seriously outdated. Automakers in western Europe had pivoted towards economy cars with a front-mounted engine and front-wheel drive during the 1970s; it was time Škoda did the same, executives argued.

The firm began developing the Bertone-designed Favorit in 1983, after receiving permission from the Czechoslovakian government, but production didn’t begin until 1987. When it finally arrived, it was universally hailed as one of the better cars in its segment, even when compared to rivals made in England, France or Germany. Škoda had finally created a car eastern Europe could genuinely be proud of.

On a more lasting level, had it not reinvented itself, the firm would have likely followed Trabant and Wartburg into the pantheon of automotive history after the fall of the iron curtain. The Favorit displayed Škoda’s engineering might and helped convince Volkswagen that the company was worth saving. In 2019, it’s one of the German group’s crown jewels, with dominant sales in eastern Europe.

Hyundai Excel (1986)

The American offensive Hyundai launched in 1986 nearly ended as quickly as it began. The Excel, its first American-spec car, sold almost exclusively on value. Its reputation took a serious hit when owners began complaining about reliability problems and motorists warned each other to stay away from newcomer Hyundai. The Excel was simply too cheap for its own good; it looked like South Korea’s answer to the Yugo in the worst possible way.

Hyundai management saw this near-death experience as a valuable lesson. The company took significant measures to make its cars more reliable, better built and more durable. It offered a generous warranty plus a free maintenance plan to win back the trust of motorists. These efforts kept the company afloat in the United States during the 1990s and paid off in the 2000s, when sales rose strongly and market share quadrupled. Hyundai sold 670,000 cars in the US in 2018.

Ferrari 348 (1989)

The 348 stood out as the first new Ferrari released after the death of company founder Enzo. It was envisioned as a replacement for the 328, which was based on the 308 and seriously showing its age, so its development process was rushed and it was launched sooner than it should have been. In hindsight, Ferrari wanted to leverage its stellar reputation to capitalize on an unparalleled demand for supercars around the turn of the 1990s.

Cutting corners created one of the more underwhelming cars in Ferrari’s history. Road testers complained about its unpredictable and unstable handling and condemned an interior designed with no regard for commonly accepted notions of ergonomics. The Honda/Acura NSX compounded the 348’s problems because it offered similar performance, better handling and a much more usable interior.

Ferrari moved quickly. It released a completely overhauled evolution of the 348 named 355 in 1995. It was more powerful, more aerodynamic, more comfortable, better equipped and better to drive.

Lotus Elan (M100, 1989)

The Elan (M100) was more expensive to develop than any Lotus before it. Funded by General Motors, the British firm saw the convertible as a much-needed model that would allow it to become a larger, more profitable company by branching out into a more mainstream segment of the market. Its wedge-shaped body consequently hid a front-wheel drive architecture, an unusual and contentious configuration for the brand. It drove well, especially considering it was a front-heavy convertible, but it wasn’t as lively as previous Lotus models.

Lotus concluded becoming more mainstream wasn’t the right way forward. It sold the Elan’s design to Kia and replaced it with the mid-engined, rear-wheel drive Elise released in 1996.

Ford Escort (fifth generation, 1990)

Ford’s Escort nameplate had a tremendous amount of value in the late 1980s. The model sold exceptionally well in many markets, including in the United Kingdom where it topped the chart, and many expected great things from the fifth-generation model (pictured) developed for the 1990s. They were sorely disappointed when they discovered a bland car with a sterile design, dull handling, and precious few meaningful improvements to set it apart from the outgoing model.

Sales dipped accordingly and alarm bells went off at Ford’s headquarters when the Escort lost the sales lead in the United Kingdom to the smaller Fiesta. An updated model arrived in 1992 with a new-look design and a 90hp engine, among other improvements. The Escort reclaimed the top spot on the sales chart the year it received updates. More importantly, the experience shocked Ford into focusing on driving dynamics, which yielded huge benefits with the deft handling first Mondeo of 1993 and first Focus of 1998.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W210, 1995)

It takes one look at the W210-generation E-Class to gauge how stunningly off-guard Lexus caught Mercedes-Benz in the 1990s. The Japanese upstart was selling equivalent cars for far less money; Mercedes had to drastically cut costs to compete, and quality dropped accordingly. The W210 suffered from jaw-dropping rust reminiscent of 1970s Italian cars and a diverse selection of electronic issues that dented Mercedes' hard-earned reputation for reliability.

The W210 got a little bit better during its production run. Mercedes began raising the bar when it released the W211 E-Class in 2002, though early examples weren’t immune from electronic bugs.

Citroën Xsara (1997)

Citroën didn't drop an ounce of its endearing quirkiness on the Xsara. Released to replace the ZX, it accelerated the firm's plunge into convention by exhibiting a wholly unexciting design inside and out. Even entering the Xsara in World Rally Championship (WRC) events and making hotter road-going variants like the VTS didn't significantly increase its appeal.

Its replacement, the C4, wore a more daring design. It signaled Citroën’s return to making cars that are a little bit off-beat.

Volkswagen GTI (fourth generation, 1997)

The fourth-generation Golf was one of the first models that Volkswagen launched as it moved its entire portfolio upmarket. It was a hugely important car for the brand yet the focus on substance and quality didn’t reach the GTI. It didn’t look, accelerate or drive like its predecessors.

Enthusiasts shunned it, and the press panned it, but the GTI’s most damning detractor came from the very top of the Volkswagen empire. “It was too slow, too average. It was not a proper GTI. It was a good example of marketing getting it wrong,” explained Bernd Pischetsrieder, Volkswagen Group’s chairman, in a 2004 interview.

The fifth-generation GTI released on the European market in 2004 was a much more focused hot hatch and a more convincing interpretation of the first GTI that set the segment’s benchmark in 1974; indeed the Mk5 is Autocar's all-time favourite GTI.

Jaguar X-Type (2001)

Autocar called the X-Type “the most important Jaguar ever” when the model entered production in 2001. We had a point: it was envisioned as a smaller, sportier and more accessible model developed to give buyers in key markets like the UK and the United States an alternative to the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, among others. Jaguar knew getting it right would bring in a tremendous amount of money while boosting its image and it predicted it could sell about 100,000 units annually.

Ford owned Jaguar at the time and it asked engineers to use the Mondeo’s underpinnings in order to save money. This created the first front-wheel drive model in the company’s history, though all-wheel drive was available in many markets. While a disadvantage in dynamism could have been overlooked, few could ignore the X-Type’s reputation for being problematic. Jaguar ended up selling 350,000 units over an eight-year period.

The company didn’t replace the X-Type right away. The XE, its successor, arrived in 2014 with standard rear-wheel drive plus significant improvements in build quality and reliability.

Renault Laguna (second generation, 2001)

The second-generation Renault Laguna tarnished the reputation of a once-respectable nameplate. When it made its debut, it stood out because it wore a futuristic-looking design and it came with an array of advanced features, including a key card. As it aged, however, a diverse selection of mechanical and electronic problems made it one of the most unreliable models in the company’s history.

Renault fixed many of the second-generation Laguna’s shortcomings during its production run, and it released a much-improved third-generation model in 2007, but the damage was irreparable. The firm decided to retire the Laguna nameplate and call the car’s successor Talisman.

Kia Amanti (2003)

The Kia Amanti (sold as the Opirus in certain markets) looked like a Mercedes-Benz E-Class viewed through the wrong end of a telescope. It wasn’t a bad car, owners reported it was reliable to drive, but it suffered from a complete lack of personality. Stale models like the Amanti convinced Kia that it needed to invest more money into exterior and interior design in order to make more attractive cars and improve its image.

On the American market, Kia replaced the Amanti with the Cadenza, a relatively big four-door model that didn’t look like a Mercedes knock-off. Sales began during the 2014 model year and it paved the path many of its stablemates followed. Most of the cars Kia launched in America and abroad during the middle of the 2010s wore a more distinctive design than their immediate predecessor.

Alfa Romeo 159 (2004)

The 159 was Alfa Romeo’s entry into a segment dominated by the BMW 3 Series. It would have caused many sleepless nights in Munich had it been as pleasant to drive as it was to look at but it ultimately didn’t pose a huge threat because it was built on a heavy, front-wheel drive platform developed jointly by General Motors and Fiat during their ill-fated and short-lived alliance.

Alfa Romeo learned its lesson. The 159’s successor, the Giulia, arrived in 2015 with standard rear-wheel drive and was much more enjoyable to drive because of it.

Jeep Compass (first generation, 2006)

The first-generation Jeep Compass made its debut in 2006 with a design that punctured the thin membrane separating hatchbacks and crossovers. The sheet metal – which was arguably not one of Jeep’s finest efforts – hid mechanical components shared with the Dodge Caliber plus a bevy of Mitsubishi models. The dowdy little Compass was more closely related to Mitsubishi’s Lancer than to the Wrangler, which was problematic considering its positioning as Jeep’s entry-level model. It was haphazardly put together and not particularly capable off-road.

Design changes made in 2011 largely fixed its looks and the original Compass remained in production until 2016. It left a dark stain on Jeep's heritage. The firm learned that even its entry-level models need to be at least relatively credible off-road and it designed the Renegade accordingly. In 2016, it re-used the Compass nameplate on a bigger, taller and more capable crossover that can hold its own off the beaten path.

Lincoln MKS (2008)

In the 2010s, Ford’s Lincoln division figured out it didn’t have long to live if it continued making gussied-up Fords with no style or substance. The confusingly-named MKS, its flagship model, was a particularly bad offender. It was based on the Taurus, which was hardly a solid foundation to build on, and it felt too much like a Ford. It wasn’t particularly pleasant to look at and to drive plus it competed in a shrinking segment of the market. American sales hovered around 10,000 units for most of the production run.

Lincoln had two options: sink or swim. It chose the former when it replaced the MKS with the Continental. It’s still a big, Ford-based car but it feels more like a true Lincoln than any of the firm’s models in recent history. It wears an actual name – a historic one, no less – and it's quite a looker.

Honda Civic (ninth generation, 2011)

Honda introduced the American-spec version of the ninth-generation Civic for the 2012 model year. It developed the car during the global financial crisis so it took measures to keep it affordable. It notably kept the exterior design changes to a minimum and used worse-than-average materials inside. Honda incorrectly believed consumers weathered by the crisis would happily overlook these shortcomings to save a few bucks.

Motorists and journalists denounced the Civic for its loud cabin, its cheap interior and its soporific design. The European-spec model unveiled at about the same time added insult to injury because it was a much more attractive form of transportation. Honda couldn’t ignore its critics; the Civic is one of its most important models. It ordered an emergency redesign that added better materials, chassis tweaks, more standard features and visual updates. The updated ninth-generation Civic went on sale for the 2013 model year.

Toyota Camry (XV50, 2011)

The Toyota Camry (XV50) released in 2011 stood out as one of America’s best-selling cars, one of the most American cars in terms of parts content and one of the most boring cars available new in the United States. Toyota watched helplessly as the name Camry became a byword for spiritless motoring. The company decided to change that by giving the model’s successor more soul. In hindsight, the change came at the right time. The Camry competes in a shrinking segment of the market and keeping it dull would have had disastrous circumstances.

The Camry (XV70) unveiled in 2017 wears a more emotional design inside and out. It’s also much more enjoyable to drive than its predecessor thanks to a sharper chassis. The changes made to the Camry reflect Toyota’s new approach to designing cars, one it hopes will help it lose its aura of blandness. The smaller Corolla underwent a similar transformation for the same reasons.

BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo (2013)

The 3 Series Gran Turismo supported BMW’s effort to expand into every conceivable market niche – including a few it created out of thin air. It was marketed as a more spacious alternative to the regular 3 Series and as a sleeker alternative to the 3 Series Touring. It was a questionable addition to the BMW line-up when it was released in 2013 and it makes even less sense in 2019, when buyers who want a more spacious 3 simply buy one of the company’s numerous SUVs.

BMW confirmed the 3 Series Gran Turismo won’t spawn a replacement after admitting that expanding into too many market segments doesn’t pay off. The 4 Series Gran Coupe – which overlapped with the 3 Series Gran Turismo in many areas – will return for a second generation, though.

Cadillac ELR (2013)

General Motors attempted to offset the high cost of developing the first-generation Chevrolet Volt by giving Cadillac its own version of the car. While the Volt was a family-friendly four-door, Cadillac’s variant – named ELR – took the form of a sleek-looking two-door coupe positioned near the top of the company’s line-up in terms of pricing, image and technology. Few buyers were willing to pay $75,000 for a Volt with a nicer (and smaller) interior, though, and sales remained shockingly low. Cadillac put the ELR on hiatus for the 2015 model year to let its dealers clear their inventories, brought it back with a $10,000 price cut during the 2016 model year and then hastily canceled it.

As of 2019, Cadillac hasn’t replaced the ELR and the model might never get a direct successor. If one does appear, it’s safe to assume it won’t arrive as a re-skinned Chevrolet with a stratospheric price tag.