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http://autos.yahoo.com/news/the-wors...-20110418.html

The Worst Cars On The Road
When it comes to quality, efficiency, reliability, safety and overall value, these vehicles bring up the rear.
ForbesBy Hannah Elliott | Forbes – Mon, Apr 18, 2011 4:48 PM EDT

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* 2011 Cadillac Escalade

2011 Cadillac Escalade

By all accounts, Detroit's Big Three automakers have begun producing better-made, longer lasting, more efficient vehicles. It's a distinct change from the 1990s and early 2000s, when they fell behind their European and Asian counterparts in each category.

"This change is not even a gradual thing," says Christine Overstreet, an automotive consultant and director of Heels and Wheels. "It's like they've said, 'OK, we really want to step it up, we really want to compete, we're ready.' After past years of being so bad, they've really stepped up their game."

But with three exceptions--the Mercedes-Benz S550, Smart Fortwo and Nissan Titan--all of the cars on this year's list of the Worst Cars on the Road are (still) made by domestic companies. That includes the Dodge Dakota, Chevy Tahoe Hybrid and Chrysler Town & Country. The only American car company with zero vehicles on the list? Ford.

Behind the Numbers
To determine our list of the worst-made cars on the road, we started with the lowest-rated vehicles from six reliability and performance studies conducted this year by Consumer Reports.

Any car, truck or SUV named among the worst in at least two of those studies made the final cut to be on the "Worst" list.

We should note that the Mercedes S550 is the only vehicle that qualified for our list because of a high cost of ownership, low fuel efficiency and a low rating for overall value, not because of any problems with reliability, safety or performance, which affected every other vehicle in the top 10. Indeed, luxury vehicles like that sedan and the Cadillac Escalade are arguably at a disadvantage on lists like this--their luxurious interior upgrades, high-quality trim and powerful engines work against them.

"The worst value, the highest cost of ownership--you've got to remember there is a numerator and a denominator in these things," says Terry Woychowski, the vice president for quality and global launches for General Motors. "To use an analogy of a watch: If you looked at dollars to buy a watch vs. accuracy of time, you'd probably buy a Casio. [Compare that] to the price and value in a Rolex--you'd say, 'Well, shoot. It costs so much!' For vehicles like this, it's an uphill battle."

We should also note that nearly every car or truck made today is safer, more efficient and more reliable than anything on the road even as recently as 15 years ago. But that doesn't excuse just how often vehicles like the Jeep Liberty are panned for poor reliability or poor fuel economy--or both.

Jeep's Liberty and Wrangler earned spots on Consumer Reports' Least Reliable list for 2011. The Wrangler also received Consumer Reports' Worst Value and Worst Cars distinctions, the latter of which is based on more than 50 individual Consumer Reports tests and evaluations. The Wrangler also appeared on our Worst Cars list last year.

Doug Betts, Chrysler's senior vice president of quality, says the Consumer Reports tests don't reflect the latest, most up-to-date vehicles the company is currently manufacturing. The cars and trucks Chrysler has coming off the line now are far better than cars made even last year, he said in a statement about the reports.

"Customers will see 16 all-new or significantly updated vehicles at Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Fiat dealers this year," Betts said. "These vehicles represent a new level of interior refinement, world-class fit and finish and significantly enhanced driving dynamics."

Similarly, and despite significant improvements since hitting bottom in 2009, GM has some work to do before it can regain a good reputation fleet-wide. Four GM-made vehicles--the Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, Chevrolet Colorado, and Chevrolet Aveo/Aveo5--are ranked as among the worst on the market today. All but the Tahoe Hybrid qualified for the Worst Cars list last year as well.






No big surprises, pretty much all American and a few European cars except for the Nissan Titan.

bnizzle87

The Escalade and S550, though not surprising, are still sought after heavily. Reliability is a huge issue with them, but they're more status rides than anything. For those who view cars as a measure of wealth, these cars are of high value. They cost a lot and are require a lot of maintenance. Gas economy is quite poor for these vehicles, but they do fit the needs for some. And some people just swear by their cars, especially the Jeep group from what I've seen.

grabber2

Not surprise for the Caddy.......they are not reliable & mos of them drove like nuts int hat huge SUV........the s550 in the other hand seems fine.......maybe its just the dealer service cost....

I8ABMR

No surprise on either. God I am glad I went with an LS460 instead of an S class

Kostamojen

The Wrangler doesn't belong on there.

DustinV

We should note that the Mercedes S550 is the only vehicle that qualified for our list because of a high cost of ownership, low fuel efficiency and a low rating for overall value, not because of any problems with reliability, safety or performance, which affected every other vehicle in the top 10.



I wonder why they singled out the S550. Every car in this class has relatively high ownership costs in regards to fuel costs, maintenance (costs of spare parts for example) and such. The S550 is no exception in that regard.

spwolf

if i had to guess, i would say S550 probably had the highest costs in the class, or at least worst overall combination in the class.

RXSF

^^ relatively high depreciation costs as well compared to the LS

DustinV

True. The base price of the car is probably the decisive factor here.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Thats why publications like this aren't worth the paper they are printed on.

-J-P-L-

Kind of silly to call these "the worst cars on the road" ib the basis of cost and fuel economy. Reliability issues, OK, but for something like the S-Class to be called one of the worst cars, lol, because it's expensive and powerful? Uhm, it's supposed to be.

I'm not a fan of the S-Class, but the fact is it is considered among one of the standards of the world. And considering included it here admitting that it doesn't have quality issues is especially odd.

C'mon Mercedes, why don't you make the S-class for only $50K and get 35 MPG? Maybe then, you won't be a "worst car"?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

uh, the op doesn't even include the list, although i know it's hard to cut and paste from that article. this is some of them... i still don't understand the criteria.


The Worst Cars On The Road

Cadillac Escalade


Cadillac Escalade


Listed Among:

Consumer Reports Worst Value
Consumer Reports Highest Costs of Ownership
Consumer Reports Worst Safety Performance


Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid



Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid


Listed Among:

Consumer Reports Worst Value
Consumer Reports Worst Safety Performance
Consumer Reports Least Reliable


Dodge Nitro SLT


Dodge Nitro SLT


Listed Among:

Consumer Reports Worst Value
Consumer Reports Worst Cars
Consumer Reports Least Reliable
Consumer Reports Worst Fuel Economy


Jeep Wrangler Unlimited


Jeep Wrangler Unlimited


Listed Among:

Consumer Reports Worst Value
Consumer Reports Worst Cars
Consumer Reports Least Reliable


Mercedes-Benz S550


Mercedes-Benz S550


Listed Among:

Consumer Reports Worst Value
Consumer Reports Highest Costs of Ownership
Consumer Reports Worst Fuel Economy

IS-SV

I really doubt if anybody here learned anything from this.

bad co

Thats why I laugh at car "advice" from sources that don't deal with anything automotive. The S class being the worst really? Since when does a magazine that promotes opulence call it a bad thing when it comes to car's. If anything the S Class is the best car.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs1xEA7Rvkc

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

they rate the s class bad because of cost of ownership apparently, which is stupid.