15 Automotive Turkeys: Cars That We Stuffed

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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 … Read More