Cars
- 2013's The Good 12 - Mercedes-benz E350 4matic Wagon - $50,000-$60,000
MERCEDES-BENZ E350 4MATIC WAGON Wagons are a rare thing in North America these days. Mercedes-Benz's E-Class is basically without rivals. The BMW 5-Series GT isn't a wagon, and it's ridiculously ugly. The Cadillac CTS and CTS-V wagon won't...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Ford F-150 Svt Raptor - $40,000-$45,000
FORD F-150 SVT RAPTOR GoodCarBadCar was quick to honour the Ram 1500 range with a Good 12 placement, but for customers aiming to spend a little extra, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is downright irresistable. Sure, an off-road truck isn't every pickup...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Kia Rio 5-door - Sub $15k
KIA RIO 5-DOOR$15,000 doesn't buy you what it used to. No longer can an Acura Integra be acquired for $12,580, as it could 20 years ago. These days, sub-$15K cars are subcompacts and subcompacts only. If a new car is a must-have, if you refuse...
- 2013's The Bad 8 - Lincoln Mks
LINCOLN MKS Originally, the Lincoln MKS had but one stylistic fault. And that's where this story gets really bizarre. Lincoln's designers took that one fault, the MKS's ungainly schnoz, and enhanced it. No, enhanced is the wrong word. ...
- 2013's The Bad 8 - Honda Crosstour
HONDA CROSSTOUR When attacking the Crosstour, the typical response from Honda defenders sounds something like this: "It drives like an Accord and it's really practical." Do they think the Crosstour is the only hatchback on the market that drives...
Cars
2013's The Bad 8 - Nissan Versa Sedan
NISSAN VERSA SEDAN
-----
The Bad 8
Usually, car segments are defined by size or status. Sometimes they're called subcompact, compact, midsize, or large. Other times they're labelled as A-segment, B-segment, C-segment, or D-segment. There are cars, SUVs, crossovers, pickup trucks, convertibles, roadsters, supercars, sports cars, and grand tourers.
There is another way of categorizing vehicles. A newer, better, simpler way.
Start with the beautiful good cars. Then there are good cars. Third, there are beautiful cars. These are followed by the beautiful bad cars, the bad cars, and the afterthoughts, also known as the nondescript cars.
Finally, there are ugly good cars, ugly cars, and ugly bad cars. Those middle groups - the cars that are either beautiful, ugly, or just good - make up the majority of nameplates currently on the market. Rarer is the car that is both beautiful and good, the car that is ugly and good, and, as is the case here, the car that is ugly and bad.
Not only is the Nissan Versa sedan an odd duck to look at, it's curiously awful in other ways, as well. A bit uglier than the plain first-generation Versa sedan, this second-gen car is no more exciting in any other way. It's still laden with Nissan's worst CVT application and it's still poorly equipped compared to rivals at Hyundai and Kia. The Versa's steering is wooden. Cornering isn't a pleasant task. The Versa's engine will have you wishing you didn't have to accelerate.
It doesn't have to be this way. Some subcompacts are plenty swift. Others are handsome. The Honda Fit is more spacious. So if a bad driving experience, an inadequate interior, and an ugly exterior can be avoided, there's no reason to consider a car from the UBC class.
There is another way of categorizing vehicles. A newer, better, simpler way. Start with the beautiful good cars. Then there are good cars. Third, there are beautiful cars. These are followed by the beautiful bad cars, the bad cars, and the afterthoughts, also known as the nondescript cars.
Finally, there are ugly good cars, ugly cars, and ugly bad cars. Those middle groups - the cars that are either beautiful, ugly, or just good - make up the majority of nameplates currently on the market. Rarer is the car that is both beautiful and good, the car that is ugly and good, and, as is the case here, the car that is ugly and bad.
Not only is the Nissan Versa sedan an odd duck to look at, it's curiously awful in other ways, as well. A bit uglier than the plain first-generation Versa sedan, this second-gen car is no more exciting in any other way. It's still laden with Nissan's worst CVT application and it's still poorly equipped compared to rivals at Hyundai and Kia. The Versa's steering is wooden. Cornering isn't a pleasant task. The Versa's engine will have you wishing you didn't have to accelerate.
It doesn't have to be this way. Some subcompacts are plenty swift. Others are handsome. The Honda Fit is more spacious. So if a bad driving experience, an inadequate interior, and an ugly exterior can be avoided, there's no reason to consider a car from the UBC class.
-----
Alternatives: Every other subcompact, particularly the hatchbacks, from the Chevrolet Sonic to the Hyundai Accent to the Ford Fiesta and Good 12-winning Kia Rio.
Base USD/CAD Price: $11,990 / $11,878
It Sucks, But... It mostly sucks, but it is ridiculously spacious.
Sales Stats: The Versa sedan is half of Nissan's Versa lineup. It's America's best-selling subcompact and Canada's third-best-selling subcompact.
The Good 12
Kia Rio 5-Door - Fiat 500 Turbo - Volkswagen Golf GTI
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - Dodge Ram - BMW 328i
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor - Chevrolet Suburban -
Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic Wagon - Porsche Boxster S -
Porsche Cayenne S - Land Rover Range Rover
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - Dodge Ram - BMW 328i
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor - Chevrolet Suburban -
Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic Wagon - Porsche Boxster S -
Porsche Cayenne S - Land Rover Range Rover
The Bad 8
Chevrolet Spark - Chrysler 200 Convertible -
Ford Escape Titanium AWD - Honda Crosstour -
Lincoln MKS - Nissan Versa Sedan -
Toyota Corolla CE - Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid
Ford Escape Titanium AWD - Honda Crosstour -
Lincoln MKS - Nissan Versa Sedan -
Toyota Corolla CE - Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid
The Bad 8 Rules
- 2013's The Good 12 - Mercedes-benz E350 4matic Wagon - $50,000-$60,000
MERCEDES-BENZ E350 4MATIC WAGON Wagons are a rare thing in North America these days. Mercedes-Benz's E-Class is basically without rivals. The BMW 5-Series GT isn't a wagon, and it's ridiculously ugly. The Cadillac CTS and CTS-V wagon won't...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Ford F-150 Svt Raptor - $40,000-$45,000
FORD F-150 SVT RAPTOR GoodCarBadCar was quick to honour the Ram 1500 range with a Good 12 placement, but for customers aiming to spend a little extra, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is downright irresistable. Sure, an off-road truck isn't every pickup...
- 2013's The Good 12 - Kia Rio 5-door - Sub $15k
KIA RIO 5-DOOR$15,000 doesn't buy you what it used to. No longer can an Acura Integra be acquired for $12,580, as it could 20 years ago. These days, sub-$15K cars are subcompacts and subcompacts only. If a new car is a must-have, if you refuse...
- 2013's The Bad 8 - Lincoln Mks
LINCOLN MKS Originally, the Lincoln MKS had but one stylistic fault. And that's where this story gets really bizarre. Lincoln's designers took that one fault, the MKS's ungainly schnoz, and enhanced it. No, enhanced is the wrong word. ...
- 2013's The Bad 8 - Honda Crosstour
HONDA CROSSTOUR When attacking the Crosstour, the typical response from Honda defenders sounds something like this: "It drives like an Accord and it's really practical." Do they think the Crosstour is the only hatchback on the market that drives...