http://www.moneyandbusiness.com/pers...rs-2012?src=ob

The 5 Worst Reviewed Cars of 2012
By Fawn Farley, The Writers Network
Last Updated on January 26th, 2012

The five worst reviewed cars of 2012 come from a multitude of lists. What makes a new car a flop? Piecing together several car rankings, from the most ugly car list to the worst fuel efficient vehicles, this bottom five list of cars for 2012 reveals five models of which you may wish to steer clear. In addition to these crippling qualities, some of these vehicles make the worst brand perception list, while others were laughed off stage at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Read on to reveal the five worst reviewed cars of 2012!

Mitsubishi i MiEV

The i MiEV is Mitsubishi's response to a demand for a fuel-efficient electric car. Unfortunately, it falls short on many important features. For one, its touted efficiency of 62 mpg is in practicality closer to 40, and the charging time is a whopping 22 hours. Mitsubishi dealers are far and few between, the performance is slow, and the resale value of this vehicle drops rapidly. Most importantly to some, the i MiEV tops Forbes' Ugliest Cars of 2012 list. One glimpse at it's pug-nosed shape and you'll see why. In addition to all this negativity, the Mitsubishi brand ranks as America's fourth worst overall car brand perception for 2012 by Consumer Reports.

Mini Coupe

The Mini Coupe is another vehicle that makes both Forbes' ugliest car list as well as the Mini being the third worst perceived car brand by Americans. The new Mini Coupe is a little difficult to describe, for it's a hatchback that's not quite a hatchback. A hard wall exists behind the tiny two seater, with a small opening to reach the rear space. Besides the lacking interior space and eye sore of an exterior, the Mini Coupe has severe visibility limitations, which can potentially make it unsafe to drive.

Mercedes-Benz S550

This Mercedes-Benz model makes Consumer Report's worse value list. The S-series has a base MSRP of between $91,850 and $210,900. Not exactly a car for the 99%. The S-series runs on premium fuel, but tops Consumer Report's worse fuel efficiency list in the upscale, luxury sedan category. Getting just 11 mpg in town and 27 on the highway, the S550 gets an overall paltry 17 mpg. If money is not of any concern to you, perhaps you would love the Mercedes-Benz S550, but for a similar ride with a much smaller price tag, look into an Audi A8.

Lincoln MKZ

Both the Lincoln MKZ and the Honda Accord make this list for being a little too similar to last year's models, causing them to take quite a flop at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. This show unveils the new models of the season and is important in assessing the future success or failure of a car. Lincoln is trying to make a comeback with this model, but the show was stole by the Ford Fusion, a model that is similar to the MKZ but better and less expensive.

Honda Accord Coupe

The Honda Accord received poor reviews at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show because of its similarity to old models and it's overall mediocrity. Mark Rechtin of Automotive News said this new model is simply the current model with some embellishments straight from the Mitsubishi Gallant. He also states that "Honda should know better." Ouch.

References:

Best and Worst Fuel Economy
Ugliest Cars of 2012
Detroit Duds: Here are the Worst New Car Debuts
It's All Perception: Consumer Reports Names 10 Best and Worst Car Brands


I personally think the Coupe is HOT!!

 

Whatevs.

 

I like my Coupe and I march to my own drummer not someone else's.

 

Hear! Hear! We have someone who picks a car based on his likes, and not someone else's! That's very refreshing.

Now that that's out of the way - what rims will look best on my car - what color stripes should I put on my bonnet - and on and on.

 

Really, what a joke of an article. "Fawn Farley" of "The Writers Network", writing for his/her blog "Money and Business". So authoritarian. And throwing five vehicles into the mix that have little to do with one another, no reference citings, just assertions, few facts.

"Ugly" isn't worth discussing, completely subjective...and the "third worst brand"? Sez who? About what? $$$ spent per cm of wheelbase?

Wretched writing overall, just a proof point that shows with the Web, anyone can be a "published" author.

"MINI Coupe? Oh yeah, I read an article that they're one of the 5 worst cars..." Gad.

 

Can't really say I can disagree with anything written about the Coupe in the OP's post. I've never liked that thing, and I still think it looks like... (expletive)...

 

I am also not a fan of the Mini Coupe after having sat in one at a local club meeting. I felt very confined and the visability was poor. But I do love my R53.

 

I had a Coupe S Automatic for 2 days as a loaner. Poor visibility. Not the car for me.

 

..never liked the helmet head look. TEHO..whatever blows your skirt up..

 

The coupe, in my opinion is a poor design in many ways. Not a car i would purchase...

 

I am personally not a fan of the Coupe and I am not surprised to hear this. I don't expect MINI to sell huge amounts of the Coupe - the Roadster on the other hand... I think it will do pretty well.

The Coupe cuts out rear seats for more luggage space and poor visibility and I think the looks are questionable for the benefit of slightly better handling. The Roadster on the other hand looks so much better than the convertible and loosing the rear seats but gain lower centre of gravity and no roof might be a better compromise for some. Still if I had the $$ for a second car with only 2 seats, I would be looking at a Lotus or Miata or something else but definitely not a MINI with the current car line-up.

 

Yup. Completely agree. Audi TTRS IMO, is the better choice than the Coupe for the money. Priced out Coupe the way I would love to have it is over $40k. If I COULD afford a car that cost that much, I'm would just spend a little more and score the Audi.



The Roadster is a thing of beauty IMO... I loved the idea of the coupe when it came out... I just don't like the spoiler and think it should look longer.... It is like it has a really fat body and a tiny head. That's what I see when I look at the coupe.

I do wish there was a factory option from MINI to have a rear seat delete for the Cooper.

 

I really like the TT. But priced in Canada, even a base TT, was a lot more than the JCW hatch. And a TT RS starts at almost C$68,000 (!!!). I did briefly consider the TT as all I need is a small back seat for the dog - I don't care if people or even children can't fit in the back seat. :-)

 

Get a grip...the base RS is over 40% more that the Coupe. You're comparing apples and watermelons.

As far as the rest of us we own cars that very few people other than the owners think "good looking". As a matter of fact outside of our cult the most used adjectives probably are "cute", "little", and "ugly". We certainly didn't buy them for their areodynamic looks and sleek design. We bought them because we are a little different (OK, maybe a lot) and we enjoy the hell out of driving them. The coupe is now part of our family and I welcome it.

I have a Clubman...Now that is one good looking auto.

gary

 

Get a grip? I did. I'm comparing a small German 2 seater with another small German(british) 2 seater. I priced one out the way I wanted to on the MINIUSA.com site, and it was like $41k. Audi TTS, starts @ $47k. RS, $56k. Sooo... All compareable. And, IMO, the the Audi is worth the extra $$$$...

I'm just saying... if I could afford the one for $41k, I would just spend the extra and buy one for $50k. I can't... so that's hear nor there. There is just something off with the coupe that makes me tilt my head and shrug my eyes... It's the same look my dog gives me when I try to give my him a piece of broccoli.

 

Not trying to start a peeing contest...My math was wrong. The RS is 30% more than the Coupe not 40%. Using your logic the base RS is comparable to a 911 Carrera, I just don't see it.

As Mini owners we take pride in individuality. I wanted the N18 engine but my decision not to buy a JCW was based more on the fact that it only came with a black headliner than on its lack of valvetronic. 95% of the folks here prefer the black, not me. Individuality...The Coupe is part of our community. We may like it, we may not, but we do need to embrace it.

I like broccoli.

gary

 

That's why the brilliant people will rush right our and buy one right away.
It's gauranteed to be a collector.

 

I dont want to sound like a hater but I agree with this article. Although I dont know what makes the car so unsafe to drive but I do not like the exterior and for that price for a JCW one Id look at another company ... R56 4L !!!! LOL

 

I love my 2012 Mini S Vert, but as we were just about to place the order we saw the Coupe and we almost skipped getting the MINI all together. I just think it is SO UGLY. I thought that maybe when I saw it in person I would change my mind, but Mini of Sterling had 2 on the lot, and in person it was even uglier!

Not being a hater, but I just thing that there is nothing MINI about them, the took the one thing that is a signature for all minis, that boxy rear-end and ax'ed it off. All the things that can become a pain when you own a mini are made worse.

That said, I would buy another MINI in a heartbeat. Car is getting serviced today, so I have a clubman... I like!

 

Yup, lump me in the group that didn't find they really said anything untrue or bad necessarily about the Mini Coupe. It's not for me either. I agree most with Bubble and Squeak. There's something about the Mini styling and character that got lost in the coupe. When I was shopping for a Mini there were several things mine had to be, and they all centered around the Mini heritage. Had to be a hatch, to retain the classic lines and styling, and no chrono package because without the big useless to me center speedo, it's not a Mini.

I'm totally not a fan of the shape or lines of the coupe, and the one saving grace it has is that it helped pave the way for the roadster. Odd that you rip off that roof and you go from one super ugly car to one of beauty....to me. But like others, I priced out a roadster and holy crap, no way I'm dropping that kind of cash on a car! I'd definitely be in a Miata before I'd buy the Mini. Same type of car, same type of fun, same type of community, but a far lower price of entry.

 

I, for one, loved it when I saw it in the showroom. Almost made me and my wife go for that instead of the cabrio. I don't agree about the trunk space, btw. has almost as much as my Passat, IMO. If I were younger, and singler, I'd have plunked my bullion down for it in a heartbeat.

As my mother-in-law would say: "Over smaak valt niet te twisten"

http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/387813

 

I think the Mini Coupe is going to end up a lot like the BMW Z3 coupe. Controversial styling, and limited usefulness, not as much point to it as the roadster, and I expect the Mini Roadster to outsell it by far.

 

If so, it will have a huge following and maintain its value quite well.

I think the similarity is partial, BMW couldn't give the Z3 and M Coupes away when they were new, and that looks to be a possibility with the MINI Coupe. It's less likely that the MINI Coupe will have the same rabid following that the M Coupe does now. We'll see.

 

Since when the hell is mini "the worst car brand perceived by americans"? What a load of ***** that sounds like.

Reading some comments, I guess I like ugly cars. I always thought the Z3 M coupe was the most badass hatchback made. The newer Z4 M coupe I thought was WAY nicer than the roadster version, and coupled with the S54 M3 engine, yea.... incredible. I also happen to like the mini coupe alot.

Id much rather be driving around in an enthusiasts car that has quirky styling than a toaster on wheels.

 

The Coupe is a nice looking car IMO, but is it practical for a mid-twenties just about to be married (8 more days!) guy to own? Nah! My Clubby will do just fine. I could see myself owning one of those down the road in life when the kiddos are all grown up.