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5 Highly Questionable Cars

They're fresh off the factory, but why do they exist?

Tom Ball

Sep 25, 2017

Lehigh University

Ô tô Bình Dương

Whoever approved of these cars must've been locked in solitary confinement — not because of what they lack, but rather because of what they are. A lifted sedan? Check. An SUV that is not a hatchback, but totally is? Check. A brand new, but also fairly old convertible? Check. A legendary platform left out in the sun for too long? Check. A car that would make the Korean hamster jealous? Check. Here are five current examples of strange decisions in the automotive world.

1. Volvo S60 Cross Country

This one is a true oddball. Volvo was one of the catalysts for the recent wagon-turned-SUV craze in the market. It all started in the 90s with the V70 Cross Country, where they lifted their popular wagon and dressed it up with some plastic cladding. Fast forward 20 years, and Volvo has successfully continued making Cross Country models and SUVs. Then, last year, they took the formula and applied it to their popular S60 sedan. The S60 Cross Country was born. What the Swedes ended up creating was a car that does not make a great SUV, nor a speedy sedan that will break any Nürburgring records. This was definitely a strange move by Volvo, but in keeping production numbers low, they are taking a low-risk approach to this very peculiar model.

2. Mercedes GLA 45 AMG

This is by far the hottest car on this list. This small hatchback tuned by the masterminds at AMG would not be on this list if the model designation was just slightly different. Mercedes likes to use the prefix GL - short for Gelandewagen - for its SUVs. This means the GLA 45 AMG should be a truck that rides fairly high off the ground with a huge engine. The GLA 45 AMG is quite the opposite. The GLA starts life as an A Class that is then given an SUV-like stance and body paneling. Then, AMG takes its engine, wrings every last bit of power out of it, and lowers the car once again, thus making the GLA 45 AMG a hatchback thrown into Google Translate twice with a very odd outcome.

3. Buick Cascada

As GM tries to figure out how to rebrand Buick in the United States, it has tried many ideas. It all started with that goofy ad campaign, and now they have tried to inject some youth into the brand with a convertible from Opel — a company they recently offloaded. When it arrived on our shores, the Cascada had been on the European market for a few years, making it slightly outdated for a brand new market. Although it certainly is cheaper to badge engineer a car, introducing a model as brand new, only to be immediately seen as somewhat dated is not a good move.

4. Mitsubishi Lancer

The Lancer name carries a lot of weight, largely thanks to the EVOs of yore. Although the nameplate is legendary among rally enthusiasts, Mitsubishi got lazy over time and left their wonderful platform to rot. Not many modern car brands keep a vehicle largely unchanged visually, mechanically, materially or aesthetically unchanged for a decade. Although this may mean Mitsubishi cooked up the perfect ingredients from the get go, despite a recent refresh, the Lancer has become extremely dated in a rapidly changing subcompact market. Now, in an effort to streamline their lineup, the company is pulling the plug on the 1.5 star Lancer.

5. Chevy Trax

For what is supposed to be a car for crammed urban spaces, the Chevy Trax is physically confusing. It honestly looks like a fat hamster, and being just a lifted version of the Chevy Sonic proves just that. Speaking of which, why buy the Trax, which is a heavier and higher, over a Sonic, which is lighter, cheaper, more efficient and built on the same platform? For a young urbanite trying to save money on some wheels, picking a Sonic over a Trax just makes more sense.

BONUS: Ford Flex

This car fascinated me from the get-go. With the boxy, well proportioned and wagon-like look, this is the dark horse of Ford's SUV lineup. It is more practical than their better selling Explorer for a similar size, power trains and smaller price. In fact, Car and Driver rates the Flex higher than the Explorer, but much like the Porsche 911 and Cayman/Boxter, Ford probably does not want the Flex to outshine its wonderful Explorer nameplate.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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